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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
January 5, 2015 London, England [Editor’s note: Tim Price, London-based wealth manager, is filling in for Simon today.] 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
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
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
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.
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,
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.
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
November 6, 2014 Santiago, Chile For most it was their first time on a ship. And now they were trapped on board for weeks to endure storms and seasickness on the high seas. Packed together like sardines in tiny, rat-infested cargo holds with unappetizing provisions and a constant stench of human waste, early
November 5, 2014 (Remember, Remember) Santiago, Chile Long ago when I was a fresh young Army lieutenant straight out of the academy, I spent six months at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, learning how to be an intelligence officer. Fort Huachuca (pronounced wah-CHOO-kuh) is nestled snugly on the Mexican border, so there were a lot
October 31, 2014 Santiago, Chile John Anderson, an American tourist from San Clemente, California, was driving down a poorly-maintained highway when he saw flashing lights in his rearview mirror. After a brief exchange with the local police officer, Anderson was shocked when the cop started searching his vehicle. Anderson had $25,180 in US
September 15, 2014 Santiago, Chile Gallup released a new poll late last week showing how many (or few, as it were) Americans are ‘satisfied’ with the direction of the country. 23%. That’s it. 76% are NOT satisfied. Only 1% aren’t sure. The chart below shows the astounding, long-term decline since 2000. Note, this
High quality, low cost, no hassle medical care in Thailand August 27, 2014 Bangkok, Thailand I’m still a little bit stunned by what just happened. 30 minutes and $73 later, I just walked out of what was -technically- a hospital, but was much closer to an upscale business lounge at a modern airport.
July 30, 2014 En route to Estonia The last few years have not been kind to European property markets, to put it mildly. Ireland, Spain, and Portugal, for example, experienced property bubbles and collapses even more severe than what happened in the US. It was gruesome. But while some areas have recovered, others
July 4, 2014 Kiev, Ukraine In one of the most ill-timed columns ever written, Fortune Magazine published an article entitled “10 stocks to last the decade” on August 14, 2000. The NASDAQ Composite Index was at 3849.69… and within days of the article being published, the index would begin a ruthless decline, taking
