Blog & Articles
Dubai, Sunday 24 August: All About
Expat Investing Workshop
Get all the essential knowledge you need for sensible long-term investing, plus lots of practical tips on what to invest in and how, while living in the GCC. No prior knowledge required – friendly, supportive and engaging. Let us transform you into a confident investor in a single day!
Limited spaces available.
“Thank you again for your workshop, it was a truly eye-opening workshop and I’m forever grateful for the knowledge I’ve gained. It has been completely transformational to my financial life :)” – Sandra, GCC expat
Latest Posts
Revolut Warning
Revolut is useful. But when I made a list of red flags today, it quickly grew to at least 10 concerns. I don’t think that’s good enough.
Coming to America: Interactive Brokers now accepts UAE dirhams!
Interactive Brokers now accepts AED and that means… 1) cheaper investing, 2) investing smaller amounts, and 3) cheaper currency exchange and transfers!
Resilience: coping with the unexpected loss of people, jobs & investments
The sudden loss of a person//job/investment that’s been a constant in your life can leave you feeling untethered and vulnerable. How can you anchor yourself and those around you in advance?
Blog: Planning (mindset, current situation, future needs)
How to plan for a recession so you survive inflation and the cost of living crisis
I do not have a crystal ball but there could be challenging financial times ahead in the next 18 months. How should you adjust your planning, saving & investing?
The 7 Phases of Expat Life – Are You Financially Mature Yet?
There are 7 phases of expat life. Most people skip the real money-making stage and go straight back to being an ex-expat. Don’t be like them! You need to reach Financial Maturity.
The Ultimate Guide to Buying Life Insurance for Expats (Say NO to Whole Life)
Whole life insurance plans have always been controversial globally. They exist mainly to make the insurance company and their sales ‘advisor’ lots of commission. You must avoid them, escape from them and warn other people. Here’s what to buy instead and how to do it.
Blog: Saving (income, expenses, debt, cash)
3 smart ways to survive January
What is the point of your life? Do you really exist to provide food and money for your partner and kids? Or to help the country you live in produce more aluminium? Or to sell more widgets to companies? No you don’t. You may find yourself doing these things, and that’s ok. But they have to be part of a broader purpose.
💔 Love & Money
Can you really have love and money? Will your other half chew through all your cash? Money is the number one cause of breakups, but really it is poor communication about money. This post is about finding a balance in you relationships with the significant other and your money.
Should you have a monogamous relationship with your bank?
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.
Blog: Investing (funds, ETFs, brokers, currencies & transfers)
Coming to America: Interactive Brokers now accepts UAE dirhams!
Interactive Brokers now accepts AED and that means… 1) cheaper investing, 2) investing smaller amounts, and 3) cheaper currency exchange and transfers!
Interactive Brokers removes inactivity fees
Interactive Brokers used to charge $10 per month. As of July those fees are gone, leading to less confusion and fewer reasons to avoid jumping in and getting started. Let’s have a look at the implications.
How Crypto Can Make You A Better Passive Stock Investor
Last week, I bought some crypto. I’m going to skip a lot of the how to, use cases, risks & FI community reactions to focus on what’s important: the psychology.
Blog: Troubleshooting & terrible savings plans
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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Dubai, Sunday 24 August: All About
Expat Investing Workshop
Get all the essential knowledge you need for sensible long-term investing, plus lots of practical tips on what to invest in and how, while living in the GCC. No prior knowledge required – friendly, supportive and engaging. Let us transform you into a confident investor in a single day!
Limited spaces available.
“Thank you again for your workshop, it was a truly eye-opening workshop and I’m forever grateful for the knowledge I’ve gained. It has been completely transformational to my financial life :)” – Sandra, GCC expat