We rebalance our paper assets regularly but with real estate, we have so far treated it as a long-term buy-and-hold. However, a variety of factors are making us reconsider whether to hold, sell or refinance.

Day 21: On the road from Seville to Madrid Our breakfast choice, La Mala, felt like a café in Brooklyn. But it gave us options beyond coffee, pastries and sandwiches, which is more typical. I had multigrain bread with avocado, spinach, tomato and mushroom. Scott had a ham and spinach omelet, as well as a croissant with Nutella (smart addition!). Then, we were off to Madrid. Madrid is about six hours from Seville, and the road trip was smooth with no traffic till we were well into the center of the city. We saw another Osborne bull and some very [...]

Where to Stay: Hotel AS Lisbon; Honest Hotel Seville Where to Eat: Restaurante Inefável in Barcelos, Varela Churrasqueria in Pontevedra, Pasteis de Belem in Lisbon, Billy Brunch in Seville What to See: colorful statues in Barcelos; the car-free town center of Pontevedra; Tropical Botanic Garden in Lisbon; ceramic museum in the Triana neighborhood of Seville Day 15: On the road from Porto to Pontevedra with a delicious stop in Barcelos Getting from Porto to Galicia by car is under two hours, so we had time to kill. We were staying with a friend in Pontevedra and not meeting till the [...]

Where to Stay: Hilton Dublin Airport, Hotel Arrizul Catedral, AC Hotel Porto Where to Eat: anywhere that serves pastel de nata and francesinha:) What to See: In San Sebastian: take the funicular to see all of San Sebastian (photo above), walk on the beach, walk alongside the beach, Old Town. In Northern Portugal: charming small towns Caminha and Viana do Castelo for river side, Espinho for beach; Gaia and Porto riverfronts; Mercado do Bolhao Day 8: Flight from Dublin to Madrid and on the road from Madrid to San Sebastien Our plan was to fly back to Madrid and head [...]

Where to Stay: Arlington Hotel in Dublin, Foyles Hotel in Clifden Where to Eat: The Rolling Donut, Old Storehouse, Ryan’s Village Café, Mannion’s Bar, Off the Square Restaurant, EJ King’s, Guy’s Bar What to See: In Dublin – Half Penny Bridge, Spire, Dublin Portal, Trinity College, Stephens Park, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Christ Church, Half Penny Bridge, Temple Bar; in Galway – Latin Quarter, Galway City Museum, Galway Cathedral; in Clifden – town center, Connemara scenic drives, Aesleagh Falls Day One: In-flight Movie Marathon and Lunch at Malahide Castle We had Avios points that were expiring in 2025, so we used [...]

In my last post, I weighed the rent v. buy decision for a property we would only use part-time. The property we were considering was a duplex (not pictured) in upstate New York, about 30 minutes from Albany and near a SUNY (State University of New York). While the property had enough potential that we made an appointment to visit it with a real estate agent, we ultimately passed on it. The property ended up selling, but there is another duplex in the same town still listed for sale for just under $115,000. While the unit was just under $120,000 [...]

We’re not actively looking to buy more real estate right now, but every week or so, I look at certain geographies I’m interested in – one of which is upstate New York near Albany. We already know the area because I helped a friend who lives there come up with viable alternatives when a rent-to-own deal went bad. There are several small towns clustered together, and as it turns out, there’s a duplex, walkable to the town center, in our favorite of the small towns. A duplex within three hours of NYC for under $150,000! We like the town because [...]

How often do you adjust your investments? Periodically (annually, quarterly), one should rebalance their portfolio. If one asset class has run up in value, you might have more money invested there than you originally intended. Similarly, if an asset class has decreased in value, you might have too little exposure, if that investment still fits in with your plans. As we look at our investments, potential overexposure to Jacksonville real estate is front of mind. I consider our investment portfolio pretty well-diversified. Our net worth is split almost evenly between real estate and traditional paper assets at 45% of our [...]

Asian Persuasion made its worldwide premier at the Soho International Film Festival in New York City on September 16. Luckily, I was already going to be in New York that week, when director Jhett Tolentino texted me an invite to the premier and afterparty! I had profiled Jhett in my Forbes column (read his fascinating career pivot story from accountant to Tony-award winning Broadway producer!), and he’s been kind enough to give me script feedback on Legacy Breed. Of course, I was excited to support Jhett on his directorial debut. Being in love with food, NY and childhood dreams Asian [...]