Japan has taken an interesting approach to preventing people from accumulating so much debt that they default; The Wall Street Journal reports that Japan has a new law “restricting total loans from all lenders to one-third of a borrower’s income.� Hmmm! Criminal penalties for accumulating too much debt? Wow!
[Read more...]The Four Pillars of Successful Real Estate Investing
October 7, 2010 by Leave a Comment
When sizing up a potential real estate location, I always look for one of four strategies that indicate a potential rise in property values:
- A new, emerging middle class
- The Path of Progress
- An influx of foreign buyers
- Distressed or crisis opportunities
How to Make Real Money in Real Estate and Other Investments
October 1, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Dow…3 ounces!
Our old friend Ronan McMahon has been keeping us up to date. Ireland is going broke, he says.
The Irish foolishly borrowed too much money during the boom years. The banks foolishly lent too much money. And then the government foolishly said it would bail them out…even though the total exposure was four times Irish GDP. Yesterday, they foolishly took over Ireland’s biggest bank, Anglo Irish. And now they’re going broke. The losses are probably more than they can handle.
[Read more...]
Post-Coup Investing
“Always buy land after a coup,” said Aren Nunnink, an Aussie expat who moved to Fiji back in 1987 and is now the most knowledgeable real estate agent on the islands.
Aren ought to know about buying land after a coup. He has taken his own advice, and it’s made him a wealthy man.
Aren told a group of us his tale at the Capitalist Exploits private investor conference in Fiji. Chris Tell and Mark Wallace started Capitalist Exploits and write a free e-letter about their global hunt for investing ideas. They focus on private deals and have come to love Fiji, which they call their favorite place on Earth. I met them recently through an introduction from a mutual friend, and we hit it off immediately. They invited me to attend their Fiji conference and, not one to pass up an opportunity to check out a new market, I eagerly agreed.
[Read more...]Click for detailed story