Blog & Articles
Expat Saving & Investing workshops 101 & 102 – learn everything you need to know to invest sensibly and start making your money work hard for you.
“Every attendee that I’ve spoken to has loved Steve’s workshop.” – Andrew Hallam, author of Millionaire Expat
“Probably the most important workshop of my life.” – Julian Labuschagne, Dubai
“One of the best things I’ve ever done.” – Alison Soltani, Al Ain
Next Dubai workshops: Fri/Sat 7-8 February AVAILABLE or 24-25 February AVAILABLE
Simple investing
Can expat investors now trade for free? (And if so, should you?)
Can expats now buy their Vanguard and iShares Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) for free? And if you do, will you regret it later on?
The Unbiased Guide to Offshore Investing for Expats (updated 09/2019)
Discover how to invest in stock and bond funds (ETFs) as an expat – cheaply, quickly and sensibly. Maximise your saving power while you work abroad!
How can you save and invest more responsibly? (updated)
Dragons love to sit on their big pile of cash, gold and property. But their excess cash gets eroded by inflation and they miss out on stock market growth.
Are you a Dragon sitting on your pile of cash?
Dragons love to sit on their big pile of cash, gold and property. But their excess cash gets eroded by inflation and they miss out on stock market growth.
How to tame your monkey mind – the psychology of saving & investing
I have found a way for people to save and invest cheaply and flexibly. All that remains is to get your psychology handled. This is simple, but not easy. You have to train your brain to accept that yes, you will become great with money, you will stick to the path and you won’t let your monkey mind get in the way.
You can do it! A very concise guide to investing sensibly by yourself
Here’s a complete overview of investing by yourself, from mindset to transaction fees. If you go it alone, you’re going to have to find some knowledge and discipline. It’s worth it though, to avoid the hidden fees and exit penalties in the plans sold by most UAE banks and financial advisors. It has never been easier to invest cheaply and effectively by yourself.
Saving - debt, income & expenses
Stop your bank ruining your day (or worse)
It’s usually painfully obvious that banks are not really on your side. Here are some thoughts on how to make interaction that little bit easier.
How to avoid drowning in debt and escape forever from the debt swamp
I’m proud to serve on The Debt Panel of The National newspaper in the UAE, but it can be depressing. Almost every question is from someone who has over-loaded themselves with debt and cannot see a way out. This week’s question was a classic example of this.
Terrible savings plans (and how to avoid them)
UAE: gratuities, allowances and what makes a good employee saving scheme
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Why don’t people trust financial advisors?
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What to do if your nest egg is locked up in a savings plan
Reader question – what to do if you find yourself trapped in a long-term savings plan.
Having invested into equity and bond funds over the last two years I can no longer put money regularly into my savings plan. I have some US$100,000 invested. What should I do?
Expert opinion: is it safe yet to get a savings plan in the UAE?
This is a great article from Thomson Reuters Regulatory Intelligence featuring us and many other voices of reason in the UAE market. It discusses some of the problems with the selling of personal savings plans here and why there is reason for cautious optimism about the future.
5 reasons why you should never invest in a long-term offshore savings plan
Financial advisors are often trying to get expats to invest in long-term savings plans. They sound good in theory but 99% of the time they are completely inappropriate. You will probably either make unimpressive gains or lose money. So just say no and tell your friends to say no too. Here’s why. Almost no financial advisor on commission is going to tell you this, which is why I have to.
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Expat Saving & Investing workshops 101 & 102 – learn everything you need to know to invest sensibly and start making your money work hard for you.
“Every attendee that I’ve spoken to has loved Steve’s workshop.” – Andrew Hallam, author of Millionaire Expat
“Probably the most important workshop of my life.” – Julian Labuschagne, Dubai
“One of the best things I’ve ever done.” – Alison Soltani, Al Ain
Next Dubai workshops: Fri/Sat 7-8 February AVAILABLE or 24-25 February AVAILABLE