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In the United States, from the ripe old age of 18, you begin to sell your future out to student loan debt. It continues throughout your life with mortgages, car loans, credit cards, etc. One day you realize your are not happy. You might look the part, but you sure do not feel it. You cannot afford to retire with dignity, you cannot afford to send the kids to college, and you realize the mistakes of your past are now due and payable. There is a better way though - I guess that is why you are here. Read our Philosophy and our Articles to learn how to break free of your shackles.
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While you are sleeping, there’s a risk to your enIre wealth and you probably never saw it looming. Your media never talked about it, most of those that are at least aware of it dismissed it as silliness or some conspiracy theory. But the risk has grown exponenIally in the past 12 months and now I think we are at Defcon levels of risk on this, and we should be openly talking about BRICS+
Age brings wisdom. Age also loses flexibility in so many ways. Things don’t stand still and one must adjust to the universe because it won’t adjust to you. Having said that, I think that the attitudes to those seeking early retirement vs. those that are retiring because of end of career is very different and they don’t see eye to eye. Let’s talk about that in this episode.
On a recent news story in Arizona, I was amused to see two news anchors (one an older gentleman and one younger lady) talking about a new AI infused technology that created handwriting of a person by using a robot. Their reactions to this tell a generational story about social life & expectations in the USA, and so I wanted to expand upon this in this episode.
The advancement in technology brings a lot of fear, uncertainty & doubt to us. And recently one such invention appears to be doing this – GLP-1 inhibitors, used for diabetes but discovered to have massive impact on weight. The most common name you will hear is ‘Ozempic’. On this episode, I’m going to delve into this both from a medical & financial angle, and yes…. I’ve been taking Ozempic now for the past 2 months, so I’ll tell you my story with it as well.
On January 3rd, the US Federal short term debt showed up at $34 Trillion dollars. This doesn’t take into consideration of the long term liabilities on the balance sheet of country that go to the promised social security & Medicare payments for seniors. That would add another $80 Trillion to the tally. But this simply is the accumulation of decades of losses on the profit & loss statement of the country. In this episode, I’m going to float a theory on how the USA will clear this debt quickly, but I don’t think you are going to like it…
In this off script episode, I get real about the lies they tell you about 401Ks, IRAs, Superannuation funds, etc. I explain what they promised and what was delivered and why it is far from optimal for retirement vs. residential rental real estate properties.
This is a little tale about the dangers of proprietary technology and, when I broke my own rules, it came back to bite me big time. Let this be a warning to you all – your first option should always be to find an open source version of anything you need.
I’ve made about 16 flights between the USA & Mexico in the past 12 months, and I’ve learned where the deals are, even if you are not using frequent flyer miles. On this episode, I’ll let you know what I found and where you can look to find super cheap deals.
This episode is a reset moment. Maybe one that is sorely needed. Our attention is all over the place these days, and yet we forget the simplest things that leads to true peace. As an embracement of the principles of a Simple Life, I give you something to think about – how you can survive in our journey through life, and to realize the wrong path that most of us are on.
A good friend of mine who works in the community college world in Arizona sent me an article that he found on why international students won’t come to the USA to study. I spent the next 30 minutes or so explaining the entire reasons, and I thought you might be interested in the whole story. Here we go…
The episode continues from 224. More of the things you need to consider as part of an early retirement strategy.
Everyone who slaves over a 50 hour a week job, sacrificing time from the family, the stress of meeting other people’s expectations, living paycheck to paycheck, dreams of exiting the rat race. The hope of early retirement drives them to save more, work harder now, and one day they can tell their boss, “Take this job & shove it”. But few understand the reality of what it looks & feels like after that event, and how it is easy to become a non-person in early retirement.
We're doing something a bit special today. I'm releasing today's episode of This Week in Freedom, a podcast only normally available to my Patreon supporters, to the general public, and on the RSS Feed for The Unconstrained Podcast. Check it out here:
Mikkel Thorup of the Expat Money Show interviewed me in detail about my story, financial sustainability, how it works for expats and how to live free and unconstrained. This is one of the best 1 hour summaries of what I teach, my back story and why I've come to these conclusions and how you can take advantages of my wins in life, and (hopefully) avoid the failures.
Myles Wakeham appearance on NTD News (TV) on October 22nd 2021, discussing the impact on Bitcoin due to Walmart trialing the installation of a number of Coinstar machines that will convert coins to BTC in their stores. Check it out.
Myles was invited to be a guest on the legendary Ben Stein's show, "The World According to Ben Stein", with Ben, Judah Friedman and Gary Collins. Check it out on Rumble (link provided in the description).
The announcement came on ‘Earth day’ in April, that the Biden administration will make good on their campaign promise of increasing taxes on rich people. I’ve done complete podcast episodes on his proposed fiscal policy when President Biden was running for office, and it is bittersweet that I write this article within 1 week of releasing a podcast episode entitled ‘Don’t be rich’. Well it seems that the day has come and soon we will know the full details of the capital gains tax hike. Let’s talk about what this means for the unconstrained and those seeking financial sustainability.
Myles sits down in studio with the famous Lynette Zang, Chief Market Analyst at ITM Trading, to talk about being a contrarian, why doing the opposite of everyone else gives the best results, gold, bitcoin, etc.
Myles is interviewed on Luke Menkes' "New Town, Big Dreams" podcast in Canada this week. You can hear/download the interview here. This 1 hour interview covered topics unexpected, COVID, Myles' journey, the lessons learned and the fails along the way. Enjoy!
In late 2020, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Derek Phifer, located in Spain, and having a talk about life, the universe & everything. Derek's story about moving from the USA to Spain to find opportunities is great, and the perfect compliment to my own tales of traversing the globe in search of opportunities.
If you are looking for a quick overview to beUnconstrained and why we do what we do, this is a great one. This interview was done on February 16th 2021, with Myles Wakeham on the Work-Life YouTube channel and is a must see. Myles questions why people work in the first place, how most of society is following a path that will end badly and what you can do about it.
While politicians have had a field day talking up a good game on the campaign trail, now that things should be back to business again, how about we start to empower people to take control of their bodies and their health again? In this article I deep dive why the elephant in the room of high medical costs in the USA isn’t healthy for anyone.
I wanted to single out two schools of thought when it comes to money. Those that pursue being rich, and those that pursue being financially sustainable. Both share the same goal of being financially free, but often the road to get there is very different. In this article I want to discuss these two strategies, and let you decide what path is best for you.
I’m sure, by now, you are over 2020. Between COVID, Climate Change and now the weirdest presidential election I’ve ever seen in my live, I think most of us just want to brush aside 2020 and move on to better days. We cry out for stability and that we can start to see things clearly, but so many obstacles stand in our way. In this article I’m going to give you some basic ideas on how to find stability for your investments in this highly chaotic world we find ourselves in, so that you can see things a bit clearer than everyone else.
I recently responded to a posting that someone made who had an unexpected work related injury, found themselves without work and relying on workers compensation insurance payments to survive. I realized that this unexpected disruption to income is not dissimilar to those who have lost income or a job due to COVID19. I want to do a quick debrief with you in this article, and look for what we did right and what we could all do better in case of an adverse event.
The Internet giveth and the Internet taketh away. If you have been enjoying big salaries at your middle class or tech job, might be time to consider cashing in your chips. The remote worker revolution might not be your friend after all. Consider this a warning.
The growing levels of riots, looting, violence on the streets, etc. have never been more intense today than at any time over the past 30 years that I’ve lived in the USA. My first experiences of it started in about 1992 during the Los Angeles Riots in which an onlooker video taped the beating of Rodney King, causing the city to turn to violence. But that was nothing compared to the constant barrage of violence since then all over the USA. I want to talk about what I think is really driving this, and why this isn’t going to stop any time soon.
To quote a prominent psychologist, Dr. Bruce Lipton: "Yes, we’ve been programmed. The vast majority of programs are negative and dis-empowering. So yes, the vast majority of people on this planet are having that negative experience as well. So the next most important thing now is to recognize, “Well, if I’m not getting what I want is because the universe is not giving it to me?” and the answer is almost inevitably “No”, it’s because of your own program that’s invisible, operating 95% of the day, is keeping it away from you!"
There are two types of people who try to make money - investors & speculators. Investors are looking at fundamentals, long term positioning, etc. Speculators are looking to make quick bucks on fast trading. How does Bitcoin fit into this?
Looking at the equity markets, it seems that we have reached the new age of the Nasdaq dominating the markets. Whereas regular, traditional stocks are seeing a decline in value as they are reacting more normally to the recessionary economy, the tech stocks are offsetting that with stellar earnings. What will the markets look like in 5 years time?
There are a bunch of reasons why FIRE isn’t going to work in 2020, whether you are looking to start the journey, or if you are on or through it. This article gives you the details of why it won't work, and what you can do to pivot and make regaining control of your future something that is within your grasp today.
If you are one of the 78% of people living pay check to pay check, you’ve been lied to. By your parents, your government, your friends, your teachers and your banks. I’m going to give you some tough love and some hope if you want to change things, because it CAN be changed.
The guy trying to swindle you on the side of the road in Las Vegas with his ball & cup trick is your government. While they are trying to tell you that up is down, right is left, etc. you should realize that the statistics that we have been hypnotized to focus on - particularly employment numbers, are relevant only to a bygone age and do nothing to help you live a rich & meaningful life today. This is the time you should break free of employment and become unconstrained.
I was watching TV this morning and on Bloomberg they were showing the price of a barrel of Brent Oil at $32. About 3 months prior I had a chat with a friend of mine when oil was basically $10 a barrel, saying that this can’t last and the world has to keep the lights on, so oil will go back up. We tripled our money on the bleeding obvious. But why is it that others didn’t see this, yet lost their jobs, lost money in the stock market, etc?
I just received the $1,200 stimulus check from the US government. This is the most stupid pandering effort I’ve ever seen. But guess what... That check paid for exactly what my monthly health insurance premium was, so basically... poof! It’s gone. Meanwhile most of the western world offer health care for free, so how is this actually helping?
In this video interview, Myles Wakeham sits down with the legendary Andreas M. Antonopoulos, the guy who literally wrote the book on Bitcoin, to talk about how the banksters have taken our freedom from us an what we can all do about it.
I get a lot of flack for not showing undying love for the US stock market. The truth is that I see it more of a casino than a true market. In this article I’m going break down my reasons for my disdain at equities and why they don’t represent at all the health of the economy.
All this shall pass. Eventually this virus will become either part of our subconcious lives or a cure or vaccine will be unleashed onto the world. The 12 months or so of time will pass quickly before we are out of the woods, but what will day to day life really look like in Q3,Q4 of 2020 and beyond?
Myles is a guest on today's Q&A show of "Rethinking the Dollar" and covers how to survive and thrive in the current and coming depression by using financial sustainability & SMART Income.
The economic and COVID19 pandemic that has hit the USA has affected small businesses greater than most, as they have fewer means to combat shutdowns. Layoffs and furloughs have turned over 16 million to unemployment. Meanwhile the SMB owners thought they were going to get some govt assistance. Think again.
Business as we know it is disrupted, but not in a good way. The human natural need for socialization is being threatened as we are told to shelter in place, and the biggest immediate impact is our ability to transact. Electronic forms of transactions are strong and remain, but human to human interaction is minimized. Who is most at risk here, and how do you reduce the risk factor?
When things look pretty bad, everything is burning up around you and you are looking at the smoldering ashes of something that once was valued and pristine, chin up. It isn’t that bad. And maybe it is needed - in a good way...
The last few weeks have been living hell if you are vested in the DJIA. For those of us who chose to distance ourselves from stocks & counter party risk, we’re doing fine. But those that didn’t, came face to face with the fact that on a planet with finite resources, betting on infinite growth doesn’t end well.
If you are awake for 16 hours a day, and at least 8 of those hours, 5 days a week, are devoted to serving your boss, then you have given up a minimum of 35% of your life to your employer. More than likely it is closer to 50%. How can you look yourself in the mirror with pride doing that? Or be present for your kids or your spouse? Who's really more important here?
According to a 2016 study by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College on the Mortality Effects of Retirement, it is clear that “There may be an increase in mortality risks when people stop work.” This mirrors my own experience with Retirement and underscores the importance of removing the word Retirement from our vocabulary.
When I was 32, I retired. It didn’t end well. This is my retirement story. Take from it what you can. Life isn't experienced in some cubicle somewhere, but the majority of people I talk to who are embracing FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) don't really understand what life looks like on the other side of the retirement line and why they might want to rethink their goals.
I have had my surgery in Mexico. For anyone that wants an honest accounting of the process and costs, I have laid it all out in detail here. I cover the emotional doubts, fear of surgery in a foreign land, financial truth and the outcome. You be the judge of whether this is right for you. For me, it was. Spoiler Alert: It cost me less than 1/10th of the US Price.
It can be a frightening thing - choosing to go to a foreign country to get major surgery. The vast majority of us find that a bridge too far to cross. I took the leap of faith, and I have begun the journey. This article (and hopefully the one that will follow it after my surgery is completed) will give a totally fact based account of the experience so you can see if something like this makes sense for you.
Given the choice of going to school or surfing, if you live near the ocean it is a pretty easy one to make. But has anyone ever told you that surfing is really the best education you can have?
We should all take the best care of our teeth. But in the USA, costs are outrageous. Insurance doesn't cover most dental procedures and patients are often presented with $10K+ bills for basic dental work. If they realized there was a better option right on their doorstep, this could all be avoided. Welcome to medical tourism, and the border town of Los Algodones, Mexico.
In previous articles, I have stated that the concept of FI (Financial Independence) is flawed. Although the pursuit of it is admirable, the fact is that few FI followers have been able to do this through bear markets. Consequently putting yourself on that path has some dangers. I prefer to concept of "financial sustainability" and this article gives you tangible steps to take to achieve that.
There is a lot of interest in the FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) movement, but I am skeptical of whether those that achieve FI during a bull market have what it takes to make it through a bear market...
We are in a mess. We got this way because people forgot that the power brokers of the world treat life like a chess game, and we think of life like a daily or hourly experience.