Day: July 3, 2010

Attitudes, Real Estate, Real Estate Investments3 Comments

How To Filter The Best Real Estate Investment Opportunities Of 2010

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“Falling markets over the past 18-plus months have created crisis buy opportunities,” writes resident global real estate investing expert Lief Simon, “for personal use and for investment. New Year 2010 is a year for action. I’ll present specific opportunities starting next week. “Meantime…invest in a piece of real estate in another country? How do you get started? “First, you ask yourself why you’re buying–for investment or for personal use. The answer may not be clear-cut. And the best case is when you find a piece of real estate that holds out the potential for an investment return (in the form … Continue reading How To Filter The Best Real Estate Investment Opportunities Of 2010

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The Simple And Satisfying Pleasures Of French Country Life

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“We recently visited an organic beef and lamb farm,” writes France Correspondent Lucy Culpepper from her home in the southwest of that country. “It was part of an annual, all-weekend event held across France. Farmers opened their doors (and their stables) to visitors to show off their animals, their cheese making, and their meat, wine, and vegetable production. “We visited the farm of Josie and Jean Pierre Pommiés, just outside the pretty village of Coarraze in the beautiful rolling countryside of the Haut Béarn. Jean Pierre is a classic shepherd; in early summer he drives his animals, on foot, up … Continue reading The Simple And Satisfying Pleasures Of French Country Life

Real Estate, Real Estate Investments1 Comment

The Noose Is Tightening — Here’s How You Slip Out

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Putting your money into foreign real estate is becoming a more appealing strategy all the time. Thanks to a crazy piece of pork in the recently passed U.S. HIRE Act, currency controls in that country have been seriously tightened. You know, of course, that you have to report any financial accounts you hold outside the United States with a value of more than US$10,000. Now, though, foreign financial institutions are required to report on the investment activities of U.S. citizens. It’s been increasingly difficult for some time for an American to open an international account abroad, and Switzerland recently has … Continue reading The Noose Is Tightening — Here’s How You Slip Out

Attitudes1 Comment

Why Did I Do This In The First Place?

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When my boss at the time came to me to explain that the U.S. publishing company where I’d been working for 13 years was interested in setting up a new base in Ireland and to ask if I’d be interested in making the move to open that office for him, I jumped at the chance. I was 34 years old, ready for a change, and eager for an adventure. I’d been covering this live, retire, and invest overseas beat for a long time, but I realized that that was not the same as living it. This was my chance to … Continue reading Why Did I Do This In The First Place?