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Viewing 15 posts - 16 through 30 (of 38 total)
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  • in reply to: Nicaraguan Economic Citizenship #1522
    wldeaton
    Keymaster

    Hey, thanks. There are a number of reasons why that would be appealing, if legit. I already have an interest in Nicaragua, and love Rancho Santana, down in the south.

    in reply to: Welcome SMC members #1521
    wldeaton
    Keymaster

    Roger I don’t have a problem with the proposed return. I guess it’s a matter of perspective: it’s the collateral that concerns me. Granted, I seem to recall that the company tried to build in pretty high buffers to account for diminution of value (i.e. you couldn’t borrow 95% of the alleged value of your wine collection), but I’d still be concerned about liquidating the collateral to be able to receive your money back.

    in reply to: Chile island real estate #1520
    wldeaton
    Keymaster

    Isla San Pedro is still for sale. I’ve traveled to Puerto Montt since writing this post a year ago. Highs of low 60s in the late spring, beginning of summer. It’d be pretty tough in the winter, I’d imagine. But still, pretty green.

    in reply to: The Digital Hitman by Frank Ahearn #1508
    wldeaton
    Keymaster

    I’ve ready this before and enjoyed it, second the thoughts.

    in reply to: Welcome SMC members #1507
    wldeaton
    Keymaster

    ML

    Thanks for your thoughts. I had a friend (whom I met in Cancun) whose renewal anniversary came up the same time as mine for Total Access, and we were going through a lot of those same back and forth questions. Ultimately, I decided if the price remained the same (it did) that I’d give it another go. The investments sounded pretty exciting when I entered, but less so when I started thinking more about them. I’d rather stick with something where I had more control, but wasn’t loaning money on bottles of wine….

    in reply to: La Estancia de Cafayate #1478
    wldeaton
    Keymaster

    I’m considering going to La Estancia’s Harvest Fest in March. Anyone else interested in going?

    in reply to: Welcome SMC members #1465
    wldeaton
    Keymaster

    Big V, thanks for participating. I hope we can generate interest in this free forum and exchange ideas like you’re talking about. I think Simon’s moving a lot of the comment to TA. I’m not saying the information from Tim Price and Tim Staermose aren’t valuable, but I just don’t put it into effect. I subscribe to a crisis investing newsletter from Casey that is much easier to put into effect on a monthly basis.

    As for the private investing things offered by Simon, this is not at all a criticism of them, but quite a few of them don’t allow direct investment, but instead Simon’s group sets up special purpose vehicles to then invest in the investments. I’m a bit of a control person, so already I’m taking a leap of faith if I’m going to invest in some company run by someone else in another country. Now I’m being asked to invest in a second layer of the unknown as well, and I just don’t care for that. Since I’ve not invested through either PVI, Tim Price or Tim Staermose, I’m not getting that much–except for the private meetups. And they’re great. THe speakers are pretty good, and the members are great. But it’s a shame we’re paying such a premium essentially to meet up with each other.

    On the completely different topic of captive insurance, it’s like a lot of other things: if your company’s risks and numbers could justify it, and done with the right captive manager, it can be a very good and legitimate risk shifting mechanism that also carries with it tax benefits. Done with someone shady, it can be a red flag tax dodge.

    in reply to: What would you most like to see on the site? #1439
    wldeaton
    Keymaster

    Oran, modest desires you have there, don’t you? Tell you what, I’ll start a thread and see where it goes. One problem is things change on a dime. A few years ago everyone was trying to find a bank that wouldn’t share info with the US government and was looking into far flung offshore jurisdictions. I decided to go with something far more mainline, yet still offshore, knowing it would share info with the US. Ironically, even the far flung jurisdictions are mainly sharing info now, and I’m glad that I got in with a real, long-established and strong bank. For privacy reasons I won’t share, but it wouldn’t help anyway because they no longer take US citizens. But I was able to do it all remotely.

    in reply to: Non "Sovereign Man Confidential" sites, resources, forums #1423
    wldeaton
    Keymaster

    With regard to the Expat Files podcast, Johnny Mueller this week has an interesting couple of podcasts about a very unusual, but easy, way to plant a flag–buy a plan from Decameron Resorts for long-term use. I.e., it’s a deluxe “club” plan for a Latin brand all-inclusive that would effectively give you full time living access, along with food, at about a dozen resorts in Latin America. Give it a listen.

    in reply to: The evolution of Sovereign Man Confidential #1420
    wldeaton
    Keymaster

    Roger, if you don’t mind me asking, WHAT do you receive as an SMC “regular” member now? I’m still in Total Access for a while, and I’d say the bulk of what I receive is now funneled through TA. There’s the monthly call and the monthly wrap up. Anything else? For example, we got notified recently about a potentially interesting citizenship by investment deal, and a meetup to deal with that. But the video and the invitation appear to have been sent to TA folks only.

    in reply to: The evolution of Sovereign Man Confidential #1419
    wldeaton
    Keymaster

    Roger, if you don’t mind me asking, WHAT do you receive as an SMC “regular” member now? I’m still in Total Access for a while, and I’d say the bulk of what I receive is now funneled through TA. There’s the monthly call and the monthly wrap up. Anything else? For example, we got notified recently about a potentially interesting citizenship by investment deal, and a meetup to deal with that. But the video and the invitation appear to have been sent to TA folks only.

    in reply to: Non "Sovereign Man Confidential" sites, resources, forums #1414
    wldeaton
    Keymaster

    Here’s another:

    “The Expat Files” podcast. http://www.thenewexpat.com

    Typically twice a week podcast, published on Fridays and Sundays, by Johnny Mueller, a long time expat living in Central America. Great practical and simple boots on the ground advice about expatriation, living a free lifestyle, and particularly living in Central America. You can find him on Stitcher, Itunes, and probably other sites as well.

    in reply to: Welcome SMC members #1410
    wldeaton
    Keymaster

    Roger, I liked the forum, the contacts I made, and also some of the one-off deals/information provided. I met great people at the Cancun conference, and some more great people at the TA event in Medellin. I’ve yet to act on any of the investment advice.

    There’s been some discussion about a mechanism with which I’m very familiar, which is captive insurance companies. The oversimplification of that subject has made me concerned about some of the other subjects about which I’m not as knowledgeable.

    wldeaton
    Keymaster

    Francisco:

    First a caveat that I’m not an expert, having just visited one time for a week two or three years ago. The prices on the Harbour Lakes units (3br/2ba) start at $220k. Palmas del Mar is a huge area–if I’d guess I”d say a couple thousand acres perhaps? It’s gated, and contains many subcommunities within the communities. We saw houses and condos that had been there since the 70s, some small houses with asking prices in the low 100s. And we saw oceanfront and oceanview estates with multi-million dollar asking prices. I generally felt safe in Puerto Rico, and more so in this community because it is large and gated. I saw a mix of Puerto Ricans and stateside gringos. When I went I saw not just Harbour Lakes but other subcommunities offering new homes with similar financing offers–not from the developers, but from local banks. Value? Hard for me to tell yet. Definitely worth looking at, at least.

    in reply to: Welcome SMC members #692
    wldeaton
    Keymaster

    AC:

    I’m up in the air about continuing Total Access. I don’t have a real criticism of any product, other than the Liberty Alert, which I think is weak (and I believe he may be changing anyway). The two Tims’ products (4th Pillar and PVI) are very interesting, but frankly, I rarely implement them. I’ve never pulled the trigger on a Private Investor offering either. The best thing I’ve gotten out of TA has been the meet up I went to, and the very interesting people I’ve met.

Viewing 15 posts - 16 through 30 (of 38 total)