History Lessons

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Your April issue of International Living magazine is now online...subscribe now to get instant access.

We all know that history doesn’t literally repeat itself, but for whatever reason, people do seem to make the same mistakes over and over…often in the face of clear historical examples indicating their behavior is doomed to failure.

Bill Bonner has been watching such behavior with a keen and caustic eye ever since he founded International Living nearly 30 years ago. In fact, he created International Living specifically to correct a mistake that many of us make over and over. For some reason, we keep assuming that our lives will get better if we just keep doing what we’ve always done, where we’ve always done it. We keep passing up chances for fun, adventure, and profit.

Bill has made a career out of pulling well-worn assumptions off their pedestals and shaking people out of their mass-media-induced ruts. That’s why it’s such a pleasure to welcome him back to the pages of International Living magazine this month.

Among other things, Bill suggests in his article that now is the time to buy Japan. This is typical Bill Bonner…the Japanese won’t touch the Japanese stock market, and to Bill that means the timing should be just about right.

Another guy who has jumped clear of his ruts is Mike Cobb. Mike is an entrepreneur and developer who almost single-handedly put Nicaragua on the map as a major development destination with his Gran Pacifica project. He has irons in a lot of other fires as well, as you’ll learn from his profile in this month’s issue.

Lee Harrison has nearly worn a rut for himself by staying off the beaten path. Our man in South America is currently breaking new ground exploring inland Uruguay for an upcoming series of reports, but in his column this month, he challenges us to think about something most of us would consider mainstream: gated communities. When does it make sense to live inside the walls? Lee tells you in this month’s issue.

And, of course, all our regular contributors (including Steenie Harvey, Paul Terhorst, and Suzan Haskins) are on board as well.

If history teaches us anything, it’s that we never run out of opportunities to learn about and to try new things. Some of us may run out of the will or energy to do so…to dream the dream…but that’s a condition from which most International Living readers don’t suffer. We’ll provide a full complement of dream fodder in this issue, and with Bill Bonner once again gracing our pages, you’ll have more contrarian challenges to your assumptions and more global opportunities to think about than ever before.

Dan Prescher
Publisher, International Living

Editor’s note: Every month, International Living magazine has new and exciting opportunities to invest or move overseas. Our team of far-flung writers is constantly on the lookout for affordable real estate in the most beautiful locations. We'll tell you how to get the best deals every time you travel, how to file your taxes and set up an offshore bank account while living abroad, and give you excellent tips on how to set up a business overseas with minimal effort. If you are not yet a subscriber, you can sign up today and get instant access to the April issue.