Bored Panda wanted to get author and personal finance expert Sam’s take on what the near future holds for the West, economically. Here’s what he told us: “Demand will eventually decline due to higher prices and higher interest rates. Therefore, I expect to see inflation levels peak in 2022 and begin to decline by 2023. Add on a declining stock market and consumers from the high end to the low end are feeling poorer, thereby spending less money and helping bring inflation down.”

According to Sam, investors who think strategically want to own real estate during periods of higher inflation and uncertainty. “Real estate is a beneficiary of higher inflation as rents and property prices go up. Further, as stocks get smacked, more capital flows towards real estate and other hard goods that better retain its value. Owning more real assets with minimal or no leverage is one of the best ways to preserve capital,” he explained.

Sam revealed to us that around half of his entire net worth and half of his passive investment income comes from real estate. "For the average person, I believe real estate is the best passive income source because it's easier to understand, defensive, generates income, and provides utility. Without real estate, I wouldn't have had the confidence to leave my day job in 2012,” he said.

Getting ahead at larger firms is difficult on merit alone. “There are simply too many people and too many departments for one person's merit to shine bright enough. As a result, it's important to work as hard at selling yourself internally as you do on your job,” the expert stressed that hard work alone isn’t enough to get ahead in the corporate world. Forming alliances, networking, communicating with your superior, and being social with your colleagues are all very important parts of building a career.

“You need to build a network of supporters who will fight for your next promotion. Hook yourself to a rising star so your star can rise as well. It is the nature of the beast when working for a large organization,” he said.

“And if you are just too frustrated with working in a large organization, then try and negotiate a severance and work for a smaller organization where your impact is greater. And if you're really bullish on yourself, you can try and start your own business. This way, all your wins (and failures) will be on you alone,” Sam suggested some possible avenues of action for anyone who’s thinking of quitting.

“I started Financial Samurai in 2009 because I was worried I would lose my job during the global financial crisis. After three years of writing about money three times a week, I knew I had found something I wanted to do after working in finance. So I negotiated a severance in 2012 and haven't been back since. You just never know what might happen if you start your own thing!”

Very recently, workplace expert and author Lynn Taylor explained to Bored Panda that when you quit, you should do so in a way that doesn’t endanger your future. You have to be very strategic about how you quit your job, taking into account how burning bridges and ruining relationships might end up hurting more than helping you in the long run.

"The best way to quit is to think about how you want to be remembered. Every industry in a given city has a relatively small network of good people,” she told us.

“We have all heard 'it’s a small world' and the '6 degrees of separation.' As satisfying as it feels to 'put a bad boss in their place' upon departure, leave those fantasies in your mind. You never want to burn your bridges or get a reputation for being a troublemaker. It will get around and hurt your career," Lynn said.

"Your best bet is to thank your boss for the opportunity at the company and limit the number of negative comments you offer. It is unlikely to change behavior in a significant way. Be glad that you’ve decided to take the difficult step of moving on," the workplace expert told us that the actual reward is you moving on with your career and your life, not putting a boss or manager in their place as you slam the door behind you.

"Very few people want to engage in lawsuits against a bully boss, for example, unless they feel they it will most certainly be a win. When in doubt, of course, you should always consult an employment attorney. And while the idea can be tempting, you may want to place more of your energy in your next, better job—or career pursuit,” she said that bullying shouldn’t be tolerated but that employees should weigh their options on what approach is best for them. Sometimes, cutting your losses is best. Other times, it might be vital that you seek legal representation.

According to Lynn, when communicating with one’s boss, employees should know their objectives, avoid acting defensively, and tackle sensitive subjects by using the ‘positive bookends’ approach.

A conversation with a superior or supervisor might go something like this: "'I really enjoy my job, but there’s something that set me back a bit recently.' Enter: your beef. Wrap with: 'Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to me… I very much appreciate your efforts in trying to work better together.'"

What’s more, the expert suggests that workers use positive and negative reinforcement when communicating with their bosses. The employees should also communicate clearly and concisely, anticipate any problems that might come up, keep tensions down (e.g. by using humor), and learn to be the voice of reason with their boss. Ideally, you want to be perceived as a problem solver who also sets boundaries for what is and isn’t acceptable behavior from your managers.

The workplace expert pointed out that some managers can pile on too much work on their staff without thinking that it’s a problem. That’s when the employees need to talk to them and briefly explain why splitting their focus between a ton of different tasks is overall bad for the company. 

For instance, you could draw attention to the fact that focusing on one of the projects means that a different priority will be left by the wayside. Alternatively, give them a reason why you should work on what your main priorities are, instead of splitting your focus between different tasks. At the end of the day, the worker needs to clearly show their boss that it’s impossible to do everything at the sam time and that they need to choose what’s more important to them.

"You can’t be oblivious to what someone else is going through and behave correctly. You also can’t assume that an angry boss is angry at you, per se. Chances are other people are getting the same treatment. Don’t take it all personally, but never allow anyone to be abusive, ever, to you in the workplace. No bullying should ever be tolerated,” Lynn said that it is vital that people learn to read their coworkers and know what’s important to them.

"Looking at a difficult boss through the lens of a parent can be useful in another way. Humor is a good way to view tough situations more objectively: 'Johnny is having a bad day. And it’s 11:30 AM, so I should not go in there, as he is hungry.' This assumes that the bad behavior is episodic and not a pattern. Nobody should ever tolerate toxic behavior,” Lynn, the author of 'Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant,' said that she believes that there are a lot of similarities between bad bosses and angry toddlers.

"Most bad bosses can be charmers a lot of the time, but then act out unexpectedly, occasionally and seemingly for no reason."