Acknowledgments
My father passed away when I was relatively young. My greatest regret is his not witnessing the successes and trials of life experienced by his children, myself, my brother Minaz, and my sister Noorjehan, and, never meeting his grandchildren. But, his teachings and advice have lived on through my mother who has been a stalwart of support and great wisdom throughout my life despite the torture that I put her through as a child and teenager! This one’s for you, Mom!
It began on the basketball court at Rollins College where I have been playing for more than a couple of decades with a great group of people three times a week. One of those players was Mark Skousen, editor of Forecasts and Strategies, and a very close friend. Mark, always seemed to be enjoying himself. He was an adjunct member of the faculty at the time, but he always spoke about “great” trips he had taken and how he loved writing about financial markets and stocks. I asked what he was talking about—what was his other job? He said he was an editor of a financial newsletter. I told him that was something I wanted to do—it really was that simple. He put me in touch with his friend Bill Bonner at Agora. Agora was a very small company then and my job was to take over the Research Director’s position from Robert Czeschin, who had moved to Asia to set up shop. Little did I know that it was the beginning of the longest and best journey of my life . . . a lot of which is threaded throughout this book.
Exactly 20 years ago I flew to Baltimore to interview with Bill Bonner, the head of Agora Publishing. It was a cold winter’s day and I had never been to Baltimore before. Agora’s office was located in a townhouse next to a French bakery, surrounded by dilapidated buildings and across from the Projects. As I parked my car, I saw three men running across the Jones Falls Expressway, which ended close to the office. They were shooting at each other. Having just flown up from the tranquil setting of my small town, Winter Park, Florida, it was something I was not ready for.
Twenty years later, I am still with Agora and grateful for every minute I have been associated with this unique organization. Many people are surprised at the success of Agora as an organization because of what seems like a lack of a traditional corporate “feel” for such a large group. They would be less surprised if they spent a day with the founder, Bill Bonner. His willingness to allow people like myself to “write their own job description” at a very early stage, allowed for an explosion of research, ideas, information, and opinions that ultimately benefited our readers. There was room for disagreement, for argument, for opinionating, for dreaming, and for putting in motion those dreams. His door has always been open. Most have succeeded beyond their wildest expectations as part of Agora. I am one of those. It is because of the support and encouragement at various times in my career from people like Bill, Julia Guth, Addison Wiggin, Mark Ford, Sandy Franks, Deeba Jafri, Liz Fordi, Lee Euler, Chris Mayer, Paul Hollingshead, James Boric, Greg Grillot, Myles Norin, Debora Corral, Bob Compton, Danielle O’Dell, Jenny Thompson, David Melnik, Mathew Turner, Mike Geltner, Bob Williams, Mike Ward, and many, many others that this book is even possible. I do not measure my success financially, but in being able to achieve that elusive dream of really enjoying what I do everyday and having the best colleagues in the world.
I have learned that writing a book is a collaborative effort. Encouragement is needed when words are not flowing as fast. Criticism is required when mistakes or poor arguments are obvious. Most importantly, an audience is required, on a frequent basis, to prod you to write more and write better. Writing this book would have been much more difficult if not for the constant encouragement of my friend Christine Elliott O’Neal, who was relentless in her requests for the next chapter! I would like to acknowledge Lesley McIntosh, Iryna Malendevich, and Kevin Kerr for their readings of the manuscript, and their feedback . . . and to Molly Ward for her words about the cover designs. Thank you also to the fabulous faculty members at Ryde School on the Isle of Wight where I attended elementary school, Cedarbrae Collegiate Institute in Toronto where I attended high school, and Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, where I received both my undergraduate and graduate degrees. Many of you shaped who I am today and the lessons you taught me inside the classroom and on the court are remembered fondly daily.
This book is a journey that I wish to share with you. It explores the world that is around us from an investment and a personal perspective of someone who’s “been around” it a few times. Investing globally is critical to your success as both an investor and a resident on this planet. The rest of the world is now you. My experiences and travels have taught me that investing overseas is both lucrative and necessary. But, investing in a foreign country, especially one that is emerging is not wise without understanding the cultural aspects of the investment. Most people focus on numbers. There is more, much, much more when it comes to putting your hard earned money at risk offshore. In the following pages I hope to take you on an unforgettable journey that leaves you wanting to both invest and learn even more!
K.R.