author of Millionaire Teacher & Millionaire Expat
In April, U.S. President Trump tossed a couple of punches at Chinese President, Xi Jinping. Trump’s left hook was an import tariff on steel. His uppercut was a tariff on aluminum. These tariffs are like taxes aimed at China. They’ll make it tougher for Chinese companies to sell goods to...
Millionaire Expat: Upcoming Speaking Dates in Dubai and Asia My wife and I have been living in a van since October, 2017. We drove from Victoria, B.C, down the Baja peninsula. We then ferried to the Mexican mainland and explored this fabulous country for about seven months. After that, we...
Picking funds for a 401(k) might seem like tricky work. But if we combine The Investment Centre’s fund selections with statistical probabilities and behavioral science, the selections are much easier. This article offers suggestions for Americans and non-Americans with respect to an international school sponsored plan, using...
This is the second edition of my book, The Global Expatriate’s Guide To Investing (Wiley 2015). Princeton’s legendary economics professor (Burton Malkiel) says this second edition is, “Wise investment advice delivered with clarity and humor.” When a publisher asks for a second edition, they usually want a 15 percent content...
International Teachers: How To Best Use Raymond James Raymond James is a publicly traded company. Their international financial advisors aren’t fiduciaries. Advisors who hold to a fiduciary standard put their clients’ interests ahead of their personal interest. As such, they aren’t supposed to select high-cost mutual funds that...
Saving for retirement in the U.S. means navigating a potential minefield of high fees and bad advice. John Oliver recently (hilariously) ripped apart the financial services industry. He explained (in a way that only he could do) that we pay far too much money in investment fees. Such fees, he...
It’s a common question. Does it matter what currency my ETF is listed in? The short answer is no. But people get fooled by this. Here’s an example. Investors might look at two ETFs. Assume that each ETF tracks the U.S. stock market. But one of the...
Each week, millions of expatriates build small backyard fires. They pull out matches. They take $10 bills out of their pockets. Then they burn them. Every week. Every month. Every year. That’s what it’s like when you pick the wrong kind of financial advisor. Before hiring anyone, ask...
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...
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...
In April, U.S. President Trump tossed a couple of punches at Chinese President, Xi Jinping. Trump’s left hook was an import tariff on steel. His uppercut was a tariff on aluminum. These tariffs are like taxes aimed at China. They’ll make it tougher for Chinese companies to sell goods to...
Benjamin Graham led a colorful life. He chased women. He loved philosophy, languages, travel and different cultures. He was Warren Buffett’s professor at Columbia University. Today, the Oracle of Omaha says Benjamin Graham was the second most influential man in his life, after Buffett’s father. But Buffett and Graham couldn’t...
In January 2018, a new European Union regulation rattled plenty of Canadian expats living in Europe. Many had built diversified portfolios of low-cost ETFs. They had taken such advice from multiple Nobel Prize winners in economics. Warren Buffett is among the strategy’s supporters. In fact, that’s how his personal estate...
For years, I’ve known that Belize is a popular retirement destination for plenty of expats. But when I first drove into the country, I couldn’t see the appeal. Eventually, that changed. Belize isn’t perfect (what place is?) but I can see the appeal, which I wrote about here. I hope...
“I wish I knew this when I was younger.” When I scan my book’s Amazon reviews this is the most common comment people write. They’re referring to the benefits of compound interest and how low-cost index funds beat most actively managed products. Unfortunately, many people believe it’s too late for...
I took a year off work in 2003. I bought a 15 year-old Toyota van and drove it down to Mexico. It didn’t have a sink, a bed or a fridge. I cooked on a portable propane stove. When nature called, I used a shovel. If this makes you cringe,...
Shakespeare’s character, Polonius, continues to delight audiences that watch Hamlet. In the play’s first act, he gives his son some good advice. The younger man is getting ready to continue his education in Paris. At one point, Polonius says: “Neither a borrower nor a lender be.” Muslims can relate. After...
If you’ve read my investment philosophy, you’ll know that I like to keep things simple. I believe, long term, you’ll make more money doing so. But plenty of people have asked me about marijuana-based ETFs. Image by Pixabay This story is for them
Sometimes, I get the following message from new investors: “I’ve been following your index fund approach. I’ve done well over the past five years, so it’s great to see that the strategy works.” Many of these new investors would say the opposite if the markets turned downward. That’s why such...
When I was about 12 years old, one of my friends told me a joke. He asked, “What’s the difference between a bumblebee and a corvette?” When I shrugged he said, “The prick is on the outside of the bumblebee.” Jealousy might be the root of such tasteless jokes–and that...
A friend recently posted a video on Facebook about the Pink Tax. It’s an amazing example how retailers rip off women, charging them more for the same stuff that men also buy. Based on my estimates, and something called Opportunity Cost, I figure the Pink Tax costs each woman about...
Here’s a podcast of my interview with Dubai Eye Radio on the 15th July. I’m talking about investing and about how investing is not just about how long you work — it’s also about how long you live: Dubai Eye Breakfast Interview
When I was teaching at Singapore American School, I tutored a Korean woman who asked me how much my parents pushed me to excel in school. When I said, “They were pretty low-key. They encouraged me, but they didn’t push me like you push your daughter.” She shocked me by...
Nineteen-year old Nikolas Cruz brought a semi-automatic weapon into a high school in Parkland, Florida. On Valentine’s Day, he killed 17 people. The massacre outraged a nation that’s split on its feelings about gun control. But some of the most fervent anti-gun protesters would be shocked to know the truth. ...
Plenty of investors start out well. They build a diversified portfolio of low-cost index funds. But then an analyst on Bloomberg says bonds are going to crash. An expert on CNBC says U.S. stocks will fall. A financial magazine says Asian stocks will soar. The headline reads, “These Are The ETFs...
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This is the new, updated (and renamed) 2nd Edition of Global Expat.
Many people aren't comfortable talking about money. It's not usually a conversational dinner-time topic, and its principles are rarely taught in schools. My goal is to have a "conversation" about it here, on this blog. If you read something you find intriguing, please comment or ask your questions! I am also the author of the books: Millionaire Teacher: The Nine Rules of Wealth You Should Have Learned at School & The Global Expatriate's Guide to Investing. If you'd like to find out more about my investing philosophy, read my "Nine Laws to Financial Freedom." Sign up for it and a bonus Investing Strategy below. Free!
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