The other day I was on the internet and… that’s it. Nothing else happened that day. Yet it was one of the most productive days in recent memory. All I was doing was shopping for stuff online. I found great products at great prices, while saving time and gas. I’ve been doing this since my dial-up days and have used my cheap fastidious nature to develop a few techniques.

I was sorting the mail like I usually do. Bill, bill, flyer, flyer… and a thick manila envelope; its size and strange markings signalling its importance. Inside it was the news that I would be relocating to Switzerland in the next few weeks. “Oh crap,” I thought, “I better start packing.”

Now that I am living in Confederatio Helvetica I have had the opportunity to observe wealth close up. Here’s how one of the highest per-capita ranked nations in the world lives, and what financial lessons we can take from it.

I remember from grade 10 business class that recessions happen every seven years or so. Seeing as how I learnt this in such a rudimentary course, I’m always inititally surprised that such a fuss is made when the markets slow down. Did the veteran economic experts and seasoned financial reporters fail grade nine? I have to remind myself that they play an important role in the delicate balance of the economy. They keep the fear of boogieman alive.

Squirrels are accomplished little rodents. They have managed to become one of the few animals humans tolerate in their backyards. A lot of this accomplishment comes from good financial management skills.

Hear me out.

A squirrel’s currency is food. The way they handle their food is very organized, responsible, and forward-thinking. By contrast, other animals desperately tear through your garbage or catch prey, leaving a mess to rot on your property. Owing to the squirrel’s peaceful nature and good food management, we give them a free pass. This affords them a comfortable place to stay, and the means to survive. Which is what we’re all looking for, right? So how do they do it? It turns out their asset management habits are very similar to mine.

I hate debt. Always have. In an ironic, self-loathing twist, I spent several years working as a mortgage specialist with a large bank. The benefit of this experience is that I learned all the tricks to saving money on a mortgage. I also learned that a mortgage makes all your needless purchases cost twice as much. Here’s why, and how to stop it.

Sensationalist title aside, banks do give free money to their customers. They do so because they believe people will spend more than they should and poorly manage their finances. In most cases, they’re right. However, if you avoid temptation by following this system, you’ll get the bait without triggering the trap. The most beautiful part: this method comes with the added bonus of encouraging financial responsibility and requires little more than simply living your life and paying your bills.

In 2003 I was broke, bogged down with junk, and eager to travel. The solution was clear: sell my life on eBay. I put everything I owned into mammoth piles spread over three rooms and began selling. A few months later I was thousands richer, liberated of worthless stuff, and could fit the remnants of those piles into a few bankers boxes. The project was a smashing success because I eschewed common mistakes and stuck to a few simple rules.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you’re new to investing. The alphabet soup of acronyms and industry jargon are suited to professional investors, but not the layperson. I’d like to focus on one closeted little acronym that goes a long way: ETF. Exchange Traded Funds are brilliant and often overlooked tools. For the armchair long-term investor there are few better choices.

We all have read books that settled fondly in our minds. Perhaps they touched a chord or taught a valuable lesson. Usually centred on a human story, our favourite books are rarely dry financial texts. Back in high school I recognized the importance of good financial management and decided to read a book I had heard of called The Wealthy Barber. My friends were perplexed: “Wait, you don’t have to read this for class? Why bother then?” It ended up being worthwhile as I learned my single most valuable financial lesson.

The way people clothe themselves has changes drastically in the last century. It used to be that if you needed a new garment, you would go to the tailor, choose a fabric, get measured and have it custom made. Nowadays this is unheard of, reserved perhaps only for the rich. Although average people can purchase ready-made clothing in a fraction of the time and at affordable prices, we’re universally disappointed when nothing fits correctly. The good news is that regular folks have an opportunity to look well-to-do without paying well-too-much.