Business Insider has a list of 12 places to go if the world goes to hell – i.e., war, massive food/resource shortage, currency collapse.
The number one spot is Chiang Mai in Thailand – where Marc Faber lives.
Hmm. Faber is married to a Thai, runs a long-standing financial advisory service from Hong Kong, and has global ties. In other words, he’s nicely embedded, economically and culturally. I am not sure Joe Citizen who relocates there is going to find things that easy. The dozen cities listed in the article include Rio de Janeiro, Guam, Denver, Kansas, Bern, Capetown – definitely a motley crew.
Being a cynic, I ask myself who’s holding property there that they want to off-load on some scared-witless member of the erstwhile middle-class.
Seriously. The only survival blog that I think is worth much time, Ferfal’s, is dead on when he says unequivocally that survival first of all requires having a network of close friends who can help you if you need it. It means having some fairly stable source of income or means of living. It means knowing the language well enough to be able to keep your ear to the ground and follow nuances of mood. It means being fluent not only in the language, but in the culture, history, economics and politics of the place. At least, fluent enough so that you can spot changes coming ahead of time.
Without any of that, you really are better off staying at home and building up community resources to help with what’s ahead.
Yes, the US government isn’t exactly your friend on a number of things. But the government is no longer a territorial entity. You can be taxed anywhere in the world. You can be located anywhere in the world. You can be dragged home from wherever you hide by a court order….if the country has extradition treaties with the US. Your finances can be found anywhere. Government and police officials can be bought off anywhere. Laws can change in a heart-beat. Banking secrecy isn’t strong anywhere, unless you’re very wealthy. And if you’re very wealthy, you can protect yourself even from the US.
Set up a foreign trust in an off-shore haven, start traveling to remote countries, start googling for information about secrecy and false identities and see how fast you’ll attract the authorities. Trying to save yourself a few thousands in tax dollars – or even tens of thousands – and ending up in prison, broke, sick, injured in a stand-off, or devastated some other way is not what I’d call a good trade-off.
It is unfortunate that most of the articles on relocating are written by people who have maybe visited, but have no real “living” experience in the places they are recommending. Your readers are fortunate to get some really practical and common sense advice basically for free. Time is running out on finding one or more places that meet the criteria you outline.
Yes – there’s a big difference.
You don’t really get a feel for things that way.
And you don’t begin to understand what’s going on under the hype.
Here is the best destination rating I have seen….
http://www.liveandinvestoverseas.com/archives/09nov24-top-10-retirement-havens.html
Peace, happiness, and freedom are not found in a place. The only things you can ever truly own are your mind and soul. Ownership of property is a mirage which in reality makes the owner a prisoner.
In today’s world there is no private ownership. The nation states believe they own all and everyone within their territory. Think you own your house? Try not paying your property tax. Think you own your car? Try not renewing your plates. Think you own your children? Try removing them from the state educational system. Think you own your body? Try ignoring the orders of some state authorized thug. There are thousands of people today who would like to move, but have become prisoners of a house they never really owned.
In 1964, Harry D. Schultz published a book entitled “How to Keep Your Money and Your Freedom” in which he introduced the PT concept that described the need to have a second passport, a safe location for your assets outside your own country and a legal address in a tax haven. The concept later expanded to include a conventional place of business and places where you actually spend your time. PT stands for many things: a PT can be a Permanent Traveler, Prior Taxpayer, Permanent Tourist, Practically Transparent, or Prepared Totally. A PT merely arranges his paperwork in such a way that all governments consider him a tourist or a person who is just Passing Through. Being considered by government officials of each country as a person who is merely Parked Temporarily a PT is not subjected to many of the abuses levied on citizens such as taxes, military service, lawsuits, or persecution. A PT can stay in one place most of the time or all of the time. PT is a concept, a way of life, a way of perceiving the universe and your place in it. A PT is a Positive Thinker who is Prepared Thoroughly for the future. An example of a PT would be someone with a Uruguayan passport, who banks in Switzerland, spends winters at Dona Paula Beach and summers in the Chiriqui highlands.
Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free;
Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing.
This is the ultimate.
Chuang-Tzu
Barry,
Very nicely put.
And I can´t think of many people who know where Dona Paula is..
I visited there a long while ago.
I wonder whether being a PT can work any more.
PT, as in Perpetual Traveler.
You might end up declared PT, Possible Terrorist…
or PT, Possible Tax-evader…
or Privacy Target…