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I’m writing today from an extraordinarily beautiful place… The infinity pool where I sit is perched atop an emerald-azul lagoon encased by rocky cliffs and pristine wildlife. It’s dusk. and it’s quiet. The word “paradise” would come to mind if I could stop absorbing the beauty long enough to form a complete thought.
Remember the 7 expat categories from last week? Well I have to say that Manila is paradise for a few of them… I come through here from time to time on business and it definitely ranks as one of my favorite places in Asia– cheap, modern, relatively clean, but still with a hint
With tax rates ranging from 5% to 35%, the Philippines can hardly be called a tax haven. And yet, in a very public “guilty until proven innocent” attack several months ago, the OECD black listed the Philippines along with Uruguay, Malaysia, and Costa Rica. The OECD is an aged, irrelevant organization comprised of
Maximizing the flexibility of your retirement account is an enormous untapped area of Low Hanging Fruit for US investors. In fact, this might be the single easiest thing you can do right now to grow your retirement assets while shielding them from the lost decade yet to come. With a properly structured, self
It normally takes me less than five minutes to pack, even for a three week trip. In this case, though, I’m having a tough time– too many climate zones in Asia, too many events. I need to cram SCUBA gear, beach clothes, professional attire, and formal wear all into one little suitcase… …
Sometimes I wake up and don’t know what continent I’m on. I’m serious. It last happened a week ago when I woke up in the very elegant Cosmo 100 hotel in downtown Bogota… I had to look around the room for clues and within 60 seconds finally realized that I was in Colombia.
I can barely type today… I’m actually one-handing it this morning. Why? Because my other hand is thrust victoriously in the air celebrating the renomination of Comrade Bernanke to his post at the Federal Reserve. Yes, the man who has overseen the most unprecedented expansion of the central bank’s balance sheet in history
I received quite a few interesting comments this week (many of which I kept private at the request of the sender). Remember, posting a comment to the site is the best way to reach me: I read all of them personally. Email goes to support staff. – SOLDIERS IN THE STREETS- Kelly asked
She works the graveyard shift at a Florida motel off Interstate 75… but she doesn’t seem to mind much. A rather buxom blond with more curves than hard angles, Stephanie would definitely be considered a “people’s person” and enjoys meeting so many out-of-towners. Friendly and outgoing, she’s also incredibly smart… which is probably
I’ll admit, even I was surprised. When I think about Asia growth and investment opportunities, places like Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and even the Philippines come to mind. But lately, in my regular discussions with key Asia contacts– brokers, sovereign wealth fund analysts, etc., one place keeps coming up again and again. Mongolia. Mongolia
I know what you’re thinking. “Why the hell would he be in Colombia?” I get that a lot. The vast majority of the world only knows two things about Colombia– drugs and terrorism (though in all fairness, ‘one man’s freedom fighter…’) People recall hearing about kidnappings, lawlessness, and of course that scene from
Greetings! I’m going to dive right into the questions from this week: == TRANSPORTING GOLD OUT OF THE COUNTRY == I appreciate all the comments and anecdotes in response to Tuesday’s letter about my run-in with TSA. . Based on the questions I received, there are a couple of things that should be
It was a nice enough place… about 1500 square feet, 3 bedrooms, nicely furnished, and even had a sliver of an ocean view. Best of all, it wasn’t in gringo-ville. “How much rent are they asking?” I posed to the real estate agent who was fawning closely on my heels. He reeked of
I’ve been spending a lot of time this week talking to my sources in China, one of whom is inside one of the country’s sovereign wealth funds (SWF). He could not discuss the details of the Rio Tinto bribery scandal, but indicated that it was far more about saving face and establishing position
For Latin Americans, Miami has been a lot of things– the major financial center, the cultural Mecca, prime tourist destination, the business capital, and a symbol of international success. The city made its riches and opportunities available to all nationalities, reaching the point during the most recent real estate boom where one could