Lifestyle Design

[Video] Quick update from beautiful Sovereign Valley

Today I decided to shoot a video and answer one of most frequently asked questions we receive here: What's it like down at very beautiful Sovereign Valley?

To me, the farm represents our entire ethos at Sovereign Man: eliminating the downside and capturing the upside. I hope you enjoy this very short video and can apply the lessons to your own life.

http://sovereignman.wistia.com/medias/v2p9p8cmzs?embedType=async&videoFoam=true&videoWidth=500

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  • Simon Black
  • September 3, 2016
  • Sovereign Valley Farm, Chile

Looking for a second home? Put this country on your radar

Nothing quite shocks the senses like the colors, smells, spices, and prices of Asian street food.

Some of the tastiest (and most bizarre) things I’ve ever had in my life were consumed on the streets of Asia, for a cost of almost nothing.

From China to India, Myanmar to Malaysia, street food is a great metaphor for this entire region: exotic, deceptively flavorful, and incredibly cheap.

Kuala Lumpur is no exception. Sure,[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • June 22, 2016
  • Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

This place is the Austin, Texas of South America

What an amazing weekend.

We just finished up a wonderful event here in Medellin for members of our Total Access group.

(Total Access is the highest level of Sovereign Man membership, and we routinely hold trips like this to introduce members to business and investment opportunities all over the world, and to the interesting, influential people within our network.)

As an example, we started on Thursday night with a reception for our[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • April 11, 2016
  • Medellin, Colombia

Good things require a little bit of effort. So does freedom.

It’s been nearly a dozen years now that I’ve been living abroad as an expat.

In that period I’ve lived in at least half a dozen countries and traveled to more than 100 on all seven continents.

People often ask me questions like when am I going ‘back home’, as if my leaving the mother ship was the result of some temporary insanity.

But when I look back on that decision, it[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • February 1, 2016
  • Santiago, Chile

Becoming an expat was the best decision I ever made

I had a bit of a housewarming party a few days ago with a pretty diverse group of friends, many of whom had moved here to Chile from foreign countries.

One girl that I know is a tattoo artist from New York.

Now, back in the United States, she has a great reputation as a phenomenal tattoo artist.

But in New York, and in the US in general, she is a phenomenal[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • January 14, 2016
  • Santiago, Chile

This place may end up as one of the most exciting economies in the world

Roughly 100 kilometers outside of Medellin, Colombia’s second largest city, is a veritable paradise.

I spent an incredible weekend with some friends there, high up in the Andes riding horseback and exploring the quaint coffee villages of Colombia’s beautiful highlands.

It was amazing. The weather is just perfect. The high altitude at about 6,000+ feet keeps it cool, but it rarely gets cold… and never freezes.

It’s constantly warm, but seldom hot.[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • October 5, 2015
  • Medellin, Colombia

After last night’s powerful earthquake

Sovereign Valley Farm, Chile
September 17, 2015

First of all, I really want to say thanks to all of our extremely kind and thoughtful readers who emailed us to make sure that we’re all OK.

If you hadn’t heard, there was a rather substantial earthquake in Chile yesterday that made international news.

While the horses may still be a bit spooked, our team is fine, the farms are fine, and we very[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • September 17, 2015
  • Sovereign Valley Farm, Chile

Wealthy Chinese are paying BIG money for this piece of paper

Istanbul, Turkey
August 13, 2015

Four years ago, just as he was about to board a flight to Hong Kong, Ai Wei Wei was stopped by border officials and had his passport confiscated.

As an outspoken anti-government activist, the Chinese artist was no stranger to government threats. But this time it was real.

Taking away that little document meant taking away his freedom. He was now stuck at the mercy of the[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • August 13, 2015
  • Sovereign Valley, Chile

Get a world-class degree for less than the cost of a bus pass

Vilnius, Lithuania
August 5, 2015

Conventional wisdom tells you that a university degree is the best investment you can make for your career.

Invest the time and money now, they say, and you’ll make heaps more in the future.

The thing is, that’s not really happening anymore.

Tuition costs have skyrocketed, meaning a far higher initial investment, while potential returns have slumped.

From baristas to janitors, some 43% of graduates[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • August 5, 2015
  • August 5, 2015

3 ways to get a European passport

Zug, Switzerland
July 23, 2015

I’ll admit that I lucked out.

Nearly 15 years ago, I discovered that I was entitled to a European citizenship because of my Italian ancestry.

Back then I hadn’t yet realized all the power and benefit of having a second passport. But it sure seemed like a good idea.

The way I figured, another passport just meant having more options. I knew enough to understand that,[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • July 23, 2015
  • Sovereign Valley, Chile

Greece isn’t the problem, it’s a symptom of the problem

July 22, 2015
Munich, Germany

By plane, Asia and Europe are 12 hours apart. But on the ground the gap feels like decades.

It’s always a shock to leave a place like Vietnam (where I was last week) and fly to Europe.

Vietnam is one of the fastest growing countries in the fastest growing region of the world. It’s exciting.

Whereas here in Europe, sometimes it feels as if nothing’s changed[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • July 22, 2015
  • Munich, Germany

Gold stocks hit lows not seen since 2002

July 22, 2015
Bali, Indonesia

[Editor's note: This letter was written by Sovereign Man's Chief Investment Strategist Tim Staermose.]

The selling in gold (and silver) stocks has been nothing short of brutal in the past several sessions, save for a modest bounce Tuesday.

The Philadelphia Gold & Silver Index of precious metals mining companies is now back to levels last seen in 2002. Gold then was less than 1/3rd the price it is now.

Admittedly,[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Tim Staermose
  • July 22, 2015
  • Sovereign Valley, Chile

These 19 passports will be a lot more valuable on July 1st

May 27, 2015
Santiago, Chile

It seems strange that a complete accident of birth has such a massive impact on someone’s life.

We don’t get to control where we’re born. It’s a fluke really. Yet as soon as we come into this world a particular nationality is thrust upon us like a birthmark that stays with us for life.

Our nationality dictates so many things throughout our life.

It might mean[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • May 27, 2015
  • Sovereign Valley, Chile

There’s a MAJOR benefit in Chile that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world.

May 12, 2015
Santiago, Chile

A few days ago I was having lunch with some executives who run one of the largest fruit companies in the world.

The company is Chilean, and as the guys are all local, they were curious about my take on Chile as a foreigner.

I told them that Chile is far from perfect. But there’s one very special reason why I spend so much time here.

[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • May 12, 2015
  • Sovereign Valley, Chile

Number of Americans renouncing US citizenship reaches all-time high. Again.

May 11, 2015
Santiago, Chile

Under the republic of Ancient Rome, to be a citizen was an unparalleled status that people throughout the entire known world aspired to achieve.

Roman citizens were granted very special privileges and benefits. The right to vote. The right to stand for election. The right to engage in commerce.

They had the right to settle disputes in an impartial court.

Roman citizens were even exempt from[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • May 11, 2015
  • Sovereign Valley, Chile

This place may end up as one of the most exciting economies in the world

Roughly 100 kilometers outside of Medellin, Colombia’s second largest city, is a veritable paradise.

I spent an incredible weekend with some friends there, high up in the Andes riding horseback and exploring the quaint coffee villages of Colombia’s beautiful highlands.

It was amazing. The weather is just perfect. The high altitude at about 6,000+ feet keeps it cool, but it rarely gets cold… and never freezes.

It’s constantly warm, but seldom hot.[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • May 8, 2015
  • Medellin, Colombia

Got Greek grandparents? If so, here’s a major opportunity for you.

April 16, 2015
Sovereign Valley Farm, Chile

Walking down the streets of Kalamata, not only had everyone known his name, they’d have offered him a drink and asked about his grandmother’s health.

But in New Jersey where he lived, Hector was a nobody.

Trading in the warm, sunny coast of Greece for bitter winters and relative isolation was unquestionably the hardest thing that Hector and his wife had ever had to do.
[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • April 16, 2015
  • Sovereign Valley Farm, Chile

I believe we have a moral obligation to starve the beast.

On August 5, 1861, facing rapidly deteriorating economic conditions and a horrible defeat at Bull Run, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Revenue Act of 1861 into law.

It was the first time in US history that the federal government would charge an income tax on its citizens. But Lincoln felt that it was vital to fund what would become one of the most unconscionably costly conflicts in US history.

The original law in[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • April 15, 2015
  • Sovereign Valley, Chile

This paradise is still one of the best kept secrets in the world

April 8, 2015
Medellín, Colombia

About a week ago after having one of those days, I felt like unwinding by turning off the world and tuning in to some mindless action flick.

Netflix heeded the call and immediately served up 1994’s Clear and Present Danger starring a slightly younger Harrison Ford as CIA executive Jack Ryan.

It’s a decent film if you’ve never seen it... and, without giving away too much, a[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • April 8, 2015
  • Medellín, Colombia

Scathing assessment: “The UK economy is a ticking time bomb”

April 7, 2015
En Route to Colombia

Despite being an otherwise staid, traditional news service, the professional banking division of the Financial Times recently released an utterly scathing assessment of the British economy.

It was entitled, “The UK economy is a ticking time bomb,” and the editor didn’t pull any punches in completely shattering the conventional fantasy that ‘all is well’, and that advanced economies can simply print and indebt their way to[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • April 7, 2015
  • En Route to Colombia

Young people: here are five (OK, six) alternatives to heavily indebting yourself

March 31, 2015
Sovereign Valley Farm, Chile

Yesterday we discussed the utter insanity of the debt-based education system—the trillion+ dollar explosion of student loans out there that may very well be the next bubble to burst.

It’s a completely ridiculous system which saddles 22-year olds with tens of thousands of dollars of debt before they even have a chance to start life.

But this has become the norm. DEBT has become the[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • March 31, 2015
  • Sovereign Valley Farm, Chile

4 countries that gun lovers need to know about

March 26, 2015
Santiago, Chile 

If there’s one lesson we can learn from the 20th century it’s that we should be suspicious of a government that actively tries to disarm its population.

When the Khmer Rouge came to power in Cambodia one of the first things they did was set out to disarm the population.

There were already a series of strict gun control laws in place, left over from the time[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • March 26, 2015
  • Santiago, Chile

Young people really need to see this

March 19, 2015
Sovereign Valley Farm, Chile

Early last week, I had the privilege of sitting down for dinner with Robert Kiyosaki and his wife Kim.

Now, if you've never read any of their books, I highly recommend you go check them out, especially Robert's first book: Rich Dad, Poor Dad.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad changed everything for me.

When I first read it over 15-years ago, it crystallized everything that[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • March 19, 2015
  • Sovereign Valley Farm, Chile

Panama is still the easiest place to obtain residency [until this happens…]

I’m starting to feel like a proud uncle. I flew in to Panama yesterday afternoon and thought, “look at how much you’ve grown!”

Things were so different the first time I came to Panama in 2004.

It was quieter. Underdeveloped. Backward. And cheaper. You could buy an oceanfront condo for $50,000 in the nicest part of town.

Over the years as I’ve traveled back and forth here (and even lived here for[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • March 11, 2015
  • Sovereign Valley, Chile

Come explore the red-hot entrepreneurship scene in Bangkok

March 2, 2015
Bangkok, Thailand

Whenever I land in Bangkok, I instantly feel the buzz. This is a city that’s alive, unlike any other in the world.

Commerce is everywhere and sometimes it feels that the whole city is one big marketplace.

Bangkok is known across the world for its exhilarating social life, but that same incredible energy is put towards business and entrepreneurship as well.

While the official startup scene might[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • March 2, 2015
  • Sovereign Valley, Chile

The best foreign real estate is like a safety deposit box with a view

February 10, 2015
Puerto Varas, Chile

Carrying cash is a really risky affair these days.

Nearly everywhere I travel in the world (typically 30-40 countries each year), there are signs and warnings about carrying too much cash.

Customs agents often ask me “how much cash are you carrying”, and you hear stories about people having excess cash confiscated.

In the Land of the Free, civil asset forfeiture laws allow police forces[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • February 10, 2015
  • Puerto Varas, Chile

Fresh out of college, here’s how you can live plush

January 26, 2015
Sovereign Valley Farm, Chile

Right out of university Jack took the first job he was offered, as an entry-level investment broker in central London.

He was happy at first, thankful that he’d been able to get a job straight away, while many of his friends had difficulty in landing one even after months of searching.

But his contentment diminished as he found that between rent, his monthly metro pass,[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • January 26, 2015
  • Sovereign Valley Farm, Chile

6 places to consider for foreign residency if you ever need a plan B

Second Citizenship Passport
January 20, 2015
Sovereign Valley Farm, Chile

In the aftermath of the recent wave of terror attacks in France a number of voices have commented on the unstable political and cultural climate in France.

Among them is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has called on French Jews to “come home to Israel” where they will be safer.

He even urged Israeli lawmakers to enact new legislation to make it easier for[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • January 20, 2015
  • Sovereign Valley, Chile

How to invest when the pursuit of certainty is absurd

Investing
January 5, 2015
London, England

[Editor’s note: This letter was written by Tim Price, London-based wealth manager and editor of Price Value International.]

The start of the New Year is traditionally a time for issuing financial forecasts. But there seems little point in doing so given the impact of widespread financial repression on the price mechanism itself.

Are prices real, or fake? The cornerstone of the market structure is the price of[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Tim Price
  • January 5, 2015
  • Sovereign Valley, Chile

How to easily save $20,000 by living and working in Australia

Expatriation Diversification Internationalization
December 23, 2014
Santiago, Chile
It was just a few days after arriving to Australia that Jean was able to start working immediately at the most prestigious French restaurant in Sydney, without having to look for a job very hard or dealing with much bureaucracy.

As a chef trained in France Jean had his choice of which high-end restaurant in Sydney to work at, as there is a shortage of qualified labor to work[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • December 23, 2014
  • Santiago, Chile

Three of the BEST ways to obtain a second passport (and one to AVOID)

Second Passport Citizenship
December 15, 2014
Castries, Saint Lucia

On October 9, 1939, Friedrich Nottebohm applied to become a naturalized citizen of Liechtenstein.

Nottebohm had been living in Guatemala since 1905, and as World War II started heating up, he became concerned that his German nationality might cause problems for him down the road.

It turns out he was right.

After attempting to enter Guatemala in 1943, he was denied entry as an enemy[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • December 15, 2014
  • Sovereign Valley, Chile

Say goodbye to the nation state, this is how the new system will look

December 9, 2014
Santiago, Chile

In the moment after the musicians finished their last song, the silence was broken by the faint tune of someone singing “Mu isamaa on minu arm”.

The singers on stage quickly looked at each other nervously, but seeing strength in each other’s eyes they began to join in.

The year was 1969, and the Soviet leadership that held control over Estonia had banned this patriotic song. Singing[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • December 9, 2014
  • Sovereign Valley, Chile

Here’s what happens when you buy stocks at their all time highs

December 4, 2014
Santiago, Chile

One of the great myths about investing that we’re told by the mainstream investment education is that we should “buy and hold” for the long term.

I remember being taught in a personal finance class long ago that I should just buy the S&P 500 index, walk away, and that years later I will have achieved huge gains.

The premise is that over a long period of[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • December 4, 2014
  • Santiago, Chile

Nine of the biggest myths that people believe about the system

November 14, 2014
Santiago, Chile

Years ago, an elderly, frail Japanese martial arts master once boasted a 200-0 record against his opponents.

He claimed to have a unique power that allowed him to inflict serious injury on people without actually laying a finger on them.

Was it Chi? Magic? None of the above. It was a total scam. But that didn’t matter.

You see, the legend of the master’s powers turned[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • November 14, 2014
  • Sovereign Valley, Chile

Ready to hit the eject button? Here are five places to start looking

November 7, 2014
Santiago, Chile

As we talked about yesterday, moving abroad isn’t as difficult as you think.

Sure, it’s not always cookies and cupcakes, but the benefits and opportunities of living abroad are often unparalleled.

Only by moving abroad can you truly curtail how much you contribute to your corrupt, bankrupt home government.

And you just might find that in many cases you can live better, cheaper, and enjoy a[...] Click here to continue reading
  • Simon Black
  • November 7, 2014
  • Sovereign Valley, Chile