X-Message-Number: 7144
Date: Fri, 15 Nov 1996 09:06:38 -0500 (EST)
From: Robin Helweg-Larsen <>
Subject: Re: Future wealth

Regarding real estate as an investment for the future, I would like to
clarify that my original posting was *not* concerned with whether real
estate would be a good investment, but only to demonstrate that, no matter
how "wealthy" nanotechnology may make the human and post-human race, there
will still be an underlying market economy.

When a desirable resource is scarce, people will compete for it.

There will always be differences in the perceived value of different
locations.

The best real estate will always go to those people able to trade the most
assets to acquire it (these assets may include intangibles such as
respect, legal competence, or the threat of violence). 

Nanotechnology will not obviate the market economy, only alter certain
aspects of it.

(Real estate might turn out to be a good investment anyway; the two
strategies I would consider would be 
a) a normal real estate investment trust, or
b) the purchase of the cheapest land anywhere on the globe, expecting that
anything might become prime real estate in two hundred years' time.  (Sort
of like buying land around the salt lakes, deserts and mountains of North
America in the late 18th century.)  Avoid stuff that would be under water
if the ice caps have melted by then (most of Florida, the Bahamas,
Denmark, Netherlands, Bangladesh, etc).  Go for the center of Greenland,
Australia, the Gobi, Siberia, Alaska and the Sahara, if you can figure out
how to get ownership.)

Always optimistically,

Robin HL


Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=7144