All Posts
"Ten Years Later: An Update from Bali (2026)"
It's been a while. The last post here was 2022. Four years isn't forever, but in the world of expat finance and crypto, it's several lifetimes.
If you're new here, this site documents my journey from...
"Ten Years Later: An Update from Bali (2026)"
It's been a while. The last post here was 2022. Four years isn't forever, but in the world of expat finance and crypto, it's several lifetimes.
If you're new here, this site documents my journey from...
"Admitting I Was Wrong on Crypto Currencies"
The 2015 blockbuster movie "The Big Short" starts with a great opening line that stuck with me:
"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't s...
"Building an Expat Investment Portfolio"
Making your money work for you is the cornerstone of any retirement planning.
Investment planning can be quite a complicated subject, and indeed there are many financial advisers that seek to make th...
"Castles Built on Sand - The Downsides of Property Investment"
This article looks at the reasons you shouldn't invest in property, in contrast to the previous article ([Upsides of Property Investment](/safe-as-houses-property-investment)) which covers why you per...
"Everyone is a Genius in a Bull Market"
Disclaimer: I hold a net-long Ethereum position and net long Global equities position
If you're reading this blog it's safe to assume that you are probably aware of the [unprecedented rally in crypto...
"Equity Call Options"
Once you have gotten to grips with the basics of [building an expat portfolio](/building-an-expat-investment-portfolio) and have a bit of experience and comfort in trading various asset classes such a...
"Hedging Rental Increases with REIT Options"
This post talks about a thought exercise and simplifies several complicated concepts. More detailed assessment and research is advised before following any of the below.
For most expats, rental expen...
"How I made $30,000 in One Month Trading Bitcoin and Ethereum"
To take inspiration from "The Wolf of Wall Street" for a moment:
In the last 30 days I made $29,514 trading Crypto currencies and that really pissed me off,
because it was $485 short of a thousand b...
"Importance of Currency Hedging Foreign Investments"
Education, they say, is expensive. A lack of education, apparently, can be a lot more expensive.
Over the past two years I started to stray from my more rigid investment plan and asset allocation and...
"International Bank Transfers - The Sting of Correspondent Bank Fees"
Living overseas, you will undoubtedly have needed to make an international money transfer at some point.
If you have ever needed to make an international wire transfer between USD accounts, then you ...
"Offshore Bank Accounts"
When someone mentions "offshore bank accounts" chances are that you probably think about crooked politicians, tax dodgers, money laundering syndicates, and maniacal James Bond villains.
The truth is,...
"Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)"
In previous articles we looked at the upsides and downsides of real estate as an investment, however this looked at direct investment in real estate which is not the only option that is on the table.
...
"Safe as Houses - The Upsides of Property Investment"
This article looks at the reasons you should invest in property, overlooking some costs/risks to simplify the picture.
In the next article we will review this in more detail and explain the reasons t...
"Smart Portfolio Hedging with Precious Metals CFDs"
2017 was a record breaking year in global financial markets, not least because it was the first year to trade upwards in every single month and closed out 2017 with impressive gains of 21.8%.
This ru...
"Smarter Emergency Fund Planning"
Common financial planning advice has it that the first step in any financial plan is to develop what is usually referred to as your "Emergency Fund".
The reasoning behind this is entirely sound.
One...
"Spending Breakdown 2013-14"
The key to starting to take control of your finances is to first understand your outgoings.
Before you can work out how much you can comfortably invest, you need to understand your monthly income ver...
'The "House Money" Effect'
If you've ever been to the casino and gambled, you're probably already aware of the "House Money" effect without realizing it.
The "House Money" effect is a psychological trick by which we devalue th...
"The Inefficiency of US Dividends for Expat Growth Investors"
The following article discusses the "U.S. Tax Withholding on Payments to Foreign Persons" and is NOT applicable to US citizens, regardless of their country of residence. This article also discussed th...
"The Myth of India's 9% Interest Savings Accounts"
The United Arab Emirates has a substantial Indian expatriate population, with estimates ranging from 30% - 60% of the local population. Wikipedia cites that the labour force of the UAE are 99% foreign...
"What I learned from debating Crypto Skeptics – The sad and pitiful tale of /r/Buttcoin"
First of, I love skeptics.
I love those with opposing points of view.
I love debating my ideas with those with opposing ideas, it challenges my ideas and surfaces new points of view. When I see some...