2017-08-18 09:00
[Estimated reading time: 2 minutes]
Equities have been rising almost uninterrupted in 2017.
In the year to date:
The S&P has advanced nearly 11%...*
The Dow has had 34… Read More
Blog Directory > Finance Blogs > Expat Financial finance Blog >
Expat Financial Blog
aesinternational.com/blog
Tags:
expats
transfers
common
hedge funds
mistake
pension
successful investors
profit
successful
diet
The voice of the only Corporate Chartered Financial Planners in the Middle East, AES International’s blog seeks to educate and inform expats with respect to pensions, savings and investments in the offshore marketplace. A key instrument of its mission of ‘Positive Change’, AES International’s blog tackles some of the toughest topics, often challenging the status quo maintained by international life companies and unscrupulous international financial advisers.
2017-08-16 09:00
What worries the wealthy?
According to a survey of international millionaires by Swiss bank UBS, things high-net-worth people are concerned about include:
1. Financial planning, a… Read More
2017-08-14 09:15
The latest industry news suggests “investors return to hedge funds after six quarters of outflows…”
However, the evidence suggests successful investors still a… Read More
2017-08-09 09:00
Last month, I wrote an article that proved popular for all the wrong reasons.
Entitled 5 things wrong with DIY investing, I received messages from expats who disagreed with me.
Wh… Read More
2017-08-07 09:00
[Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 16 seconds]
There’s an old sports adage I’m reminded of every time I go for a run!
“Father Time is undefeated.”… Read More
2017-08-02 09:00
[Estimated reading time: 5 minutes]
More expats are taking their pensions out of the UK than ever.
But just because every other expat transfers their pension, that doesn’t m… Read More
2017-07-28 09:00
[Estimated reading time: 3 minutes]
Despite their recent Tour de France win, a bruising parliamentary hearing earlier this year has left Team Sky’s reputation damaged.
A kno… Read More
2017-07-26 09:00
[Estimated reading time: 2 minutes or as long as it takes to clean your teeth]
How many times have you started a diet and then fallen off the wagon?
My wife’s threatening to… Read More
2017-07-24 09:00
[Estimated reading time: while you eat your cereal]
Despite the bull run that began in March 2009, three of the world’s most successful money managers have failed to signific… Read More
2017-07-21 07:00
Estimated reading time: while you make a cup of tea!
88% of millionaires read every day for education and career growth
63% of wealthy people listen to audio books or podcasts on… Read More
2017-07-19 09:00
We all have things we want to achieve …
Getting fitter (or just fit, in my case!)
Raising happy healthy children
Achieving a promotion
…and the route to… Read More
2017-07-13 09:00
[Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 48 seconds]
Magic slimming pills…
Soul mate finding dating sites…
Stock picking fortune tellers…
Children grow… Read More
2017-07-11 09:00
[Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 52 seconds]
Would you be tempted to stake a small sum of money – say £300 – on something that had climbed 14,000% already… Read More
2017-06-28 09:00
[Estimated reading time: 5 minutes, 45 seconds]
My wife Kate has no interest in financial services.
On the plus side, it keeps me from being a finance bore (at home)!
But…… Read More
2017-06-23 11:00
[Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 30 seconds]
You wake up one fine morning and discover the unthinkable has happened…your bank account has been raided by the government… Read More
2017-06-21 09:07
[Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 57 seconds]
Tony Robbins grew up in poverty.
And, like 1 in 8 Americans, he often went to bed hungry.
His mother was an alcoholic, he worked n… Read More
2017-06-16 11:00
[Estimated time to read: 7 minutes]
The complexity of distributing wealth to family is compounded by a reluctance of some parents to discuss wealth with their children Read More
2017-06-12 11:47
[Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 45 seconds]
I had an enlightening conversation with a new client last night. Read More
2017-06-05 13:06
[Estimated reading time: 1 minute, 30 seconds]
There are 3 simple steps that can save you years of extra work…
Yet, most people don’t follow them… Read More
2017-05-30 09:00
[Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 33 seconds]
The adage about children growing up too fast is true…
I can’t believe my daughter Sophie is almost one already&he… Read More
2017-05-29 09:00
[Estimated reading time: 4 minutes, 6 seconds]
I read a comment on Andrew Hallam’s website yesterday that got me thinking.
The commenter wanted to become a DIY in… Read More
2017-05-24 09:00
[Estimated time to read: 5 minutes]
By historical standards, stock markets have been on a very good run.
The bull market, which began in March 2009, is more than eight years old… Read More
2017-05-23 09:00
[Estimated time to read: 3 minutes]
As a Brit, I understand our national obsession with property.
And as a child, I watched my father achieve huge success with the creation of a b… Read More
2017-05-22 09:00
[Estimated time to read: 2 minutes]
Last night, my 6-year old and I had an argument…
…who’d win a fight between Spiderman and the Hulk?
…I said the Hul… Read More
2017-05-17 09:00
[Expected time to read: 2 minutes]
Meet Carl Richards…
Author of The Behavior Gap: Simple Ways to Stop Doing Dumb Things with Money Read More
2017-05-16 09:00
[Estimated time to read: 3 minutes]
We have a new starter in the admin team.
She’s eager to learn every aspect of the business.
I sat with her today to discuss my role, and… Read More
2017-05-10 09:00
[Estimated time of reading: 4 minutes]
I remember the people I can’t help, as much as the ones I can.
Perhaps none stand out more than Pete, an oil and gas worker in Azerbai… Read More
2017-05-09 09:00
[Estimated time to read: 4 minutes]
My dad often uses a few popular sayings.
Last night's was depressing.
“…nothing’s certain but death and taxes…&rdquo… Read More
2017-05-08 09:00
[Estimated time to read: 4.5 minutes]
Last week was a shocker.
The litany of expat financial disasters continued to pour into my inbox.
A tsunami of abysmal returns Read More
2017-05-03 09:00
[Estimated time to read: 4 minutes]
When I was at university, a BBC interviewer asked me whether students think about pensions.
“Pensions?” I laughed… &ld… Read More
2017-05-02 12:33
[Estimated time to read: 3 minutes]
A 3-point plan to staying a millionaire
Just imagine winning £161million!
You could do pretty much anything you ever wanted to do.
No w… Read More
2017-05-01 09:00
[Expected time to read: 4 minutes]
Think of investing, and people think of shares.
But there’s a whole range of different asset classes that you can invest your money… Read More
2017-04-26 09:00
[Estimated time to read: 4.5 minutes]
It’s April 2015, and the BBC headline reads: “FTSE 100 closes at record high…”
The market has hit 7100, and investor… Read More
2017-04-25 09:00
[Expected time to read: 4 minutes]
Although the principles of evidence-based investing are founded on academic research dating back to the 1950s, new data is being produced all the… Read More
2017-04-24 09:00
[Expected time to read: 7 minutes]
I have a good friend who’s a doctor; when she’s out socialising and the topic of jobs inevitably comes up, she sometimes lies about h… Read More
2017-04-19 09:00
[Estimated time to read: 6 minutes]
Associate Financial Times editor Lucy Kellaway has just distributed her annual Golden Flannel Awards.
She presents them to those whose jargon s… Read More
2017-04-18 09:00
[Expected time to read: 7 minutes]
On a recent flight, I sat next to a nice guy called Neil.
Inevitably, we started talking about our respective professions.
Neil’s an engi… Read More
2017-04-17 07:00
[Estimated time to read: 5 minutes]
I was listening to the radio on my drive home last night; the Chief Investment Officer of a large bank was on, talking about what’s going… Read More
2017-04-12 09:00
[Estimated time to read: 6 minutes]
To complete my age-specific investment guides, today I want to help you if you’re in your 60s and you’re wondering how best to grow… Read More
2017-04-11 09:00
[Estimated time to read: 7 minutes]
Continuing my age-specific investment guides, as suggested by Qatar expat Jennifer Johnson, today I’m going to talk through securing and g… Read More
2017-04-10 09:00
[Expected time to read: 5 minutes]
Jennifer Johnson, an expat in Qatar, recently contacted us.
She asked if we’d address the issue of how best to invest depending on age, an… Read More
2017-04-05 09:00
[Estimated time to read: 2 minutes]
Last year, my wife and I presented my parents with their first grandchild, Sophie.
Ever since, they can’t keep away - they come and stay… Read More
2017-04-03 09:00
[Estimated time to read: 4 minutes]
Like many investors, you may have a pension or investment made up of more than one asset class; the commonest asset allocation is a blend of equ… Read More
2017-03-29 09:00
[Estimated time to read: 4 minutes]
Who wants to be a couch potato?
The definition is pretty bad – “a person who watches a lot of television&n… Read More
2017-03-27 09:00
[Estimated time of read: 5 minutes]
Of all the behavioural biases that hamper our performance as investors, arguably the most pervasive — and the most destructive —&nbs… Read More
2017-03-22 09:00
[Estimated time to read: 3 minutes]
Over the last 2 days you’ve been working your way through important steps to determine how much money you need to retire, and whether you… Read More
2017-03-21 09:00
[Estimated time to read: 4 minutes]
As an expat, you’re likely to have a more transient life than your friends and family back home, and this can lead to both financial chall… Read More
2017-03-20 09:00
[Estimated time to read: 4 minutes]
Less than half of 55-65 year olds questioned for a UK survey said they expected their pensions to last more than 10 years.
How long will yours… Read More
2017-03-16 09:00
[Estimated time to read: 6 minutes]
The FTSE100 and the S&P500 are continuing their unrelenting rise.
Yet everyone is saying a fall will follow - ‘what goes u… Read More
2017-03-08 07:00
[Estimated time to read: 3.5 minutes]
Arguably, there’s one question that all investors want the answer to.
“How can I make higher returns?”
After all, who… Read More
2017-03-06 09:00
[Estimated time to read: 10 minutes]
The Chief Economist at the Bank of England, Andy Haldane recently said: "I consider myself moderately financially literate. Yet I confess to no… Read More
2017-03-01 11:14
[Estimated time to read: 6 minutes]
As well as travelling the world with his wife Pele on a tandem bike, Andrew Hallam gives his time freely to educate expats about money. … Read More
2017-02-22 09:15
[Estimated time to read: 5 minutes]
It’s time to retire the long-accepted definition of retirement:
Noun: the action or fact of leaving one's job and ceasing to work Read More
2017-02-21 10:41
[Estimated time to read: 4.5 minutes]
Passive investing is all about putting trust in independent, peer-reviewed and time-tested evidence.
However, many active investors – l… Read More
2017-02-20 10:42
[Estimated time to read: 4 minutes]
I was recently asked what happens to a pension transferred to a QROPS if the member repatriates back to Britain.
As this is an important consid… Read More
2017-02-16 09:15
[Estimated time to read: 2.5 minutes]
Growing up I washed cars, delivered papers, worked on building sites and in a garden centre - anything to make money and g… Read More
2017-02-13 10:37
[Estimated time to read: 1 minute]
DON'T speculate, actively invest or try to guess the market because:
Almost all US, global and emerging market funds have underperformed si… Read More
2017-02-08 09:30
[Estimated time to read: 2 minutes]
The New York Times has just benchmarked last year’s stock pick lists from Forbes, CNBC and Money, against returns from the broad S&P i… Read More
2017-02-07 10:30
[Estimated time to read: 3 minutes]
North American folklore says: ‘if a groundhog emerges from its burrow on February the 2nd (Groundhog Day), spring will arrive early&h… Read More
2017-02-06 12:54
[Estimated time to read: 3.5 minutes]
In 1976, one man quietly started a revolution.
That man was John Bogle.
He launched the Vanguard 500 Index Fund, the first index fund availa… Read More
2017-02-01 12:12
[Estimated time to read: 2 minutes]
Does worrying about money keep you awake at night?
You’re not alone Read More
2017-01-31 09:15
[Estimated time to read: 2.5 minutes]
Q: What have travel agents, manufacturers and insurance companies got in common?
Clue: It’s something that affects black cabs and hotel… Read More
2017-01-25 09:10
[Estimated time to read: 9 minutes]
At year-end many of us think ahead and try and make some resolutions for the next 12 months.
Apart from health promises, financial resol… Read More
2017-01-24 09:10
[Estimated time to read: 3 minutes]
In the past I’ve written about the literal value that considered and proficient financial advice can add to your portfolio. Read More
2017-01-19 09:15
[Estimated time to read: 3.5 minutes]
As an investor it’s critical to ensure that the interests of everyone you pay to manage your money are as closely aligned as possible wi… Read More
2017-01-17 10:16
[Estimated time to read: 5 minutes]
I asked best selling finance author Andrew Hallam and owner of Experts for Expats website Rob Hallums, arguably two of the best expat authoritie… Read More
2017-01-12 09:15
[Estimated time to read: 2 minutes]
There’s just one year to go until Warren Buffett wins one of the biggest bets in history.
I originally included the word “probably… Read More
2017-01-11 09:10
[Estimated time to read: 3.5 minutes]
I recently wrote about making resolutions for a financially fitter 2017.
I covered five steps you can take to achieve a healthier fisca… Read More
2017-01-04 08:00
[Estimated time to read: 3 minutes]
As I’m writing this the S&P 500 is up, the FTSE is up, the DAX is up…
Predictions of a Trump win devastating the economic land… Read More
2017-01-03 09:00
[Estimated time to read: 1.5 minutes]
Some people loathe it, but I love New Year…
Why?
Because it’s a time for celebration and looking forward… Read More
2016-12-28 07:00
[Estimated time to read: 2 minutes]
Research into the power of peer pressure reveals we are influenced by the emotions of others around us.
It’s because we are hardwire… Read More
2016-12-27 07:00
[Estimated time to read: 5 minutes]
Asset management has a problem — in fact, several problems.
What’s good for the fund manager, for the company he or she works… Read More
2016-12-21 10:00
[Estimated time to read: 6 minutes]
It’s that time of year again – the time of year when we’re pressured into making meaningless New Year’s resolutions &nda… Read More
2016-12-20 10:00
[Estimated time to read: 5 minutes]
Best-selling author, self-made millionaire and friend of ours Andrew Hallam is coming to the Middle East next month. Read More
2016-12-15 10:00
[Estimated time to read: 4 minutes]
Regular readers know that we’re proponents of passive investing – it’s old news!
I hope we’ve managed to pro… Read More
2016-12-08 10:00
[Estimated time to read: 4 minutes]
I was disappointed to read that financial educator and author Andrew Hallam is no longer speaking at the Near East South Asia Council of Oversea… Read More
2016-12-06 09:16
[Estimated time to read: 4 minutes]
From the moment you wake up until the moment you finally switch off and sleep at the end of the day, your brain is constantly making decisions… Read More
2016-12-01 10:00
[Estimated time to read: 12 minutes]
Mortgage approvals are at an all time low, and the British property market has been hanging off the edge of the post-Brexit cliff throughout th… Read More
2016-11-30 10:00
[Estimated time to read: 15 minutes]
Following on from my colleague Julian’s article about the financial aspects of repatriating to the UK, I wanted to follow up a… Read More
2016-11-24 06:00
[Estimated time to read: 13 minutes]
We were recently asked by one of our readers, Howard Palmer, to cover the subject of repatriating to the UK.
We love getting blog suggestions… Read More
2016-11-23 09:46
[Estimated time to read: 2.5 minutes]
I used Aesop’s tortoise and hare, from his fable about the race between unequal partners, to illustrate the two types of investment appr… Read More
2016-11-20 07:54
[Estimated time to read: 6 minutes]
If you discovered you’d signed up to an out-dated savings plan after investing in it heavily, could you walk away from it…with noth… Read More
2016-11-15 06:56
[Estimated time to read: 6 minutes]
You might want to shut your eyes before reading this.
I know, that makes no sense - but what I am about to explain also makes very little… Read More
2016-11-13 06:00
[Estimated time to read: 4 minutes]
If you’ve read this blog before, you’re probably familiar with the phrase “evidence-based investing”.
But what exactly… Read More
2016-11-10 10:23
[Estimated time to read: 3.5 minutes]
Which is the best way to invest?
Confusion abounds because the industry says one thing, but the evidence says another.
The truth is, t… Read More
2016-11-09 10:35
[Estimated time to read: 7 minutes]
There’s a lot to be said for the expat lifestyle – but there is one major drawback.
It’s never really discussed, becaus… Read More
2016-11-06 09:03
[Estimated time to read: 5 minutes]
There’s one subject that no one wants to talk about, and it’s not money.
But…and it’s a big but…because of… Read More
2016-11-02 10:58
[Estimated time to read: 25 minutes]
I recently published a fairly lengthy, (some might say boring!), blog post all about the Statutory Residence Test (the SRT), and how Brits abro… Read More
2016-10-31 10:59
[Estimated time to read: 3.5 minutes]
One of the reasons for the enduring popularity of active fund management, despite all the evidence that for most of us it’s a thoroughly… Read More
2016-10-27 09:23
[Estimated time to read: 15 minutes]
When you’re a Brit living in the UK, you generally pay tax on your worldwide income and gains; which is why, for most of us, we don&rsquo… Read More
2016-10-23 11:18
[Estimated time to read: 8 minutes]
Here it is…finally…
Boom!
8,512 connections... (at the time of writing)
This represents the results of a social experiment tha… Read More
2016-10-19 09:24
[Estimated time to read: 2 minutes]
There’s a saying that the truth hurts, but I believe lies hurt more.
This is certainly true in my profession; lies can decimate a busines… Read More
2016-10-18 08:25
[Estimated time to read: 3 minutes]
"There is nothing that threatens a corrupt system more than a free mind."
-Suzy Kassem: writer, poet, philosopher
Every day, every single day… Read More
2016-10-12 10:46
[Estimated time to read: 3.5 minutes]
Human beings are hard-wired to do things, and, if anything, the pace of modern life has intensified that basic instinct.
Our culture encourag… Read More
2016-10-09 09:37
[Estimated time to read: 5 minutes]
“The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realise that the situation is… Read More
2016-10-06 09:34
[Estimated time to read: 10 minutes]
You and I both know there’s nothing exciting about tax.
But…
…if you buy, own, sell or inherit property in the UK, there… Read More
2016-10-03 10:37
[Estimated time to read: 3 minutes]
I recently asked you for your feedback on what we can we do to help more people understand the risks they face from financial salespeople. … Read More
2016-09-27 10:37
[Estimated time to read: 3 minutes]
Feedback fuels us.
We welcome it and value it – both the good, and the sometimes not so good Read More
2016-09-26 11:42
[Estimated time to read: 4 minutes]
Investors are suckers for recent winners.
We read in the newspaper that such and such a sector or geographical region is on a good run, and we… Read More
2016-09-20 10:44
[Estimated time to read: 4 minutes]
Researchers from New York’s Cornell University discovered that most Americans believe pretty much any lie, as long as it’s visually… Read More
Subscribe to Expat Financial
Get updates delivered right to your inbox!