SEARCH
December 19, 2012 Sovereign Valley Farm, Chile I think we can all agree that a man walking in to an elementary school and opening fire is deeply, deeply horrific. And in the gut-wrenching social introspection that comes afterwards, the desire to ‘do something’ is understandable. These days, the role of government in the
In the days of ancient Rome when the republic was still a republic, Lucius Cassius, one of the city’s most venerated consuls, famously coined the phrase cui bono. It means As a benefit to whom?, and Lucius Cassius, inquisitive and analytical by nature, was always asking the question… whether he was investigating a
Credit expansion, wrote the great Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises, is not a nostrum to make people happy. “The boom it engenders must inevitably lead to a debacle and unhappiness.” That seems a pretty accurate summary of the current situation for the western economies: a debacle, and unhappiness. Von Mises also wrote that
December 14, 2012 Santiago, Chile Many years ago, back when I was a fresh second lieutenant straight out of the academy, my battalion executive officer summoned me to his office one day saying that he had a ‘mission’ for me. I hurried over, wondering what this special mission might be. Several members of
Citizenship is a funny thing. We’re born, and we’re citizens of a country. It’s a complete accident that we have absolutely no control over. Think about it: In many countries, simply by virtue of being born, you might have been signed up for a lifetime of obligations and responsibilities — taxation, military service,
December 10, 2012 London, England [Editor’s Note: Tim Price, Director of Investment at PFP Wealth Management and frequent Sovereign Man contributor, is filling in for Simon today.] Clearly, investing is a probabilistic endeavour. There are no certainties to speak of. We can only operate on the basis of rational analysis and prudent, considered
December 10, 2012 São Paulo, Brazil Brazilians are the luckiest people on the planet. Aside from being blessed with great weather, gorgeous beaches, and beautiful people, their country is one of the few that can exist in a state of complete independence from the rest of the world. They have their own energy
December 7, 2012 7th Region, Chile It seems these days I spend at least 50% of my time looking at farms for sale in Chile. And with good reason. I’ve written before at length why agriculture seems like the no-brainer investment of the decade: given the fundamentals of supply and demand, the absolute
December 6, 2012 Santiago, Chile Isaac Newton, the father of classical mechanics and progenitor of nearly every technology we use today, was easily one of the top 10 most influential minds in all of human history…so much so that even Albert Einstein kept a picture of Newton in his study. Newton’s achievements were
December 5, 2012 Hong Kong [Editor’s Note: Sovereign Man Chief Investment Strategist Tim Staermose is filling in for Simon today.] Since 2009, the benchmark Shanghai Stock Exchange index has been in a deep funk. Last week, in fact, the index hit 4-year lows and dipped below the psychological 2,000 level. Further, a recent
If you want to send a roomful of 100 wealth managers into an icy chill, have Russell Napier address them. This is exactly what happened at Citywire’s Smart Beta retreat at the Four Seasons Hotel in Hampshire recently. Napier’s presentation, “Deflation in an Age of Fiat Currency,” is thought-provoking, and the precise polar
December 3, 2012 Santiago, Chile Chile is a great place to be an entrepreneur and start a business. Perhaps the biggest reason is that it’s overly abundant with compelling, lucrative opportunities. I would group these into three main categories: 1) Products and services targeting the domestic market. Chile already has the most robust
November 29, 2012 Santiago, Chile Over the past month, there’s been a surge of interest in second passports: Google trends indicates that the keyword search has grown like a weed since the beginning of the month, no doubt due to the re-election of President Obama. Here’s the thing, though… obtaining a second passport
November 28, 2012 Santiago, Chile We don’t have control over the circumstances of our births. And let’s face it, some people hit the lottery right out of the gate, born into loving families, big inheritances, or well-developed countries full of opportunity. When I was a kid, the United States was one of those
November 26, 2012 Sovereign Valley Farm, Pencahue, Chile Demographers estimate that there are 7 billion people on the planet. It’s safe to say that most of them probably don’t share your values. For proof of concept, one need only browse a sample of Black Friday shopping mall videos where, each year, precisely
