Ever Wanted to Write (& Publish) a Book?

Yup, my all-time favourite writer did it again.  Chris Guillebeau offers a (huge) Guide on how to get published.

Well, it’s wrong of me to place all credit on Chris.  Actually, his agent, it’s Chris’ agent, David Fugate who wrote the guide.

Who is David Fugate?

David Fugate founded the LaunchBooks Literary Agency, and has personally represented over 1000 books himself as agent to around 40 publishers (Wiley, Random House, McGraw-Hill, and Perigee are some of the biggest).  Books he represented include Kevin Mitnick’s Art of Deception and Art of Intrusion, two books I read after meeting Mitnick while working for HP.

As Chris tells the story, he asked his agent David Fugate to share some tips on how to get published.  Instead, David poured his over-experienced heart out to make this 45,000-word book.

If you are one of those people who ever wanted to get published, this guide can save you tons of effort and money by leveraging David’s experience.

Surest Way (But Not Easiest) to Success

The easiest way is to do nothing.  Kinda like I’ve been doing.  I have wanted to write a book for as long as I can remember, …but haven’t started.  ”That’d be cool.” but I don’t start.

Chris shared this guide with me to review and I find it absolutely incredibly helpful, obviously a product of many years’ experience.

If I’m serious about getting published, there’s no excuse except my own fear of failing.  And with this guide, I don’t believe anyone can fail.

Check it out here:

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Reason 3: Seeking Improved Life

We already covered two reasons for leaving the USA already: Frustration and Seeking Adventure.  Now, we talk about those of us just wanting a better life.  And that about covers everyone.

“Hey, Jeff, that’s vague, what exactly is “a better life’?“  How about a better standard of living.

Does that mean better healthcare?  More personal liberties?  Lower cost of living? YES, all the above.

So, I mean health, liberty and pursuit of happiness.

Problem to Fix: Healthcare

I’ll make this short.  Healthcare will not improve in the US for your or your kids’ lifetime.  Sorry it’s a short, sad conclusion.  If this is important to you, move.

Okay, I’ll give my disclaimer.  I don’t know the future, but I do know it would take a revolution to undo the death grip on the healthcare system by the private healthcare industry.  They won’t let go for as long as there’s money to be made (and shared with legislators and lobbyists).  Doctors understand this, but they have no say in how it’s run.  And as baby boomers come of old age, health care providers are providing less health and more bills.  Prepare to pay more, or move.

Need an example?  Look no further than the notorious Johnny B Truant.  Johnny’s a Type 1 diabetic and has blogged about it several times, how he overcomes it with great health (though it hindered his 30-day no-carb diet trial).  Healthy lifestyle or not, his insurance premium keeps skyrocketing.  Well, that changed – Johnny quit his health insurance! Johnny said, and I quote, “Fuck this. I’m jumping over the walls to get that carrot.” (you have to read his cute story to get the carrot bit)  I applaud the guy – he broke the rule of “Everyone NEEDS insurance.” and is now saving himself a grand a month.  Nice work JBT.

Problem to Fix: Personal Liberties

Are you a Ron Paul fan?  Keep up with the (ever fun but educational) blog of the Lugwig von Mises Institute?  If so, label yourself a Libertarian.  But you knew that already.

Why do I bring up Ron Paul?  I was at a meetup just last Wednesday.  The organizer casually gave his view on government: “I believe we need only two laws: Protect our own property and protect our liberties.”  I smiled and asked if he’s a Ron Paul fan.  He smiled back.  The organizer echoed the classic tenets that define libertarianism.

Are people leaving the US because of eroding personal liberties?  I doubt it’s the sole or even their main reason.  But I do agree that personal liberties as a whole are eroding away at a faster clip than ever before.  And that pushes more people to think about leaving.

[Here is where my wife steps in and says "Well, don't just mope about it - do something!"]

If you ‘re upset (too), sign this petition to create (actual) change.

If you’re pessimistic (too) that things will change, then leave the US for a country which provides stronger liberties to its population (foreign or native).  As for the US changing for the better, I am hopeful, but it’s going to take a revolution.

The top countries are:

1. Sweden (why am I not surprised?)
2. Finland
3. Denmark
4. New Zealand
5. Norway
6. Netherlands
7. Switzerland
8. Canada
9. Ireland
10. Australia

The US came in between the UK and Estonia.  Here is my source table.  For my list, I used their scoring, plus a bit of my own bias to reformat as a numbered list.

Some last words about personal or civil liberties.  Some liberties may be more important than others.  For you, it may your right to practice a religion, women’s rights, or racial equality.  For me, I focus more on personal privacy of information.  I don’t mind someone looking up my phone number, but I do mind when someone (without my consent) listens to a phone conversation or predetermines my chance for a disease. But that’s me… how do you feel about it?  Leave a comment.

Problem to Fix: Cost of Living

Relying on a pension isn’t what it used to be.  And today, does anyone stay with a company long enough to earn a pension?

Thankfully, a mediocre pension cheque in the United States isn’t so mediocre in many other countries.  Same goes for that meagre social security if you’re a senior, or the humble rent profit if you’re a landlord, or the dividends if you’re an investor, or even a passive income from some online business.  In all cases, the amount goes farther if you spend it in a country that costs less.  (The better case is if you’re earning in that country, rather than exchanging from the declining dollar, but that’s another story.)

Thinking of leaving the country because of your taxable portfolio?  Well, leave now while the going’s good, because there’s likely to be legislation that may follow you abroad.

Next Up: Patriotism

Stay tuned for the next (#4 – “Patriotism”) reason why people leave the United States.  There are over 5 million of us abroad – why not you?

Until then, I ask you just one favour.  If you like this post or the others, hit the Facebook Like button below and share it with your friends.

Thanks,

-Jeff

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Last week I said out loud that I’m feeling homesick because on December 5th was the holiday “Mikulas” in the CzechRepublic.  My five and a half year old daughter remembers celebrating it last year and I wish I could have taken her this year.

Wait…”homesick?” — what the hell am I’m thinking calling Czech Republic “home!” Should I?  Shouldn’t I?

I’m confused….so I’m writing this post.

Where Is My Home?

I could do research.  I could read other people’s blogs.  I could analyze my feelings.  But deep down, I know what I’m feeling.  I’m feeling homesick for my last home – Prague, Czech Republic.

BUT – I’m not Czech.  And I only lived there 4 years.  Hell, toward the end, I wasn’t even enjoying life (at least the job part).

So, why am I homesick today?  Truth is, I have no freakin’ idea.  Any comments or help from you is greatly appreciated.  But I know I miss it there, especially when I look out the window of my current life.  Guess I’m still heavily in some transition phase.

What Makes a Place Home?

I’m racking my brain trying to think why I have homesickness for a place I met just less than 5 years ago.  I’m racking my brain trying to understand what makes a place “home.” Questions to ask – answers tell us what’s “home.”

1. Where am I living today?
2. Where did I spent the majority of the last 5 years?
3. Where did I grow up?

Now, here is where I am truly f*cked.  I get three different answers for those three different questions:  1=Canada  2= Czech Republic  3=US

Let’s try again.

1. Where am I living today?
2. Where did I spent the majority of the last 5 years?
3. Where did I grow up?
4. Where does my native land’s tax authority (IRS?) consider as my home address?
5. Where are the majority of my friends?
6. Where is the majority of my family?
7. Where do I have any assets (income property, businesses, savings) ?
8. Where is my “banking” done?
9. If I’m feeling homesickness, where would I go to fix it?
10. If I’m feeling culture shock where’s the “normal” place?

Okay — that’s a more complete list.  Still, for me, “home” is split between 3 places (US, Canada, Czech Republic), and not so evenly.  In fact, it’s Canada x3, Czech Republic x6, and US x3.  (some questions got multiple answers)

Your Turn

Where is home to you?  Where are you answers for 1-10?  What am I missing?  I really want to know.

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I wrote to 18 people whom I consider expert expats.

Some make a living by travelling, others traveled to go make a living.

I asked them all 1 question:

Here are their replies:

1.  “Beware of moving overseas! It’s tough, confusing, disorienting… and ultimately, extremely rewarding.  When you move back home, if you ever do, you’ll be a different person than you were when you first left.”

-Chris Guillebeau, The Art of Non-Conformity

2. “Don’t think that living overseas will eliminate all your problems in one go. It may distract you for a while but you’ll likely find that once you’ve been overseas for a while, old habits and patterns begin to re-emerge and you’ll find yourself with all the same problems, just in a different place.  Living overseas is fantastic but it’s not a panacea.”

-Lea Woodward, Kinetiva

3. “Get rid of your stuff. Becoming an expat is not only physical, geographical, and logistical – it’s also emotional. Your priorities change. You change inside; when you head home after a long stint abroad and “visit” your stuff, you’ll wonder what the hell made you think it was so important to hold onto.”

-Miss Expatria, a.k.a. Christine Cantera, France Travel Guide

4. “The only thing I can say is to have more cash than you think you need, because surprises will surprise you, and in general I’d just say to dive in, be prepared, and learn.”

-Henri Junttila, WakeUpCloud

5. “For people planning to live overseas long-term (i.e. more than a year)
I’d definitely recommend visiting the country first. In 1999 I moved
to the Philippines with many incorrect preconceived notions. The
culture shock was difficult because I romanticized the country. If I
were going to do it again I would definitely visit first even if it
were to scout out cities and work.”

-Ayngelina Brogan, BaconIsMagic.ca

6. “If you’re thinking about moving overseas, be prepared to be flexible about specific destinations. Personally, I had a situation where I did a lot of research on a city that I thought I would love. After a couple of days of getting there I realized it wasn’t the kind of place I wanted to spend more than a week. Luckily there was a much better option just an hour away. Friends of mine have had similar experiences with different towns or even entire countries. You can increase your chances of loving where you end up if you’re not married to one particular place.”

-Corbett Barr, Free Pursuits

7. “My advice to anyone considering living overseas is:  #1 – clearly understand your goals for moving overseas and then decide what you are willing to give up to meet your goals; and then #2 – do your homework prior to going on the important aspects of daily life such as banking, taxes, transportion, schools, etc.”

-Rick Balderrama, author of “The Expat Checklist“

8. “According to me if someone wants to live abroad then they need to be patient with the documentation procedure, to be open with different languages and culture.”

-Manjeet Malik, expat buddy from Prague and kick-ass web designer

9. “Research, research, research.”

-Alison Cornford-Matheson, CheeseWeb.eu

10. ”For couples, learn to really listen to and support each other. Each partner will be experiencing different kinds of stress: absence of social network, job pressures, integration issues, questions of self-worth, language frustration, child care, etc. Dedicate time to spend together each week exploring your new city or country, and be open to talking about your fears and frustrations.”

-Andrew Cornford-Matheson, CheeseWeb.eu

11. “Consider what you would want to get from your experience, and whether
you have a genuine interest in the country you’re considering relocating to.
People who have the best experiences as an expat are the ones that actually have
some affinity towards the country that they’re living in.”

-Sharell Cook, India Travel on About.com

12. “1. Be open  2. Don’t drink the water  3. Smile at strangers  4. Don’t say, ‘You should all speak Danish’ 5. Use a condom”

-Peter Fogtdal, Danish Accent

13. “Experience over possessions: belongings weigh you down physically and emotionally so take only what you really need to simplify things drastically.  Just do it: outstanding things (job etc.) will fall in place when you get there through your own persistence and no doubt some luck.”

-April Wendy Hollands, le Franco Phoney

14. “It’s probably going to sound obvious, but I think the best advice is to get out and experience as much as you can.  Eat foods that you never thought you would, visit temples and museums, speak with the locals, try to learn the languauge, and most importantly, push your comfort zone to the limit.  Make your own stories!”

-Newlyweds Nicole and Cameron Wears, The Traveling Canucks

15. “Don’t try to impose your cultural values on others when you live overseas.  Instead, try to understand their culture & overlay it on your perspective.”

-Maryam Montague, My Marrakesh

16. “…become an expert on their new country even before they arrive, but also make sure that all those fine details are worked out for housing, pay, visas, etc.  It goes a long way in making a smooth transition.  Just arrived?  Go out!  Be a tourist in your new country!”

-Tina Fussell, Traveling Mama

17. “Consider how far away from ‘home’ you’d be and how expensive it would be to go back.  Most expats from close families find this aspect really difficult. I have missed every one of my cousins’ weddings because it was just too difficult to get back to England for a few days. I would strongly advise would-be expats to weigh this up in their decision.”

-Toni Hargis, Expat Mum

18. “treat your relocation like a move, not a vacation; to the more philosophic – respect the country you’re from and the country you’re moving to and you’ll feel a lot better about yourself and your choice while you’re there”

-Julia Bryan, Kolo Kolo Mlynsky

p.s.

Jeff here …I’m feeling left out, so I’ll add number 19.  :-)

19. If you’re considering it, go for it.  Call it life-changing, call it rewarding, call it something you’ll “do someday…”.  However you call it, until you do it, you call it a dream.

The best way to make any dream a reality is to work on it one small step at a time, every day.

Start taking action.  A little action, every day….and before you know it, you traveled halfway around the world.

- me, Expat Yourself

p.p.s.

If you need someone to encourage you once or twice a week, I will.
If you need someone to talk you down from that ledge of fear, I will. (ok, it was dramatic)

If you need a friend, I’m here.  Sign up for my messages above.  Let keep in touch.

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Packing for a move is a big job. It scrambles daily life, be it dressing, cooking or even walking from room to room.

Here I offer a simple strategy for how to pack for international moves.

If you’re moving across town – Easy, peezy. For every item you ask “Keep it or leave it?” …and most everything makes the cut.

Packing for an international move? Oh, now there’s a challenge.

Shipping costs are higher. Transit time can be in weeks, not days. Then there’s customs.

Yeah, packing suddenly sucks. (Well, it always sucks, but now it really sucks.)

The Problem: “My Mom Would Kill Me If I Got Rid of This!”

With international moves, you can’t just ask “Keep it or leave it.”

Two choices are not enough.

How about that 150 year old, 30″ tall hurricane lamp from my great-great…grandmother?

How about these 2 mammoth bookcases? (and what about all these books??)

For the oversized and sentimental stuff, “Keep it or Leave it” doesn’t work. Damn.

Yes, a move helps you get rid of prized possessions. But some possessions are just too valuable. That is, if you expect to keep family ties after your departure. (By the way, you did tell them you’re leaving, right?)

The Solution: A Simple Strategy

Easy 3-pronged approach: Ship, Store or Sell

SHIP: you’re shipping stuff to your future address

STORE: you decide to keep stuff, either with family, friends or in storage

SELL: you decide to part with it. It’s someone else’s stuff now.

Your Wicked-Fast Decision Guide

1. Do I use it daily or almost daily? If so, SHIP

2. Would I be heartbroken for weeks if I lost, broke or sold this? If so, STORE

3. Too heavy or used too rarely to lug with you? If so, SELL

Yeah, it’s really that simple. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how much you sell. And I can almost guarantee when you wake up the next day, you will feel physically lighter yourself.

We all see scams like “How to lose 20 pounds in 1 week,” but here you get more joy after losing 500 pounds in one garage sale.

Note: If you’re a minimalist, you’re more apt to sell. Then again, if you’re a minimalist, you’re not apt to have a whole lot of stuff to begin with, right?

Exceptions & Other Tips:

Electrical kitchen appliances

Your 4-slice toaster, the food processor and those hi-tech gadgets which are obsolete in weeks (if not already) - SELL THEM. Oh yes, sell them quick while someone’s willing to pay for them. Would you want to return today to the 22″ flat-panel LCD TV that you paid thousands of $$ in 2006? (disclaimer: I know so little about TV, that may be a stupid example)

Furniture

An exception. By the Wicked-Fast Guide above, you would either ship or sell furniture.

However, even half-decent furniture can be a sizeable investment (not milk crate and timber bookshelves like you had in university). Replacing it after a couple years would be expensive, so you can’t sell it. Shipping it would be idiotic, even if your company paid for it. So you store it.

How? Wrap in plastic and store in a humidity controlled environment.

–Or ‘store’ in someone else’s house, while they make good use of it.

Note: If you store items with family or friends, make it clear that you’d like the item back when (if) you return. Could be 6 months, 6 years or never, but it’s your wish today. This just saves the awkward “Oh, I thought you gave it to us.” talk

Books

Another special exception. By the Wicked-Fast Guide above, you would sell books. Ouch.

If you’ve got a sizeable library, I’d recommend bringing fewer than 5%, unless you really need several for your work.

If fewer than 100 books, limit yourself to 10%.

Do not bring books with the mindset “Oh, I’ll have extra time to read those ones I never got to.” No, you won’t. And when you do have extra time, you won’t pick up those books.

Art

If you have frames on the wall and they’re not holding band posters, you probably want to store them. Make sure they’re protected, both from humidity damage and breakage.

Here’s a short video I made of how we protected multiple pieces while in storage. And if the video seems a low-rate production, well, hey that’s because it is.

Some Personal Mistakes

If you’ve gotten this far, let me share some of our bigger “poor judgement calls” with this ship, store or sell strategy.

DO NOT STORE BOOKS IN CARDBOARD BOXES, else you find yourself laying the least-moldy ones out in the sun, hoping for the best. See?:

Some of our library, sunning itself

So, if you’re going to store books for years, store them in plastic totes like these (Amazon link).

Another: A huge box of photos that we’ve been meaning to put in albums (for years). We should have stored it, but no, we shipped it. Upon our return 4 years later, we find ourselves reshipping the very. same. huge. box of photos. We did made one album there, …which used maybe 5% of the photos.

And another: We also shipped 3 boxes of scrap-booking stuff we’d been meaning to use “some rainy day.”
Trust me, when living abroad, monsoons can come and scrap-booking will never seem the coolest thing you could do.

In case I have to spell out my preference – use the strategy in reverse order:

Think first: Can I sell it?
If not, can I store it?
Okay, damn…I have to ship it.

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A few days ago I wrote Top 5 Excuses Against Moving Abroad, starting with…

Excuse #1. Work

Number one excuse is “I have a job.” People actually ask “How could I leave my career?”
To this excuse, I say you aren’t hurting your career, you’re helping it!

[quoted text shorted, but you can visit the original here]

Today, I want to expand on that first excuse: Work.

Okay, on with how working abroad can work for you.

Let me ask you a question, speaking “corporate-ese.”
Do you want to advance your career organically or would you like it to advance aggressively through acquisitions?

Organic Growth or Through Acquisitions?

You hear corporate management bark out “Our company will continue to grow through acquisitions.” Why?

Acquisitions give rapid growth and provide synergy (increased performance, decreased costs = best of all worlds). Acquisitions also enable a company to eliminate or dominate its competition. Sure, it comes with risks, but to win, you need those risks.

Do it organically is the opposite: progressing naturally. Hoping that over time (long periods of time), a career just progresses…naturally. Uh, good luck with that.

Are you advancing your career organically? Letting time pass, year over year, shooting for annual reviews with “Exceeds Objectives,” hoping for that 3% salary raise (in good times)?

Back to You and Your “Acquisition”

Or are you prepared to take an aggressive path, through career acquisitions of expat experience?

Look at the benefits when you “acquire” some expat experience:

The Straight Up List of Expat Employee Qualities

As I mentioned in a prior post, when you work abroad, you become a more valued asset. Let me expand on that.
You are instantly more desirable from several angles and added qualities:

The list goes on and on… Yes, management sees international experience as a major plus indeed. For a senior management position, international experience is a door-opener by itself.

Of course, these desirable, international qualities work both ways: not just when you return, but when you first acquire your overseas job.

Returning from an international experience will bring you a higher salary, more senior position and higher sense of trust from your seniors.

Advancing your career also provides diversification and sharpens your focus. By the way, those are 2 more reasons often quoted for mergers and acquisitions.

Just imagine starting your elevator speech (you do have one, right?) with “The experience I gained in London showed me…”

Bottom line: Companies often advance via acquisitions…isn’t it time you took a similar path?

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How I Became Location Independent

You asked me about my being “location independent?”
Maybe you’re there or almost there, or …wanting to be almost there?
Location independence means how to leave a cubicle job.

You have an opportunity: Build your own empire. That’s key to location independence, complete with hand-holding for one year.

Chris Guillebeau’s Empire Building Kit

Being location independent means freedom. Freedom from the cubicle.  It means freedom from the same keycard access, turnstile, non-windowed office, non-office.

That’s freedom to earn as you want and then have the time to do what’s most important to you…maybe spend more time with your kids, take long vacations or travel. Or all the above.

Chris Guillebeau launched the Empire Building Kit first in April 2010.  I had followed him for a few years already before that, so I was sold on this Kit before it launched.  I was one of the earliest adopters and I can proudly say it’s done wonders for me.  I’m more motivated and held more accountable.

Bit More About Chris Guillebeau

A bit about Chris (longer story here): he made a name for himself by announcing he intends to visit every country of the world and blogs about it. For that, Chris is well on target. I believe he’s hit over 130 so far. He doesn’t stay long per country, which would be more my style, but if your goal is quantity over time – Chris sets the bar darn high!

But he’s not just a super, uber-traveler. He’s a real guy like you & me.
Chris shares plenty of know-how. For example “279 days to Overnight Success” and “Brief Guide to World Domination”

Both are free. Grab them to see what he’s capable of delivering.

Much More About the Empire Building Kit

Chris revealed the Empire Building Kit first in April 2010, a paid-for product ranging in 3 tiers.  I believe the prices.

Even at the lowest tier, it’s a huge collection of case studies of successful entrepreneurs, with video interviews, transcripts and actionable info.
Plus, the 365 messages (daily for a year) from Chris to walk through it all bit by bit. Check out the 3 tiers and what’s offered now.
[quote]

What do I recommend? I would say either the lowest or the middle tier, depending if starting with nothing or have something and want to ramp up to much, much greater. Those two seem the best value. The highest tier offers a behind-the-scenes look at Chris’ own businesses, but your curiosity comes at a price.

In early 2010, the Empire Building Kit was first released and for one day only.
I scooped it up (I bought the middle tier).

Normally, I don’t shell out cash for products “sight-unseen.” But I bought from Chris, a few times before and every time, I never got buyer’s remorse.

Again, as with everything Chris offers, I’m very satisfied with this EBK. Chris’ daily newsletter has a nice ‘babysitter’ for me, reminding me to act & stay focused, even during these busy times.

The Empire Building Kit again for people who are set on becoming location independent.

For full disclosure, I partnered with Chris and his site. So while I brag about Chris’ stuff as a satisfied customer, if you did chose to buy it for yourself, I would get a commission from Chris at no added cost to you.  Because I do sincerely love his stuff, I don’t feel ‘dirty’ sharing my opinions about it, even if I earn while doing so.

p.s.  If I had the chance, I would have bought it earlier and gotten a head-start on starting my own ‘empire.’  Check out the Kit – you’ll see why this guy and the Kit stand head & shoulders above the crowd.

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I am now officially retired from the corporate rat race.
Two months ago, I wrote how I was laid off. As of just Friday, April 30th, I am officially out of work.
How cool is that?

Big Life Changes Explained
A couple days ago, I mentioned big life changes. I even wrote it borderline mysterious: “Even bigger life changes…stay tuned”
Well, time to fess up. Yes, I’m out of work. But the bigger life change is: I’m not looking for work.

I (with my wife’s support) will no longer work for anyone else. I’m freelance. I’m working for myself, on my own terms, according to my own demand. I’m an expat from corporate life.

Did I Make the Right Choice?
You bet your ass.
Last Friday, April 30th, after surrendering the laptop, blackberry and all other stuff that pseudo-defined me as a corporate manager, I walked up to the receptionist. “Take care,” I said as I handed her my access badge.
She said: “Okay, well have a good weekend and a good rest of the life!”
Thanks, I will.
I never want to be in that environment again. And if I did end up doing the cubicle thing again, I know I would be completely miserable. What kept me somewhat content in this past job was working with people whom today I can call friends. Good guys, miserable lifestyle. (And I’m quite certain those guys would agree with me)

My Last Day
I left corporate life around lunch time. That left me several hours of the day to fully absorb the start of a new me, a new life.
I got home, stripped off my shirt, tie and slacks, got into much more comfortable clothes. I figured that wasn’t “transition” enough, so I decided to ceremoniously ditch my black dress shoes for good.
My 4 year old daughter and I walked to our park, across the street from us. On our way to the park, we left my dress shoes near the recyclables containers on the street. That’s where people leave behind old clothes for other folks with more need to pick them up. My dress shoes will no doubt be more enjoyed by anybody other than me.

At the park, my daughter and I had a long talk about how, from now on, I will be more available.
I’ll be more available for playing, more available for helping her, more available to pick her up for school, and so on.
We’re both pretty happy about this.

No Work DOES NOT Mean No Income
I hope no one believes I’m retired, as in never working again. While that would be nice, it’s just not doable. Daddy and family need income. It’s just not going to come from a place where I need an access badge.

How will I help contribute to the family income? I have already been doing piecemeal work for a publisher for …wow, has it been 10 years already? For 10 years now, I accept editing and authoring work on demand. How is this different from regular work? Well, for starters, I’ve never actually met my publisher face to face. It’s great, rewarding work and I do it when it feels right.

Breadwinner/Homemaker Role Reversal
My wife, on the other hand, has chosen the opposite direction – she’s going from full-time homemaker to full-time employee. After four+ years at home, raising now 2 kids, this makes her happy. I’m guessing a lot of stay-at-home moms can understand.

Between some online work and my wife’s future income, we believe we can maintain our standard of living, but both enjoy a much happier living, too.

Location Independent
Becoming location independent is an up and coming lifestyle and one that I think will catch on more. Hell, technology nowadays practically allows you to work wherever and whenever you want.
If you’re guessing I’ll be writing more about this as time goes on, you’re right.

If you’ve ever wanted to become location independent, let me know. I’d like to know what stirs you. I look forward to helping you in any way I can.

What are my next steps? Well, I should update my LinkedIn page and this site’s “About Me” page for starters.

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For almost anyone, the idea of transferring money can be stressful. If you’re like me, you’re triple-checking it “went through” even if transferring money between accounts of the same bank.

But this article is not about accounts in the same bank, nor about banks in the same country. This is about international money transfers.

I’m talking about doing it across the ocean,

when source and/or destination doesn’t speak English,

and you’re not a financial guru anyway. …yup, stressful.

Well, stress no more.

I’ll do this in a couple parts.
In Part I: we go over some words we’d better understand.
In Part II, we’ll go over some principles about foreign exchange, and do some scenarios.
In Part III, we’ll recap, plus set some expectations about fees.

PART I
Disclaimer #1: I am not a bank nor a financial expert. Seek the helpful advice of a relevant professional, like your bank’s customer representative. I can accept no liability for the disappearance of your life’s savings as a result of your following this blog post.
In short, take me with a grain of salt.

Words To Know

SWIFT
The network of banks. Nearly every bank on the world is a part of the SWIFTnet network. And every bank has what’s called a SWIFT code, or BIC. If you see an 11 character code- that’s the BIC.
By the way, SWIFT stands for “Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication.”

BIC
BIC is a code for the bank (It stands for bank identifier code). It’s a unique number for each bank, just like your social security number is unique to you. BIC is also called the SWIFT code. The SWIFT code or BIC is always 8 or 11 characters. A bank’s primary office has 8 characters. If it’s a local branch, the last 3 specify that branch. For example, NatWest in London is NWBKGB2L. Or Kommercni Banka in Prague is KOMBCZPP.
If you need your bank’s BIC code, look on their website or just ask for it.

IBAN
IBAN is a code for 1 bank account (it stands for International Bank Account Number). Caution: it’s an intimidatingly long string of numbers and letters, starting with a code per country, bank & account.
You must ask for your account’s IBAN number, because it denotes YOUR account.

Bank Transfer
This is what we’re on about, right? To transfer money, you need a IBAN and a BIC. That’s it. Oh, and the money to transfer.

Only so many hours in a workday…tune in til next post when we’ll discuss principles of foreign exchange and cover some scenarios.

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To Wait or Not to Wait - that is our question

Every night, the wife and I read a couple bedtime stories to our young kids. One of my daughter’s favorites is Dr Seuss’s Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

We both recommend it highly. If you don’t have it – get it now..

The story speaks to “you,” a young boy. He learns all about life’s potential greatness as well as its dangers and difficulties.

I read it again recently and one part keeps popping in my head. The story warns the boy about getting lost in life’s “rat race.” Not taking action, but instead just …waiting.

Dr. Seuss’ words about waiting

The Waiting Place…
…for people just waiting.

Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.

Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a sting of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.

Everyone is just waiting.

Clearly to Dr. Seuss, waiting is not a good thing. (& I agree)

Enter Franz Kafka. As a writer, he’s one of the all-time greats. As a boy born in Prague in a German Jewish family, Kafka struggled with identity. A minority of a minority. He didn’t accept it well. It was tough times for Franz and his writing shows it. His dark writing style was usually about “senseless, disorienting, often menacing complexity.” (sources)

What’s Kafka say about waiting?

Kafka’s words about Waiting

You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet, still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.

In a Nutshell…
There you have it.
Seuss says: waiting = bad
Kafka says: waiting = good

Why do I mention this? Because it mirrors a tough decision for us these days. I said in a past post, we know our future lies between two cities: New York City, USA and Halifax, Canada.
In one city, we have a chance of a grand opportunity. An exciting chance in an exciting city. But it’s not for certain. Instead we must wait. Out of our control, we wait. Kafka says it’s all fine, …”it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.”
In the other city, we also have uncertainty but the choice is completely in our control. We take that choice and wake up believing whatever we want to believe.

What are your thoughts?

Anyway, this is what’s weighing heavily on our minds today and the past few weeks.

Thanks for reading,
-Jeff

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