Why is this being downvoted? There are lots of great points in this post. I never considered that most of the advice that I am reading is aimed toward US people, where the labour laws and social safety net for working people is awful, compared to the rest of OECD.
Probably because of the narrative that people are routinely fired out of the blue and that there is no recourse to also suddenly having tens of thousands of dollars in medical expenses also out of the blue.
It doesn't really matter how regularly it happens, only that it does happen and that there is zero recourse in that case. So people need to build their own safety nets in the US.
I know it happens less frequently in tech, where people get compensation, but what % of workers are in tech? The median worker has no such luck.
As discussed, there is much less of a chance that you'll suddently find yourself with no income when you live in most of the EU+UK+Aus+NZ.
And if you do, you're still less uncomfortable because your healthcare is not tied to your employer. Unemployment and other related aids/insurances/benefits will vary wildly between countries, but I'd still bet the majority do it easier than in most US states.
Possibly. As you say there's a lot of variance. I don't generally assume that you can get quality healthcare, housing, and food in Europe with no source of income outside of government programs.
And certainly many countries have lower salaries and higher unemployment that the US does in general.
> I don't generally assume that you can get quality healthcare, housing, and food in Europe with no source of income outside of government programs.
And what's the issue with government programs? If someone without employment or revenues can get healthcare or food, that's good.
> And certainly many countries have lower salaries and higher unemployment that the US does in general
Higher unemployment yes, absolutely. Lower salaries you can't really compare because you need to adjust for a lot of things (quality of life, cost of living, things like the safety cushion one needs, etc.)
