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I have the temporary misfortune today of feeling a bit under the weather. I’ve always wondered how such an expression came to pass, but if it is meant to be any sort of metaphor, my ‘weather’ is something like a category five hurricane. As a consequence, I was unable to attend this week’s
I love Uruguay… it is, without a doubt, one of my top five choices in Latin America– the country is clean, beautiful, and cheap, full of great wine and friendly people. But if you’re considering the country as a place to live, work, or do business, there are definitely a few things you
The US Internal Revenue Service was feeling rather proud of itself yesterday; IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman held a press conference to release the final results of 2009 amnesty program. Over 7500 taxpayers came forward this year to confess hiding income in overseas bank accounts; this number is substantially greater than the several hundred
If you’re presently expecting a child or are planning on having one soon, you should really consider having your baby overseas. There are many countries, particularly in the western hemisphere, which grant citizenship to all children born within its borders, regardless of the nationality or immigration status of the parents. The legal term
Thanks to an unexpected computer crash, I’ve spent the majority of my day trolling around one of Shanghai’s infamous technology marketplaces, where just about everything you see is a knock-off.From my condo in Shanghai’s Pudong district, it’s about a 15 minute metro ride to “Pacific Digital Plaza,” which ironically is just a stone’s
Do you think your government doesn’t have the means to listen to your phone calls? Think again. Governments from around the world, not just exclusive to North America, have technologically advanced eavesdropping programs which can capture mobile phone conversations without anyone ever knowing. And just in case the government isn’t so technologically advanced,
Last week during a short visit to the United States, I wrote a letter with some important updates that had been provided to me by my Panamanian lawyer. In the letter, I discussed briefly how great connections and a solid network can make all the difference in the world, and I mentioned that
The sight of nuclear missiles being paraded down the street in a perfectly crisp formation is simultaneously revolting and awe-inspiring. Yet the Chinese government knew exactly what it was doing when it orchestrated its most prominent display of military hardware in the middle kingdom’s history. This week is China’s biggest holiday week of
I need to start off today’s missive with an important update. Last month I wrote a few articles about something that I believe is an absolute no-brainer if you have retirement savings– setting up a self-directed IRA. Most retirement savings plans are locked in to a handful of investment options– employees are forced
While I was en route to China, somewhere over the Sea of Japan, gold hit a record high on ‘concerns’ about the long-term value of the dollar. Frankly, 1974 was probably the time to be ‘concerned’ about the long-term value of the dollar. The remaining institutional investors who are only now finding reasons
Stunned. That was the word used to describe the aghast crowds gathered in Chicago this past Friday upon hearing the news that their beloved city had been passed over for the 2016 games by the International Olympic Committee. Based on the poll numbers, most Chicagoans (and Americans for that matter) were confident that
Apparently I’ve been traveling too much, because I was recently caught out of the loop. On Wednesday I published an article about Panama’s Resolution 52; the law effectively makes it illegal for landlords to rent property in Panama for less than 1-year. I predicted in the letter that, based on the past track
Years ago, in my early 20s, I had my first taste of investment success. I wish I could dazzle you with a great story about a goldmine in the jungle or negotiating land rights with warlords… Unfortunately, no. All that would come later. Rather, my first deal was a set of very plain
I’ve received a few questions recently about a piece of legislation recently passed in Panama known as Resolution 52. A bit of background– the construction boom and ensuing real estate bubble for Panama City condominiums lasted from 2003 until approximately 2007. Tens of thousands of units were designed and sold off-plan to speculators,
Last month, a Wyoming bank employee was routinely emailing some loan documents to a customer’s personal Gmail account. It sounds like a simple enough task, yet somehow the employee made an enormous error. Not only did he erroneously attach a file to the email that included the names, addresses, tax IDs, and loan
