Not just another finance blog.

We are relaunching a new blog for both US residents and expatriates in Asia.

It's time to get writing again.

In 2021 we completely refreshed our website. After 10 years it was time and our technology platform was out of date like Russian army rations. After relaunching the site we took a break while we got registered with the US SEC. Paperwork drains our soul.

It also gave us a chance to think about our approach.

We weren't sure initially how US regulations would affect a finance blog. For example, you shouldn't expect to see client references online or aggressive return marketing. Regulators don't like the first and the second comes with a boatload of rules.

Still, outside of these and a few other rules and guidelines there is still plenty of help we can offer. In the general sense of course. Our counsel reminds you this isn't advice and you should talk to an adviser before you invest your money.

Sometimes we will ponder the weird world.

Should we call it macroeconomic forecasting?

Normally we wouldn't, but the world is really odd right now. Like Robin Williams in Mork and Mindy strange, but less funny. Maybe Doctor Strangelove?

It has felt that way since March 2020 when Covid arrived. You'd expect we'd be back to normal by 2022 but we aren't. Russia invaded Ukraine in the biggest war since 1945. Shanghai is a detention center of 25 million. Supply chains look more like ribbons of hope destroyed by acts of God. Inflation has risen again from the dead. Biblical times.

We feel qualified here because our first life before finance was in global politics, history and economics. We read history for fun. (Perhaps we shouldn't have admitted that. We are planning to buy a jet ski! Probably.) But at least our bookworm tendencies benefits our readers and clients. We hope to provide a useful discussion, although we wish people like Putin and Xi Jinping didn't make geopolitics so relevant.

Personal finance problems, particularly for Americans.

We have a growing number of US based clients, so some posts will be specifically for them like using an IRAs for retirement planning. The US system is complex enough we could spend our whole blogging life on the topic. We won't. We value our sanity. These still might be useful for the rest of us, as you'll likely have more sympathy for American brothers and sisters.

Have you ever wondered why so many Americans seem angry with a loose grasp on their sanity? If you try to understand their tax and pension system, you might join them..

For a wider audience we will look at intermediate to advanced personal investment topics. For example, say exchange traded notes which are useful for making money off high oil prices, We ARE going to assume you've got the basics covered. This won't be a blog lecturing you to pay off your credit card on time.

Sometimes we will focus on the unique problems for expatriates.

Most of our working life was as an foreigner living in China. We still have staff and most of our clients in Asia, even today. These problems and challenges have always existed, but right now, they seem more difficult than ever. My Shanghai and Hong Kong based clients can tell you ALL about it.

We also have many business owners as clients. That's always a challenging calling, but being an expatriate entrepreneur arguably raises the difficulty level. It certainly has unique challenges, particularly in this COVID interrupted world. We hope to help them.

What would you like to know more about?

You might have noticed the topic range is a bit broad and eclectic. But the main point is that it should be useful to someone and be interesting.

So give us your ideas. What challenges are you facing? What topics would you like to examine further?

Oh, and as all the kids say: "Don't forget to like and subscribe."