New member here,please help need some advice this is getting crazy!

[ronin308]

Anno, most of the "muggings" that I know about were really more of a scam, very rarely was violence needed, after all why use violence when there are plenty of "stupid" americans around.  The few incidents that I know about that weren't typically aren't violent, more of an intimidation tactic.

I completely agree with you though, my first trip to Kiev was in the thick of the Orange Revolution.  I was there alone most of the time and never had a problem.  The only "mugging" I saw was the cab drivers trying to put one over on me.  The biggest thing was some of the babuska "shakedowns" and the homeless kids under Independance Square.  It was a positive enough experience that I'm going back this Friday (not to Kiev though, gotta try something new).

I recieved the letter from the marriage agency and one of the lines that disturbed me was that they didn't recommend going out alone at night.  Mind you this is in a much smaller and more isolated town crime would be less of a problem. 

[Turboguy]

 while being aware of possible muggers.

i don't know why or how this myth of muggers got started. i felt in more danger at o'hare airport.

[/quote]
I have to agree with Anono on this one.  When I was in Kiev in November I usually walked about 8 blocks from the internet cafe to my apartment at 2AM which took me through a dimly lit underpass along my route and never worried a bit.

One of the thoughts I had on my trip to N. Novgorod that I just returned from was this.   When we were in Moscow in January my apartment was 10 steps from the front door.   There were 4 heavy steel doors between my apartment and the street.  I had to do one magnetic lock, one electronic lock and 2 keyed locks.   The biggest arguement I have had with my gal (difference of opionion, we didn't really agrue) had to do with all those doors.   The outer steel door to our apartment had about a 3/4" steel deadbolt and the key lock.  My gal was upset becuase I used only the heavy deadbold and did not bother with the keyed lock as well.  Nazi storm troopers could not have gotten into that apartment in less than an hour with bazookas.

Now what I was really getting at in making that post is that on my very receint visit to my gal in N. Novgorod.   My apartment was back away from everything except masses of humoungous other apartment buildings.   You had to walk down dark alleyways.   She was having some probelms with her mother who does not approve of her leaving her family and friends and the life she knows and going to America with some guy she hardly knows.   My first night there she stayed over.   To try to keep piece in the family she went home at 2am on the second night.   My thought was all those locks on the doors and everyone all concerened about things like that and there she goes all alone, out into the dark empty streets at 2 am.   I would never have her do that anywhere in america.   

Just to finish off the story.   She was up half the night fighting with her mother who ended up throwing her out of the house and telling her to "Go to Heem"   They did make up a few days later and are fine now.   She has one aunt and her best friend who approve of what she is doing and her mother, her brother and the rest of the friends who thinks she should forget about America.   August 2nd she should be here.

[Turboguy]

I will add one more comment.  When she was on the metro on her way to meet me in Moscow she witnessed a Murder.   She saw someone stabbed to death at  a metro station during a robbery.   That is rare.  It was her first murder and I have never seen one and I am here in America where they are as common as rain storms.  


 

[2tallbill]

Start here

http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/index.php?topic=14615.0

Skip over the websites for now, read all the posts. Then come back here with
questions.

NOTE: The advice is free, so you will get a lot (like drinking from a firehose).
Some advice will be better than others, take what works for you and your
situation, ignore whatever doesn't apply to you.

Udachi!

Bill

[ML]

First let me say that I really miss those old days when there was a lot of activity here from several guys.

Second I never had any of the trouble other guys are talking about and I met 150 FSUW for actual dates, not just tea and cake.

It all has to do with setting criteria, screening, planning, not falling in love with pictures, never sending money to someone you have never met, etc.

I think my experience with analyzing business mergers and acquisitions helped me a lot.  Planning, planning, planning, be objective not subjective, be brutal when needed to pass up appealing but dangerous engagements, etc.

My search was time consuming and strenuous . . . but meeting 150 women (Wow) was the best years of my life . . . except for  the years I am spending with my Ukrainian wife now.  She is a 10 in caring for me.

Interesting in that I had very little dating experience as a teenager and young man . . . but I made up for it in spades with FSUW dating.

[2tallbill]

First let me say that I really miss those old days when there was a lot of activity here from several guys.

Yes, the forum is broken.

Second I never had any of the trouble other guys are talking about and I met 150 FSUW for actual dates, not just tea and cake.

Interesting in that I had very little dating experience as a teenager and young man . . . but I made up for it in spades with FSUW dating.

Yes, it's a little like being the guy from Australia who gets extra attention from girls because
of his accent.

[Trenchcoat]

Yes, the forum is broken.

Just wait until the war is over in Ukraine.

Surely western guys aren't going to pass up on the opportunity to date in a land where there is a definite shortage of men and the economy is messed up. Both Ukraine & Russia will have that.

[krimster2]

50  hryvnia to the dollar
and two girls - for EVERY BOY!!!
act FAST! get it while it lasts!
and for no additional price
buy Russian/Iranian drone parts at Ukrainian swap meets
start yur collection TODAY!!!


if you had followed my advice of fund raising and deleivering aid to Ukrainian children and old ladies
and you toured the war zone in a van with a cat delivering aid
youda made so much off that

you would retire next year with a villa on the Med

it HAD yur name on it

too late now

[Trenchcoat]

50  hryvnia to the dollar
and two girls - for EVERY BOY!!!
act FAST! get it while it lasts!
and for no additional price
buy Russian/Iranian drone parts at Ukrainian swap meets
start yur collection TODAY!!!


if you had followed my advice of fund raising and deleivering aid to Ukrainian children and old ladies
and you toured the war zone in a van with a cat delivering aid
youda made so much off that

you would retire next year with a villa on the Med

it HAD yur name on it

too late now

I found a girl and it didn't fit in with being with her, so I would rather be with her.

Still it is good to see you on here Krim.

Will be interesting to see when the war ends, but I think if Ukraine doesn't wish for a repeat war in the future then they are better holding out until Russia breaks up, economically, geographically, militarily, etc.

Either way either Russia or Ukraine will be the place to be for lots of pooty tang as you call it

[krimster2]

the tides of change constantly ebb and flow
so nothing ever stays the same for very long

in the near term, westerners are gonna be preoccupied with their declining economic future
and not the quest for poort tang
all these things are tied together

when the rich grab more of the economy from the poor, becuz wealth TRUMPS poverty
fewer poor men will be traveling to Ukraine
and that's EXACTLY what's gonna happen
pffffftttt


it'll be just a matter of time before rednecks kick me out of here
so best of luck to ya mate

and what's funny, is that after they kick me out, they're actually gonna miss me

[Trenchcoat]

the tides of change constantly ebb and flow
so nothing ever stays the same for very long

in the near term, westerners are gonna be preoccupied with their declining economic future
and not the quest for poort tang
all these things are tied together

when the rich grab more of the economy from the poor, becuz wealth TRUMPS poverty
fewer poor men will be traveling to Ukraine
and that's EXACTLY what's gonna happen
pffffftttt


it'll be just a matter of time before rednecks kick me out of here
so best of luck to ya mate

and what's funny, is that after they kick me out, they're actually gonna miss me

If we even assume a lot of unemployment in the West in the near future there are still usually many employed even in times of high unemployment. My guess is that some would still be able to travel and date out in Ukraine or Russia.

I remember the recession of the 90s. Potentially if I had gotten out in the workplace after leaving school and had settle for anything I could find then, even the not very savoury opportunities and built up money along the way I could have gotten out to the FSU by the late 90s for a woman - at that time the previous best time to go searching for a woman out there as their economy was even worse than in the West.

So a lot depends on getting in good money in bad times to be able to take advantage of opportunities elsewhere in even worse economies.

A lot of my reading of how to get on in a bad economy comes from those times. Essentially it can be better just to accept anything that is going if you become unemployed rather than sit around on the dole waiting for the economy to 'eventually' pick up. Over time you can work your way into a better situation and the money can come in better that way. Money as they say is power and speaks volumes out in the FSU especially during hard times out there. It can give a guy good leverage in times when not so many people have much money around.

[krimster2]

all things are relative
cyclical recessions aren't what I'm talking about...
what's COMING is MUCH more major. than that...

and when it gets here, it's gonna thin the herd quite a bit
cuz it's bound to an economic period whose longevity is running out...
and a new political/economic climate is developing which is going to devalue human labor

the middle class is heading into a storm and won't be looking at trips to Ukraine, sorry...

i hope this isn't considered negative or off-topic by the topic police
if it is, I accept full responsibility - let me enjoy a final smoke before the execution - thank you!!

[Trenchcoat]

all things are relative
cyclical recessions aren't what I'm talking about...
what's COMING is MUCH more major. than that...

and when it gets here, it's gonna thin the herd quite a bit
cuz it's bound to an economic period whose longevity is running out...
and a new political/economic climate is developing which is going to devalue human labor

the middle class is heading into a storm and won't be looking at trips to Ukraine, sorry...

i hope this isn't considered negative or off-topic by the topic police
if it is, I accept full responsibility - let me enjoy a final smoke before the execution - thank you!!

Never mind them, what is the best course of action in such a situation?

[krimster2]

YES!
never mind the bullocks!!!

DONT'S

do not depend on a job for yur income
avoid income taxes by controlling how much of yur income to report

DOS
live off-grid
pay no property tax or insurance on property with "Farm Exemption" for taxes
buy as little as possible
convert yur interests and skills into small money making ventures

is what I'd do

Britain is so self-absorbed with it's past
I'm surprised some feller with an M.A. in that subject isn't able to come up with some way to monetize it, like a GAZILLION other people have

I'd betcha in that London, I could setup a little service for taking old black and white 19th century family photos
and converting them into giant colorized posters on a $50,000 Giclee wide format colour printer
sell ART WORK and do custom commercial/private work
expand and pull down a couple of hundred k per year from "His Magesty's Poster Shop" located on King's Road

print up business cards - call yurself a "Professional Archivist"


PS
meanwhile, in mother Russia...

the Russian elite does not care if average Russia are poor, as long as they can be rich.

Last century, a lot of dictatorships tried to maintain the fiction that “we’re a utopia, and we’ll shoot you if you think otherwise” but nowadays only North Korea takes that approach.

More modern dictators realized that it’s actually easier to maintain power if they just quietly let the unhappy people leave.
Which is what a million young, educated Russians with young children did when the Ukraine thing started.

The people who are left are too weak, poor, sick, apathetic or ignorant to emigrate, mixed in with the large number of Russians who sincerely support Putin out of ignorance
Putin is coasting on the Soviet tech they built last century, plus mass-human-wave attacks using meth’d-up untrained recruits and a small number of mercenaries.
That’s about as wasteful and simplistic as a military strategy can get.

Russia gets the austerity budget now, big cuts to social spending like education/health care/pensions
we'll be standing in line for that to, next year.... we can wave to the Russians
Privet Russki!!! Kak de freakin la... kak Putin? DA! DA! President Musk eta horrosho, DA! DA! PAKA

[Trenchcoat]

YES!
never mind the bullocks!!!

DONT'S

do not depend on a job for yur income
avoid income taxes by controlling how much of yur income to report

DOS
live off-grid
pay no property tax or insurance on property with "Farm Exemption" for taxes
buy as little as possible
convert yur interests and skills into small money making ventures

is what I'd do

How long do we have before the economy tanks it in the UK?

I have been turning over the idea of buying a small holding of recent, a bit of land seems to offer the opportunity to set up many ventures and of course possibly become self sufficient. However, a lot of my investments are presently elsewhere at present and to a degree committed.

[krimster2]

too early to predict timing....

ya gotta be careful with real estate - depending on renters to maintain yur cash flow may not be good idea in the future
this already happened with the rental market during covid
imagine a future 1929 scenario, these properties will be mill stones hung on yur neck to drown ya in the pond
I wouldn't depend on debt finanancing during a down turn in the economy, which will only make property you bought even cheaper while making it harder for you to repay the loan

these are the hidden negatives

the cornucopia of prosperity we've all been priviliged to live in, is gonna be runnin out in about 10 yrs or so...
by some measures it has already started to

a passive rent-based income for you is not likely
instead, you'll need to actively "do things" to make some money, me lad

take something, add value to it, find a buyer

i know that cuts into yur slack time...
but, there ya are
that's why it makes sense to choose some subject yur interested in
imagine being Hugh Hefner and you produce the First issue of Playboy in yur kitchen, like he did for $1,600
this is the kinda stuff ya need to be thinkin about Trench

30 years ago, I bought an old AB Dick 360 Offset Printing Press, and taught myself how to run it
why?
to publish my own books, that I could print myself for a total cost of less than $1 per book for printing, collating, binding
computer books cost $50-$100

imagine sellin a few thousand books per month
then of course, you can also become a "vanity press" for others and add another income streams
combine enuff streams and ya get a river me 'bruv

note: I haven't looked at books lately, I expect online has trashed book sales, this knowledge was from years ago

but with any skill set, I think you can find ways to leverage it to make money on yur own, without seekin an employer, with you own investment and biz
this is my point
YOU NEED TO BE WORKIN ON THIS
AND IF YOU WAS SMART, YOU'D BE INVOLVING YUR GIRL FWEND IN THIS AS WELL....

DO THE RIGHT THINGS
AND YE SHALL BE REWARDED
FAIL TO DO THEM
AND YE GET NOTHIN ME LAD

you should already know this
so focus
to be, is to do
and you just got do do
so snap "out of it"

THINK about what to do
then
DO IT

don't be passive, choose yur own direction and start walkin
this is the BIG HURDLE ya gotta get over
cuz yur on the sofa watchin the BBC on the Tele all day

[ML]

Right now all our cash from selling parcels of land is in short term CDs.  Brought in around 5.50% this year which is not great, but much better than past years when we could only get 1.0% or so.
Now, can  only renew at around 4.50%.

The stock market is overpriced, so we are not going there.

Don't really know what to do, and next year we will have even more cash from selling our country home.

And I have to be thinking of wife who will (statistically) outlive me by many, many years.

There are a couple of properties nearby that have two houses, one for rental.  I have told the owners to let us know when they are ready  to sell, but don't know if that would be a good idea to saddle the wife with.

[olgac]

Same here. All money are in CDs but I was smart enough to buy some for 5 years last year at 4.8%
My husband wants to still keep tons of Apple shares from my RSU grants back form I was working at Apple.
He says Warren Buffet hold Apple stock
We are too scared to buy real eastate

[ML]

We stayed with max of 1 year CDs because we want to be able to do something that might come along.

Don't know what that might be, but still hoping for something better for the long term.

- - - - -

For Olga:

Despite once calling Apple the "best business" in the world, Buffett sold 100 million shares in the third quarter, cutting Berkshire's stake by 25%.

[olgac]

For Olga:

Despite once calling Apple the "best business" in the world, Buffett sold 100 million shares in the third quarter, cutting Berkshire's stake by 25%.

Well they still hold lots of shares so my husband's mind isn't changed. I this this year alone our apple shares grew by 250K!

[krimster2]

those higher CD rates will be goin away soon....
then CDs will be called Certificates of Depreciation

instead, look at state laws for definition of a FARM for property tax purposes...
standard minimum size is 5 acres

if you buy a large farm, you can lease the land to be farmed, to make it a passive investment + still live there
and/or if you buy a farm that fronts a major highway, you can build a parking lot and farmer's market
now you got a house, a farm, a store...all tax free, all cost free

build yur house on this farm from thick concrete - fire proof, storm proof - no Home Owner's Insurance required
you just saved yurself property taxes and insurrance, that's the same as making this much
WITHOUT YOU DOING A THING, the payout is automatic
yur money is workin fer you, and not the other way 'round
go off-grid, now you have a zero-cost house
no property tax, no insurance, no HOA, no utilities
that's also a "workin" farm generating income

passive investments are gonna be limited and risky in the coming "austerity" environment, everything will be declining, and some will be breaking
risk increases as yur cash flow decreases
not a good position to find yurself in unexpectedly

yur gonna need low stress active investing
investment + yur idea and labor = profit

craftsmen and hobbyists turning their hobby into $$$ is what i'm talkin about
this'll be a hell of a lot better than bein a WallMart Greeter or holdind CDs whose interest rate is less than the TRUE rate of inflation
it's easy as hell getting an Amazon or Ebay seller's account and sellin stuff to the whole freakin world

when THE BIG CRASH comes
all assets including RE will decline
you'll wanna hold CASH, in a protected bank or in federal bonds

back in the old days in silicon valley, I could cruise tthrough San Jose to Milpitis on a Saturday and check out the parking lots of all the big Cos like logitech, Sony, Intel
and buy stock in the companys with full parking lots + combined with insider knowledge led me to some HUGE stock market gains, like with Rambus and Sony
note: I also ran an "investment club" for years with other Sr Engineers, and they all became millionaires from it, during the peak boom of the early to late 90s
that period of time, is the opposite of what it is today
few kids today will EVER get that kind of opportunity
paradise falls
the cornucopia of plenty will be no more

mammals will adopt better than the dinosaurs to the declining temperatures
as the West heads back once more to living in a Charles Dickens Novel
Marx was right

one of the good things about turning a hobyy into a business
is you can use this to justify the purchase of top end gear

a wide fromat giclee printer is the core behind a 100 different home business ideas
think of all the little service oriented businesses you can do with that
even a geezer can can operate this....

http://lesterpickerphoto.com/2018/07/02/fine-art-printing-workshop/
then it comes down to getting cheaper ink, by buying generic in bulk

you can do the same with 3D printing

NYC has these VERY high-end Giclee poster shops with printers, haven't seen 'em in Texas
in the UK, I'd combine this with black and white colorizing for vintage photos
make posters from non-copyrighted images and sell
combine image strips to make images of billboard size

some printers, scanners and a computer, and a phone is all ya need

http://proprintingsystems.com/large-format-photo-printer/giclee-print-shop-fine-art-printers/

here in Texas, I can grow Hemp, and extract CBD from it, and this is 100% legal here
and once I got CBD extracted, I can chemically convert that to Delta 8 and derivitives and sell Vape juice as well

my grandfather grew hemp during WWII for the US Navy to make cordage from
you can EASILY make a business selling hemp products you grow and process yurself, all 100% legally, and I enjoy the process and don't find it burdensome

just sayin...
nothing like eatin the fruit you grew yurself

[ML]

Right now all our cash from selling parcels of land is in short term CDs.  Brought in around 5.50% this year which is not great, but much better than past years when we could only get 1.0% or so.
Now, can  only renew at around 4.50%.

And, yes we know this is not keeping up with  inflation, but it is better than nothing and we want to stay flexible so will have cash available when we do decide what we want to do.

The stock market is overpriced, so we are not going there.

Don't really know what to do, and next year we will have even more cash from selling our country home.

And I have to be thinking of wife who will (statistically) outlive me by many, many years.

There are a couple of properties nearby that have two houses, one for rental.  I have told the owners to let us know when they are ready  to sell, but don't know if that would be a good idea to saddle the wife with.

[Trenchcoat]

Thanks Krim, I'm going to have to just mortgage up the house rental and then work from there in terms of buying a small holding. If later things don't seem to be going so well I'll have to sell the house rental. I guess in time of economic destitution people won't have the money to rent a house and I'll just be stuck with the local monthly council tax. Although that's just around £100 a month as it's on the cheapest banding. I guess it could pay me to keep the house rental on until things pick up eventually.

I own a small building plot in Wales but it's residential more than anything although it is at the back of a village with some woods near the back of it. In general I'll keep my eyes open in the meantime for small parcels of farmland nearer to where my Mother lives I think. Not sure if I'll develop on the building plot if there will be time before economic catastrophe breaks loose. Never can be too sure how bad these things will get so I guess try and account for worst case scenario.

[krimster2]

how much are property taxes and property insurance in the UK?

here you pay about .5 % of property value in a yearly tax with a geezer discount
and insurance is about the same
so figure 1% of property value needs to be paid as a yearly operating cost, unless yur a farm!!!!
rental properties (non-owner resident) are taxed slightly higher

in the future, when yur all collecting pensions, these costs are gonna skyrocket cuz of inflation
that's why if you can set things up NOW to avoid that, may save ya later
in a high inflation environment, preserving yur cash is important

ya'll better start plannin and thinkin about what's "goin on" and how yur gonna stay on top
people who aren't thinkin are gonna get swept away

[Bee Farmer]

Right now all our cash from selling parcels of land is in short term CDs.  Brought in around 5.50% this year which is not great, but much better than past years when we could only get 1.0% or so.
Now, can  only renew at around 4.50%.

The stock market is overpriced, so we are not going there.

Don't really know what to do, and next year we will have even more cash from selling our country home.

And I have to be thinking of wife who will (statistically) outlive me by many, many years.

There are a couple of properties nearby that have two houses, one for rental.  I have told the owners to let us know when they are ready  to sell, but don't know if that would be a good idea to saddle the wife with.

We stayed with max of 1 year CDs because we want to be able to do something that might come along.

Don't know what that might be, but still hoping for something better for the long term.

- - - - -

For Olga:

Despite once calling Apple the "best business" in the world, Buffett sold 100 million shares in the third quarter, cutting Berkshire's stake by 25%.

If you look at families who have held generational wealth over centuries, they have followed the investment strategy of a third, a third, and a third.  Meaning one third of their wealth is in gold and precious metals, one third in fine art, and one third in real estate.

Bill Bonner recommends buying the Dow when you can buy it for less than 5 times the price of an ounce of gold, and selling the Dow and buying gold when it goes above 15.  In the past century, you had about 3 trades, but it beat the S&P.

Gold and silver isn't cheap right now, but has held its purchasing power for 5000 years.  It's a hedge against catastrophe rather than an investment, but tends to keep pace with inflation.  I would not recommend putting more than 25% of your liquid assets in gold.  Also, just buy it as bullion rather than collectible coins which have values that can fluctuate.
An added bonus is that gold bullion hid in your safe at home is not visible to the government.  When you pass on, your wife can access it without having to worry about paying inheritance taxes.  You can hold $100K in gold in your hand.
I would advise buying a gun safe for storing precious metals.  The rule of thumb is you want a safe that weighs at least 500 pounds.  If thieves do break in, they can't carry it off very easily.

Gold is easy to convert to cash if you need cash in a hurry.

A guy I know has over 20 rental houses.  He says that you need to be able to get $100 in rent each month per $10K invested.  So if you buy a $100K rental, you need to be able to get $1000 a month rent.  Anything over that is gravy. 
Also, don't buy rentals more than a 5 minute drive from home if you are going to manage them yourself.

But then again, why are you investing at your age?  Shouldn't you be trying to avoid a big loss, since you don't have time to recover financially?  Look for low risk hedges against catastrophe, rather than trying to get higher yields.  With reward comes risk.

Don't invest in anything that you don't know and understand.