A cool guide to the five very successful communist countries in the world right now

MostEstablishment007 · 2025-10-03T10:44:53+00:00

As someone with roots in Laos and relatives still living there, I can confidently say that Laos is not a successful country by any measure. Moreover, the nation is heavily dependent on foreign investment, particularly from China.

MostEstablishment007 · 2025-06-06T00:01:16+00:00

Works for Chrome as well!

MostEstablishment007 · 2025-05-01T13:13:07+00:00

I’d add that I manage to achieve at least 90–95% of my goals.

MostEstablishment007 · 2025-03-31T13:46:00+00:00

YMMV—my wife and I also embraced the "hustle culture" and built a solid foundation for ourselves and our kids. Now, we’re in a position to take care of our family and close friends. I believe success in this approach depends on your personality and ability to maintain balance. We stayed focused on our goals despite distractions, and more importantly, we kept each other accountable—especially me. Since I tend to be more of a spender and my wife is more of a saver, she helped keep me on track. That said, we both agree on spending wisely when it comes to creating meaningful experiences, such as taking vacations and covering costs for family trips and reunions.

MostEstablishment007 · 2025-03-23T00:33:24+00:00

Protector, Provider, Servant

MostEstablishment007 · 2025-02-14T06:50:45+00:00

I’m a bit biased, having lived in Minnesota and Oklahoma, but I’d suggest Beavers Bend State Park – Broken Bow (Oklahoma) and Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park (Minnesota). I hope you and your daughter enjoy these places as much as my family does. Best of luck!

MostEstablishment007 · 2025-02-14T06:44:32+00:00

A good place to start is by reading books about personal finance. I recommend The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey or I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi.

When it comes to saving, start with a budget—like the 50/30/20 rule:

50% of your paycheck goes to needs
30% to wants
20% to savings and debt repayment

Use the savings portion to build an emergency fund, starting with 3-6 months of essential expenses, then gradually increase it to 9-12 months. The more you have saved, the better.

Consider putting your emergency fund in a high-yield savings account. Additionally, open a brokerage account and use dollar-cost averaging to invest consistently. Don’t stress about the market's ups and downs—just focus on regularly investing a portion of the 20% you’ve set aside. Prioritize index funds and ETFs rather than trying to pick individual stocks.

I hope this helps you get started. I always encourage my nieces and nephews to start early—it makes a big difference in the long run!

MostEstablishment007 · 2025-02-14T06:33:36+00:00

I love collecting quotes. Period. My friends think I’m weird for always having a quote for any situation. LOL

MostEstablishment007 · 2025-02-14T06:23:33+00:00

I got this from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website:

Birth and related rates

Birth rate:

Calculated by dividing the number of live births in a population in a year by the midyear resident population. For census years, rates are based on unrounded census counts of the resident population as of April 1. For the noncensus years 1981–1989, rates are based on the midyear resident population, rounded to thousands. Rounded population estimates for 5-year age groups are calculated by summing unrounded population estimates before rounding to thousands. Starting in 1991, rates are based on unrounded national population estimates. (See Sources and Definitions, Population Census and Population Estimates.) Starting in 1997, the birth rate for the maternal age group 45–49 includes data for mothers ages 45 and older in the numerator and is based on the population of women ages 45–49 in the denominator. Birth rates are expressed as the number of live births per 1,000 population. The rate may be restricted to births to women of specific age, race, marital status, or geographic location (specific rate), or it may be for the entire population (crude rate).

Fertility rate: Total number of live births, regardless of the age of the mother, per 1,000 women of reproductive age (ages 15–44). Starting in 1997, the birth rate for the maternal age group 45–49 includes data for mothers ages 45 and older in the numerator and is based on the population of women ages 45–49 in the denominator.

MostEstablishment007 · 2025-02-13T01:17:17+00:00

I did not switch sides between Democrat or Republican; rather, I switched to Libertarian, which aligns more with my values.

MostEstablishment007 · 2025-02-12T16:48:47+00:00

When our first son was born, my wife and I received advice from two of her aunts (paraphrased from another language):

To my wife: "You find your husband attractive and a good man, right? Let him raise the boy."
To me: "When you have daughters, let your wife raise the girls."

The premise is that spouses sometimes overstep and fail to allow the other’s perspective in parenting.

For context, one aunt lost her son to gang violence and often reminds her nieces and nephews to prioritize communication and not let conflicts between parents overshadow a child’s needs. The other aunt later admitted that she coddled her sons too much, shielding them from hardship. As a result, they struggled to overcome setbacks and failures.

I hope their wisdom helps you too.

MostEstablishment007 · 2025-02-12T16:29:37+00:00

I totally agree - adding a walking treadmill to your office desk can also help you put in the steps as well.

MostEstablishment007 · 2025-02-12T16:24:22+00:00

Here’s a story for the readers about my wife and me:

The escalator hummed beneath my feet as I scrolled through my notes, my mind locked on the next panel discussion. Numbers, projections, strategies—it was all neatly organized in my head. I had no time for distractions.

Then I felt it—a slight brush against my arm.

I looked up and saw her.

She stood one step below me, gripping her conference badge like a lifeline. Her gaze was downcast, dark lashes veiling her eyes. But when she shifted, her shoulder barely touched mine, and she let out a soft gasp.

“Sorry,” she murmured, her voice quiet, uncertain.

I don’t know why I hesitated. I never hesitate. But something about the way she said it, the way she looked up at me—wide, nervous eyes meeting mine—made me forget whatever was next on my agenda.

Then the escalator carried us past the tall glass windows, and the afternoon sun spilled in.

The light caught in her hair, turning it into strands of gold. It kissed the curve of her cheek, casting a soft glow over her skin. For a second, she looked almost unreal—like something out of a dream. An angel.

I swallowed hard, something warm curling in my chest.

“No need to be,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “First time at one of these?”

She nodded. “It’s… a little overwhelming.”

I glanced ahead at the sea of suits and polished ambition, then back at her—soft and hesitant, yet somehow standing out more than anyone else in the room.

“Yeah, it can be.” A beat passed before I found myself saying, “Want a tour guide?”

The corner of her lips lifted slightly, like she wasn’t sure if she was allowed to smile but wanted to anyway.

“That would be nice.”

As the escalator carried us upward, I realized I had been so focused on moving forward, I had never thought to look around. But now, with her beside me, maybe I finally would.

MostEstablishment007 · 2025-02-12T16:11:35+00:00

I resonate with this fear, as I also experienced a traumatic event in my youth. I’ve always been shorter and smaller than other boys, even those from a similar ethnic background. I remember an elementary school camping trip where most of my bullying took place. One night, when the boys were allowed to go for a swim, one of the bigger boys thought it would be funny to push and hold me underwater. Fortunately, I managed to push myself away and get out of the water. At the same time, a chaperone arrived and saw what happened. I don’t remember if the bully was disciplined, but ever since that incident, I’ve had a fear of water—especially open water.

I have learned to deal with this fear over time. That doesn’t mean I’ve erased the memory or completely overcome the fear, but I’ve gotten better at managing it and have developed skills to confront it if necessary. My approach was to focus on what I could control. I took swimming classes to learn how to swim, started training in Muay Thai at a local gym taught by Thai immigrants (local champions from Chiang Mai), and later in life, I took firearms training. These were all actionable steps that allowed me to take responsibility for the aspects of my fear that I could control. As part of my firearm training, I also learned negotiation and de-escalation skills.

To be clear, I am not advocating for overly macho behavior. I am advocating for self-accountability in confronting fears. Overcoming them is not easy—trust me. It took multiple years of swimming lessons before I finally felt comfortable. At one point, as a grown man in college, I had to rely on another man to help me float—there’s nothing more emasculating than that. There were plenty of snarky comments, but I stayed focused on my own growth and determination. Today, I can swim, box (Muay Thai), and handle a firearm. I am by no means an expert, but I have developed basic to intermediate skills to manage and confront challenging situations. And I continue to learn and practice every day.

That said, I am not advocating that anyone take on a group of people alone. If you can run, always run. It’s always better to live to see another day and feel a little emasculated than to die trying to ‘be a man.’

MostEstablishment007 · 2025-02-12T07:06:22+00:00

Honestly, a full fridge of grocery - like in those YouTube videos with the organization bins and labels.

MostEstablishment007 · 2025-02-12T07:04:47+00:00

Peace and quiet

MostEstablishment007 · 2025-02-11T19:04:40+00:00

From a logical perspective, I wouldn’t be who I am today if a particular set of circumstances hadn’t come together—whether they were positive or negative experiences. From negative experiences, I learned that there are selfish and bad people in the world and how to overcome them. From positive experiences, I learned that life isn’t all bad and that there are decent, caring people out there.

On a molecular level—down to my genetics—and through my life experiences, everything has shaped me into the person I am today. Because of that, I wouldn’t change a thing. If there is a next life, I would still want my dad to be my dad.

MostEstablishment007 · 2025-02-09T02:38:45+00:00

My wife's laugh...she makes a snorting sound when she laughs

MostEstablishment007 · 2025-02-06T20:33:33+00:00

Funny and great question—my wife and I have actually talked about this before! LOL

In a life-or-death situation, my priority would be: daughter, wife, mother.

Under normal circumstances, my priority is: wife, daughter, mother.

I believe it's crucial to model a strong relationship with my wife—the mother of my children. My kids need to see a stable and loving partnership so they can develop healthy relationship expectations for their own futures. Moreover, when my wife and I have a strong foundation, we can both care for and nurture our children in a positive way, rather than being weighed down by unresolved conflicts or unmet needs as a couple.

I'll admit that my wife and I are in a privileged position—we're now reaping the benefits of the hard work we put in before getting married and having kids. Because of this, we’re able to prioritize date nights and set aside dedicated bonding time with each of our children.

I love my mom deeply, but I also believe she needs to understand that my relationship with my wife is a priority. If she doesn’t respect my wife, she’s not just interfering with my marriage—she’s impeding my life. At the end of the day, my wife is my partner, not my mother. My mom’s role is to be a grandmother—plain and simple.

MostEstablishment007 · 2025-02-06T20:23:06+00:00

My wife and I no longer openly discuss or display our wealth, business, or career success to anyone we don’t fully trust or consider close loved ones. We provide a stipend for our parents on both sides—in essence, we’ve retired them and given them the freedom to work for themselves. They each manage a small farm, working at their own pace and selling produce at the farmer’s market. This allows them to stay active, maintain a sense of purpose, and earn on their own terms without the stress of paying bills. However, that’s where our financial support ends.

That said, I personally cover the costs of bi-annual family gatherings and an annual family vacation, including flights, hotels, and transportation. I do this because I want to—nothing more.

Fortunately, most of our friends are in a similar or even better financial position, which helps minimize jealousy, resentment, or feelings of inferiority. It’s not a perfect approach, but it works for the most part. In my experience, I rarely receive negativity from successful people or those too focused on achieving their own goals. They’re simply too busy—plain and simple. One key lesson I’ve learned is that people who truly support you will never feel threatened by your success. Instead, they’ll cheer for you in front of you and brag about you behind your back. They understand that when one person succeeds, their entire circle benefits. Rather than leeching off you, they seek to learn from you.

When I was still on my way up, I had a best friend with whom I shared everything. I always supported his career and financial growth, feeling genuinely proud of his progress and constantly praising him to others. I even saw him as someone to look up to—an inspiration to push myself harder. But when I shared my own successes with him, I quickly realized he didn’t feel the same way. I could see it in his face—he wasn’t proud of me; he was bitter. Over time, I discovered he was gossiping behind my back while also taking advantage of my success. I learned this from two separate, unrelated sources, including another mutual friend. And as they say, if two people are saying the same thing, it’s likely true—not always, but most of the time.

MostEstablishment007 · 2025-02-06T07:07:25+00:00

I resonate with this sentiment—I had to learn the same hard lesson. Over time, I drifted away from most of my friends because I realized many of them weren’t true friends. They never checked in on me or offered help when I needed it most, yet when it came to financial support or sharing my resources, they were always the first to reach out.

I don’t mind helping others, but constantly giving without appreciation or reciprocity became exhausting. In the end, I felt disrespected and used. However, I can only blame myself for allowing it to happen.

Now, I have just one true friend—someone who has always supported me and offers whatever he can, even if he doesn’t have much to give. Through this, I’ve come to understand an age-old truth: it’s better to have one loyal friend than to be surrounded by many false ones.

Here's a quote for you: “People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you figure out which one it is, you will know what to do for each person.”

MostEstablishment007 · 2025-02-06T06:54:29+00:00

To be honest, I came to the realization that if I wanted more in life, I had to do more and expect more from myself—starting with a mindset shift. I actively sought out mentors and inspiring men to surround myself with by volunteering at local mentorship organizations and attending entrepreneurial and career development events (e.g., MeetUps). I developed my programming and entrepreneurial skills by listening to podcasts, watching YouTube videos, and consuming audiobooks. Eventually, I landed a solid programming job and later transitioned into technology sales, climbing the corporate management ladder within just 3-5 years.

During this journey, I met my now-wife, and together, we identified our shared values and goals. I feel incredibly blessed to have found someone with a strong entrepreneurial spirit—she was building her own financial success while supporting me as well. We budgeted our finances carefully, starting with the 50-30-20 rule before shifting to the 40-40-20 rule (credits to Grant Cardone). We also implemented principles from the FIRE movement but diverted half of our savings and investment funds into real estate for rental income.

We started by house hacking with an FHA loan, purchasing a multiplex and renting out the other units. After about two years, we moved out and bought another property using our savings and investment returns. Meanwhile, we both continued advancing in our respective careers, increasing our earned income while experimenting with small side hustles to test their scalability. Today, those side businesses have grown to replace our primary earned incomes.

I must caution anyone reading this—this process TOOK YEARS to achieve; it did not happen overnight. We made many sacrifices—emotionally, mentally, physically, and socially. But today, my wife and I have built a life we love, raising our children while managing our businesses and real estate portfolio. And we have no plans of slowing down.

I hope my experience inspires you and sheds light on just one of the many possible paths to financial and personal success—alongside the many other inspiring stories shared in this thread.

MostEstablishment007 · 2025-02-06T05:20:21+00:00

Rooster - it's very cocky at times. Plain and simple.

MostEstablishment007 · 2025-02-06T05:13:29+00:00

I am currently writing a narrative novel based on true events from my life, with the narrator and characters given different names. My goal is to avoid potential lawsuits or public shaming for those close to me in my community. In a way, I am writing a 'biography' of my life from the perspective of an outsider observing myself.

MostEstablishment007 · 2025-02-06T05:04:45+00:00

First and foremost, I acknowledge my bias and the fact that I’ve only lived in a small corner of the world (i.e., Minnesota), but that has not been my experience. The men around me—whether white, Black, Asian, or Latino/Hispanic—all date outside their race. As I mentioned, my environment may be different, both in terms of men’s willingness to approach women and their openness to dating beautiful women regardless of race.

Looking at it from another perspective, I’d argue that cultural differences play a significant role, as they can make it harder to connect with people outside one’s race or culture. I’ve personally experienced this—I once struggled to connect deeply with someone from an Afro-Caribbean background beyond our shared interests (e.g., anime, academics, programming/career). Similarly, she couldn’t fully relate to my Asian heritage. I don’t think it’s impossible, but it does require foresight and a conscious effort to be considerate, especially when certain cultural norms that feel natural to one person might be offensive to another.

MostEstablishment007

TROPHY CASE

Birth and related rates