All Forum Posts by: Vincent Joseph

Hi Michael,

I have been using Mint since 2012: it is a great tool and no security issue. It doesn't mean that nothing bad will happen: I think setting all your bank accounts with double identification is recommended as Mint just read data and anyone wanting to login for transactions will have to pass the double-identification. Anyone else has an opinion on security?

If you like Mint, you should also check Personal Capital: it is also free and many BP users seems to like, as well as the FIRE community, for its retirement features. Personal Capital encourage you to use the Advisors / Account managers but it is not an obligation hence you can disregard these messages. 

So far, these two are the best I have tested: they are great for people who want to track budget and net worth without the manual effort. If you are a analytics geek like me, you can still use the summary data from these applications to do you own analysis / tracking.

Good luck to you.

Vincent.

Hello,

I am looking to invest in Greece, Crete to be more precise. My goal is to buy an investment property to 1) generate some returns and 2) be one of the places to live in retirement. For info, I am a French citizen and US resident. Anyone has experience to share regarding the buying process? expected returns? financing?

Thanks,

Vincent.

Nathan,

One other point to consider is your financing: if you are paying all cash, then it should be no worries. If you are planning on borrowing, to use leverage, please be aware that some banks are quite difficult to provide loans to non-US citizen or non-US resident. You can find banks to work with, however you need to explain them your personal situation upfront: my personal experience is that loan officer have pre-approved me and then denied me later one once the house was under contract. It all came out ok in the end but switching bank at the last minute is quite stressful.

Good luck with your search!

Vincent.

I have a very strong opinion on wealth management: unless you are a high net worth (multi-millions) and it requires more time than you have available, I consider that you should have a DIY approach with the right team to support you. The main reason is that nobody takes better care of your money than yourself.

For asset protection, I would agree with Caleb that a mixture of lawyer,  insurance and tax help (cpa) should cover it.

For asset growth, I would stay clear of financial advisors and keep it very simple: ETF with low fees (like wealthfront.com) and index funds with low fees (like vanguard.com). To understand how to approach it, I would recommend to read "The simple way to wealth" by JL Collins. 

Hi Calvin,

Can you send me the address if still available?

Thanks,

Vincent