最近下載了經濟學人的app，想來突破之前很排斥的這些看來很有學問而不敢接觸的報導的心態(實在有些自找麻煩)。這幾天看的是一篇一位記者Helaine Olen著書揭露美國個人理財產業中的驚人事跡的報導。好多以前沒背過的片語啊! 努力去查了 Collins COBUILD。

worth his salt, 勝任

If you say, for example, that any doctor who worth his or her salt would do something, you mean that any doctor who was good at his or her job or who deserved respect would do it.

paying through the nose,被敲詐

If you say that you paid through the nose for something, you are emphasizing that you had to pay what you consider too high a price for it.

rammed home, 不斷強加灌輸

If something rams home a message or a point, it makes it clear in a way that is very forceful and that people are likely to listen to.

書中指出，很多所謂的理財專家都很唬爛(我自己亂加的，報導沒這樣寫)，例如光靠每天省下3 塊美金是不會因此變有錢的。她還說，這麼蠢的方法就好像神奇飲食的理財版(我想指的是想靠減肥藥減肥吧)。然後呢，這些個理財大師還塞給你一堆昂貴的產品，例如如何變成房地產投資大亨的課程，還賣一個要價近50美元的名牌平板電腦套或35美元的皮夾。

哎，有了太多投資失敗的經驗，什麼理財等這些個東西我是再也不敢碰了~還是靠死薪水，省著點過唄，節儉還是美德啦。不能這麼放縱自己囉。

取材自The Economist, Jan. 13, 2013