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Gringos in Paradise: An American Couple Builds Their Retirement Dream House in a Seaside Village in Mexico

admin — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 23:58:12 +0000

A Year in Provence meets Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House in this lively and entertaining account of a couple's year building their dream house in Mexico.

In 2004, Barry Golson wrote an award-winning article for AARP magazine about Mexican hot spots for retirees longing for a lifestyle they couldn't afford in the United States. A year later, he and his wife Thia were taking part in the growing trend of retiring abroad. They sold their Manhattan apartment, packed up their SUV, and moved to one of those idyllic hot spots, the surfing and fishing village of Sayulita on Mexico's Pacific coast.

With humor and charm, Golson details the year he and his wife spent settling into their new life and planning and building their dream home. Sayulita -- population 1,500, not including stray dogs or pelicans -- is a never-dull mixture of traditional Mexican customs and new, gringo-influenced change. Before long, the Golsons had been absorbed into the rhythms and routines of village life: they adopted a pair of iguanas named Iggy Pop and Iggy Mom, got sick and got cured by a doctor who charged them sixteen dollars a visit, made lasting friends with Mexicans and fellow expatriates, and discovered the skill and artistry of local craftsmen.

But their daily lives were mostly dedicated to the difficult yet satisfying process of building their house. It took them almost six months to begin building -- nothing is simple (or speedy) in Mexico -- and incredibly, they completed construction in another six. They engaged a Mexican architect, builder, and landscape designer who not only built their home but also changed their lives; encountered uproariously odd bureaucracy; and ultimately experienced a lifetime's worth of education about the challenges and advantages of living in Mexico.

The Golsons lived (and are still living) the dream of many -- not only of going off to a tropical paradise but also of building something beautiful, becoming a part of a new world, making lasting friends, and transforming their lives. As much about family and friendship as about house-building, Gringos in Paradise is an immensely readable and illuminating book about finding a personal paradise and making it a home.

The House of Rothschild: Volume 2: The World’s Banker: 1849-1999

admin — Mon, 27 May 2013 18:20:31 +0000

Continuing the sweeping narrative that he began with The House of Rothschild: Money's Prophets, 1798-1848, Oxford University historian Niall Ferguson conjures up a world in which widespread change and utter uncertainty held sway in the place of carefully ordered dynasties and universally observed mores. In the aftermath of the Napoleonic revolution, European Jews had been able to move within dominant societies somewhat more freely. Of no family was this more true than the Rothschilds, whose branches lived in Germany, France, Austria, and England, and whose vast financial empire enabled them to act as diplomats and power brokers throughout the world. Their influence was enormous. When Spain wanted to build a railroad, its ministers approached the House of Rothschild. When the Confederate States of America sought to be recognized by the states of Europe, it sought--unsuccessfully--the Rothschilds' support. When Ferdinand de Lesseps broke ground for the Panama Canal and Cecil Rhodes broke ground for his vast diamond and gold mines in South Africa, Rothschild funds backed them.

Until the 1920s, Ferguson demonstrates, there was almost no economic, technological, or political development in Europe in which the House of Rothschild did not play some role. The rise of nationalist and national socialist movements and of official anti-Semitism, coupled with the rise in the Jazz Age of a new generation of Rothschilds that cared more for the good life than for the hard work of maintaining their holdings, led to a substantial decline in the family's authority and wealth. But even today, as Ferguson writes in this richly detailed but eminently readable history, the Rothschilds figure in European finance, continuing a legacy that Ferguson's two volumes trace from the Middle Ages to the new millennium. --Gregory McNamee

Real Estate Investing: How to Flip a House as a Real Estate Investor

admin — Sun, 26 May 2013 09:48:31 +0000

"Real Estate Investing: How to Flip a House as a Real Estate Investor" teaches those interested in investing in real estate how to get started wholesaling houses for quick cash profits. Topics covered include Investor Objectives, Building Your Team, Finding Wholesale Buyers, Finding Motivated Sellers, Finding Wholesale Properties, Deal Analysis, Negotiating With Sellers and Buyers, Making Offers, Contract Clauses, Marketing Your Deals, and Closings and Getting Paid. If you want to flip a house or see yourself flipping properties for a living, this ebook will teach you the basics of how to wholesale a house, also known as flipping houses. For the price it's a no-brainer, get it today and get started.

A BiggerPockets Guide: How to Rent Your House

admin — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:22:15 +0000

Described as "hands down, the best freaking article on renting your home, period," this short, easy-to-read guide from BiggerPockets.com - The Premier Online Social Network for Real Estate Investors - is packed full of actionable tips gained from years of real estate investing trial-and-error. The techniques shared within this guide will walk you through the entire process, step-by-step, to get your home rented with the least amount of stress possible.

From "the five initial questions you must ask yourself before getting started" to the final handing off of the keys, this guide is the definitive guide for any landlord. No matter what your background, this guide from BiggerPockets.com will help you gain the knowledge needed to successfully rent your property out to quality tenants who pay on time, won't trash the home, and will help you build your wealth.

How to Buy a House When You’re Cash Poor: You Can Afford the Home of Your Dreams

admin — Thu, 16 May 2013 08:38:11 +0000

House Of Rothschild Moneys Prophets 1798 To 1848

admin — Fri, 10 May 2013 01:59:25 +0000

Founded in the late 18th century by expatriate German Jews, the London-based House of Rothschild was within decades the largest banking enterprise in the world. Its principals controlled a vast portion of the industrial world's wealth--more so, Oxford historian Niall Ferguson writes, than any family has since--and as a result enjoyed tremendous political influence in the major capitals of Europe, counting as allies such important figures as Metternich and Wellington. That influence would provoke countless anti-Semitic tracts fulminating against Jewish usury and against the power of "Eastern potentates" in the empires of England and France. Although the Rothschilds were well aware of their power and not reluctant to use it, they operated fairly, Ferguson notes. For example, whereas lending rates in the textile industry, in which the Rothschilds got their start, were often 20 percent, the fledgling house charged 5 to 9 percent. Through shrewd, complex negotiations they helped promote peace and the beginnings of economic union throughout Europe.

Ferguson's sprawling history covers much ground and involves a cast of hundreds of players. At the outset he notes that his book was commissioned by the modern descendants of the House of Rothschild; even so, he approaches his task with careful balance and a critical eye, pointing out the Rothschilds' failings as well as successes. The result is a fine, solid contribution to economic history, one that, unlike so many books in the field, is eminently readable. --Gregory McNamee

Getting Your House in Order: For People with Homeowners Insurance

admin — Sat, 04 May 2013 21:24:07 +0000

The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance

admin — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:04:47 +0000