The Republic of Turkey Business & Investment Summit
April 29, 2008
The Republic of Turkey Business & Investment Summit
We would like to kindly remind you that the Turkey Business & Investment Summit will take place at the Hyatt Regency Istanbul on 5/6 June 2008. You can review the updated programme and register by clicking here.
Key topics of the Summit
- Foreign direct and indirect Investment – “user guide”, success stories
- Fiscal and Governmental incentives, legal framework
- FDI and the role of the banking sector – impact of the Euro, Islamic finance, etc.
- Investing in Turkey – the Capital Markets routes
- Istanbul – the new international financial centre in South Eastern Europe
- Infrastructure, PPP, privatizations, concessions – importance of construction and energy projects, Commercial Real Estate potential etc.
- Turkey – a business friendly gateway between Europe, Middle East and Central Asia
Your benefits
Find out about the current investment opportunities and incentives
Network with the Turkish and international business community
Meet Senior Turkish Government Representatives
Learn through experience by listening to showcases and success stories
An event definitely not to be missed by all those interested in investment trading, banking, project financing, infrastructure and PPP consultancy in the most promising South-Eastern European gateway to Central Asia, Maghreb and beyond.
If you have any questions or have an interest to be a sponsor or exhibitor, please contact us at our Brussels Head Office (tel: +32 2 7335940 – email: info@euroconvention.com) or at our London Office (tel: +44 20 7381 9291 – email: cassuto@euroconvention.com).
We look forward to welcoming you next month at the Hyatt Regency Istanbul Hotel!
Welcome to the Thin New World
April 29, 2008
What does it mean when the U.S. warehouse-store giants, Sam’s Club and Costco, limit customers to buying only four 20-pound bags of rice at a time?
It means the rice pudding is hitting the fan.
These two titans have never put a limit on buying anything before. Restaurants use Sam’s Club and Costco as a supplier for most of the things they need…mustard, napkins, tomato paste, cleaning supplies, salt, cooking oil, and just about everything else bought in bulk.
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But now there’s a run at the rice bank, and every Chinese, Indian, and Mexican restaurant owner in the U.S. is trying to stockpile the white stuff before the price goes any higher or the supply dries up completely.
Rice has been so cheap and plentiful in the U.S. up to now that most of us think it’s a garnish. But most of the rest of the world literally lives on rice, and the price of the world’s main foodstuff has gone from about $300 per ton to over $1,000 since the start of the year.
The scary thing is that there is nothing fundamentally different about the economics of wheat or corn.
Welcome to the Thin New World.
As oil prices rise, the costs of food production, processing, and transportation rise as well. Suddenly the connection between what we eat and how it’s grown, packaged, and delivered becomes painfully real.
The number of mouths to feed on the planet keeps multiplying without check, but corporate farmers are now eying the higher profit margins that come from filling gas tanks instead of stomachs. After all, we desperately need alternative fuels…look what the price of oil is doing to the cost of food!
What is Corporate Farming’s answer? Quit growing food all together…plant biofuel crops instead. After all what good is food if you can’t afford to drive your car to the store to get it?
As I write, food riots haven’t yet started in Asia, but parts of Africa and the Caribbean are already burning.
I watch all this from my little corner of Mexico, where there hasn’t been a ripple yet, although everyone here is very sensitive to the price of corn. Corn is one of the Three Sisters of Latin American nutrition…the other two are beans and squash. When you put these three things together with some avocado, tomato, chili pepper, and a bit of chicken or goat, you have the basis for advanced civilization…the Three Sisters have made it possible for this part of the world to eat well despite largely marginal farmland since the time of the Maya Empire.
I don’t eat any more corn than I used to, but even if the price of corn goes to the moon, I figure I can still live here for about half what I lived on in the U.S. when I add up my savings on health care, electricity, and taxes. And since I live in a neighborhood with shops, stores, and restaurants, I can get almost everything I need within walking distance, so I’m not sweating the price of gas too much, either.
And spending less on all these things means I have more left to spend on food, at whatever price.
For me, this makes my little corner of Mexico the perfect place from which to watch the modern world’s ongoing crackup…the war in the Middle East, the U.S. presidential election soap opera, the meltdown of the global credit shell game…and the coming of the Thin New World.
Dan Prescher
Publisher, International Living
Editor’s Note: If you want to quit the “modern world’s ongoing crackup” there are many options of beautiful places to escape to. At the Ultimate Event in Cancun Mexico next month there will be speakers from all over the world to tell you about all the exciting opportunities they have found on their travels, from affordable real estate to what to do when you get there.
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The Truth About Investing in Panama City
April 29, 2008
As world real estate markets settle out from years of rapid appreciation, rental yields are one way to continue to diversify your property investment portfolio.
Net yields around the world average between 5% and 8% a year, both for long- and short-term rentals. That is the cash flow you can expect after all direct expenses are accounted for. On top of your rental yield, you should also see appreciation of the property, which adds to your total return. Still, when you are shopping for a rental property, you want to focus on the potential rental returns and view any appreciation as gravy.
One market many are overlooking right now for rental investing is Panama City. Property prices in Panama City have been bid up for the higher-quality new construction that continues to be built for the foreign market. Still, rental yields are extremely high right now. Today, a one-bedroom apartment in a new building overlooking the water can yield more than 10% net based on the current value of the apartment…almost 16% based on the purchase price. The short-term occupancy rate is well over 80%, due to the shortage of hotel space in the city right now. There is also an influx of people moving to the city who need furnished apartments while they look for longer-term solutions.
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No one can say, of course, how long these high yields will hold up in Panama. In the next few years, Panama City will see many new apartments and hotels spring up. This could push yields down to average or even below. However, I’d say that the risk of below-average rental yields is years away, and, if tourist and retiree demand continues to increase at the rapid pace it has over the last few years, the short-term rental demand could, in fact, remain high indefinitely.
Another high-yield rental investment destination right now is Boracay in the Philippines, where you can buy a condo-hotel apartment for as little as $100,000 and expect a net yield from rentals in the 10% to 12% range. Again, that will change as more units are built, but, in this case, early investors should be rewarded with good capital appreciation as the market develops and later investors bid up prices and bid down yields.
This island is being developed as a resort destination. With the current supply-demand curve in the investor’s favor, the risk-reward ratio looks very good.
You’ll find an average rental return right now in Lima, Peru, and Bratislava, Slovakia.
In Lima, a client recently bought a pre-construction apartment overlooking two parks and the ocean. He paid $1,200 per square meter, and he’s expecting a gross rental yield close to 11%, which should translate into a net yield of 6% to 7%. And considering that today’s prices in the same neighborhood for finished construction are as high as $1,800 per square meter, he’s expecting good capital appreciation along with his rental income.
In Bratislava, you could buy pre-construction for as little as €2,000 per square meter…more for high-end older buildings…less in less desirable neighborhoods. Gross rental yields are in the 10% range, which puts net yields in the 5.5% to 6% range. The draw of Bratislava is that it is very central. It sits between Vienna, Prague, and Budapest…all of which are much more expensive cities.
The key to success with a rental property is the rental manager you use. You want to make sure that he has the marketing capacity to keep your apartment rented…and insist on regular reports and immediate notification regarding things like repairs or tenant complaints. A good rental manager will be able to get you a good return on an average property; whereas, a poor rental manager won’t get you an average return on a great property.
Lief Simon
For International Living
P.S. This June, in Cancun, Mexico, I will be hosting my Second Annual Global Real Estate Profits Summit. Over the two days of this event, I will bring together 13 of the world’s most experienced and successful global property investors, developers, and players, all with a single objective: to show the 100 select investors in attendance where to put their international real estate investment capital right now to reap the greatest rewards possible. We will detail 13 hot markets and 15 current opportunities with the potential for double-digit returns…or better…click here for more details.
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Recession-Proof Your Travel Plans…
April 29, 2008
With the price of jet fuel up, the dollar weak, and inflation on the horizon… you may be thinking about scaling back your vacation plans.
But you don’t have to.
In fact, I’d like to show you a way you can recession-proof your travels… forever.
So while other folks are tightening their belts and trimming their trips, you can be enjoying even more — and better — adventures…
Go diving on the Great Barrier Reef… or antique shopping in Paris… trek across England… or hit New York for the shows… relax on a beach in Mexico… or take Tango lessons in Buenos Aires…
Whatever you dream about, you can make it happen… recession or not…
And not only that, but you could actually enjoy your trips at amazing discounts (or even free)… then get paid to tell people about them. No kidding.
That’s how Sandra Kennedy travels. This year, she’ll be in Guatemala for 15 days, nine of which she’ll enjoy as part of a tour group. She’s paying her own air. But all the accommodation, most of the food, and all the in-country transportation is free.
Then she’s off to Ecuador for a month… and 19 of the 30 days she’s there she won’t pay a dime. On one tour, she’ll visit ten hotels and haciendas… no cost.
When she gets back home from each adventure, she’ll sit down at her computer and spend a few days typing up her notes… recommending this or that and explaining why.
And then she’ll get paid for her well-informed opinions.
Jen Stevens travels that way, too. Three weeks ago, she and her husband took an all-expenses-paid vacation to Omaha with the kids. They went to the zoo, the museums, ducked into boutiques, ate at the best restaurants…
Then Jen sat down for a few hours when she got home and wrote up her recommendations. An airline magazine snatched them up — along with her husband’s photos of the trip – to the tune of nearly $2,500.
Not a bad haul for a fun week away that was already on-the-house…
When you know the secrets that Sandra and Jen employ — and they’re secrets you can quickly learn – it’s easy to follow in their footsteps. And it doesn’t matter one whit what the economy’s up to.
I’d like to show you how it’s done… how you can turn this recession here at home into an era when you travel better than you ever have before… and even get paid to do it.
The key, as I’ve said, is simply knowing the tricks. And you’ll find every last one of them in The Ultimate Travel Writer’s Program.
I’m so sure it can change the way you experience the world, that I’ve asked AWAI to put together a very special offer for you. AWAI is willing to send you the first installment (a $49 value) free. Just so you can see it for yourself.
They’re sort of putting their neck out with this offer, mind you, so they’re only extending it through the end of the month.
But I’m sure that once you see it for yourself, you’ll be incredibly impressed… and excited…
Because The Ultimate Travel Writer’s Program will show you how to look at the world through a travel writer’s eyes… and turn what you see into observations you can sell.
You don’t need to be a gifted wordsmith to do this. You don’t need a degree in English or in journalism. In fact, you don’t even need any formal writing experience at all. If you ever write emails to your friends about your trips, you can do this.
This program shows you how to…
- Write a five-sentence email that will put your name on the invite lists for gallery openings… private museum tours… resort galas… concerts… and more…
- Easily combine your hobbies and interests with your passion for travel… and instantly turn them into income-earners. It’ll work with anything: scrapbooking, architecture, music, cooking, knitting, photography, gambling, hunting, hiking, dancing, history… even bar-hopping…
- Get paid to dine at your favorite restaurants… visit your favorite haunts… and turn your insider knowledge of your hometown into checks that land in your mailbox…
- Travel to “forbidden” destinations… places like Cuba, for example, and experience them fully… even though most U.S. citizens couldn’t get by the border patrol.
- Play the best golf courses and ski the hottest slopes. You don’t have to be Tiger Woods to find yourself walking on at Carnoustie… and you don’t have to ski bumps like Bode Miller to spend a few charmed days in Vail… Find out how to land a sweet deal for a fraction of the usual rate, and possibly for no charge at all.
There’s no better way to recession-proof your travel plans. In no time at all you could be enjoying an exotic, jet-set life full of fun and adventure… no matter how much belt- tightening your neighbors may be enduring.
So here’s the deal that AWAI is extending…
** You agree to take a look at The Ultimate Travel Writer’s Program today, and they’ll pull a box together that includes the first two installments of the program. Normally that would cost $88. Only they won’t charge you anything for the first one. So you’ll pay just $39 for this package.
** Plus… take them up on this offer today, and they’ll throw in a copy of their popular special report: “How to Bag the Best Freebies: Five Real-World Tips for Scoring VIP Travel Perks” (a $29.95 value) absolutely free.
Bottom line: What would normally cost you $117.95… I’ll send you for just $39.
And the risk is all on AWAI.
You’ve got a full 30 days to take a look at the material. If you decide getting paid to travel isn’t for you, just send the first two installments back. They’ll refund you, no questions asked.
The special report, “How to Bag the Best Freebies,” (a $29.95 value) is yours to keep no matter what.
But if you decide — as I think you will — that having a recession-proof travel formula really could make the next few years more fun and engaging than you ever imagined, then do nothing. And they’ll send you six more $39 installments – one a month – for the next six months.
The Ultimate Travel Writer’s Program puts the best travel opportunities in the world within your grasp. And it shows you how, step-by-step, you can grab them. The formula they give you works no matter what state the economy’s in.
You really don’t need lots of formal training to make it as a travel writer and benefit from the amazing perks available for your taking all over the world.
In fact, Sandra Kennedy — that woman I mentioned in the front of this note — she didn’t know anything about being a travel writer before she signed on to learn the secrets this program shows you. And now she’s gallivanting around the planet on somebody else’s dime.
Many of the most accomplished travel writers I know started out life as something else entirely — including one who was an inspector at a bolt factory and waited tables at a strip joint. Yet today she gets paid to travel the world. This year alone, she’s been to Paris, Thailand, Greece, Malta, Croatia, Panama, and beyond… all on the house.
And there’s nothing stopping you from following in their footsteps.
All you need is a passion for travel, an interest in seeing new places and meeting new people, and a few simple tricks of the trade — every one of which you’ll find in The Ultimate Travel Writer’s Program.
To take up this special offer to recession-proof your travels… forever, go here now.
Or, if you’d like a few more details about the program, go here.
Wishing you great travels,
Martina Dunphy
Executive Director, International Living
P.S. This special offer is only good through Wednesday, April 30. So I do hope you’ll take a moment now to click through here and fill out the form. It won’t take you more than 2 minutes.
P.P.S. If you enroll now, you’ll also receive AWAI’s insider’s guide to photojournalism, called Money-Making Travel Photography. This lucrative bonus program contains all of the secrets you need to know about taking profitable photographs—secrets used by some of the top photojournalists in the world.
You’ll learn everything you need to begin taking photos that will bring in checks that are complete gravy… find out the simplest and best camera to take with you (you don’t want to be lugging a trunk full of equipment like some nature photographers)… how to use time of day… create a mood… how to photograph people… and so on.
Plus, it will divulge all the insider’s secrets to getting your photos published.
Money-Making Travel Photography is a unique mini-program specially created for travel writers. It’s just one more way to ratchet up your income as you travel the world. And it’s yours FREE when you sign up for The Ultimate Travel Writer’s Program today.
Get started here today and get your first installment — plus “How to Bag the Best Freebies,” plus Money-Making Travel Photography free.
Why I Like Brazilian Bonds Right Now
April 29, 2008
Multi currency investments can reap rich rewards right now. Take, for example, this multi currency Brazilian investment.
The recent drop in U.S. dollar interest rates means you can now borrow dollars at between 4.175% and 4.875%.
Brazil’s currency, the real, makes sense for multi currency diversification because Latin America is the fastest growing emerging region.
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You can borrow U.S. dollars to make multi currency investments from Jyske Bank at rates a bit above and below 4.5% depending on the amount borrowed.
You can also buy Brazilian bonds that yield around 11%.
For example, earlier this month Jyske Bank offered these two Brazilian government bonds:
* Brazil 12.5% maturing 2016 yield 10.9%
* Brazil 12.5% maturing 2022 yield 11.0%
If you invest $100,000 (the minimum for a leveraged account) and borrow $100,000 at 4.5%, investing both the loan and original investment in Brazil, with $100,000 in each of these bonds…your average return after fees will be about 10%. That works out to $20,000 a year income on $100,000 invested…or 20% per annum.
Plus, the Brazilian currency has appreciated enormously versus the U.S. dollar. This could add an extra profit.
Yes, there is risk. The U.S. dollar/real rate could also create a loss.
For example, in the last year, the dollar has dropped versus the real until March. Now the dollar is having a mild recovery. Had you made the investment above in March, you would have experienced some downward pressure on your loan.
Plus, there is always the risk that interest rates could rise, which will reduce the value of the bonds. Brazil’s investment rating could fall. Dollar interest rates can rise. Any of these events would reduce profits and could even create a loss.
These risks are why you should never leverage to invest in currencies more than you can afford to lose.
On the other hand, compare the risk premium. The leveraged Brazilian bonds pay you 20% per annum to take this risk.
But there is risk in holding any investment. The investment that is deemed the safest in the world, U.S. Treasury bonds, has risk. Inflation can (and has for the past 40 years) chew the bond’s purchasing power to pieces.
On the same day that the Brazil bonds paid 11%, the 10-year U.S. bond paid 3.59%.
Add this up for ten years. The Brazilian bonds pay you 20% per annum–that’s 200% over ten years. The Treasury bonds pay 3.59% or 35.9% in total.
Are the Brazilian bonds that risky, we must ask?
The overall picture is not quite this simple but these numbers reflect the general idea.
There are ways to make this type of investing safer such as borrowing more than one currency and/or investing in more than one type of bond. For example, a yen and dollar loan invested in Russian, Turkish, Brazilian, Indonesian, and South African bonds spreads the risk and increases the risk premium.
Gary Scott
For International Living
Editor’s Note: Gary Scott, long-time friend of IL, has been analyzing and writing about global investments for more than 30 years. His multi-currency education service which you can buy today for a dollar teaches individuals how to create their own global, value-oriented investment portfolio that can take advantage of opportunities U.S. investors are often unaware of. Gary will explore this in more detail when he speaks at International Living’s “Ultimate Event” in Cancun, Mexico, May 28-31.
This Little-Known Secret is Better than Your Corner ATM
April 29, 2008
Normally I get in touch about living, retiring and investing overseas — but today I want to bring to your attention something that’s, well… different.
Did you know that you could make up to $2,000 (or as much as you want, really) a week taking snap shots in your own backyard… on your family vacations… or anywhere in the world you care to travel…
You don’t need fancy equipment. And you don’t need to know a thing about photography to get started.
Take Lise Gagne for instance. When she started taking photos she didn’t have any experience to speak of and her camera was a cheap pawnshop point-and-shoot.
But, she had passion. Now — just four years later — she’s the top selling photographer at a well-known online stock photography agency – with 645,754 image sales, and counting.
She makes well over $200,000 a year doing what she loves… and enjoys the freedom to live where she pleases, and travel when she wants.
She’ll be the first to tell you that even she can hardly believe it.
You need only listen to her story to realize that if she can make it happen — turn her passion for photos into a six-figure income — then so can you.
And our friends at AWAI would like to help you do it faster than you ever imagined possible.
Turns out all you need to make money with your camera are the few simple secrets behind taking the kinds of photos that sell best. They’re easy to learn.
And with stock photography, images as simple as tissue paper, your yard, or a box of crayons can easily sell for super-fast cash!
I assure you: This is something you’ll find not only easy and lucrative… but fun, too.
Go here to learn everything you need to know to get started today.
Where to Find Old Colonial Homes for $80,000
April 29, 2008
Salto, Uruguay
Dear International Living Reader,
I’ve seen some great places to live during my trip around Uruguay, but Salto exceeded my expectations by a mile. This riverfront city really was a pleasant surprise.
Salto is Uruguay’s second largest city and the heart of the country’s produce industry, with huge citrus farms throughout the area. Built on a series of rolling hills, it sits on the banks of the Uruguay River, which separates Uruguay from Argentina. (Downstream, the Uruguay River becomes Río de la Plata before passing Buenos Aires.)
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Salto is well-known for the natural hot springs, particularly in the nearby town of Daymán. It prospers from the continual flow of tourists from around Uruguay and Argentina who come to visit the springs. The city is bright and cheerful, and has a bustling, clean downtown shopping district. In some ways it’s like a miniature version of Montevideo. In fact, we found most of the same big-city stores that you’ll find in Montevideo.
The parks and plazas are well-kept, and Salto’s waterfront area provides a green, pleasant park-like setting in which to spend a pleasant afternoon.
We sampled a number of fine restaurants, and found we could normally enjoy a good dinner for two, with appetizers and a decent table wine for $25. That’s about 30% less than you’d spend in Montevideo, and half of what it would cost you in Punta del Este. In fact, the overall cost of living seems noticeably lower here.
On the property front, I found Salto to be a gold mine when it comes to colonial-style homes.
We first visited a 4000-square-foot, four-bedroom colonial, conveniently located near the business district on Calle Brasil. The house needed some work, but nothing major as far as I could tell. The 20-foot ceilings and large fireplace in the living room will be impressive once the house is spruced up. The asking price is $80,000. Contact Carolina Cattani of Cánepa y Cánepa for more information.(Total taxes are approximately $1,000 per year at today’s exchange rates.)
The best value home I’ve seen on this trip is an old art-deco style home in perfect condition, with stained glass windows and original antique painted floor tiles. It has six bedrooms, a three-car garage, a courtyard, and took up the depth of the entire block. The back of the property adjoined Salto’s old central market. The asking price is $160,000.
A 2,700-square-foot house right on the central park with seven bedrooms, two baths, and a courtyard had an asking price of $170,000. A small house in a working class neighborhood (rather than downtown) will start at around $45,000.
The universities in Salto not only serve the immediate area, but many rural areas in the north of Uruguay as well…along with nearby zones in Argentina and Brazil. At this time there is a critical shortage of student housing, and plenty of opportunity for those who want to provide it. For example, we looked at one huge home with 17 bedrooms (and two courtyards) that would be perfect for such a project. It needed lots of work, but the asking price was only $85,000.
The realtor I’d recommend in Salto is Cánepa y Cánepa, located at Calle Uruguay 1501. I found them to be honest and hardworking, and they had a great selection of properties.
If your dream is to own a colonial-style home, but you’d like to do it at a reasonable price in a First-World country, then the riverfront city of Salto is definitely worth a look.
Lee Harrison
Roving Latin America Editor, International Living
Editor’s Note: To keep up to date with Lee’s latest finds, stay tuned to the IL Postcards. Also, Lee spills the beans on some more secret locations and valuable real estate contacts he discovered on his trip throughout Uruguay in our International Living magazine. If you are not already a subscriber…you can sign-up today…just click here. Lee’s magazine articles are not to be missed.
Dollar drops and you make money
April 29, 2008
With the US dollar going to heck in a hand basket, it’s great to know somebody with a better basket.
For me, that someone is Gary Scott. Gary is a long- time International Living contributor and one of the original outside-the-box guys. He’s a seasoned veteran at finding and making money on opportunities that other people simply don’t have the vision, experience, or insight to recognize.
Gary’s Multicurrency approach is a classic example. Years ago, Gary saw first-hand what happens when currencies get unhinged from gold or anything else of real value.
But Gary didn’t turn his back on currencies. Like I said, he’s an innovator. Gary saw an opportunity where others saw doom and gloom.
The Multicurrency method he developed as a result allows him use today’s ever-changing currency values and market swings to his advantage.
And what an advantage it is…it earns him millions.
It’s also a fascinating story, as you’ll see below. I hope you enjoy it and learn as much from it as I did.
Regards,
Dan Prescher
Publisher, International Living
How I learned a 36-year-old financial secret over breakfast at Raffles Hotel.
I can show you exactly how this same secret could earn you more than 265% per year…
shield you from the greenback’s plummet…
and insulate you from the Recession of 2008.
My name is Gary Scott. I’m not clairvoyant…I have no special powers.
But I do know a clear economic signal when it hits me over the head…and a big one hit me during a trip to the Far East on May 5, 1971.
I was having breakfast at Singapore’s historic Raffles Hotel…one of the perks of being a successful young financial hotshot selling US securities overseas.
I was good at my job. I was confident, relaxed, and completely in command (I thought) of the economic principles I used in my business.
One of those principles was that the US dollar was the rock-solid benchmark currency of the world.
In those days, the dollar was backed by a dependable relationship with something real…gold. Like the sun rising each morning, the world knew exactly what a dollar would be worth from day-to-day.
Over breakfast on Raffles’ terrace that morning in 1971, I opened the Singapore Straits Times and discovered that my world…everybody’s world…had changed in the time it took to read a three-word headline.
“US Dollar Devalues.”
The unthinkable had happened. America had severed the long-standing link between the dollar and gold.
For the first time in decades, no one knew how much a dollar was really worth.
International currencies markets convulsed.
Broke…With A Pocketful of Dollars
Back then, I traveled with nothing but US dollars. All Americans did. The world wasn’t yet run by credit cards. Until that fateful day in May, you could go anywhere in the world with nothing but dollars in your pocket. They were, literally, as good as gold.
In the wink of an eye, all that changed.
I found myself in the most famous hotel in Singapore with a wad of US dollars…unable to pay my hotel bill. I couldn’t even pay for breakfast! No one would take my dollars…not even the money changers would touch them.
I was terrified. In the time it took to eat breakfast, I’d gone from being a successful international businessman to being a penniless beggar thousands of miles from home.
By that evening, the newly unhinged dollar finally found a temporary value on world currency markets, and I was able to pay my bills.
But I’ve always remembered the lesson I learned that day, stranded in the most historic hotel in Singapore, my pockets stuffed with dollars as worthless as scrap paper.
The lesson was simple…never again trust the US dollar, or any other single currency.
The Simple Truth No US Stock Adviser Wants You To Know
That lesson has served me well for three and a half decades, because since that day, the value of the dollar has been spiraling steadily downward.
And that’s a fact that no American money manager or investment adviser wants you to know…since becoming unhinged from gold, the dollar has been losing value faster than safe and reasonable dollar investments can cover.
Even if you’d started 36 years ago with a portfolio of dependable, low-risk, value-oriented investments earning six percent a year in dollars, you’d lose buying power.
That’s right…36 years of rock-solid six percent annual returns on dollar-denominated investments would leave you in the hole!
That’s because in the past 36 years the dollar has lost 75% of its real value against other major currencies.
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Can you imagine any investment adviser selling US investments in US dollars telling that to their clients?
But that’s exactly what I saw coming back then in Singapore.
And that’s precisely why I’ve made millions since then.
After that frightening day in 1971, I quickly learned the basic rules of profiting in an unpegged world of floating, fiat currencies …and those principles have served me well ever since.
They’re simple, low-risk, value-oriented principles.
And they can make you rich, too.
I’ll Teach You How To Rise Above the Dollar
When the dollar falters, the global economy shudders, and when the dollar takes a plunge like the one we’re experiencing now, the result is global market chaos.
But the world is still a big place, and there are always currencies…and companies…that can weather the storm…even prosper…over the long term.
In fact, it’s almost laughably easy to pick these currencies and companies! With some simple skills and the right information, you can build an investment portfolio that not only shields you from the gut-wrenching fall of the dollar but also churns out incredible profits at the same time.
This is exactly how I’ve profited handsomely for nearly 40 years.
Would learning how to do that yourself be worth your while?
If your answer is yes, I have great news for you.
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“I was so overwhelmed with information I received I had to spend several days reading, sorting and filing it! I have decided to move my modest investment capital overseas.” |
Proven Profit Models In Your Hands
Recently, in conjunction with one of the safest, most secure banks in Europe, I’ve developed a set of investment portfolios that in the past two years have earned 57%…120%…even 263.67% in one example I’ll show you in a moment.
And I can give you the skills and resources to put together exactly the same kinds of portfolios.
That’s right…I can teach you, up close and personal, exactly how to create and manage your own reduced-risk, profit-rich portfolios.
But a word of warning. If you’re looking for specific stock picks or magic trading bullets or quick hits that earn millions overnight…quit reading now.
That’s not what I teach.
However, if your goal is to gain the powerful, real-world knowledge to earn profits that far outstrip the value drained away by a constantly falling US dollar, read on.
The Key that Unlocks Global Profits
Listen carefully, because I’m about to give you the core of my proven profit method.
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“I would like to say how much I enjoyed the information I received.” |
You have to use money to invest. But, as I learned 36 years ago, you can’t trust the dollar…it’s on a steady fall that actually strips profits from you. In fact, you can’t trust any single currency…none of them are backed by gold or anything else of real value.
So if you can’t trust any single currency, what can you use to invest?
It’s deceptively simple. Use them all!
I call it Multicurrency Investing, and it’s remarkably easy…if you know the basic principles.
And those are exactly the principles I’ve developed over the past three and a half decades.
The “Sleepy” Multicurrency Profit Model
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“Again, many thanks for introducing me to Jyske Bank. Please continue your good work to enlighten your readership.” |
My multicurrency investment strategy doesn’t require nail-biting computer trading sessions at dawn or anxious evenings in front of the television waiting for the next round of bad news and dire predictions.
The multicurrency strategies I teach are slow and sleepy. For me, slow and sleepy mean SAFE…and that’s exactly why I can happily skip the gloom-fest on the evening financial news and smile when I get my statements.
My investment strategy simply doesn’t need complicated razzle-dazzle. It’s purposely designed to let you laugh off the gyrations of the dollar and the stomach-churning swings in the stock market.
But when I say slow and sleepy, I don’t mean unprofitable…not by a long shot.
In fact, I mean very, very profitable. Let me explain.
The Hands-Off Money Machine
In 2005, I decided that I would reveal the method behind my 36-year run of profit.
But when I decided to start teaching this powerful strategy, I knew I’d need to prove that my method really does work like gangbusters.
So in 2005 I assembled a model portfolio of international funds designed using my principles of multicurrency investing. I designed it strictly as an educational tool…I didn’t put any money into it myself, and I didn’t ask anyone else to risk a dime either.
Once the portfolio was assembled, I didn’t touch it for an entire year. (I like them sleepy, remember?)
At the end of the first year I made five simple adjustments. Which is to say, I dropped two of the funds and added three others following the simple principles of multicurrency investing that I teach.
Then I ignored the portfolio for another entire year.
It doesn’t get much sleepier than that.
The results? An incredible 114.16% growth!
A Crop of Profit from Going Green
In 2007, I mixed it up a bit. I made different portfolio choices based on different global economic conditions (conditions that aren’t hard to recognize…I teach you to easily identify them yourself.)
One big change for 2007…I added an international, multicurrency Green portfolio to the mix.
(Personally, I’m a big believer in sustainability and “green” investing. I like making a lot of money…and I like doing it in a way that helps produce a healthy, livable world for me and my family to spend it all in!)
But no matter what your own stand on environmental issues, the profits of my Green portfolio may impress you.
2007 Green Portfolio: + 266.30%
That’s right…more than 266% growth! Now that’s what I call good for anybody’s environment!
Now you know why I don’t worry about the dollar…or about any other single currency…or about the short-term flips and twists of the US economy.
I haven’t had to worry about them for nearly 40 years…and the results speak for themselves.
How You Can Dependably Profit on the Multicurrency Path
You can imagine that with +266% performance, my method has attracted quite a bit of attention…and it has.
But here again, I want to warn you…
I want to give you the keys to the kingdom…not one-hit wonders.
This isn’t a stock picking scheme or a hot tip service.
The model portfolios I use to teach you the powerful principles in multicurrency investing are made of real funds in real markets and they make real returns…but their purpose is to teach you how to pick, not what to pick.
Call me an old fashioned, but experience has taught me well that the old saying is as true today as it ever was: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
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“You are as good as your word which is rare these days.” |
If you want hot tips, go to the racetrack. You’ll find lots of other poor souls there trying to get rich quick. Some of them might even ask you for a buck or two to help them hit today’s “sure thing”.
But if you want the knowledge, the skills…they keys that can unlock a lifetime of worry free profit…then you’ve come to the right place.
I’ll put those keys in your hand.
Here’s how it works…
The Course That Can Change Your Life…Starting Now!
I call it the Multicurrency Investments Course, and I’ve designed it to be more effective, intuitive, and interactive than any investment method I know of.
The course provides two critical levels of education:
Part One – The Beginner’s Guide to Multicurrency Portfolios. This detailed overview gives you the basic, on-the-ground knowledge you need to thoroughly understand and lock in the principles of multicurrency investing.
With this Guide, you could easily go out and start investing internationally in non-dollar stock, funds, and other instruments.
But Part Two is the heart of the Multicurrency Investments Course…the part that will make you a master of multicurrency investing:
Part Two – Real Time, Real World Portfolio Tracking and Assessment
This is where the model portfolios come in, supercharging your learning curve and taking you through the simple yet powerful principles of multicurrency investing in real time, with real results.
In Part Two of the Multicurrency Investments Course, we introduce you to five distinct and specialized multicurrency portfolios that I’ve developed specifically for this course using my proven international multicurrency investing principles. Then, via regular e-mails and special reports sent directly to your inbox, we track these portfolios in real time for a year.
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“In spite of my marketing experience, your information really got me going!” |
This is a totally novel way to learn…real time from real portfolios as they perform in the marketplace…right before your eyes.
All along the way, you learn the inside story about the individual funds…the specific reasons they were included in the model portfolios…the exact reasons for their performance.
And all the while, I teach you the skills and give you the knowledge and background to build your own portfolio, tailored to your specific goals.
Get All the Benefit…Without the Risk
And perhaps the best part of my method is that you risk nothing.
The model portfolios we track and study are made of real funds reacting in real time to real global economic conditions, but neither I nor any of my students put money into them.
The profits you reap from the Multicurrency Investments Course are the skills and specialized knowledge you’ll use to build and manage your own international multi-currency portfolios…the ones that can carry you through to a lifetime of profit.
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“Once again thanks for all the great information.” |
Start following the principles in The Guide to Multicurrency Portfolios…and applying them to the examples presented in the Model Portfolios…and you can start getting out from under the falling dollar and securing your future wealth immediately.
What Price Financial Freedom?
How much does it cost to learn the skills that can serve you for a lifetime of profit and freedom from the ever-shrinking dollar?
It may surprise you.
Remember when I mentioned teaching a man to fish?
How much would it be worth to learn how to haul in boatloads of profit for a lifetime?
The knowledge and skills I’m prepared to share with you can provide could be every bit as priceless to you.
Just the basic principles and detailed lessons I’ll personally walk you through could cost well into the thousands of dollars.
But I can’t…I won’t…ask anyone to go into debt to get out of debt. That makes about as much sense as currency that isn’t back by anything.
I also can’t ask anyone to commit to a strategy that makes the promises of profit and freedom I make to you now without a chance to at least try it out first.
That’s why, for a limited time only, I want to offer you the nine-lesson Beginner’s Guide to Multicurrency Portfolios and your first full month of in-depth multicurrency investment instruction…for just $1.
That’s right. Here’s what you get:
- The nine-lesson Beginner’s Guide to Multicurrency Portfolios — that will firmly ground you in the simple but powerful principles of international multicurrency investing.
- The five multicurrency model portfolios — composed of actual working funds of international companies and currencies.
- Weekly personal instructions and lesson sent directly to your inbox – communications directly from me to you with up-to-the-minute explanations of shifting global economic conditions and how they, and the multicurrency investing principles you are learning, apply to the model portfolios we’re tracking.
Fair enough? If at the end of your first month of intensive multicurrency training you aren’t convinced that it really does hold the keys to your financial freedom…just cancel your course with one click of your computer.
And keep The Beginner’s Guide to Multicurrency Portfolios…FREE.
However, if you find, as I think you will, that my method is the most eye-opening, knowledge-packed, immediately useful path to financial freedom you’ve ever experienced, you’ll pay just $249 for an entire year.
That’s about 68 cents per day for an entire year’s worth of materials, educational models, weekly lessons and practical insights into what could be the most important and liberating topic you’ve ever studied…your own financial freedom.
I invite you to find out for yourself if my strategy and the enormous multicurrency profit potential is offers is right for you. But you must act now…I can only offer this $1 trial for a limited time.
Click here to order your nine-lesson Beginner’s Guide to Multicurrency Portfolios and your first month of personal multicurrency training for just $1.
It’s the perfect chance for you to get a glimpse “under the hood” of international multicurrency investing for practically nothing.
And if at any time during your first month you decide that my strategy and method isn’t the easiest, most powerful long-term investment strategy you’ve ever experienced, cancel with a simple click of your computer…and keep the Guide to Multicurrency Portfolios as your free gift.
You have everything to gain, and nothing to lose.
Won’t you share this exciting world of financial independence and wealth accumulation with me? Click here now to get your first month of personal insights and instruction for just $1 while this trial offer lasts.
Thank you, and happy investing!
Sincerely,
Gary Scott
P.S. With the dizzying fall of the dollar and the looming US recession, the Multicurrency Investments Course has been getting incredible attention. To make sure I can effectively meet the needs of everyone enrolled in the Multicurrency Investments Course, I may be forced to cap registration soon. That’s why I can only offer this special $1 trial offer for a limited time. I urge you, if you care about your financial future, sign up now while enrollment is still open. Click here to get your first month of the Multicurrency Investments Course and your Beginner’s Guide to Multicurrency Portfolios for just $1 while this trial offer lasts.
A Seaside Apartment for $75,000 in this Friendly Beach Town
April 29, 2008
Piriápolis, Uruguay
The Uruguayan Atlantic coast goes through a dramatic evolution as it stretches from the Río de la Plata to Brazil. From Montevideo to the Costa de Oro you’ll find a tree-lined coastline dotted with beachfront towns. Farther up the coast are the popular resorts of Punta del Este and José Ignacio with their glamorous beaches, fine restaurants, clubs, and shows. Beyond José Ignacio, it’s another world entirely–miles of remote, unspoiled, and undeveloped beaches.
But between the Costa de Oro and Punta del Este is a gem of a resort that fits the bill perfectly for an increasing number of North Americans: Piriápolis.
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“Absolutely the best value for your second home dollar in Latin America today”
That’s what Lee Harrison, our Roving Latin America Editor, says about Uruguay.
Why? The First-World lifestyle … the low-cost living… no signs of crime … Miles of pristine beaches with large homes for under $200,000 … Antique homes in magnificent colonial cities for less than $100,000 … Click here to find out more about Uruguay
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Piriápolis is Uruguay’s first seashore resort–it was founded almost 15 years before Punta del Este. It lies about a half hour from Punta and almost an hour from Montevideo, and has long been popular with Uruguayans for its sandy beaches, calm waters, and attractive seafront.
Somehow, Piriápolis never achieved the glitter of Uruguay’s international resorts, which is part of the charm that draws people here. It reminds me of an old fashioned New Jersey seashore town from the 1960s, with its old buildings, nicely-kept waterfront boardwalk, and busy seafood restaurants.
In the summertime Piriápolis is jammed to the seams, as vacationers come to enjoy the friendly ambiance, casinos, and of course the beaches. It’s also popular with boaters, as it is home to two marinas on a coastline that has relatively few places to moor a boat.
Property prices in Piriápolis are noticeably higher than on the nearby Costa de Oro, yet less expensive than in Punta del Este.
I found an 872-square-foot, two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment on the water that offers an awesome view of both the city and the sea from its seventh floor location. The asking price is just $75,000, and it earns about $5,000 per year in rent.
I toured a brand new condo project selling in downtown Piriápolis, each condo has waterfront view of the marina and adjacent bay. The two-bedroom, two-bathroom condos are going for $128,000, while the one-bedroom ones run from $78,000 to $98,000. The project is about half sold, and quite popular. Follow this link to see the view first-hand; the project is called Amarras Reales.
One IL reader just landed himself a super deal. He picked up a roomy, thatched-roof home high on the hillside at Punta Colorada, on the outskirts of Piriápolis. Just about every room has a view of the water. The large deck offers a commanding sea view of almost 270 degrees, and he got it for $110,000…with a financing arrangement.
If you’d prefer to live in a planned community, developer David James has kicked off Sugar Loaf Ocean Club and Spa just inland from Piriápolis. It’s not on the water, but as far as I know it’s the only development of its kind in Uruguay, built with the North American expat in mind; high-end amenities, large lots, and nice homes.
Piriápolis and its property market don’t get the international traffic that you’ll find in Punta del Este, so it doesn’t have the same liquidity or large rental returns. But if you’d like to spend the winter in a homey, friendly seashore town, then Piriápolis is pretty hard to beat.
Lee Harrison
Roving Latin America Editor, International Living
Editor’s Note: Lee Harrison loves Uruguay for its beauty and friendly people, but also for its excellent value. He says that it is “absolutely the best value for your second home dollar in Latin America today”. To find out more click here.
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Short-term Rental Opportunities in Eastern Europe
April 29, 2008
Bratislava, Slovakia
“Dobry den.” (Good morning.) “Hovorite po anglicky?” (Do you speak English?)
As I mentioned last week, I’m in Bratislava, Slovakia’s capital–and searching for real estate bargains. There are many real estate agencies here, but the trick is finding somebody who speaks English. It’s surprising how many don’t.
I eventually found a real estate agency, where a staff member, Adriana Laukova, spoke perfect English.
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Even though one owner is Canadian, the agency doesn’t specifically market to Canadians, though some North American visitors call in out of curiosity. Like elsewhere in “the New Europe,” most foreign buyers are British and Irish. They generally purchase for investment, not lifestyle.
Yet if you don’t mind cold winters, I think Bratislava would be a fascinating choice for a second home. On the banks of the Danube, it has everything: culture and entertainment, green spaces, great shopping, excellent transport systems, and very affordable living costs.
But great news for potential investors–short-term rentals are in high demand over here. My rental apartment is in an unattractive building south of Spitalska–an area on the edge of the Old Town. (The city’s historic core lies to the north.) I’m not renting it through choice–better short-term options had already been snapped up. As it’s not high season yet, this indicates how deficient the city is of short-term rentals.
Most foreigners buy in Bratislava’s Staré Mesto (the Old Town) where prices averaged 15% per annum gains over the past three years. This is Bratislava District 1. Most agencies call the district Staré Mesto, but not all edifices are historic beauties on cobbled squares.
Adriana says it’s difficult to find anything in the Staré Mesto under $3,000 per square meter. Most restored apartments are $3,750 to $5,000 per square meter. That’s still way below Prague’s sought-after historic District 1, where the range is $6,000 to $10,350.
North of Spitalska, Adriana has some restored apartments that are only five minutes’ walk from the Old Town Hall in one direction and even closer to one of the main nightlife streets. One at 70 square meters is $266,000, a 121-square-meter apartment is $384,000, and one smaller 39-square-meter apartment on Moskovska is $140,000.
In the Staré Mesto’s heart, a 57-square-meter apartment on a pedestrianized street is $341,000. That’s almost $6,000 per square meter. But there aren’t too many streets where you’ll walk out to see a silver portcullis above you. It marks the spot where the old city gate once stood.
Steenie Harvey
Roving Europe Editor, International Living
Editor’s Note: Watch out for Steenie’s upcoming articles on the International Living magazine, where she shares insider information on the best real estate deals she finds on her travels. If you are not already a subscriber, click here to sign up for our monthly magazine.
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