Category: Diversification

Safety In Belize—Crime, Guns, And Dogs One of the questions I am most frequently asked about Belize is: Is it really safe? Belize can be a wonderful sun- and fun-filled place to live, but, like anywhere, there are some things to be aware of. Unlike Mexico, Guatemala, and other countries in the region, Belize has [...]

Why Lief Has Just Flown To Houston… We aren't able to do this every year... but this year we've made it a priority... meaning I'm writing today to announce: Our 2019 Retire Overseas Expo. This is an intensive one-day event focused on providing comprehensive, detailed, and firsthand information on your best options right now for living, [...]

How To Travel As A Local... Even If You're Not In a discussion about living an international lifestyle with a friend who was in Paris last week with his family, he asked if Kathleen and I get tired of traveling as much as we do. The question caught me off guard because I don't feel [...]

Lief Simon’s Single Secret To Success I grew up as the only child of a single mother. From a sociologist’s perspective, we probably would have been classified as lower-middle class. That’s using the nine-class category system that my college sociology professor taught—lower, middle, and upper, each having lower, middle, and upper subsets. I remember feeling [...]

The Recession-Proof Portfolio Secret You Need To Know At my annual Global Property Summit last month, we fielded lots of good questions from seasoned real estate investors whose experience was limited to their home countries. Many attendees were Americans with portfolios in a single market where they’ve focused their attention and have done well since the 2008 [...]

To buy property overseas, you need to transfer money across international borders. Before you do, you want to be sure you understand the administrative practicalities, including the associated fees, and, more important, any relevant compliance and capital controls.

You Need A Backup Plan—Right Now More Than Ever Before In this month's issue of my Simon Letter advisory service, I continue my "Residency Through Real Estate" conversation. Last month, I detailed the current best opportunities for this in Europe. This issue I look at your best choices in the Americas. As you consider options for diversifying [...]

A Simple Explanation Of Blockchain Though often mentioned in the news, most people don’t know what blockchain is thanks to the misinformation surrounding it. That’s hardly surprising… blockchain is new technology. First misconception: Blockchain is Bitcoin. They’re two separate things. Bitcoin is a digital currency that uses blockchain. A good analogy is a shared work [...]