Brokers, placement agents, middle men, promoters, consultants, financial intermediaries…call them whatever you wish. They have existed in the financial space since man invented a way to exchange one thing of value for another. Some do a fine job, provide a valuable service and deserve every penny they earn. In my experience however, and that of [...]
May 14, 2013 By 1 Comment
The Financial System is Completely Corrupt and Broken. Buy this ETF!
Some anecdotal evidence first… I recently corresponded with a friend in Europe who consults to a number of hedge funds managing predominantly European and British money. He mentioned that across the board his clients are increasingly concerned about equities and are seeking to hold more cash. I asked him if there was a fear of [...]
April 4, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Something Wicked This Way Comes
For those that don’t know the origin of the title of this post, which I’m sure almost everyone has heard before, the phrase “something wicked this way comes” is originally from William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth. More appropriate for purposes of this post is its role as the title of a Ray Bradbury novel penned in [...]
March 28, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Viet Nam or Cambodia?
As I look out my broken and dusty bus window, wiping the dirty sweat from my brow I am enamored by the rice paddies and beautiful countryside. Suddenly we come to an abrupt stop and I’m relieved of my calm introspection. It’s time to enter “No Man’s land”, that bureaucratic “grey” area between borders where [...]
March 19, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Libya, Frontier Markets FX and “Streaming” Agriculture
We’ve written a bit herein about our friend and colleague, Kevin Virgil. Kevin is a West Point graduate, veteran of the US military and a true boots-on-the-ground frontier markets investor. He’s also a damn nice guy! You can get a bit more background by reviewing our posts: Libya – The Real Story and Why Libya. [...]
February 19, 2013 By Leave a Comment
How to Invest Tax Free Into Private Equity
We get a lot of questions from American readers who are looking at the best ways to minimize the taxes they pay on their investments, especially when it comes to esoteric investments like private equity. After all, no one except Warren Buffet wants to pay more than they have to! While we could argue the [...]
