With regards to the EU, the real power is held by the commission, who are not democratically elected. I think people should be as independent as possible. Part of the point of FI is that you have control over your own time and your own destiny. How we think and run our lives, and what we choose to do with them should be our choice, not the choice of a government that governs the entire world. People think differently from house to house, village to village, city to city, nation to nation, and culture to culture. Of course, there are many more iterations of this, but I just mean to say that I value diversity in all sorts of ways, not least of which in people being able to choose their own leadership on every level. The less choice there is, I feel the worse we will be as a planet.

Fun post! It started out quite dark, but I really enjoyed reading through it.

Why do you think that a democratically elected world government is a bad idea? It’s basically the European Union on a worldwide scale – don’t shoot me now!

I don’t think that investing will change all that much in the future. Of course there will be different legislation and tax regulations, but when you filter all those out it will come down to the question “has investing in and of itself ever changed?” Hundreds of years ago land nobility bought farm lands to increase their net worth and power, now the nouveau riche buy companies by the dozen. Even though the assets have changed, the strategy remains the same.

And for what it’s worth, I hope to still be able to invest a hundred years from now. Immortality, here I come!

Best wishes,
NMW

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I doubt folks looked at old BBS and thought, “This internet thing is going to completely redefine the way people live in just a few decades.”

I hate to say it, but I tend to agree with you in that entrepreneurship in the industrial world is looking like it’s getting more difficult. That being said, if 3D printing really takes off soon, then perhaps this problem won’t emerge? We can only hope!

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I feel like increasing globalization and governmental regulation will combine to make the top global companies more powerful and entrepreneurship (at least in industrial spheres) more difficult as legal traps take an increasingly larger toll on smaller competition that’s unable to cope with fees for regulatory compliance.

Stocks in general will feature lower returns than before, but longer investment horizons will even out those lower rates.

I see the formation of “megacorps” being the defining characteristic of future global industry. Buy your S&P funds now, while they’re cheap!

I didn’t include climate change because our climate is always changing, and yet, we are still here. There are so many factors at play, not least of which is the solar cycle(s) which we are in. I do not believe that we humans are contributing as much of the warming as some people say we are, however I am very sad about pollution – so I am in the strange halfway house that is pro-alternative fuel tech but not for the reasons of warming, but for the other destructive things our dirty fuels do. That being said, I have confidence that we will survive various types of climate change. What I am not so confident in is if the sun goes berserk on us… which is really quite possible. If that happens though, I don’t think anyone will give two hoots about their dividend growth portfolio…

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There won’t be a need for money as in 100 years’ time, 3D printers will be able to print just about anything anyone would want to have. Need a diamond ring? Print one.

I must confess though that the idea is largely borrowed from one of Peter Hamilton’s sci-fi books – I forget which one now – and it was set a bit further in time than 100 years…but 100 years is quite a long time if you consider the advances made since the previous 100 years.

As for disease, I expect they’ll just be able to create a drug to attack the DNA of any particular virus by then.

I am curious that you didn’t include climate change as having destroyed the world’s economy though – apparently that’s the number#1 threat to humankind. Personally I think it’s be the resources by the 7+ billion people on the planet – we’re our worst enemy sadly.

Aside from the single government, maybe there’ll be a single global currency (any guesses on the name?) with the exception of a few outlying bankrupt countries who have no income of their own but still want to spend money.

Best wishes,
-DL

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