Archive for the ‘Economy’ Category

American Expats in China Offer Insights

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

Lately it seems as if China continues to find its way into our blog. It’s little wonder given its emergence as an economic powerhouse. In this article on KansasCity.com, the experiences and insights of a few American expats in China there offer some ideas about how we should approach our relationship with China. How should we react to them? What should our strategy be to benefit from their large market without selling out our own future? Obama’s trip there is a good time for us to ask these tough questions, and be honest with ourselves about past and current mistakes. What should we be doing differently?

Whether or Not to Work Abroad?

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

There has been a lot of interest in moving abroad since the economy took a turn for the worse. Is it more than usual? On ExpatExchange, we’ve simply noticed that some of the reasons have changed a bit. More and more people are at ease with the idea that the world is highly interconnected, and don’t care if they need to move to another country to work and live well. Others want to stretch their savings as they retire.

Whatever the reason, homework is critical when you evaluate this life changing decision about whether or not to work abroad. This recent article on FastCompany.com contains the following quote:

“A recent survey by Manpower Inc. found that employment prospects are most favorable in India, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, China, Australia, Singapore, Costa Rica, Canada, Taiwan, and Poland. Jeff Joerres, Manpower Inc.’s chairman and CEO says a reason for this is because the populations of developing countries are increasing nearly six times as fast as those of developed countries. ‘This essentially creates a magnet pulling American workers to developing nations, and moving them along as each destination stabilizes. So you can see how Prague was hot for a while for American workers, then Vietnam and Dubai.’”

As many posts on our forums have recently focused on where to go, we thought this would be a good launching point for some discussion. Enjoy!

Expat Stories to Start the Week

Monday, October 19th, 2009

Here are a few expat related stories to kick of the week:

Forbes has created yet another “Top 10″ list in its unending effort to drive as much traffic as possible to its website. (Not knocking it, what company isn’t trying to do that!) This last one is about the Top 10 places to retire abroad.

Also, expats in the UAE may be required to take new drivers tests if proposals aimed at improving traffic safety are implemented.

And, finally, with the U.S. dollar once again plummeting, a great financial opportunity for expats has been created, and many are taking full advantage of it.

The Pain in Spain for Expats and Off the Beaten Path

Monday, May 18th, 2009

According to a recent article in the Times Online, British expats are feeling the pain in Spain.

“We just couldn’t make it work any more financially,” one expat quoted in the article said. “We would have loved to have stayed but things are too hard here for my husband and we cannot last any longer.”

In the Expat Life, Alan Paul writes about how his deepest respect is reserved for expats that choose to truly go off the beaten path, rather than in developing cities such as Shanghai or Beijing.

The Economic Crisis Spreads

Monday, October 6th, 2008

Despite the fact that the $700 billion U.S. bailout package passed on Friday, stock markets around the world plummeted today. What started as an economic crisis in the U.S. a few short weeks ago is now a global crisis and governments, banks and individuals around the world are nervously wondering what will happen next.

Germany announced Sunday a new federal guarantee for all savings deposits. In addition, after putting together a $69 billion bailout package for Hypo Real Estate, German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck announced that Germany was considering putting together a shield that would protect their entire financial sector rather than bailing out individual companies.

Here are a few interesting articles related to the economic crisis:
BreakingViews.com: The EU’s struggle to act in harmony - IHT
London stocks slump 8.65% to hit four-year low - Yahoo!
European, Asian markets plunge on crisis fears - Yahoo!

We don’t want to feed the panic!! Rather, we invite you to share your views of the economic situation in your part of the world. We wonder how the global economic situation is affecting you and your family? Your neighbors abroad? Your employer? Your country’s government? Your local bank? Local businesses? How are you feeling? How are you reacting?

To post your thoughts, CLICK HERE.

Financial Crisis Escalates

Tuesday, September 30th, 2008

Can there be any doubt that we are living in historic times? The turmoil in the financial markets and the political posturing by both Republicans and Democrats (don’t kid yourself, party loyalists) has transformed an already historic election season to one that will likely be remembered as monumental.

Important Note - Most of the members of the House of Representatives that voted against the bill are involved in close bids for re-election. Read about it in the Wall Street Journal’s article: ‘No’ Votes Came from All Directions

The New York Times has posted an article with some answers to questions that are likely on your mind.

An article in TimesOnline.co.uk reports that Congress scrambles for Wall Street bailout deal as Bush warns of failure

Give your thoughts below in the comments section! What are you hearing from expats and locals about the financial crisis?