Ragnar’s Guide to the Underground Economy

 

   Welcome back… I thought we would start the week out with that book review I’ve been promising. As you can see I wasn’t kidding when I said we would be seeing a lot of this author in the book review section. I just can’t help myself, I love this guy’s writing. It’s far from eloquent but it makes up for that by being incredibly thought provoking and this book is no exception. 

 

   Today, I want to bring you – “Ragnar’s Guide to the Underground Economy”. In this book Uncle Ragnar will introduce the reader to what is referred to by many different names… “The Underground Economy”, “The Gray Market”, “Off the books” or the ever popular and timeless, “CASH”… Most of us have probably encountered this market and possibly even participated in it to some level.

 

   Lately, we’ve been conducting a number of “Thought Exercises” here on the blog and this book seems to fit right into this theme. As American’s I believe we would all agree that our government is running amok. Our representatives are failing to represent their constituents and continue to be caught with their hand in our cookie jar. This behavior doesn’t seem to show any signs of letting up, it actually appears to be on the increase. There’s very little that we NORMAL, little people can do to hold these characters to account. This is the premise of today’s post and book review…

 

   As hard working people we find ourselves in a dilemma, often a moral dilemma. I’m not going to try to convince my readers that either course of action is the right one to take but only bring the information to you to make up your own mind. Currently, the tax burden on honest hard working people that are playing by the rules, can be in excess of 50% of our gross income. I can only think you would agree with me that this is excessive and punitive in this, the land of the free… As more and more American’s become disillusioned with their government, I think we will see a sharp increase in this business sub-culture.

 

   As is the authors characteristic writing style this book is chock full of interesting ideas and anecdotal examples of the “Gray Market” at work! Cover to cover we are introduced to ideas that might seem odd at first glance. Ragnar takes us on a tour that winds through every corner of the cash economy, firewood cutters to mushroom pickers. You the reader will be introduced to crazy backwoods folk and possibly even your own attorney or CPA. That’s right these under-grounders, as they often call themselves, are working in almost every imaginable field.

 

   The evidence is in – the less tax you pay the government, the more money you keep in your pocket. Ragnar stays true to his reputation and brings both the pros and cons in this book. It doesn’t take much to imagine the financial upside that not paying taxes would have but there’s always a trade off. That will be discussed in detail when you read this book.

 

   The book itself is nearly 150 pages and is a 1999 copyright. The fact that the book was published 10 years ago doesn’t effect its readability in the least. A few of the examples are out of date, such as the information about computer related work… This is not a large detractor in my opinion and I highly recommend this book. Whether you operate your own business or are currently working for someone else’s business, this book will enlighten you with new possibilities.

 

   Let me make myself clear that I am not advocating you take the leap and start working outside the legal tax system. I do encourage everyone to stay informed of what others around them are doing. This book is primarily about the tax avoidance sub-culture, that is going on all around us, everyday. However, there is another benefit that I personally received from reading the book. Creative money making ideas… Page after page of thought provoking ideas on how to make additional income, taxed or not! I first read this book shortly after it was published and then again in the last few weeks, it is as good today as it was in the late 90’s.

 

   Possibly you have been considering starting a business of your own or maybe branching out from your existing one. The information that Ragnar provides goes much further than just the primary theories the title suggests. There are plenty of business cost breakdowns that will aid the reader in making the needed calculations to determine the profit potential of any number of enterprises. This book is written in Ragnars familiar down to earth style that makes for an easy read, even when the topic is rather heavy. Armed with the ideas that this book will cause your mind to process, you can go on to examine how you feel about this concept, overall. I can’t recommend a book that you should read any more than I do this one. Do yourselves a favor and find a copy and spend a couple hours exercising your mind on this subject!

 

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As promised, I’ll be giving my copy to one of the “Prepper” Nation subscribers… If you’re interested in reading this book, I hope you are, send an email to me at prepper@preppernation.com and I’ll mail the 15th emailer the book.

 

See ya tomorrow,

 

Prepper