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Ted Baumann is International Living’s Chief Global Diversification Expert. He's traveled to nearly 90 countries and is a dual citizen of the United States and South Africa. Born in Washington DC, he grew up on Maryland's Eastern Shore.
As a young man he moved to Cape Town, where he attended university, earning postgraduate degrees in economics and history. For the next 20 years he worked in the global non-profit sector, specializing in urban development. From 2008 to 2013, he served as Director of International Programs for Habitat for Humanity International. After that he switched gears, writing financial and wealth protection newsletters for affiliates of Agora Publishing.
Ted has been published in international research journals, as well as media outlets such as Barrons, Forbes and Cheddar. He co-authored Where to Stash Your Cash (Legally) with his father and former U.S. Congressman, Robert Bauman.
The bottom line is that when it comes to global mobility, you are your country and its passport. If you're trying to preserve and grow your options, you need to think about a lot more than just how quickly you can get a new one.
Recently I’ve been researching the benefits of having a passport from one of the European Union member states. One issue that caught my attention was the relative stability of European banks vis-à-vis their U.S. counterparts… certainly a timely topic!
The U.S. and its citizens derive enormous benefits from the faith other countries place in our economy and our ability to manage it appropriately. Without that faith, our economy would be far smaller, and we’d pay much higher prices for goods and services.
These days, I never travel anywhere without both of my passports. You just never know what's going to happen in this crazy world, and having two travel documents doubles my chances of getting out of a tricky situation.
Many countries around the world have income taxes, but none have systems as bizarre as the U.S. And despite the extraordinary complexity, only 10% of people trying to get through to speak to a live agent at the IRS succeed.
Under pressure, the Portuguese government has now agreed to allow the golden visa programme to continue as is until final legislation is passed and promulgated. Applications currently in the pipeline will fall under the existing rules.
If you're interested in acquiring a second passport through investment, don't let this happen to you. Seek the advice of legitimate experts who have your best interests in mind… not just the fees they can earn by selling a junk passport to you.
I’m going to be writing and speaking a lot about taxes over the next few weeks, so today, I thought I’d review some of the key concepts you need to understand to deal with the IRS when living, working or investing abroad.
Increasing numbers of young Americans who have spent some time overseas are finding that their pathway to a second passport is easy and cheap. At last count, 54 countries allow digital nomads to get a foot in the door to potential citizenship.
For the last six weeks or so, I’ve been preparing to relocate myself, my family and most of our possessions—including our Jack Russell, Max—back to our home in Cape Town, South Africa. I arrived one week ago today. I thought I’d share some insights from the experience. After all, when you finally arrive in your dream home overseas, you want to be as relaxed...