Pursuit of Excellence

www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/012616/4-best-countries-retiring-asia.asp

Do you have your sights set on retiring in Asia? Not long ago, Investopedia profiled the 10 Best Countries to Retire to in 2016. Now we’ve narrowed our focus to Asia and have asked the expert editors, writers and on-the-ground reporters at Live and Invest Overseas to tell us what they consider the four best destinations for retirement in Asia. Two of their choices, Malaysia and Thailand, made their list of the top 12 places to retire in 2016, and the other two, Vietnam and the Philippines, are countries they consider “up and comers” that may hit the charts next year. The city of George Town, Malaysia is a top pick for retirees. George Town has plenty of museums, jungle parks with secluded beaches, first rate healthcare, and good public transportation. Plus, the cost of living is low. No need to feel like a “walking wallet” in George Town or the rest of Malaysia; foreigners pay the same prices as locals for goods and services. A 900-square-foot apartment in an “expensive” part of George Town will cost about $480 per month; to hire someone to help keep the apartment clean, under $4 an hour.  Thailand is known for its beautiful beaches, laid back culture, and low cost of living. The author recommends Chiang Mai as a city to visit. Thailand requires a visa for long-term residents (see Getting a Retirement Visa in Thailand), but that’s no problem since the government recently rewrote the rules to provide several attractive residency options. Vietnam also offers a low affordable cost of living and is also one of the best places to retire. However, healthcare in Hanoi is excellent, but in certain areas it’s not as easily accessible. The cost of living in the Philippines is one of the lowest in the world. The tropical island of Cebu is another choice for retirees, and Makati, a safe part of Manila, has access to everything a retiree would want – good shopping, excellent healthcare, proximity to beaches and outdoor activities plus the expected big-city cultural features. Makati is also considered an excellent market for real estate investment. Even if you do retire in one of these countries, be sure to have an emergency fund that will cover trips back to the United States, and for true emergencies. The best way to create an emergency fund is by creating a budget, and the self-lending principle. To start your new year differently, feel free to go to the contact me section

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/these-are-the-67-most-important-investors-of-all-time-2016-05-23

I analyzed the birth dates of the most important investors of all time. Ten observations were made. This is an incomplete list. It does not include any early financiers like J.P. Morgan, no chief strategists like Abby Joseph Cohen, and no Fed chairman like Alan Greenspan. What it does include is traders, investors, hedge fund managers, Nobel laureates, economists, and early pioneers of portfolio management. Some of these people never managed money, but had a huge influence on how we think about investing, like Daniel Kahneman or Robert Shiller, for example. The author provides a chart and here are a few noticeable highlights. Baby boomers dominate this list, every person on this list is extremely smart, and there’s not a lot of diversity in this group. The article includes the names of the 67 most important investors, and they’re worth doing a little more research on.

If you need are interested in creating a budget, then contact me for a financial checkup in the contact me section.

For this week, I’ve included The Key to Wealth: Pay Yourself First from Jack Canfield YouTube channel.

“If you think you know it all, you’re a fool for sure; real survivors learn wisdom from others.” Proverbs 28:26 MSG