Tag: My Blog

Should one withdraw the Pension Fund balance? (Recording of a conversation)

Michaela MerzLeave a comment

602208_web_R_K_B_by_uschi dreiucker_pixelio.deI was at the airport waiting for my flight. I was reading my documents.
Two men in suits, 50+, carrying briefcases came and sat beside me.

“If it goes on like this, the Pension Fund conversion factor will soon be 0.0”, said the smaller of the two.

“Yes, that’s quite possible” replied the other. “Then it won’t be worth drawing a pension. One would have to withdraw the capital.”

“You’re quite right, if the capital is withdrawn, it’s taxed at a lower rate.To make the most of that, perhaps shortly before doing so one should move somewhere abroad, where it is not taxed at all.”Read More »

Meeresblick, Seesicht

Michaela MerzLeave a comment

IMG_20160507_1118176

 

Mal wieder in Ascona. Ich geniesse es. Wasser, Luft, Berge. Gutes Essen, guter Wein, nette Leute. Rummel und Ruhe, ja nach dem wonach es einem gerade ist. Nach dem Frühstück eine gemütliche Fahrt mit einem Minidampfschiff. Die Begeisterung des Eigentümers, der die ganze Maschinerie selbst entworfen und konstruiert hat, ist ansteckend.Read More »

Room with a view

Michaela MerzLeave a comment

IMG_20160507_1118176Back in Ascona. I enjoy it. Water, fresh air, the mountains. Good food, good wine, friendly people. The bustle and the peace, depending on what one wants at the time. After breakfast, a leisurely trip with a mini-steamer. The enthusiasm of the owner, who designed and built all the machinery himself, is catching.Read More »

Wenn der Job keinen Spass mehr macht

Michaela MerzLeave a comment

626986_web_R_by_Erwin Lorenzen_pixelio.deBei mir ist Edgar und er macht einen sehr zerknitterten Eindruck. Seit sechs Monaten hat er einen zwölf Jahre jüngeren Chef. Seit diesem Zeitpunkt macht ihm sein Job keinen Spass mehr. Am Anfang hat er sich über den neuen Chef und seine vielen Ideen gefreut. Ganz nach dem Motto “toll, ein neuer Wind”. Schnell hat sich aber gezeigt, dass der neue Chef viele Ideen hat, seine Führungsqualitäten aber sehr zu wünschen übrig lassen.Read More »

When the job is no longer enjoyable

Michaela Merz1 Comment

626986_web_R_by_Erwin Lorenzen_pixelio.deEdgar is in my office and he makes a very down-trodden impression. For six months he has had a 12 years younger boss. Since then his job has no longer been enjoyable. In the beginning he enjoyed his new boss and his many ideas. Just like the saying “a breath of fresh air”. But it quickly became apparent that the new boss had many ideas, but his leadership qualities leave a lot to be desired.Read More »

Helsinki mit dem Trottinette

Michaela Merz1 Comment

475474_web_R_by_Birgit Winter_pixelio.deHelsinki als Stadt ist grosszügig gebaut mit breiten Strassen und Fussgängerwegen. Um was man Helsinki wirklich beneiden kann, sind die Velowege. Wo ein Fussweg ist, ist auch ein Veloweg. Und wie erkundet man eine Stadt, die man nicht kennt? Am besten zu Fuss. Darum habe ich zu meinem Reisegepäck ein zusammenklappbares Trottinette (aka Tretroller) eingepackt. Und ehrlich, dies war genau die richtige Art und Weise sich in dieser Stadt zu bewegen. Read More »

Helsinki by scooter

Michaela Merz3 Comments

475474_web_R_by_Birgit Winter_pixelio.deAs a city Helsinki is spacious with wide streets and pedestrian paths. But what one can really envy about Helsinki are the cycling paths. Where there is path for pedestrians, there is also a path for cyclists. And the best way to explore a city one doesn’t know? By foot. Therefore I included in my luggage a collapsible pedal scooter. And honestly, that was exactly the right way to get around in this city. Read More »

Mountainbike

Michaela MerzLeave a comment

_DSC1773_worked_NikLowKeyWhen the weather is fine, I like to go into the woods behind the house. I get on my bicycle and enjoy the smell, the fresh air, the shade and also the effort, when I pedal hard uphill, then flying down from the top of the hill to the bottom, when the wind whistles in my ears and I can keep up with the speed of the cars travelling down the hill.

If the day has been tiring or the anger too great, the weather doesn’t matter at all. I have to get out with my running shoes on my feet or on my mountain bike. Up the hill, sweating and out of breath. With every push on the pedals, the anger or frustration subsides and when I reach home again, I feel as if I have been reborn, a nice good-tempered person, who again values the world and all its creatures. One can say that for me movement is a psycho-hygiene, necessary to be able to cope with stressful and annoying events without damage. It also has fantastic side-effects, which, as far as health is concerned, are incalculable.Read More »

Mein Name ist Eugen

Michaela MerzLeave a comment

tmb_7179_Mein_Name_ist_Eugen-31Mit 13 beginnt der Ernst des Lebens. Etwa so tönt es in dem neuen Musical in der MAAG Halle. Aus einem Buchklassiker hat ein erfahrenes Autorenteam ein unterhaltsames Musical mit sehr viel Witz und wunderbaren Einfällen gemacht. Ich hatte im Publikum die pubertierende Jugend erwartet, aber das war falsch. Beinahe alles waren Erwachsene. Vielleicht ist es für viele die Retrospektive an die eigene Jugend, an die Primarschulzeit als das Buch “Mein Name ist Eugen” als Pflichtlektüre gelesen wurde. Read More »

My name is Eugen

Michaela MerzLeave a comment

tmb_7179_Mein_Name_ist_Eugen-31The serious side of life begins at 13. That seems to be the message in the new musical in the MAAG Halle. Out of a classic book an experienced team of authors has made an entertaining musical with a lot of humour and wonderful ideas. I had expected the audience to be full of pubescent teenagers, but that was wrong. Almost all were adults. Perhaps for many it is a glance back to their own youth, to their time in the primary school when the book “My name is Eugen” was compulsory reading. Read More »