Apr
25
2013

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International Teachers: Are you investing enough money?

To find out if you’re saving enough money, use my free, 13 minute seminar below:

If you’re an international school teacher, you’re metaphorically swimming in a warm sea, surrounded by beautiful bodies. Cultural eye candy meets your every glance.  There are exotic jungles to explore, equatorial mountains to climb, colorful people to meet.  Aren’t you lucky you’re not at “home” where you might be paying higher taxes, dealing with colder waters — literally or metaphorically — and (potentially) earning lower salaries?

Not so fast.  Most international school teachers are warmly swimming, miles from land, without a life preserver in sight. If they aren’t paying into a government pension program — such as social security for Americans, Canada pension plan for Canadians — they won’t reap the social rewards in the future. Those bypassing a defined benefit program to work overseas are opting to swim on their own while the pension boat floats past. If you’re saving and investing enough money, however, this shouldn’t matter.  You can enjoy your overseas lifestyle, and ensure that your swimming muscles are strong enough to get you safely to land.

If you have questions after the 13 minute seminar, please post them below:

Permanent link to this article: http://andrewhallam.com/2013/04/international-teachers-are-you-investing-enough-money/

Nov
05
2012

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Calling Fee-Based Financial Advisors

I want to profile (and encourage business for) financial advisors acting as true fiduciaries to their clients.

It’s extremely profitable for advisors to sell variable annuity products or actively managed mutual funds with sales commissions or deferred sales loads.

But the good men and women who act as true financial fiduciaries don’t sell those products.  And they deserve to be recognized.

If you fit the bill, I want to hear from you.

Read the rest of this entry »

Permanent link to this article: http://andrewhallam.com/2012/11/calling-fee-based-financial-advisors/

Oct
24
2011

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Millionaire Teacher: The Nine Rules of Wealth You Should Have Learned at School

 

 
Share These Links With Your Friends and Family

Permanent link to this article: http://andrewhallam.com/2011/10/order-millionaire-teacher-book/

May
21
2013

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Malaysia: World’s Best Retirement Destination?

 A friend of mine lived in Tokyo for many years.

He demonstrated Japanese culture for his many visitors by dropping his wallet on a pedestrian clogged street.  Then he walked briskly away from it, much to the amazement of his visiting friends.  In each case (and yes, I do think he was lucky) a breathless man or woman caught up to him, wallet in hand.

Japan has one of the world’s lowest crime rates.  So while many Americans brave Mexican and Ecuadorean retiree destinations, it’s worth considering where the Japanese flee for a setting sunset of their own.  One such place is Malaysia.

Please read the rest of the article at Assetbuilder.com

Permanent link to this article: http://andrewhallam.com/2013/05/malaysia-worlds-best-retirement-destination/

May
16
2013

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Canadian Divorcee in Singapore Finds Her Investment Wings

Amy Grant, like so many married women, let her husband manage their investments. 

But in 2010, the Singapore-based Canadian couple split up.   It left Amy in a lurch.  “We used to invest with a financial advisor, but he bought actively managed funds.  I’ve learned that those are a losing proposition, compared to low cost index funds.  So I didn’t want to go back to that guy.”

To her husband’s credit, he had taught Amy that active management is a poor strategy.  And after the couple split, he left her with $185,000 in a Citibank brokerage account, based in Singapore.

“I had no idea what to do with the money,” she said. 

Read the rest of this entry »

Permanent link to this article: http://andrewhallam.com/2013/05/canadian-divorcee-in-singapore-finds-her-investment-wings/

May
14
2013

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International Teaching: Perils to Beware

With no pensions to contribute to, International Teaching can be a hazardous occupation. 

You save your money in a school sponsored plan and trust that the money is fairly allocated.

 The administrators at most international schools have great intentions.  But most schools are plagued by visits from silver-tongued financial representatives, bleeding employees like leaches.  Products sold by reps for Zurich International, Friends Provident and Generali Vision ferment along the halls of shame. 

Sadly, they’re widely spread among international educators.

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Permanent link to this article: http://andrewhallam.com/2013/05/international-teaching-perils-to-beware/

May
12
2013

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Juara’s Top Accomodation: 1511 Coconut Grove, Pulau Tioman

Trekking with light backpacks along Pulau Tioman’s jungle path, my wife and I brainstormed who—among our friends–would enjoy a holiday on Asia’s best beach. 

The list was short.  Most of our friends enjoy comfort—with a dash of luxury.  But nothing in Juara resembles the Marriot.  The last time I had visited Juara was with my brother, two months previous.   We stayed at a place where the toilets didn’t flush (just dump a bucket of water into the bowl), toilet paper was optional (you can always bring your own) and the bed sheets were questionable. 

Was I surprised and disappointed?   No.  I come back to the same place (with my wife) every year.

Are there plusher places to stay in Juara? Sure.  But “plush” would be pushing it.  I wanted to find a place that would attract (perhaps retain) my discerning friends. 

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Permanent link to this article: http://andrewhallam.com/2013/05/juaras-top-accomodation-1511-coconut-grove-pulau-tioman/

May
11
2013

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Vanguard’s Exchange Traded Funds Headed for Hong Kong

If you’re an investor based in Hong Kong or Singapore, your lowest cost options for a globally diversified portfolio are exchange-traded funds on the U.S. market. 

The U.S. is an international supermarket—a place where you can buy New Zealand, Australian, Canadian, Asian… virtually any stock index you could ever want.

Purchasing them, however, accompanies an exchange rate hit.  You won’t see it on a brokerage statement, but if you’re earning Hong Kong dollars, and you buy an ETF off the U.S. market, you’ll pay a currency spread of roughly 1 percent. 

This isn’t a big deal, of course.  It’s not like an ongoing expense ratio charge, like the barrage of fees associated with an insurance linked annuity, such as those flogged by Friends Provident, Zurich International or Generali, but it does further the cost (however minor) for each purchase.

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Permanent link to this article: http://andrewhallam.com/2013/05/vanguards-exchanges-traded-funds-headed-for-hong-kong/

May
08
2013

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Millionaire Teacher Adds $20,000 to International Stock Index

Today was the first time I’ve invested money since March 17, 2013. 

Looking at the money I regularly invest, the proceeds are clearly coming from far more than my (and my wife’s) salary.  Dividends (my brokerage doesn’t automatically reinvest them) earnings from my freelance articles and my book have juiced my invested deposits significantly.  But I want to be honest about how much I’m buying, so here it is.

I placed an order for 530 shares of Vanguard’s EAFE international stock market index.  The last time I posted about my money, my portfolio looked like this:

March 17th, 2013:

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Permanent link to this article: http://andrewhallam.com/2013/05/millionaire-teacher-adds-20000-to-international-stock-index/

May
07
2013

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Could You Dodge A Bursting Bond Market Bubble?

Headlines about a bond market meltdown are catching fire all over the world. 

In the UK, The Telegraph recently reported British pensioners could face a 50 percent portfolio decline if there’s a bond market correction. 

Others, like David Roche president of Independent Strategy, suggested to CNBC that bonds are currently the most dangerous asset class to own.  Scott Burns agrees. 

When we hear about bond bubbles, what does that mean? 

Of course, the price of any asset (whether gold, stocks or bonds) is based on supply and demand.  And the demand for bonds is bubbly. It has pushed bond prices to multi-decade highs.

Read my full AssetBuilder article

 

Permanent link to this article: http://andrewhallam.com/2013/05/could-you-dodge-a-bursting-bond-market-bubble/

May
06
2013

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An Expat Canadian in Japan, Finds A Way To Invest

One of my readers (an expat Canadian named Jon) was looking for investment options in Japan. 

He wanted to invest with low cost index funds, but found nothing available.  As a result, he opted for a Singapore-based brokerage–the same one I use.  Best of all, he didn’t have to fly to Singapore to open it.  Here’s the story, in his own words below:

Andrew,

The process of opening a DBS Vickers Securities trading account while living in Japan as a Canadian non-resident was relatively easy. Initially I thought that I would have to visit Singapore but once I looked into it further, there was no need, as I chose not to open a bank account in Singapore and I only wanted to open a foreign market trading account (not one for trading on the Singapore market).

Read the rest of this entry »

Permanent link to this article: http://andrewhallam.com/2013/05/an-expat-canadian-in-japan-finds-a-way-to-invest/

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