I am a member of a personal finance forum, and a spirited discussion has erupted this week among the participants – of course, the global markets are in freefall. There were many signs pointing to a market downturn – e.g., high P/E ratios unsupported by underlying economics, low and even negative interest rates. The moderator was emphasizing these signs (he’s big on taking a risk managed approach), but since he’s [...]
*** As we write and publish this, the Coronavirus pandemic is literally sweeping the world. Our own life and work has already been impacted, but we publish this in an effort to share our recent experiences, and in the spirit of hoping that in the coming months things recover and get back to normal. ========== After almost 30 years of not visiting the Philippines, I have been back three times [...]
It has been a tumultuous few weeks, with the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak officially declared a pandemic, global stocks in bear market territory, and companies and schools changing to remote processes. Three of my work projects so far are affected: I was supposed to coach at a pan-Asian media conference in Singapore this week – that has been postponed till July. A half-day training assignment scheduled for next week has been [...]
House Hunters International, Escape The Continent and The Great Escapers are just some of the shows that sell the expat dream of establishing a new life abroad. But what’s it like to really do it? Dawn Banks is a married mom of two who has actually done it. In July 2017, Dawn, her husband Nathan and their two children, Berri and Pablo, sold everything they had, left the UK for [...]
I am writing this post before Feb 29, so I can only project how I will have spent my extra time from leap day. However, I know two things for sure: I will be on a road trip from picking up my youngest for college spring break; and I will be just a few days into my return from a trip to the Philippines. I think I’ll be too jet-lagged [...]
This is our third trip in four years to the Philippines, but our first to Cebu. Previously we had visited Manila and Legazpi, but the Philippines is an archipelago made up of 7,107 islands! We are never going to visit all 7,107 – only 2,000 are inhabited. There are three main islands: Luzon, Mindanao and the Visayan Islands. Manila and Legazpi are both part of Luzon, and Cebu is part [...]
My favorite thing about watching movies on long airplane flights is that I invariably discover movies that I hadn’t yet heard of. These movies are too small to run in the big chain theaters, and don’t get enough award acclaim that I would have gotten free screeners of them during SAG Award voting season. We are currently on a trip to the Philippines, and with 18 hours of flying time [...]
I love my flexible consulting work and don’t plan on changing careers any time soon. That said, there are advantages to a traditional, full-time job, such as easier mortgage approval, subsidized healthcare and the camaraderie of an ongoing community. Now that we have moved to Florida, a traditional job would help us integrate. Healthcare off the Florida state exchange is cheaper than in New York, but health insurance is still [...]
“I am learning a lot about myself. It's exhilarating and horrible at exactly the same time.” Tricia, aspiring career changer I am a career coach, and one of my clients emailed me that sentiment to describe the mental gymnastics of trying to change careers after 10+ years in an area that no longer excited her. She was excited at the prospect of change, but the change itself felt really hard. I [...]
We get a lot of questions about how to get started in real estate investing. We’re not financial advisers so do not give financial advice, especially specific buy (or sell) recommendations. Besides, investment criteria for a first (or subsequent) investment should vary based on multiple, very personal factors, such as life circumstance, goals and priorities, risk appetite and your talents and expertise. Click to pin me! Instead of making specific [...]
