Travel

Crossing the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan Border

I was given a four-day transit visa by Turkmenistan immigration so I had to leave on time or risk deportation (probably, maybe).After my overnight stay in the Darvaza Gas Crater, fittingly dubbed the Door to Hell by people for its creepy but romantic (a combination that doesn’t work for people) ambience at night then a mid-morning stroll looking at the ruins of Konye-Urgench, I opted to cross the border to Uzbekistan from Konye-Urgench instead of from Dashoguz. I was worried that I won’t have enough time to get out of Turkmenistan if I travel from Konye-Urgench to Dashoguz, which Sergey

October 3, 2019 No Comments

Financial Hacks

3 Pag-IBIG MP2 Hacks For Advanced Investors

I think most of us would agree that Pag-IBIG MP2 is a great investment. It is one of the most popular investment instruments for both OFWs and workers based in the Philippines. Its popularity is due to the fact that Pag-IBIG MP2 is guaranteed by the Philippine government and has a higher dividend rate compared to other safe investments like time deposits, retail treasury bonds, and money market funds The MP2 is a boon to Filipinos who want their money to grow but are afraid to put their money in other, riskier investments. If you’re one of these people, this

September 27, 2019 52 Comments

Travel

The Beautiful Ruins of Konye-Urgench

After saying goodbye to the Darvaza Gas Crater, we took off for a short tour of Konye-Urgench before I cross the border to Uzbekistan. We left at 9 a.m. since Konye-Urgench is 270 kilometers away, or around 3 and a half hours of driving. I really debated with myself whether or not I will visit Konye-Urgench. My next destination after exiting Turkmenistan was the former slave trading town of Khiva, now in Uzbekistan. The nearest border exit going to Khiva is through Dashoguz, around 2 hours away from Konye-Urgench, and it was reportedly easier to get a cab to Khiva

September 24, 2019 No Comments

Book Review

Review: Quit Like A Millionaire by Kristy Shen and Bryce Leung

As a personal finance education enthusiast, I love finding new PF literature that gives me new ideas. In the more than 15 years of consuming personal finance books and blogs, I’ve come to notice that many inevitably explore more or less the same ideas, with the best ones giving you a new a take on old wisdom and the bad ones being just basically bad rewording of personal finance classics. So it’s always such a surprise when I encounter works that combine existing knowledge with a different perspective while giving new and original ideas that make you think. That’s why

September 20, 2019 1 Comment

Travel

Overnight Tour of Darvaza Gas Crater

This post was first published in 2017 in my old travel blog, Erudite Traveller.During the height of the Cold War in the 70s, a team of Soviet geologists looking for oil fields excavated a likely spot in Derweza village in the Karakum desert. Unfortunately, the site they chose was on top of a cavernous pocket of natural gas that was unable to hold all their equipment. This pocket collapsed and emitted poisonous methane gas, killing animals in the vicinity. Those in charge decided to light a flame on top to use up the emitted methane gas, expecting it to flare

September 19, 2019 No Comments

FIRE

FIRE-ing in Developing Countries: Does the 4% Safe Withdrawal Rate Apply To Us?

For the past few days, I’ve been trying to write a post about challenges in achieving FIRE (financial independence, retire early), comparing the situation of those who live in developing countries versus the experiences of people who live in developed, Western countries. It seems obvious that our experiences in developing countries will be different from the experiences of people in the West but I want to still write these challenges down to serve as food for thought for people like me who are on this FIRE journey, as well as to start a discussion. This is not that post. Although

September 18, 2019 4 Comments

Akhal Teke riding experience in turkmenistan

Travel

Riding an Akhal Teke Horse in Turkmenistan

This article was first published in my travel blog, Erudite Traveller, in 2017. While doing my research for the Turkmenistan leg of my Silk Road trip, I stumbled upon the existence of the Akhal Teke horse. The Akhal Teke – also called Golden Horses and Celestial Horses – belong to the world’s most ancient existing horse breed. For 3,000 years the Teke tribe living in Turkmenistan’s Akhal region selectively bred these horses, keeping the horses’ ancestry by oral tradition. Sun touching the Akhal Teke’s coat. Image from Wikipedia taken by a much better photographer than me. Akhal Teke horses are

September 10, 2019 No Comments

TAXATION ON US STOCK INVESTMENTS OF NON-RESIDENT ALIENS

Cross Border Investment

Taxation on US Stocks of Non-Resident Aliens

A few months ago, I opened a TD Ameritrade account to invest in US index funds because I believe this would help me achieve my financial goals faster. I have my been buying Vanguard ETFs regularly since and plan to hold these investments for a long time. I’m also glad to say that my TD Ameritrade post received a lot of feedback from my readers and some of you were able to successfully open accounts while some were not due to restrictions set by the government of your country of residence. After sharing with you how to open an online

September 6, 2019 12 Comments

OFW

How to Build a Strong Financial Foundation as an OFW

Congratulations! You just got confirmation that your contract has been finalized and you will now get to work overseas! After months, even years of job search and interviewing, not to mention researching and planning, you finally got an offer lucrative enough to entice you to leave the Philippines for greener pastures. Your and your family’s minds are now filled with visions of a better life. The future looks so much brighter. Somehow, the sun is so much sunnier. You are full of optimism and magnanimity, saying yes to a parent’s request for new home appliances and agreeing to finance your

September 2, 2019 4 Comments

Travel

A Stopover in the Parthian Citadel in Old Nisa

About 30 minutes away from Ashgabat is the ancient Parthian citadel in Old Nisa dating back to 250 BCE at the time of Arsaces I, founder of the empire. A man so manly that all Parthian emperors hence were officially named after him. The root word of his name meant, obviously, manly. The remains of Nisa, called Parthaunisa or Nisae depending on which old historian you read, traverses the modern-day villages of Old and New Nisa, separated by Bagir village. Ancient fortresses and various ruins dating back to the Parthians can still be found reasonably preserved in these two villages.

August 28, 2019 No Comments

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Crossing the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan Border

3 Pag-IBIG MP2 Hacks For Advanced Investors

The Beautiful Ruins of Konye-Urgench

Review: Quit Like A Millionaire by Kristy Shen and Bryce Leung

Overnight Tour of Darvaza Gas Crater

FIRE-ing in Developing Countries: Does the 4% Safe Withdrawal Rate Apply To Us?

Riding an Akhal Teke Horse in Turkmenistan

Taxation on US Stocks of Non-Resident Aliens

How to Build a Strong Financial Foundation as an OFW

A Stopover in the Parthian Citadel in Old Nisa

Katie Scarlett

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