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Author: Lief Simon

20 Aug
Timing Currency Exchange For Property Purchase In Colombia

Timing Currency Exchange For Property Purchase In Colombia

Buy Colombia Now I don't try to time currency fluctuations, but, last week, my banker in Colombia e-mailed to tell me the Colombian government announced they would purchase US$300 million over the next few weeks. She thought, therefore, it might be a good time to transfer some money down there if I need to. Indeed, [...]
16 Aug
Politesse For Investors Abroad

Politesse For Investors Abroad

Speak The Language Of Investors Back in Paris after having been gone for several years, my French, limited when living here, is, well, more limited. But the good news is that this is Paris, and, despite what many Americans say, you can get by here, even full-time, with very limited, even hardly any French. Certainly, [...]
13 Aug
It Is Not Illegal To Move Assets Offshore

It Is Not Illegal To Move Assets Offshore

Moving Isn't Hiding Some recent reader e-mails have me scratching my head. Some readers rail against me for writing about ways both to save taxes and to protect assets by moving them offshore. These readers seem fully to believe that these activities are illegal. The only thing I can think is that they are mis-merging [...]
06 Aug
Emergency Offshore Summit, Panama City, Panama

Emergency Offshore Summit, Panama City, Panama

What We Learned In Panama This Week This week's Emergency Offshore Summit in Panama City was exhausting and exhaustive. The overriding theme was one that I've been heralding for years, specifically: The offshore world is an ever-moving target...so take action when you can. Otherwise, you could lose your window of opportunity. In Panama, one bank [...]
02 Aug
Investing In Coffee In Colombia

Investing In Coffee In Colombia

"Grown In Colombia"--A Business Opportunity (It's Probably Not What You Think) I wrote last week about the abundance of business and investment potential in Colombia right now. We noticed opportunity everywhere we looked. Our daughter, for example, decided to try exporting the cow hides we found for sale in a roadside shop just outside Medellin. We [...]
30 Jul
Don't Let Your Friends Talk You Out Of It

Don’t Let Your Friends Talk You Out Of It

That question was posed to Jackson by one of his cousins while Jack was visiting family in the States last month. The conversation between the two 12-year-olds had to do with Jackson’s summer travel plans. He’d mentioned that we were going to be spending a couple of weeks in Medellin at our apartment there and […]

26 Jul
How To Establish Yourself In A New Country

How To Establish Yourself In A New Country

It Takes Time (And Shortcuts Are Usually Illegal, Expensive, Or Both) Here in Medellin, where we've been hanging out for the past two weeks, it's taken us about a year to go from looking for an apartment to living in one. And that's about how long it takes to put in place the personal infrastructure [...]
23 Jul
The recently enacted free trade agreement with the United States is opening up new business and investment opportunities in Colombia.

The recently enacted free trade agreement with the United States is opening up new business and investment opportunities in Colombia.

Expanding Business Opportunities In Free-Trade Colombia Yesterday morning, while walking along the pedestrianized lanes of Medellin's Avenida Poblada with Kathie and the kids, I wondered out loud why the entire world doesn't live here. The weather's great all year 'round, the city is big enough to offer cultural diversions, there are loads of outdoor activities, [...]
16 Jul
“Following the Seasons” in retirement allows you to enjoy the best of a number of destinations and to keep both your body and your mind active.

The “Following the Seasons” Retirement Plan

Following The Seasons Last week at our Live and Invest in Panama Conference, many people wondered out loud about Kathie and my ideas for where we'll live long-term. I call the plan "Following the Seasons." Effectively, we'll spend two to four months in four places around the world, enjoying the best months in each location. We [...]
12 Jul
Don't Let Your Friends Talk You Out Of It

How To Buy Property Overseas

Crisis Buy Opportunities And How To Act On Them The falling markets worldwide are creating crisis buy opportunities for both personal use and investment. But...invest in a piece of real estate in another country? How do you get started? First, understand why you're buying--for investment or for personal use? The answer may not be clear-cut. [...]