Hello!
Thanks for dropping by. I’m Rob, a.k.a. the Expat Financial Guy.
I’m originally from the UK and I suppose my status as an expat began after, well . . . let’s call it, an unexpected deviation in my life plans, back in 2008.
I was actually in the process of emigrating to Canada (a story for another time) and taking a bit of a break from work and decided to spend a few months in China to have a crack at learning Mandarin.
You know, as one does.
It was during this little sabbatical that I met and fell in love with a rather gorgeous lady and decided to stay a bit longer . . .
Bye-bye, Canada. It was not to be.
I wouldn’t have been able to afford the property in Vancouver anyway. 🙁
So, here I am in Shanghai, over a decade later with aforementioned rather gorgeous lady, who is now my gorgeous wife and mother to my beautiful daughters.
I think it was John Lennon who said that life is what happens to you while you’re busy making plans and I guess I can’t argue with that.
Before falling into the world of financial services (I use the word ‘falling’, because this was an industry that had never even been on my radar previously), I had worked in the pharmaceutical sales sector for many years.
And before that, I was a full-time athlete with Olympic aspirations, but unfortunately, injury put paid to my plans of a long career in track running – although I did make it to a World Championships. 😉
Things don’t always work out the way you plan them and I am sure you’ve had similar experiences in your life too, where your path has changed, doors have closed or things simply didn’t work out they way you expected them to.
The good news is that there are always new paths to walk, doors to open and opportunities to discover.
And the experiences from your previous ‘failed’ endeavours can often help you succeed in the next ones.
For example, I believe that the discipline, focus and habit of good, honest hard work required to compete in athletics at an international level is something I’ve carried with me and have been able to apply to many other areas of my life, including my ‘regular day job’ of assisting expats with their investments and finances.
We are the sum total of our experiences, after all.
Anyway, I digress . . .
WELCOME!
What can you expect to find here on Expat Financial Guy?
Well, I feel that expat investors are potentially far more vulnerable to bad and often fraudulent advice than they would be in their home countries, where you usually have some form of regulatory body to protect you.
When you are living away from home, that is not always the case and I have personally seen dozens of examples of mis-selling and recommendations for completely inappropriate financial products.
Frankly, it makes me sick.
I’m a passionate believer that people should get a fair deal when it comes to their finances and should not be taken advantage of, especially when you are putting trust in someone with your money.
In this blog, I want to offer my thoughts, experience and guidance, as well as some useful resources to help you negotiate this potential minefield.
You might find my style of writing very blunt, but I make no apologies for that – there’s already too much fluff and bullsh*t in the world and I don’t feel the need or the desire to add to it.
You might not agree with my opinions, but feel free to comment and add to the discussions. 🙂
And please do subscribe to join my community and receive expat-related updates.
Don’t worry – you won’t get spammed.
Feel free also to contact me if you would like to get some clarity on the international saving and investment options available to you as an expat. I am based in Asia, but communicate with expats all over the world.
Start reading the blog here.