I haven't been here for years - but I do have news!

[benjio]

sorry to turn this thread into a personal hug fest!  but gee whiz you guys are great!


Ray - I will call you


some background for any new guys
I met my wife through an agency and went to Peru only to see her
we chatted and skyped everyday before I went  - she also spoke English when we met
my best advice when it comes to women or investing is DO YOUR HOMEWORK - due your due diligence
I spent a month living with her family before I asked her to marry me
hotness and youth come and go - CORE VALUES are where it is at




ALSO - slightly Off Topic
can any Colombia guys give me some feedback of the situation with FARC
I am invested in several oil play producers in Colombia
there is a major new pipeline going in called the bicentennial pipeline 
the oil company's in Colombia do real well but transportation and costs are high and attacks on pipelines do happen
if any of you guys can give me some feed back on if this situation with FARC is getting better or worse especially in the Llanos Basin area 


just FYI - I have made investing my PASSION for the last 5 years and I am mostly self taught
if anyone of you are interesting in doing your own investing and money management then PM me
I am not selling or promoting anything, I will just point you to some books to start reading and how to get your mind right - successful investing is part psychological + being rational + being well read + discipline


I plan to retire to Peru possibly in 2014


TE AMO PERU!
Jim

Jim,
 
We may have crossed paths. This may just be coincidence but a lot of the details about your life you've provided remind me of a guy I had a few beers with in Bogota a while ago. Were you there earlier this year staying at Hotel Bogota Royal meeting with some Korean guys?

[JimmySTLOUIS]

benjio
that was not me - never been to Colombia

[JimmySTLOUIS]

I got a couple private messages and just decided to post this here for those interested
I got a few pm's and I thought I would just post back here
if that is OK


I took over my own investments incl my IRA after watching my IRA languish for decades - I have since doubled my IRA and looking to triple it in 2014

there are tons of great books out there but the one that got my electrician brain wrapped around the proper investing concept is the book "Pay Back Time" by Phil Town
this book is a re-write of his first book Rule #1   
both are a bit dated and you can buy them used on Amazon for like $5 each with shipping (buy them both if you want)
Ben Graham is the grand father of value investing and his book is on the shelf of any decent investor
from WIKI
The Intelligent Investor[/size] by [/size]Benjamin Graham[/color][/size], first published in 1949, is a widely acclaimed book on [/size]value investing[/color][/size], an investment approach Graham began teaching at [/size]Columbia Business School[/color][/size] in 1928 and subsequently refined with [/size]David Dodd[/color][/size]. Famous investor [/size]Warren Buffett[/color][/size] described it as "by far the best book on investing ever written",[1][/size] a sentiment echoed by other Graham disciples such as [/size]Irving Kahn[/color][/size] and [/size]Walter Schloss[/color][/size].

[/size]Phil Town is really just a Grham / Buffet value investor but his method breaks down for you how to (and how important it is) to UNDERSTAND the company and be interested in that industry and that company that is really step #1then you go onto finding companies that are under valued and his book breaks it down too (still not easy though unless you are better at math than I am )after you read his books then read "The Little Book of Psychological Investing"  your behavior and your psychology of investing is what is going to make or break youthis is what separates the men from the boys for example - you all know this one - BUY LOW / SELL HIGHsounds easy right - way harder than it seems you have to be buying when EVERYONE else (including the "experts") are selling when they are in panic mode you have to be in buying modeI actually have this part down patthen it gets even harderwhen everyone else is BUYING then you should be selling  (ugh!) I am frugal and can buy a bargain but I always think it will go higher you have to approach this like going to school or getting a degreethe text books are out there (and cheap too) you have to read them and self study just FYI  - if you dont like to read then forget the whole idea right now Warren Buffet reads for hours everyday and I read for at least 2 hours or more everyday incl weekends here is the bottom line - you can do manage your money better than the pros
if you are willing to take the time and have the discipline [/font]
you must be level headed and rational [/font]
you must find companies that you understand - dont follow the herd (sure you can get lucky that way but do you really understand what you are doing)[/font]
do you understand what facebook does and how it is going to make money?  I dont  [/font]

the "pro" money managers are ripping you off and the book Pay Back time explains that [/font]

just keep in mind that you are not a day trader and you wont sit down in one morning and be the whiz kid of the century[/font]

you need time to not only understand and grow your knowledge but you need time to test your gut[/font]
your gut and your risk tolerance are going to be more than 50% or your success[/font]

value investing means finding a company (in an industry) that you understand [/font]
then find a "sticker price" for it  [/font]
buy when it is below that "sticker price" [/font]

here is the hard part [/font]
lets say you start out buying a stock that is $1 a share and you invest $10,000 [/font]
then it goes to 90 cents[/font]
you need to buy more - you likes it at $1 then you should love it at 90 cents[/font]
then it goes to 80 cents [/font]
what do?[/font]
PANIC AND SELL??[/font]
NO!!!![/font]
buy more[/font]

but keep in mind you are watching your total investment go DOWN [/font]
that is right [/font]
that is the where the rubber meets the road [/font]

you have to look at the company like you would a farm  - what do they produce and do they make $$$well that is all the lesson for now I have to go do some reading before the market opensTE AMO PERU!Jim

[JimmySTLOUIS]

The Colombian companies I am invested in are really HQ in Canada
dont take any "hot tip"
always do your own home work



this is my largest Colombian holding
PTAXF
[/color][/size]

[size=78%]Petroamerica Oil Corp., a junior oil and gas exploration company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and production of oil and gas properties in Colombia. The company holds interests in the Los Ocarros, CPO-1, LLA-10, El Eden, El Porton, and Balay blocks located in the Llanos Basin. Its properties cover approximately 287,000 net acres of land. The company was formerly known as Cantrell Capital Corp. and changed its name to Petroamerica Oil Corp. in October 2009. Petroamerica Oil Corp. was incorporated in 1986 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada [/color][/size]

[bcc_1_2]

For what it is worth I don't trust the money managers either. You think going to school and getting a business education will help you with stuff like this, but all it really does is give you a 1000 reasons why you shouldn't even invest in the stock market. Outside of the Warren Buffet types who are the Michael Jordan's of the industry I don't have the time to invest that he has nor do I have the inside track or pulse of the market.

I've just gone with bonds (notes, bills). I've spread it out (diversified) and feel like my money can't just be "taken" from me, and I don't feel like I have to do 2 to 4 hours of research a day. The municipal bonds in many cases are even tax free. Mostly recently I've been doing a little reading on how to basically be a creditor to foreign governments. It seems the easiest way to go about it for the little guy is the T. Rowe Price International Bond, PIMCO Foreign Bond, or Fidelity International Bond Fund.

The stocks will tank again someday. The question is will it do it so close to retirement that we can't recover.  I'd rather just lend money and get repaid with interest on schedule (and then reinvest that in more bonds). That's not greedy enough to satisfy most of the business world who tell me I'm stupid. But then again some of those fools are losing their shirt everyday. If a bankruptcy does happen I'm already diversified, but as a debt-holder I go to the front of the line to get paid unlike owning stock where I'm at the bottom.

[Elexpatriado]

Bonds and Debenture tank too, espescially during a financial crisis, recession, or when nterest rates rise. and even if you hold them to maturity, there is always the chance they go bankrupt. Look at Detroit for example, or Greece, Finland. The general rule, the higher the yield, the more risk. If you getting anything more than 4%, you are taking a risk. Anything less, you cant keep up with inflation, and thats a risk too. Also, more "diversified" you are, more chance something tanks, effecting the bottom line of your portfolio.Bottom line- no guarantees in life. Not with women,not with money. Only thing for sure is death and taxes..

For what it is worth I don't trust the money managers either. You think going to school and getting a business education will help you with stuff like this, but all it really does is give you a 1000 reasons why you shouldn't even invest in the stock market. Outside of the Warren Buffet types who are the Michael Jordan's of the industry I don't have the time to invest that he has nor do I have the inside track or pulse of the market.

I've just gone with bonds (notes, bills). I've spread it out (diversified) and feel like my money can't just be "taken" from me, and I don't feel like I have to do 2 to 4 hours of research a day. The municipal bonds in many cases are even tax free. Mostly recently I've been doing a little reading on how to basically be a creditor to foreign governments. It seems the easiest way to go about it for the little guy is the T. Rowe Price International Bond, PIMCO Foreign Bond, or Fidelity International Bond Fund.

The stocks will tank again someday. The question is will it do it so close to retirement that we can't recover.  I'd rather just lend money and get repaid with interest on schedule (and then reinvest that in more bonds). That's not greedy enough to satisfy most of the business world who tell me I'm stupid. But then again some of those fools are losing their shirt everyday. If a bankruptcy does happen I'm already diversified, but as a debt-holder I go to the front of the line to get paid unlike owning stock where I'm at the bottom.

[Elexpatriado]

I wouldnt invest in any oil companies in Colombia. They are mostly Canuck companies. This train has come and went...only my opinion..


Invest in dividend paying companies in North America  like Apache, Suncor, CNRL, Husky,Talisman- but the traion has come and gone for most of these too- although Buffet and Icahn are heavily invested in them

[bcc_1_2]

Bonds and Debenture tank too, espescially during a financial crisis, recession, or when nterest rates rise. and even if you hold them to maturity, there is always the chance they go bankrupt. Look at Detroit for example, or Greece, Finland. The general rule, the higher the yield, the more risk. If you getting anything more than 4%, you are taking a risk. Anything less, you cant keep up with inflation, and thats a risk too. Also, more "diversified" you are, more chance something tanks, effecting the bottom line of your portfolio.Bottom line- no guarantees in life. Not with women,not with money. Only thing for sure is death and taxes..

I agree that there are no guarantees. But I haven't had any trouble and it just takes a little common sense. If you essentially lend money to the US government the return isn't great. But that doesn't mean it is smart to lend to Greece or Portugal. However Iceland is the only country to go bankrupt. Plus there is a big difference in lending money to a government in Iowa versus Detroit. Lending money to GE is also rather safe. And you don't have to worry so much about a stock rising or falling as an outsider with no clue.

I'll just again highlight for me it is a case of not caring that the investment isn't "sexy", but I know I can reasonably count on it. And the other key is if anything ever does go bankrupt (even when you consider how safe I do invest that would be incredibly rare) I'm diversified and at the top of the pecking order in terms of who they have to payback first.

It's not sexy but it works. In 2009 I was doing just fine and getting paid right on schedule. I like the certainty that comes with it.

[beulah]

The stocks will tank again someday. The question is will it do it so close to retirement that we can't recover.  I'd rather just lend money and get repaid with interest on schedule (and then reinvest that in more bonds). That's not greedy enough to satisfy most of the business world who tell me I'm stupid. But then again some of those fools are losing their shirt everyday. If a bankruptcy does happen I'm already diversified, but as a debt-holder I go to the front of the line to get paid unlike owning stock where I'm at the bottom.

Don't worry it isn't just the business world that thinks you are stupid.  Nobody asked you for financial advise. Other posters here have vouched for Mr St Louis so he has credibility.  You have been an overstated fool on most topics.  In your small mind everybody who invested in stocks is a fool or greedy.

[bcc_1_2]

Don't worry it isn't just the business world that thinks you are stupid.  Nobody asked you for financial advise. Other posters here have vouched for Mr St Louis so he has credibility.  You have been an overstated fool on most topics.  In your small mind everybody who invested in stocks is a fool or greedy.

There is more risk involved in it. That's undebatable and undeniable. Seeing someone who waited til their late 60s to retire and right before their money disappears. That sucks.

[Elexpatriado]

 
I reaLLY think you are too rough on the guy..he must ofreally posted something relly offensive way back, cuz there was nothing offensive about his last post. Sometimes he is stuborn and often sticks his foot in his mout) (like with bringing his wife in deal0, but I have seen nothing he has done to deserve the rough ride some of you guys are giving him. But then I havent been around for a long time. He must have posted something really offensive back then.Sounds a little like "Lord of the Flys" syndrom..
 
Anyway, not my issue, just a casual observance..
 
 

Don't worry it isn't just the business world that thinks you are stupid.  Nobody asked you for financial advise. Other posters here have vouched for Mr St Louis so he has credibility.  You have been an overstated fool on most topics.  In your small mind everybody who invested in stocks is a fool or greedy.

[robert angel]

Mostly recently I've been doing a little reading on how to basically be a creditor to foreign governments. It seems the easiest way to go about it for the little guy is the T. Rowe Price International Bond, PIMCO Foreign Bond, or Fidelity International Bond Fund..

'
Of course you're not a 'little guy' (LOL) sounds more like, with you basically now being a:


                                     >>> a creditor to foreign governments<<


that you're the federal reserve chairman for planet earth! But when those foreign countries go belly up, they for sure won't be paying you and their other creditors off in precious metals.  Call me when one of the  foreign nations you're so well invested in fails, so I can read all about their 'yard sales', would ya?


Your daddy sure must have given you a lot of play money. Still, we know you were upset about the big wedding shindig he paid for--other that that, how come you speak so poorly of him--I mean, look at you!


Makes me wonder if China, who owns a helluva a lot of USA T Bonds, has it's eye on the Statue of Liberty as sort of a lawn jockey to put out in the ocean in front of Macau!

[bcc_1_2]

I reaLLY think you are too rough on the guy..he must ofreally posted something relly offensive way back, cuz there was nothing offensive about his last post. Sometimes he is stuborn and often sticks his foot in his mout) (like with bringing his wife in deal0, but I have seen nothing he has done to deserve the rough ride some of you guys are giving him. But then I havent been around for a long time. He must have posted something really offensive back then.Sounds a little like "Lord of the Flys" syndrom..
 
Anyway, not my issue, just a casual observance..

Oh who cares it's an internet message board. You don't really fit here either as this is a very niche site. Let's take a look at the first sentence on this website.

"Planet Love (PL) - The Foreign Bride Guide is the premier and most progressive resource available for being successful with a Foreign Bride"

Aren't you divorced and moved to MDE to live it up and have a blast? Just in normal dating "foreign bride guide" isn't going to appeal to very many. The foreign part is fine... it's the other word that's a little creepy.

So it's okay if I get put down because I have a little coin to toss around. Or I guess for brining my wife into it regarding her futbol skills. She did get college offers once she started playing at the local indoor facility after moving to the States. But I live it my way and do it my way and it has worked out pretty well for me as many have come and gone since I've been around.

[JimmySTLOUIS]

investing in bonds and debt instruments is OK too
anything is good if you do your homework / understand it / make money in it

sorry to turn this into an investing thread now - I just didnt have time to PM everyone back this AM

best of luck to everyone and may all you guys find love and fortune

TE AMO PERU!

[fathertime]

Oh who cares it's an internet message board. You don't really fit here either as this is a very niche site. Let's take a look at the first sentence on this website.

"Planet Love (PL) - The Foreign Bride Guide is the premier and most progressive resource available for being successful with a Foreign Bride"

Aren't you divorced and moved to MDE to live it up and have a blast? Just in normal dating "foreign bride guide" isn't going to appeal to very many. The foreign part is fine... it's the other word that's a little creepy.

 

He fits in just fine, you bozo...

So it's okay if I get put down because I have a little coin to toss around. Or I guess for brining my wife into it regarding her futbol skills. She did get college offers once she started playing at the local indoor facility after moving to the States. But I live it my way and do it my way and it has worked out pretty well for me as many have come and gone since I've been around.

You are incorrect as to why you receive negative feedback...I doubt it has much to do with the 'coin' your dad has given you to toss around....and of course it has nothing to do with YOUR claims about all the college offers you say your wife received for soccer after she arrived...you make is sound like hoards of college scouts came racing over...sounds like your usual bs to me....but it is nice of you to allow her to brush up by  kicking you in the nuts so often


I'd say the reason you catch crap is because you are an ungrateful, critical,  know-it-all, with VERY little actual knowledge or insight about life.   

'
Of course you're not a 'little guy' (LOL) sounds more like, with you basically now being a:


                                     >>> a creditor to foreign governments<<

 

bwaaaaahha...yup bcc the bank for foreign governments now...


Fathertime! 

[bcc_1_2]

investing in bonds and debt instruments is OK too
anything is good if you do your homework / understand it / make money in it

sorry to turn this into an investing thread now - I just didnt have time to PM everyone back this AM

best of luck to everyone and may all you guys find love and fortune

TE AMO PERU!

OK is the right word. It isn't sexy. It isn't a great way to get rich quick. But you won't lose your shirt either.

[Elexpatriado]

You don't really fit here either as this is a very niche site. Let's take a look at the first sentence on this website.

"Planet Love (PL) - The Foreign Bride Guide is the premier and most progressive resource available for being successful with a Foreign Bride"

Aren't you divorced and moved to MDE to live it up and have a blast?

You read me wrong... nothing i would like better than to find my "Soul Mate" and settle down.. I am quite envious of the young (er) guys on here who by luck, skill or both, seemed to have got it right the first time. Bu at this advanced stage in my life,,I am a little cynical about finding the right one to settle down with, have a kid or two and a"Hogar"... tried too many times before...so better to enjoy life "have a blast" so to speak, while I still can..and this is not necesarily in reference to women or dating, just a way of life in general..

[bcc_1_2]

You read me wrong... nothing i would like better than to find my "Soul Mate" and settle down.. I am quite envious of the young (er) guys on here who by luck, skill or both, seemed to have got it right the first time. Bu at this advanced stage in my life,,I am a little cynical about finding the right one to settle down with, have a kid or two and a"Hogar"... tried too many times before...so better to enjoy life "have a blast" so to speak, while I still can..and this is not necesarily in reference to women or dating, just a way of life in general..

Yep most of the younger guys seems to soak up what travel info they can around here and then bounce.  I'm not suggesting you are against settling down. I think your words... being a bit cynical so why not have fun in life is reasonable. There is a single by choice guy around here in Cali doing it too.

I'm not suggesting you are bedding all kinds of women or something. I just know the attention and interest alone is nice.

[pchip]

I reaLLY think you are too rough on the guy..he must ofreally posted something relly offensive way back, cuz there was nothing offensive about his last post. Sometimes he is stuborn and often sticks his foot in his mout) (like with bringing his wife in deal0, but I have seen nothing he has done to deserve the rough ride some of you guys are giving him. But then I havent been around for a long time. He must have posted something really offensive back then.Sounds a little like "Lord of the Flys" syndrom..
 
Anyway, not my issue, just a casual observance..

+1  While I usually disagree with BCC's posts, the ones in this thread have been mostly helpful.  No need to bash him everytime just because he's usually less of a gentlemen...

[benjio]

benjio
that was not me - never been to Colombia

My mistake...there's some guy walking around somewhere that has a lot in common with you! All the way up to the Peruvian wife! 

[Researcher]

You read me wrong... nothing i would like better than to find my "Soul Mate" and settle down.. I am quite envious of the young (er) guys on here who by luck, skill or both, seemed to have got it right the first time. Bu at this advanced stage in my life,,I am a little cynical about finding the right one to settle down with, have a kid or two and a"Hogar"... tried too many times before...so better to enjoy life "have a blast" so to speak, while I still can..and this is not necesarily in reference to women or dating, just a way of life in general..

You do seem to be quite jaded. It does work out for some guys to get married and not for others. That would suggest the problem is with the guy, not the women. I have been married before and have had many relationships before I met my wife. Turns out I was making lousy choices and using bad judgement. I finally found a good one but not until I made adjustments to my approach and way of thinking......just sayin'.

[AndyLee]

You do seem to be quite jaded. It does work out for some guys to get married and not for others. That would suggest the problem is with the guy, not the women. I have been married before and have had many relationships before I met my wife. Turns out I was making lousy choices and using bad judgement. I finally found a good one but not until I made adjustments to my approach and way of thinking......just sayin'.

Well put.
I've had a similar experience here in Colombia. When I got my priorities sorted out I had a much better chance of succeeding. I failed a couple of times, one of them really hard, but from it I learned more about myself and more about the future I wanted to createfor myself. Happiness is a choice and I'm happier now than I've been in many other periods of my life.

[Awesome]

It does work out for some guys to get married and not for others. That would suggest the problem is with the guy, not the women.

Bingo! 

Especially if your idea of partying involves getting 18 year old girls drunk so they'll "do anything you want."  Viejo cochino sin verguenza hpta!

[Elexpatriado]

 
I wonder who you could be talking about?
 
 

Bingo! 

Especially if your idea of partying involves getting 18 year old girls drunk so they'll "do anything you want."  Viejo cochino sin verguenza hpta!

[Elexpatriado]

Yeah..anytime a marriage or relationship fails ., you cans ay the fault lies with both parties- even if it comes down to "picking the wrong partner"..
 
With statistics saying 50% of fist marriages fail and 65% of second marriges fail, and 70-80% of marriages between North American/European/Australian men and foreign brides failing, you can consider yurself very lucky, skilled, or whatever you want to call it if you have got it right this time.
 
My philosophy, at my age , is to spend time in Colombia, where I can meet a lot of people, analyze, compare and evaluate.. Where  as I am not a tacanyo, I have very strict rules on behavior,ethics and morals of women I date. Maybe thats why I have gone through so many.. (relatively speaking)..
 
I have something serious going with a gal now , but am very trepidatious... I have real strong feelings for her..we'll see how it goes..dont wanna get into persona details here..
   
Even if things look great for the first few years, and the person looks to have all the right qualities, ethics , family values etc., people change, and things come out later..
 

You do seem to be quite jaded. It does work out for some guys to get married and not for others. That would suggest the problem is with the guy, not the women. I have been married before and have had many relationships before I met my wife. Turns out I was making lousy choices and using bad judgement. I finally found a good one but not until I made adjustments to my approach and way of thinking......just sayin'.