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In the United States, from the ripe old age of 18, you begin to sell your future out to student loan debt. It continues throughout your life with mortgages, car loans, credit cards, etc. One day you realize your are not happy. You might look the part, but you sure do not feel it. You cannot afford to retire with dignity, you cannot afford to send the kids to college, and you realize the mistakes of your past are now due and payable. There is a better way though - I guess that is why you are here. Read our Philosophy and our Articles to learn how to break free of your shackles.
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In this episode, we review the results of one of the early pioneers of the FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) movement, and his journey from early retirement at the age of 34 in 2012 through to back to work to put his kids through college 10 years later. This is from an article in Fortune Magazine.
On March 15th, 2023, the world changed forever. The release of GPT4 expanded the capability of AI to the point where a software bot could pass the bar exam and get a law degree, could get a degree in Biology at university, could understand images & sound as well as text, and even exhibited signs of AGI – Artificial General Intelligence, where it became self-aware. Let’s talk about how this will change all of our lives and what opportunities present.
If you currently or wish to embrace the idea of doing the polar opposite of everyone else, you will be ridiculed, ostracized and even in some cases made an outcast of the social norms. Dealing with this can be the biggest challenge of anyone seeking extraordinary results in life. In this episode we will talk about the psychology of being a contrarian and how to maintain and thrive in an alternative world.
As I record this, the news headlines are about failing banks and managing inflation. Generally those that feed us with the information about what is happening in the world are negligent at telling the true story about risks & rewards. In this episode I want to bring some sanity to the discussion and challenge much of the fear mongering with a reality check – there is no progress without risk.
For about a year now, we’ve had a thing we offer for free to people called our Matrix Server. Other than just a quick announcement about it, I have not gone into details on the why and how of this, but more the importance of having a decentralized and uncensored means of our community communicating. That’s all about to change now. Let’s talk about it.
We are entering a world where you are a data point and they are creating a ruleset in which you must live. AI puts the human flaws of dominance and fear on steroids, and oversight will be years behind implementation. The warning of Orwell’s Big Brother have not been taken seriously, so now what do you do? In this episode, we’ll explore the current state of AI and where this is going, and why it is probably the greatest threat to anyone questing to be unconstrained.
Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad Poor Dad stated, ‘ Your house is not an asset. Rather it is a liability.’ Whereas I agree with this statement, as a contrarian I have to see this more of a challenge rather than statement of fact. In this episode I want to explore how you can make your home an asset rather than a liability.
I am recording this episode at a time when the banking stocks are crashing, people panicking that their deposits may be gone without their control, inflation continues to reveal its truth and there seems to be no upside in the economy today. Why? It is because EVERYTHING is a Ponzi scheme.
It is no secret that the western world is going through economic hard times right now. It might not feel that way if you look at the stock markets, but the average family is dealing with company lay-offs and wage reductions, while costs are souring due to economic mismanagement by central planners. As a result, the average person has to find a way to do more with less. But few are well trained in this, and most will make what can often be considered fatal mistakes in how they attempt to remedy this situation.
On January 25th 2023, the world of smart income took a big hit in the form of the Biden Administration’s ‘Blueprint for a Renters Bill of Rights’. This bill, which would likely be an executive order by the president, attempts to address the rental housing affordability crisis as they would see it, reduce homelessness and other progressive ideals. But the unintended consequences of such a bill would destroy freedom, reduce housing affordability, penalize independent rental property ownership , eliminate the biggest part of smart income for financial sustainability, and constrain all of us to the world of predictable worker slaves until the day we die.
Today I want to talk to you about the extreme danger of having a job. Or even thinking that Jobs are a good thing. Because it seems that the wizards of hypnosis and social manipulation - the governments and bankers - are at it again, lying and championing their success based on jobs. So ask yourself this - if you had the perfect life, would it include the crappy job you are forced to spend 75% of your waking life going to each day?
In the world of computer software, we design code based on what we call ‘tight’ or ‘loose’ coupling. Tightly coupled systems make assumptions about what they connect to – that they are stable and predictable. Loosely coupled systems better account for flexibility and change. However when I look at the world today, I see the 21st century is the result of humans building ONLY tightly coupled systems. In this episode, I’m going to deep dive what this means and why it leads to this boom & bust world that we are all being subjected to.
On a recent trip to Las Vegas, a friend of mine & I commented on the state of tipping. As someone who came from a country where tipping is not customary or expected, it was a culture shock to an immigrant in the USA. However there are pros & cons for tipping, so in this episode I want to deep dive the culture of tipping and how to protect yourself from vultures, yet incentivize the individual.
I do a lot of traveling, and with at least one international flight per month and peppering in the odd domestic route, there’s a lot I’ve learned with decades of international travel experience. In this episode, I’m going to give you my current tips & tricks to make your traveling super cheap or free in 2023.
The press loves to have a field day when some service we rely on gets hacked. In this episode, I’m going to tell you how to have a smaller attack footprint – that is how to not be a target in this digital world, how we got to this point and what we can do going forward.
For as long as I have been alive, technology has shaped our world. In fact, it created my wealth since I bought the first commercially available personal computer in 1977 – I turned it into a career. But after over 40 years of being a part of that world, there’s something going on in the road forward now that is unusual, scary and you need to know about this if you intend to be a part of that industry, or someone that is punting on massive returns in that sector.
In this episode, I’m going to take you on a little journey with me – an experiment that I’ve just undertaken successfully, to spend NO money in 10 days. All during the most spend-heavy time of the year – the December Christmas period. Why? Because I wanted to prove just how insane society in the USA has gotten regarding consumption and why this will ultimately lead to a horrible ending.
The biggest misconception that most people chasing financial independence is that it is all about investing. They do everything to save as much money and invest it. Yet 90% of those doing this are not experts in investing. They just put the money in the hands of counterparties to invest for them and hope & pray. Then get back to earning money to put more money in those investments. In this episode we are going to explain the weaknesses in this approach and why it won’t help you unless you know what you are doing.
Rather than the typical predictions of 2023, or new years resolutions, I've recorded this podcast to talk about action. What I'm doing in 2023, and why. Enjoy.
Tis the season to be grabbing all those last minute tax saving deductions you can, and in this episode that's what we are talking about. So buckle in and take some notes, because you don't have much time left.
There are dozens of advocates on the Internet, YouTube, Podcasts, etc. that tell you to get second or third residencies, multiple passports, etc. But few will ever disclose the level of effort to maintain these things. In this episode, I’m going to tell you my own challenges with these things over time, and what is required as a US person to be compliant and yet have the freedom of movement to be unconstrained.
I came to a realization recently that most of the reasons you are broke, hopeless, and can’t get out of the rut we find ourselves in, is because we make decisions based on the spirit of something, but then we come face to face with the reality of implementation. So let’s talk about that.
I haven't done an episode on Health insurance and healthcare for a while, but realized that with more indepth knowledge and information on Mexico options - not just for surgeries but general and emergency healthcare, I need to update what I'm doing with my health strategies, why and how you might also be able to benefit with this knowledge.
In this episode, I will make some predictions for the short and medium term future and how we got to this place, and where the unconstrained can go to avoid losing their power and sovereignty for the future.
It has been a while since I did a show on Mexican immigration, but so much has changed, which I have personally been affected by. So on this episode, I'm joined with my friend Ernie Baca to talk about what has changed in regards to Mexican immigration, changes in financial solvency requirements, getting appointments, the airports, etc.
I’ve always been an advocate of making sure your physiological needs are in your control. But we live in a world where housing has become a reality TV show, rather than something that is critical to our survival. In this final episode of the series, ‘You will own nothing and be happy’ we are going to talk about shelter and where you live.
The world is rapidly shifting away from currency towards electronic payments. In fact, in some countries they have basically outlawed the very legal tender they were previously issuing. In this episode we discuss why this is all happening, and why – when it comes to money – You’ll own none and be happy, according to your central planners
In our ongoing series of "You'll own nothing & be happy", this one is about technology. The truth that the industry probably doesn't want you to know about, and how you can reclaim your power and have it all for free.
The concept of ownership and property rights has been a core part of our history, our laws and our freedom. Most people believe they have the right to own title to things and protect those things – our homes, our businesses, our financial assets, etc. But we are moving towards a world of ‘You own nothing and be happy’ and this is being pushed upon us both aggressively through the WEF, but also covertly through the idea of the subscription model. In this episode, we are going to unveil the pure evil of this movement and what you can do to fight back and regain your control.
It is with great sadness that I have to report the passing of my good friend and colleague, Gary Collins. Gary hosted the Simple Life Podcast, and was a best selling author, speaker, podcaster, with a message of how to life a Simple Life for all of us. Gary's legacy shall remain, and we shall be true to it here at beUnconstrained.com. RIP my friend.
We're doing something a bit special today. I'm releasing today's episode of This Week in Freedom, a podcast only normally available to my Patreon supporters, to the general public, and on the RSS Feed for The Unconstrained Podcast. Check it out here:
Mikkel Thorup of the Expat Money Show interviewed me in detail about my story, financial sustainability, how it works for expats and how to live free and unconstrained. This is one of the best 1 hour summaries of what I teach, my back story and why I've come to these conclusions and how you can take advantages of my wins in life, and (hopefully) avoid the failures.
Myles Wakeham appearance on NTD News (TV) on October 22nd 2021, discussing the impact on Bitcoin due to Walmart trialing the installation of a number of Coinstar machines that will convert coins to BTC in their stores. Check it out.
Myles was invited to be a guest on the legendary Ben Stein's show, "The World According to Ben Stein", with Ben, Judah Friedman and Gary Collins. Check it out on Rumble (link provided in the description).
The announcement came on ‘Earth day’ in April, that the Biden administration will make good on their campaign promise of increasing taxes on rich people. I’ve done complete podcast episodes on his proposed fiscal policy when President Biden was running for office, and it is bittersweet that I write this article within 1 week of releasing a podcast episode entitled ‘Don’t be rich’. Well it seems that the day has come and soon we will know the full details of the capital gains tax hike. Let’s talk about what this means for the unconstrained and those seeking financial sustainability.
Myles sits down in studio with the famous Lynette Zang, Chief Market Analyst at ITM Trading, to talk about being a contrarian, why doing the opposite of everyone else gives the best results, gold, bitcoin, etc.
Myles is interviewed on Luke Menkes' "New Town, Big Dreams" podcast in Canada this week. You can hear/download the interview here. This 1 hour interview covered topics unexpected, COVID, Myles' journey, the lessons learned and the fails along the way. Enjoy!
In late 2020, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Derek Phifer, located in Spain, and having a talk about life, the universe & everything. Derek's story about moving from the USA to Spain to find opportunities is great, and the perfect compliment to my own tales of traversing the globe in search of opportunities.
If you are looking for a quick overview to beUnconstrained and why we do what we do, this is a great one. This interview was done on February 16th 2021, with Myles Wakeham on the Work-Life YouTube channel and is a must see. Myles questions why people work in the first place, how most of society is following a path that will end badly and what you can do about it.
While politicians have had a field day talking up a good game on the campaign trail, now that things should be back to business again, how about we start to empower people to take control of their bodies and their health again? In this article I deep dive why the elephant in the room of high medical costs in the USA isn’t healthy for anyone.
I wanted to single out two schools of thought when it comes to money. Those that pursue being rich, and those that pursue being financially sustainable. Both share the same goal of being financially free, but often the road to get there is very different. In this article I want to discuss these two strategies, and let you decide what path is best for you.
I’m sure, by now, you are over 2020. Between COVID, Climate Change and now the weirdest presidential election I’ve ever seen in my live, I think most of us just want to brush aside 2020 and move on to better days. We cry out for stability and that we can start to see things clearly, but so many obstacles stand in our way. In this article I’m going to give you some basic ideas on how to find stability for your investments in this highly chaotic world we find ourselves in, so that you can see things a bit clearer than everyone else.
I recently responded to a posting that someone made who had an unexpected work related injury, found themselves without work and relying on workers compensation insurance payments to survive. I realized that this unexpected disruption to income is not dissimilar to those who have lost income or a job due to COVID19. I want to do a quick debrief with you in this article, and look for what we did right and what we could all do better in case of an adverse event.
The Internet giveth and the Internet taketh away. If you have been enjoying big salaries at your middle class or tech job, might be time to consider cashing in your chips. The remote worker revolution might not be your friend after all. Consider this a warning.
The growing levels of riots, looting, violence on the streets, etc. have never been more intense today than at any time over the past 30 years that I’ve lived in the USA. My first experiences of it started in about 1992 during the Los Angeles Riots in which an onlooker video taped the beating of Rodney King, causing the city to turn to violence. But that was nothing compared to the constant barrage of violence since then all over the USA. I want to talk about what I think is really driving this, and why this isn’t going to stop any time soon.
To quote a prominent psychologist, Dr. Bruce Lipton: "Yes, we’ve been programmed. The vast majority of programs are negative and dis-empowering. So yes, the vast majority of people on this planet are having that negative experience as well. So the next most important thing now is to recognize, “Well, if I’m not getting what I want is because the universe is not giving it to me?” and the answer is almost inevitably “No”, it’s because of your own program that’s invisible, operating 95% of the day, is keeping it away from you!"
Yes, it’s a blatant quote of Barbara Streisand, but the reality is that in a world where the rich get richer, the big get bigger and the small are trampled, how does someone who is trying to just get by, not create any ripples and be financially sustainable survive?
There are two types of people who try to make money - investors & speculators. Investors are looking at fundamentals, long term positioning, etc. Speculators are looking to make quick bucks on fast trading. How does Bitcoin fit into this?
Looking at the equity markets, it seems that we have reached the new age of the Nasdaq dominating the markets. Whereas regular, traditional stocks are seeing a decline in value as they are reacting more normally to the recessionary economy, the tech stocks are offsetting that with stellar earnings. What will the markets look like in 5 years time?
There are a bunch of reasons why FIRE isn’t going to work in 2020, whether you are looking to start the journey, or if you are on or through it. This article gives you the details of why it won't work, and what you can do to pivot and make regaining control of your future something that is within your grasp today.
If you are one of the 78% of people living pay check to pay check, you’ve been lied to. By your parents, your government, your friends, your teachers and your banks. I’m going to give you some tough love and some hope if you want to change things, because it CAN be changed.
The guy trying to swindle you on the side of the road in Las Vegas with his ball & cup trick is your government. While they are trying to tell you that up is down, right is left, etc. you should realize that the statistics that we have been hypnotized to focus on - particularly employment numbers, are relevant only to a bygone age and do nothing to help you live a rich & meaningful life today. This is the time you should break free of employment and become unconstrained.
I was watching TV this morning and on Bloomberg they were showing the price of a barrel of Brent Oil at $32. About 3 months prior I had a chat with a friend of mine when oil was basically $10 a barrel, saying that this can’t last and the world has to keep the lights on, so oil will go back up. We tripled our money on the bleeding obvious. But why is it that others didn’t see this, yet lost their jobs, lost money in the stock market, etc?
I just received the $1,200 stimulus check from the US government. This is the most stupid pandering effort I’ve ever seen. But guess what... That check paid for exactly what my monthly health insurance premium was, so basically... poof! It’s gone. Meanwhile most of the western world offer health care for free, so how is this actually helping?
In this video interview, Myles Wakeham sits down with the legendary Andreas M. Antonopoulos, the guy who literally wrote the book on Bitcoin, to talk about how the banksters have taken our freedom from us an what we can all do about it.
I get a lot of flack for not showing undying love for the US stock market. The truth is that I see it more of a casino than a true market. In this article I’m going break down my reasons for my disdain at equities and why they don’t represent at all the health of the economy.
All this shall pass. Eventually this virus will become either part of our subconcious lives or a cure or vaccine will be unleashed onto the world. The 12 months or so of time will pass quickly before we are out of the woods, but what will day to day life really look like in Q3,Q4 of 2020 and beyond?
Myles is a guest on today's Q&A show of "Rethinking the Dollar" and covers how to survive and thrive in the current and coming depression by using financial sustainability & SMART Income.
The economic and COVID19 pandemic that has hit the USA has affected small businesses greater than most, as they have fewer means to combat shutdowns. Layoffs and furloughs have turned over 16 million to unemployment. Meanwhile the SMB owners thought they were going to get some govt assistance. Think again.
Business as we know it is disrupted, but not in a good way. The human natural need for socialization is being threatened as we are told to shelter in place, and the biggest immediate impact is our ability to transact. Electronic forms of transactions are strong and remain, but human to human interaction is minimized. Who is most at risk here, and how do you reduce the risk factor?
When things look pretty bad, everything is burning up around you and you are looking at the smoldering ashes of something that once was valued and pristine, chin up. It isn’t that bad. And maybe it is needed - in a good way...
The last few weeks have been living hell if you are vested in the DJIA. For those of us who chose to distance ourselves from stocks & counter party risk, we’re doing fine. But those that didn’t, came face to face with the fact that on a planet with finite resources, betting on infinite growth doesn’t end well.
If you are awake for 16 hours a day, and at least 8 of those hours, 5 days a week, are devoted to serving your boss, then you have given up a minimum of 35% of your life to your employer. More than likely it is closer to 50%. How can you look yourself in the mirror with pride doing that? Or be present for your kids or your spouse? Who's really more important here?
According to a 2016 study by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College on the Mortality Effects of Retirement, it is clear that “There may be an increase in mortality risks when people stop work.” This mirrors my own experience with Retirement and underscores the importance of removing the word Retirement from our vocabulary.
When I was 32, I retired. It didn’t end well. This is my retirement story. Take from it what you can. Life isn't experienced in some cubicle somewhere, but the majority of people I talk to who are embracing FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) don't really understand what life looks like on the other side of the retirement line and why they might want to rethink their goals.
I have had my surgery in Mexico. For anyone that wants an honest accounting of the process and costs, I have laid it all out in detail here. I cover the emotional doubts, fear of surgery in a foreign land, financial truth and the outcome. You be the judge of whether this is right for you. For me, it was. Spoiler Alert: It cost me less than 1/10th of the US Price.
It can be a frightening thing - choosing to go to a foreign country to get major surgery. The vast majority of us find that a bridge too far to cross. I took the leap of faith, and I have begun the journey. This article (and hopefully the one that will follow it after my surgery is completed) will give a totally fact based account of the experience so you can see if something like this makes sense for you.
Given the choice of going to school or surfing, if you live near the ocean it is a pretty easy one to make. But has anyone ever told you that surfing is really the best education you can have?
We should all take the best care of our teeth. But in the USA, costs are outrageous. Insurance doesn't cover most dental procedures and patients are often presented with $10K+ bills for basic dental work. If they realized there was a better option right on their doorstep, this could all be avoided. Welcome to medical tourism, and the border town of Los Algodones, Mexico.
In previous articles, I have stated that the concept of FI (Financial Independence) is flawed. Although the pursuit of it is admirable, the fact is that few FI followers have been able to do this through bear markets. Consequently putting yourself on that path has some dangers. I prefer to concept of "financial sustainability" and this article gives you tangible steps to take to achieve that.
There is a lot of interest in the FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) movement, but I am skeptical of whether those that achieve FI during a bull market have what it takes to make it through a bear market...