Living Internationally

There are many reasons for living internationally. Fun and adventure. Meeting new people and experiencing different cultures. Better weather. Tropical beaches. Breathtaking mountaintop views.

There are also practical reasons. Business opportunities. Stretching retirement dollars. Diversifying assets overseas. Having a place to go if and when things go haywire in your home country. And many, many more…

Today we return with another guest article from our friend and cohort Joel Bowman and his Notes From the End of the World. Mr. Bowman, if you recall, resides for a good part of the year in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

There he’s been dependably recording President Javier Milei’s dismantling of what had been a deeply entrenched, corrupt, statist political caste. It is, as Bowman calls it, The Greatest Political Experiment of Our Time.

However, when he penned today’s article, he wasn’t in Buenos Aires. He was in Panama City, Panama – speaking at a conference hosted by the fine fellows at International Living. Continue reading

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Jar Farming for Dummies

Starting a big war in the Middle East is much easier than stopping it. This is the lesson President Trump is now learning.

After one month of dropping bombs and launching missiles at Iran, Trump has called for a time out. A proposed one-month ceasefire. He even put a 15-point peace plan on the table. It was delivered via intermediaries in Pakistan.

The proposal included a comprehensive off-ramp to address everything from nuclear disarmament and missile limits to reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran quickly put a match to it and countered with five conditions of its own – including demands for reparations.

It was but one month ago when Operation Epic Fury kicked off. What was intended to be a brief operation of destruction rained down on Iran, turned into something much greater.

The initial shock and awe adeptly targeted high-level leadership and missile infrastructure. But the operation quickly spiraled into a larger war of attrition that physically severed the world’s most vital energy artery – the Strait of Hormuz. Continue reading

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Why Gold Is Dipping While the Market Panics for Cash

Day after day decisions pile up. Some good. Some bad. Good decisions generally bring wealth, prosperity, satisfaction, and freedom. Bad decisions generally bring poverty, failure, discord, and captivity.

The U.S. national debt has now exceeded $39 trillion. That number is so large, and is growing so fast, that it’s nearly incomprehensible. Nonetheless, it will have a very real and direct impact on your savings and retirement. What’s more, your kids and grandkids will rue it.

Over many decades, Washington has been completely devoid of fiscal responsibility. Reckless spending has stolen the future from younger Americans. They will get to keep less of what they earn. In return, they will get less for the tax dollars they pay.

Moreover, because a greater percentage of their incomes will go to service the interest on past debts, instead of capital investment, they will be trapped in a slow growth or stagnating economy. As a result, younger Americans will have to make their way in an economy with fewer opportunities. Continue reading

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Running On Empty

The opening bombardment of Operation Epic Fury on February 28 succeeded in taking out the heart of the Iranian regime. But it also triggered extreme geopolitical instability in the Middle East and severed the aorta of the global economy.

The massive barrage of missile strikes, the chaotic swarm of counter-drone attacks, and the succession of Mojtaba Khamenei offer sensational headline material. Yet the real destruction, the kind that reshapes civilizations, isn’t happening in the smoky ruins of Tehran. It’s happening in the empty shipping lanes of the Strait of Hormuz.

Skyrocketing oil prices are a noted precursor to declining economic activity. Higher gas prices are not just an inconvenient market fluctuation. They act as a regressive tax on every single human being who eats, moves, or buys things. When the price of gas spikes and the pumps run dry, the very foundation of the global economy crumbles.

As of March 12, Californians are already paying $5.36 per gallon to fill up their cars. That may seem like a lot if you’re living elsewhere. In the south, for example, we’re paying $3.22 per gallon. Continue reading

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