Post: #26

I was hoping to hear some more non health related stuff, solutions and how money could be used to create the kind of rewarding life for yourself. I love designing and building things and gardening. I put over a 1,000 plants in the ground (about 500 edible trees/bushes) The farm is good size. I am trying to do some stuff for poverty in the area.

Post: #27

(07-29-2012 08:30 PM)RoadLessTraveled Wrote:  I was hoping to hear some more non health related stuff, solutions and how money could be used to create the kind of rewarding life for yourself. I love designing and building things and gardening. I put over a 1,000 plants in the ground (about 500 edible trees/bushes) The farm is good size. I am trying to do some stuff for poverty in the area.

Generally speaking, to help out poverty in the area you have to offer assistance that is not condescending while avoiding nuking the local economy.

So buying an empty lot or two and building an open-door community garden would be pretty solid. You would employ two or three high school kids to help garden, have them learn skills like marketing by selling the produce, and fight obesity by offering healthier food alternatives. It's a tax write-off from heaven/the reader's digest. I actually think that would be really fun.

Either that or grow turf and start a local sports team. I suggest rugby.

Both of these options fight the negative effects of poverty because poor people are only dangerous to each other when they're strangers, so to speak. It builds community.

Come to think of it, seriously get a subscription to Reader's Digest.

Post: #28

(07-29-2012 07:27 PM)HiFlo Wrote:  Fuck you.

Try not having any fucking money, then see how difficult life is.

You ok? No need to get jealous and take this guy's wealth as a personal insult to yourself and make light of his health issue.

I know you're not speaking to me, but I'm making a lot of money NOW, but I've been broke plenty of times. What's to say this guy doesn't know how life is without money? What's to say broke people will always be poor?

A serious/chronic health problem is easily worse than having no money... especially for anyone who lives in a socialist paradise in the western world.

Post: #29

(07-29-2012 08:30 PM)RoadLessTraveled Wrote:  I am trying to do some stuff for poverty in the area.

Perhaps consider creating a free English class type of deal for the locals. Benefits them as they can better target the tourists you bring in and benefits tourists because they're probably more comfortable speaking English to locals instead of Spanish.

Create some greenhouses for locals to grow their own local foods (for your resort too). Set up a small place to grow chickens/rabbits/etc so they can get their meats (and you too). If there are local businesses, setup some sort of chamber of commerce type thing and be the leader and help them grow their businesses with tourists to your hotel and with locals.

Post: #30

I would not trade $5 million to have rheumatoid arthritis. Sorry to hear, man. I know that condition well.

Have you been to the dead sea?

Post: #31

If i were in this cat's shoes i would simply get liquid. If the guy has a real health issue that's pretty much game over. Problem with getting "rich" is you usually have to work your balls off to get there and that comes with severe risks to your health.

Health everything including cash
Lots of cash trumps a legit crew
A legit crew of guys trumps women
Women trump 99% of dudes you meet

Post: #32

RE: Fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue/ rheumatoid arthritis, it absolutely can be treated.

First thing is get on a Paleo diet to reduce excess inflammation. It should help (but wont nail the cause). I'll PM you more.

Post: #33

Honestly, bro, if I had your money, my only priority would be getting better.

I have an autoimmune condition that has a lot of similarities to RA.

It fucked me up and almost took me out of the game (of life).

Because my condition is similar to RA, I know a lot about it.

You should get in touch with Dr. Terry Wahls:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjgBLwH3Wc

Post: #34

(07-29-2012 09:40 PM)Hades Wrote:  

(07-29-2012 08:30 PM)RoadLessTraveled Wrote:  I was hoping to hear some more non health related stuff, solutions and how money could be used to create the kind of rewarding life for yourself. I love designing and building things and gardening. I put over a 1,000 plants in the ground (about 500 edible trees/bushes) The farm is good size. I am trying to do some stuff for poverty in the area.

Generally speaking, to help out poverty in the area you have to offer assistance that is not condescending while avoiding nuking the local economy.

So buying an empty lot or two and building an open-door community garden would be pretty solid. You would employ two or three high school kids to help garden, have them learn skills like marketing by selling the produce, and fight obesity by offering healthier food alternatives. It's a tax write-off from heaven/the reader's digest. I actually think that would be really fun.

Either that or grow turf and start a local sports team. I suggest rugby.

Both of these options fight the negative effects of poverty because poor people are only dangerous to each other when they're strangers, so to speak. It builds community.

Come to think of it, seriously get a subscription to Reader's Digest.

I was thinking of building houses together. I could get some badly needed experience in the process and show I give a shit about them. I am heading back to school to study carpentry and construction so that i can be outside. (some scandinavian person was recommending that I take free construction, carpentry, etc in Sweden. They said that there should be a special program for Americans even if we don't have Erasmus in Europe.). I want to know enough about construction so that I can supervise projects easier.
The other thing was farming. I think my farm is going to have a very high yield... I am going to have to give this stuff away.

Post: #35

(07-29-2012 10:21 PM)MikeCF Wrote:  I would not trade $5 million to have rheumatoid arthritis. Sorry to hear, man. I know that condition well.

Have you been to the dead sea?

The crazy thing is that I have been to some of the best doctors in the world and they cannot put a label on some of my symptoms but can only say to seek safe alternative protocols and it will probably go away or it will manifest itself later as cancer, MS or something else.

(07-30-2012 02:54 AM)RichieP Wrote:  RE: Fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue/ rheumatoid arthritis, it absolutely can be treated.

First thing is get on a Paleo diet to reduce excess inflammation. It should help (but wont nail the cause). I'll PM you more.

(07-30-2012 03:14 AM)MikeCF Wrote:  Honestly, bro, if I had your money, my only priority would be getting better.

I have an autoimmune condition that has a lot of similarities to RA.

It fucked me up and almost took me out of the game (of life).

Because my condition is similar to RA, I know a lot about it.

You should get in touch with Dr. Terry Wahls:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjgBLwH3Wc

My Fibromyalgia has been brutal, brutal--I have zero memory, little energy and a ton of pain.

This is all very solid advice. I need to put some Terry Wahls focus into this. That was some good advice I have been looking for from Terry Wahls. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tu9nJmr4Xs&feature=relmfu is pretty good too. I feel like I am going senile at the moment. I had been on a paleo diet for about 8 months after I went to a nutritionist. The nutritionist said that I was the most compliant client he's ever had. It's helped a lot... It's got me out of bed--I was bed ridden. I am very compliant with the protocol unless I am travelling. And the first 4 months of the year, I didn't drink. And after that, it was once every couple weeks for a few drinks. I broke every rule on this trip though. But, I feel like I am losing it and it's hard to remember that I am different than everyone else. There is too much for me to live in SE Asia or Eastern or Northern Europe. There is too much partying.

I want to just get to the farm and start a new life. Slow things down. If I can create a controlled environment with clean air, sunshine, no drama women, warmth and lots of nutrition, I might be able to get off of the medication. But focusing solely on health, visiting doctors and getting blood work is pretty depressing.

If I create a large community and even a watered-down light version of what I mentioned, I might be very happy. A community seems to be a key to happiness. I am not so concerned about making lots of money. I think this about having everything.

Post: #36

Or just make it a "detox" themed resort to some degree. That sounds so good.

Post: #37

(07-29-2012 06:49 PM)pitt Wrote:  If El mechanico had all this money, i doubt any senior member on this forum would be fully broke.

That's the reason I'm not rich but who cares. My fun comes first I think the OP should hire me as a lifestyle consultant.

Post: #38

@RLT

Don't know much about arthritis so won't comment on that other than to wish you well in your search for relief.

As far as what to do in Latin America:
If it is a poor country or area you are moving to I'd guess there are already a lot of Peace Corp, UNDP etc. etc. type programs already targeting small scale agriculture. What about trying something different and setting up some sort of small scale tourism project that connects "poor" locals with foreign tourists in some sort of novel and mutually beneficial way?

I don't know how it is in Latin America, but in Africa a lot of the tourists don't really interact with the average local. In South Africa, where I am now, quite a few locals from "townships" (same as Brazilian favella's) have set up novel for profit tour companies to help tourists get a feel for how people there live. A lot of them are run quite well, and do not come off as "exploitative".

Anyway, maybe something similar will work where you are going. In poor countries a lot of tourists are understandably weary of slums, so they are avoided - and those living there receive very little benefit from tourism. You could find a way to help bridge the divide and get some cash flowing to people you feel you want to assist.

Post: #39

How are you able to make so much money with your medical symptoms? It seems like it would prevent you from doing any kind of work or running a business.

Post: #40

If I was rich and had chronic pain, I'd just go pro until I could rehabilitate myself. Seriously, if you like SoCal, we've got gorgeous russian pros (we're talking 9s here) that'll fuck an 80 year old in a wheelchair. They hang out in high end hotel bars.

I echo WCs advice, go liquid and take the tax hit. Fuck all this lofty nonsense of owning businesses and assets all over the place. Liquidate everything, property and whatever else ties you down. It's just going to drain you.

I can't speak much about your condition, but that should be your first priority. As for you dreams of clean air, healthy lifestyle, and drama free women....dude. Women ARE drama, I don't care where you go. Sounds like you want to settle down with a nice lady. Well, you need to learn game before you do that.

If I were you, I'd buy a small ranch in SA somewhere, probably argentina or brazil, and focus on serious rehab, and bring in the occasional pro. They're gonna be cheaper than funding some golddigger to stand by your side. There's gotta be high end clinics down there for your condition. Once you start feeling better about life, feeling younger and such, keep the ranch, rent a condo in the city and start gaming and enjoying life.

Post: #41

RoadLessTraveled,

I would advise some caution before making large financial decisions. It sounds like you're medicated and in pain and not thinking 100% clearly. With only 5M of assets tied up and only 100k in your bank account each year you are vulnerable to a few bad mistakes. I've seen too many people lose quite a bit more money quickly trying to find happiness. I run a private foundation in Latin America, I can guarantee you'll love helping others no matter how you choose to do it. It will put your own problems into a better perspective.

I agree with the others that getting healthy should be your first priority. If you want a bi-sexual blond/blue eyed girls why don't you date a model or porn-star. You'll have to spend vulgar amounts of money on them but it would be easier than building a hotel and slightly less risky.

Post: #42

(07-30-2012 09:54 AM)RoadLessTraveled Wrote:  I want to just get to the farm and start a new life. Slow things down. If I can create a controlled environment with clean air, sunshine, no drama women, warmth and lots of nutrition, I might be able to get off of the medication. But focusing solely on health, visiting doctors and getting blood work is pretty depressing.

Talk to these people:

http://farmoflifecr.com/

Start off by investing into an already-existing farm.

A lot of the "detox" places in Costa Rica are cheap...$60 a night, all-inclusive. Fresh air, fruits and veggies everywhere.

Knowing about your health problems, liquidating your assets is a bad idea. If you are truly as fucked up as you claim, then you are going to get all of your money stolen. If they remain illiquid, you can't get your money stolen.

There are lots of controlled environments in Costa Rica already.

CR isn't a great place to make a huge profit anymore, but since you have enough money to live on, that's not a concern.

Post: #43

I don't think I am liquidating very suddenly. And continuing the project to it's completion would depend upon rental revenue and hitting construction budgets. I am not building a project in one swoop..

Here's an outline. I am looking to spend 200k for more land in the next month. The plan is to build and supervise a house for a poor family December 2012 (outlays are a $3,000). It's charity and community building and practice for my other projects. Sometime in 2013, probably December 2013 start on a caretaker quarters. I want to do this one high quality, so I am probably going spend about 50,000-80,000 for a 1 bedroom caretaker quarters. If the quality is good, I will move forward. If I miss my numbers then I will have to reevaluate. In 2013-2014, I will continue construction alongside the caretaker quarters to make it a full-fledged villa spending 300,000-400,000.

After I start making about a 2.5% after tax return (aka 2.5% cap rate) (yes, i know its a crappy return) from rental revenue, I will begin construction on the pool and the next villa. If i dont hit my number (2.5%), i wont move forward. After the villa and the pool is constructed, i will need to hit 5%. It sucks, I know. But I am not sure I can make 10% unless I worked my ass off and had economies of scale. Besides, I am not doing it for the money. I am doing it because it will take away the pain.

Post: #44

Man 2.5% yields? That's incredibly low, but sounds like this is more of some dynamic clinic you want to create. I'll stick with my original inclination which is to be liquid and lock-it up assuming you are a disciplined person. Note I am not well versed in your health dynamics. Also I would guess that running that entire structure would be stressful as all hell? I barely have enough energy to clean my own apartment because I'd rather be at the gym, learning a new language, dancing, attempting and mostly failing at picking up new girls, playing hoops, reading a book, etc. so I guess on an asset class basis I'm more of a "minimalist".

I'm also an incredibly disciplined person when it comes to cash, if I get $100 15% goes liquid, 20% is invested and never ever ever touched. I don't care if you give me $1Billion I'll allocate the same and never touch it. I'd think this would be a good structure for you too o eliminate stress but sounds like you have bigger stars to hitch your wagon to.

Of course this is also a bit biased since I'd never hand my money to any sort of financial planner which I think is what mike is referring to in terms of getting shit taken from you.

Post: #45

Someone said something about buying a ranch in south America. That sounds pretty cool. Badass actually. But, if I do a place besides Latin America , it's going to be closer to Europeans... I wonder where some cool pads, ranches, farms would be in Europe? I noticed people talking about Turkey (lots of Ukrainians), Greece (that would be excellent if I pulled the trigger after they got kicked off the euro), Italy, France, Spain, Odessa. Where would you throw down some money if it were a place in Europe?

Post: #46

(07-30-2012 08:38 PM)RoadLessTraveled Wrote:  Someone said something about buying a ranch in south America. That sounds pretty cool. Badass actually. But, if I do a place besides Latin America , it's going to be closer to Europeans... I wonder where some cool pads, ranches, farms would be in Europe? I noticed people talking about Turkey (lots of Ukrainians), Greece (that would be excellent if I pulled the trigger after they got kicked off the euro), Italy, France, Spain, Odessa. Where would you throw down some money if it were a place in Europe?

Based off what you've been writing, I'd say Malta for you.

Post: #47

5M in Europe will buy a few acres and a (slightly) ruined castle. Nicolas Cage had to hock his due to financial trouble. Not to hijack the thread but I think it would be very badass to own a castle. Coolest damned fixer-upper ever.

Post: #48

(07-31-2012 01:20 AM)Hades Wrote:  5M in Europe will buy a few acres and a (slightly) ruined castle. Nicolas Cage had to hock his due to financial trouble. Not to hijack the thread but I think it would be very badass to own a castle. Coolest damned fixer-upper ever.

This thread is impossible to hijack. And its great. I love all the posts on here. Everyone is hijacking it to some degree and I want more of that. I am sort of brainstorming and crowdsourcing my life right now.

Post: #49

RoadLessTraveled: Typical Travel Accommodations: Couchsurfing or hostels

hmmmm, ya, ok I call BS.....
Not hitting those 4-star luxury suits, are we...

Post: #50

Yes, and I have never purchased a home or a new car. Remember, I wrote my net after tax cash flow is only 100k. I save a large percentage of what I make. That's how got where I am at