Ask yourself, why are people so focused on protecting things, when we fail to protect our most valuable asset—ourselves? It’s crazy. We seem to care intensely about stuff, when actually, the most important asset we have, our individual self, is often ignored or put last.
The old saying that, “The shoemaker’s kids go barefoot” couldn’t be truer for most of us. You too, I’m guessing. How have you protected your personal liberty? If you can’t answer this question definitively, then consider yourself fortunate to be reading this article and ready to examine some options for putting a solid Plan B together.
It’s a dangerous world, and it’s becoming even scarier right now. Many people see the incredibly polarized political state of affairs as a harbinger of worse things to come. A right-wing “fascist” state or a left-wing “socialist” state can be, in either case, totalitarian. Left or right, the uncertainty of the future is being questioned like never before. Add in what we saw happen during the COVID pandemic, and the vision of the future has become even more uncertain.
Maybe this is a situation for alarm, and perhaps it is not. But no matter what, we are seeing how easy it is for the governments of the world to close borders, forbid group assemblies, and quarantine individuals. It’s a loud wake-up call to what’s possible—because it’s already happening.
What Do We Do? When Do We Do It?
Let’s start with “when” first. How about right now? While we might like to hope that these gloomy future scenarios are a long way off, they are here, right now, and we can see them. How much warning was there before the riots in Baltimore and Los Angeles? What if “Occupy Wall Street” returns on steroids? Or even a pandemic of the “OMG! We’re All Going to Die” variant with military enforcement of mandates and vaccines.
Do you want to have a Plan B in your pocket? Smart people say, “Yes,” and then do something about it. But once you say, “Yes,” what comes next?
The good news is that there are easy ways to protect assets, including the most precious asset we have. Do you know what it is? Hint: it’s not stuff.
People have long found ways to protect things. Some hold money in banks to store it. Crypto evolved as a powerful way to against the debasement of monetary assets by central governments. Gold and other metals are owned as a hedge and store of value, safety deposit boxes store precious physical assets, and holes in the backyard and self-storage units serve those folks wary of the banking sector.
Then there are paper assets like stocks, bonds, titles, contracts, corporations, trusts, foundations, and other structures that were created by imaginative people to shield those assets from theft or seizure. There are many creative ways people have devised to protect assets. But they are all “Thing Assets.”
The Most Important Asset of All…Is You!
If the world ever seriously goes off the rails, what are you going to do about it? Sure, there’s always the “head to the hills and live in the woods” strategy. I’m guessing that’s right for a few people. But for you? When was the last time you killed an animal, gutted it, and cooked it over a fire you built in the rain? Seriously, if things go sideways and your personal freedom is at stake, what are you going to do?
I got it. “I’m going to move to a different country,” you might say. Fantastic. Getting on a plane and flying somewhere is easy. Entry into more than 100 countries is simple and fast for U.S. and Canadian citizens. A Tourist Visa is issued as you clear immigration into these countries. But how long is it good for? 30 days? 60 days? 90 days? Then what?
Eventually, you’ll have to leave, unless you want to become an illegal alien in a country that might or might not, treat illegals very well. Yes, I know, many countries will simply stamp a new tourist visa when the old one runs out. That’s true now. But what about when their country is overrun with people like you wanting to stay for longer, extended periods of time, or even, forever? Or what would happen if they close down the borders and you can’t do the border run anymore? Just like what just happened during COVID.
Do you really want to depend on an arbitrary decision by an immigration officer or the country’s benevolence and generosity to keep extending your tourist visa? I don’t. And neither should you. Your life may be at stake.
There are far better solutions. Secure a 2nd residency. Some are inexpensive and affordable for most people. Some are so easy to maintain, and only require a 2-week visit every 730 days. That’s two weeks, every two years, to protect the most valuable asset you have… You. It doesn’t get any easier than that.
If you recognize that your personal freedom is absolutely critical, then discover how you can obtain a second residency right now. After all, knowledge is power, and the first step to securing your personal freedom is knowing exactly how to do it.
The information is free. Request it right now. Do the research and decide what your freedom is worth to you. There’s no way to know if or when stuff will hit the fan, your bank account frozen, and/or the borders to your home country will be closed. It can happen without warning. Be prepared. Get prepared right now.
2nd Residencies Around the Globe Resource Kit
By the way, for all of you who own stocks, crypto, and precious metals and have wisely protected your monetary assets, how valuable will those be if you are unable to have the physical freedom you desire? Wouldn’t it make sense to trade a few dollars now, to ensure your personal liberty far into the future? You were smart enough to protect thing assets. Now prove you are wise enough to protect your most valuable asset. Yes, one more time. Protect you and your freedom. Do it today.
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Michael K. Cobb is the CEO and Co-founder of ECI Developments, which has properties throughout Latin America. He is the author of How to Buy Your Home Overseas, and speaks all over the world on international real estate.
