Dear Fellow Expat: Last night, my wife and I found ourselves in Tampa, Florida. We attended a concert by Noah Kahan, an indie/folk musician who has emerged as a Tour De Force in the post-COVID world. This was my wife's idea… and it was a fair trade for my trip to Baltimore to watch the […]
Category
U.S. Economy
Profit from Chinese Stimulus, but Don't Get Stuck Holding All the Cards
Dear Fellow Expat: As I've noted, one of the five things I learned at five years old was Gin Rummy. The 10-card game has extended into the next generation as my daughter slowly picks up the patterns. She knows to dump the high cards because you don't want to get stuck with them… and she's […]
When They Write About This Crisis
Dear Fellow Expat: Sir Gregor MacGregor was a Scottish mercenary, world adventurer, and conman. He famously raised several hundred men in Charleston, South Carolina, and "invaded" the northern Florida key of Amelia Island in 1817. There, he declared himself king of the "Republic of the Floridas." He printed his own currency – called Amelia dollars […]
It Already Happened
Dear Fellow Expat: "I'm thinking about buying a home in Naples," a familiar voice said last month. "We'd probably move there by February." "Why?" I asked… "It's a great market. Home prices are holding up," he said. "Everyone's moving there…" The list went on and on… And of course… Everyone else is doing it! If […]
Here's What Happens When I Ask Hard Questions
Dear Fellow Expat: For the last two hours, I'd sat with a friend at the Baha Mar cigar bar in the Bahamas. We'd attended – as media – the FTX SALT Conference, a posh cryptocurrency event that would reinforce the pomp and false truths about Sam Bankman-Fried months before his implosion. Across the patio, a […]
S#*t Your Realtor Says
Dear Fellow Expat: The biggest house in my neighborhood is owned by a realtor. Custom-built, resembling the Canton Football Hall of fame, and enough lights to be seen from space. I'm sure he's a nice guy. He drives a neon jeep with his nickname on the side of it (that's one way to write off […]
It's Two O'clock Somewhere
Dear Fellow Expat: In the Florida Republic, Two O'clock quickly becomes Five O'clock as the season returns. The humidity is still somewhere between "melting" and "soaking". But that will soon pass – as October gives way to somewhat more reasonable temperatures. The snowbirds are starting to fill up the bars. It's competitive at 3 p.m. […]
She's the One
We were driving up Interstate 83 when the love kicked in.
It was St. Patrick's Day weekend.
We were a mile from the Timonium Road exit… on the way to the An Poitin Stil, a bar my father opened in the late 1990s.
The sky was grey.
The car (a blue Honda Civic) was terrible.
But on the radio… was the song "Juicy" by the hip-hop artist Notorious B.I.G.
I Think We Are Married Last Time I Checked
Dear Fellow Expat: "My name is Bob. I engaged in corruption for the duration of my political career. I took money from people who wanted me to use my power to help them make an absurd amount of money. I was wrong. I should not have done this… However, power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts […]
Will The Fed Bankrupt the Tooth Fairy?
Dear Fellow Expat: Imagine for a moment that we become a cashless society. That payments are done by a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). No more dollar bills… no more quarters, nickels, or dimes. All… on your phone. Forget the government tracking… the invasion of privacy… the central bank's ability to see everything you buy… […]