• Mrfiddles@feddit.nl
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      2 days ago

      Started looking for places to move to in 2017 because we lived in a red state and the writing was on the wall. Settled on the Netherlands and moved in 2019. Getting through covid was a bitch and I’d feel a lot better if the Dutch hadn’t also just elected a right wing nut job, but my mental and physical health are noticeably better. Once you get out you really realize how toxic American culture is. It’s like swimming downstream from a mine your whole life and then suddenly getting air lifted to some Icelandic spring.

      • Johannes Jacobs@lemmy.jhjacobs.nl
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        2 days ago

        Yeah, we laugh about the orange baboon up there, but we have our own chimpansee down here :( we’re in no way better then the Americans in that regard.

        I dont read the papers anymore, i dont watch the news anymore.

        Humanity is sick and rotting, and i dont think we’ll ever rise above that. Humanity will ruin itself and the planet.

        But yeah… Other then that i’m very peachy and positive :)

    • Vincent@feddit.nl
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      2 days ago

      I don’t think we really have the freedom to choose our own pension funds, do we? Possibly if you’re self-employed.

      • Drigo@sopuli.xyz
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        2 days ago

        I work for a big company, and moved my pension. And I can invest it, in almost whatever I want. And because the yearly fee for the funds i choose is less than what my company payed before. I get payed the difference, which is nice.

        • Vincent@feddit.nl
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          2 days ago

          Cool! So how do you do that? If I go to e.g. the ABP site, I see no way to sign up. (Both ABP and BPF Bouw are sector-specifc too, I suppose, maybe that’s the issue? But looking at a more generic pension provider, they mention either being part of HR, or self-employed…)

          • Drigo@sopuli.xyz
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            2 days ago

            Well I live in Norway, I guess not every county are able to move it freely?

            • Vincent@feddit.nl
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              1 day ago

              Oh OK, yeah when I said “we”, I meant Dutch people - as far as I know Dutch people aren’t able to choose our own pension funds.

          • Johannes Jacobs@lemmy.jhjacobs.nl
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            2 days ago

            Our company doesnt “meddle” in staff’s pensions. The idea is that i know better what fits me then my boss does.

            Next Monday i have talks about my pension, so i can tell you then ;-)

            • Vincent@feddit.nl
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              1 day ago

              Ha, does that mean they simply don’t give you a pension? Or is it the case that you pick one and they handle it?

              But yeah, sounds like it’s specific to your company, unfortunately.

              • Johannes Jacobs@lemmy.jhjacobs.nl
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                15 hours ago

                No it means the money for my pension is added to my salary. Same goes for ehh… “Holiday money”. Normally the company saves a small part of your salary to pay out once a year. Usually end May i believe.

                So in my case, my monthly income is much higher, but it means i have to save it myself. Same goes for my pension. Instead of my employer paying the pension funds, i have to do it myself.