>>>I read an article about Norway the other day. It made a pretty good case that it might be the best country in the world to live in. I was particularly impressed by the way oil revenue (I had no idea there was so much of it) was put away in a contingency fund for the future. If only we were that smart....
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>>Over the last about ten years the government has put away about 400,000,000,000 USD. And with only 4.6 million people, that's a looot of money. The money is invested, and will partly pay our pensions in the future.
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>Partly pay? LOL. Are you all guaranteed annual vacations to the tropical locale of your choice and conjugal visits from your favorite Hollywood stars? <g>
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>Seriously, it's quite an accomplishment to be in such an enviable position. You have the twin luxuries of massive oil revenue and a small, homogeneous population, so maybe it's easier to do in Norway than in a lot of other places. But still.
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>The article I read said the per capita income in Norway is something like 65,000 U.S. dollars, adding that culturally it is unhip in the extreme to be ostentatious. As a Norwegian, which the writer was not, do you agree with that?

Yes, that's quite right. Most rich people here don't really show it. But as always, there are many exceptions.