Category Archives: finance

Is Bosch on the way out?

Posted on April 28, 2026 by James

This article is aimed at four groups of people.  1) University lecturers (especially in engineering) or other trainers of engineers, 2) those who run businesses that create appliances and other machines (including cars) and 3) anyone who cares about not … Continue reading →

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Fruit’s origin false: not greek, but Egyptian

Posted on February 20, 2026 by Fatca Pop

Fruit that pretended to be imported from Greece was actually imported from Egypt.  These fruit were sold in many supermarkets in Romania, including hypermarkets. Some had been treated with chemicals, past the legal limits for Romania and for Europe.  The … Continue reading →

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Are toilets and houses overpriced in Cluj?

Posted on February 11, 2026 by James

Here we are in 2026.  According to Monitorul (perhaps our favorite newspaper at the moment), the average resident of Cluj spends over half his salary on rent. Average advertised rent prices for a flat in the most expensive parts of … Continue reading →

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“Free” bus rides are NOT completely free

Posted on January 19, 2026 by Fatca Pop

Some people might have heard that the bus is free in Cluj Napoca to those who do squats, seniors and students. First, it is not free to all students.  Secondly, see it more as you are eligible for free bus … Continue reading →

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New Rules for dual British citizens travelling to the UK

Posted on January 16, 2026 by Fatca Pop

According to the Independent, there will be new rules for dual British citizens travelling to the UK. Now, we don’t always know if the Independent is truly independent politically.  Some of their reporting on Eastern Europe in the past seemed, … Continue reading →

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History: Americans at home and in Romania

Posted on January 12, 2026 by Fatca Pop

So, Americans have recently celebrated 15 years of FATCA. Fatca is one of the strangest laws ever to get in the books, but some say it was started in Romania.  How?  With a tax agreement between Nixon and Ceausescu, that … Continue reading →

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Starting a business in 2026? Things have changed :(

Posted on December 17, 2025 by Fatca Pop

You might have heard that the Romanian government has frozen the rise in minimum wage for 2026.  Some businesses apparently asked for that.   Things are getting tight for everyone, taxes are rising, and it will also be more difficult for … Continue reading →

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How retired people help the economy

Posted on December 17, 2025 by Fatca Pop

A few industries, especially the vice industry, would have us think that older adults are a drain on the economy.  Those who want to cut pensions, who have less compassion for the elderly in need, see them as a burden.  … Continue reading →

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Why do European social media platforms fail?

Posted on December 13, 2025 by James

If you’re French and in your thirties, you might remember the blogging platform SkyRock.  For business, the French also had Viadeo, a LinkedIn competitor that seemed to offer the same functionality.  (And perhaps some of it sooner.)  If you’re Spainish, … Continue reading →

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Romanian businesses will be required to published salary data

Posted on October 15, 2025 by Fatca Pop

I received an email “Salariile devin publice din 2026.”  So, why the longer title in English? Well, the email was kind of clickbait.  At first, I thought we were entering a Finnish system, where everyone would know everyone else’s salary.  … Continue reading →

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