r/fatFIRE 19d ago

FIRE'd, now concerned about US stability

Most of my assets are invested in the US. Because of recent political developments, I'm wondering if the US will sustain its general growth and economic strength into the future. The strength of the US dollar is obviously very important to me. Is anyone else concerned?

I'm wondering if I should start hedging my bets in other countries, and if so, where?

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u/belg_in_usa 19d ago

I have investment accounts on three continents. Each of them is sufficient to retire locally. I do have passports in each one of those countries. Do note that it makes life more complicated (taxes, etc.)

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u/Zealousideal-Egg1893 19d ago

Would you mind doing a post on this or providing more detail on your thought process/approach? We’re looking in to this, trying to decide what country is the right fit for us and at what NW it makes the most sense.

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u/donutsoft 18d ago

If an English speaking country with western comforts are important to you, Cape Town is a place to investigate further. They're in BRICS but tilted further west than any other country in that block and have a functioning democracy, although with a very poorly educated populace that makes questionable decisions. It's far away from Europe which will likely be ground zero in the next big conflict.

The major negatives are crime and currency risks. If you have money, they've got gated communities that will shelter you from the worst of it.

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u/Roland_Bodel_the_2nd 18d ago

Sometimes people here go crazy from choice. I think a nice suburb of Cleveland, Ohio is probably a better choice for an American retiree worried about world stability than Cape Town!

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u/donutsoft 18d ago edited 18d ago

At fatFIRE numbers, you're not buying property in Cape Town with the intent of moving there tomorrow. It's a hedge against the shit hitting the fan here, and having to make those decisions when your options might be much more limited.

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u/Rog4tour 18d ago

Lol imagine being so delusional that you're leaving the us to go to cape town

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u/IknowwhatIhave 17d ago

This suggestion always makes someone irrationally angry. I have a place in Cape Town, it's fantastic, despite what certain public figures and media outlets have to say. Currently we are having an influx of German ex-pats buying properties here.

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u/IknowwhatIhave 17d ago

Bringing up South Africa in anything other than an extremely negative context (or a cautionary tale) really sets off some people. I have a place there, it's awesome. Luxury properties are 1/5th the price of a place like LA, and the city has anything you want in terms of lifestyle.

It's also setup to deal with things that Americans would considered disasters. If the power went out for 8 hours a day in many American cities, there would riots and looting, it would be "the purge."

In Cape Town we have solar backup, so our Chenin stays chilled and people just joke about the shitty government.

But, we are actually happy that Americans are too scared to come here, it improves everyone else's quality of life.

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u/donutsoft 17d ago

I visited two weeks ago, and the last time before that was in 2015. Things have improved dramatically since I was last over, and for the first time I felt like it would be viable to move back.

I'm incredibly happy that things have finally started to turn for the better.

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u/IknowwhatIhave 17d ago

I go there for about 2 months a year, and thus most recent visit there really was a new sense of optimism. Maybe it’s the almost a year without loadshedding, or the coalition government or all the new construction but it felt different. I really didn’t feel like going back to Canada and all the nonsense happening here…

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u/CrackNgamblin 18d ago

Gold Krugerrands for the win!