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Robert Russell · Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Posts: 44 Location: Suwon, Korea

Any suggestions on where to invest money? I had an IRA account in the States but am not alllowed to invest in that account while overseas. What is the most sound investment? With the world economies in such a volatile state, where is the best place to invest money?????

johnslat · Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2003 3:04 am Post subject: Our Mutual Friend

Dear Robert,
In response to your question as to the best place to invest money, I'm tempted to say: under your mattress. But I suppose that a good mutual fund is still the best bet ( and it IS always a bet ). Vanguard is probably the wisest pick. Or, if you consider the stock market to be not too different from Las Vegas, there's always real estate and land - usually not too much profit there, unless you get lucky, but God stopped making land a while back.
Regards,
John

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

I do not see things from a US perspective but there must be certain similariies. Priority number one for me was getting a base in a place where I could handle retirement. So I now own property with NO mortgage. Once that has been done, like John Slattery I go for mutual funds (unit trusts in Britspeak). Keep some in the bank. Have some in GOLD. And some in cash - a basket of different currencies.

johnslat · Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2003 4:44 am Post subject: In the vanguard

Dear Robert,
Regarding Vanguard, if you do decide to go with them, I'd suggest the Vanguard 500 Index Fund, which is tied directly to the S&P. It's probably the most no-hassle, lowest fee choice, lowest-risk choice.
Regards,
John

Peter · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Posts: 161

It also depends on your age; the older you are, the smaller the choices become as you cannot recoup losses at age 60.

i shifted out of unit trusts into term deposits as retirement is now a few years off.

MindTraveller · Joined: 13 Mar 2003 Posts: 89 Location: Oman

If you aren't on a pension plan, the best investment seems to be rental property. Buy a home or condo, rent it out for the renters to pay the mortgage. Then buy another....

Some friends of mine are doing this for their retirement and it's what I'm going to do when I have a LARGE amount of money for a deposit.

Fortunately, I'm on a teachers' pension plan that allows me to contribute - no matter where I am. It's TIAA-CREF. Got it when I taught university in the States.

When you pass 50, if you're a USA-American, the Social Security Office sends you a summary of your earnings and let's you know how much money to expect from them for retirement. Being overseas, with 0 input (all tax-exempt) means for those years overseas, you don't get any credits, so your monthly income from Social Security is reduced. My statement was a real eye-opener and has made me much more aware and concerned about this. Rental property seems much healthier, in my opinon, than mutual funds, etc. But I maybe wrong. What do others think?

arioch36 · Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 3589

I would go with rental property being a good bet. Biggest downside is with the so-called boom of the 90's all the local schools and governments promised everything to everyone. Now I am being murdered by local taxes on my house (New York/US) Even so, it was worth every penny

Chris · Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2003 6:10 pm Post subject: Re: Investments

I just wanted to comment on the Social Security statements. Actually, I'm only 30, but I've been receiving these statements for about 3 years now. I've been in Poland for the past 5 1/2 years, and obviously, don't make a lot of money. I also never really made a huge amount in the US. So, my statement says that if I continue to earn the average annual amount that I had working in the US, I will have a whopping $279/month when I retire. Rolling Eyes

Yeah, that's about what I would receive in Poland if I decided to wait it out here for the next 30 years!

Maybe it's time to move on to a higher paying country? Question

Albulbul · Joined: 08 Feb 2003 Posts: 364

A note to those who are UK-based or have worked in the UK for a time. It is a good idea to continue making voluntary contributions to National Insurance. This should ensure some sort of basic retirement pension when you are 60/65. But beware, in some countries it is frozen at the level paid when you retire ! So if you retiire to the USA you get an annual increase, but if you go to Canada it is frozen. If you go to Rumania it is frozen, but go to Serbia and you get annual increases !!!

Bindair Dundat · Joined: 04 Feb 2003 Posts: 1123

Johnslat has the right idea. Go with the Vanguard index funds, of which the S&P 500 is the definitive low-cost, low-risk benchmark fund. A *LOT* depends on how much time you have until retirement, however. Stocks are for the long run, by which I mean at least a ten-year holding period -- longer if you happened to buy in early 2000. Wink

Vanguard is a great source of free information about this sort of stuff, although they do lean on the nuancing just a bit heavily. Read what they have to say about cash/bonds/stocks, and then go with their simplest, cheapest funds in whichever category is (-ies are) appropriate for you.

If you want to play around a little, take a look at "Diamonds and Spys". Type DIA, SPY, and QQQ into your favorite search engine, and follow the clues. You can buy these through the Vanguard Brokerage, cheap, and sell them when you like.

I suggest you avoid stock-picking, real estate, forex trading, junk bonds -- and don't even think about derivatives.

chuckie · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 17

The stock market is a bit like Las Vegas in my opinion. However, nothing is free of risk. I am in the market a little, but only with sector plays, so don't get hurt too much.

Real estate is much more stable, but involves some risk too. Rental property has been my number one investment strategy, but rentals have taken it on the chin with the new super low interest rates and no down payment deals on new houses. Anyone who can has bought a house. That leaves a lot of losers who want to rent. Though I have invested in real estate for over 25 years, I have NEVER had to lower the rent on a unit - until this year. Uh oh . . . So, we'll see how it all plays out.

The nice thing about real estate though is its stability. You don't get a stomach ache every time the DOW takes a dive. Even if real estate does suffer a bit in this downturn - it will still have some value - compare that with WorldCom or Enron - the favorites of the "advisors" a few uears ago.

Old age is about not having to worry about these type things - so I vote for real estate. Keep a good clear consistent policy on your investment strategy.

reality · Joined: 13 Mar 2003 Posts: 105

Real estate is probably one of the best investments you can make, but only if you time your investment right.

It doesn�t really matter, what Country you invest in, except you should have the right of Ownership and residency. Don�t buy when the market prices are high. Invest in cheap property, in developing areas.

Rentals are fickle. I have been caught this year, because too many people invested in Second properties, when the Stock markets turned into bear markets. It has left a glut of empty properties, available for rent, even my own.

Don�t invest in a Country you don�t like ,or has a Government you don�t trust. If the Country is not your home Country.

Don�t trust agents or believe local Newspapers dependent on Real Estate advertisers. They offer hype, false promises and in Southern Spain
get huge commissions. They act in there own interests, not yours.

I reckon New Zealand now is the best Country to invest in, and you�ll even get residency rights.