Invest in East Africa.

[newsbone]

Africa is still a virgin land when it comes to investment. Are you up to the challenge?

[vMike]

Extreme poverty, brutal dictators, constant internal wars and very poor health care.. is that still so or have things changed there lately?

Say what, how much money do you need in Kampala per month to live comfortably?

[Asmoday]

The conditions are highly specific to the region concerned -- ROI is higher where capital is scarce, if you take a cautious, rational approach and cover yourself.

I've been getting better-than-market returns on african microcredit for a couple years, with the caveat that I don't make it a large section of my portfolio.

[newsbone]

Originally Posted by vMike

Extreme poverty, brutal dictators, constant internal wars and very poor health care.. is that still so or have things changed there lately?

Yes, poverty is still a little bit of a problem but things are moving in the right direction although the pace is modest. Dictatorship is on the wane especially in East Africa for we are witnessing some aspects of democracy slowly taking root(at least the threat of the International Court of Justice is having a positive effect). Corruption is the major problem but this specifically on awarding of government contracts. Heath care is a problem primarily to the poor, but the rich have access to the best medical offer there is. Otherwise things are pretty much good business wise, and one stands to make some good profit especially in service provision.

Originally Posted by vMike

Say what, how much money do you need in Kampala per month to live comfortably?

Comfortable – 2000$
Very comfortable- 4000$
Diplomatic – 6000$

You are welcome to visit.

[jimbos123456]

Actually I could definitely see an opportunity to profit in countries like Zimbabwe through arbitrage. People are being charged 0.3 grams of gold for a loaf of bread during hyperinflation. So they are paying $8.56 for a loaf of bread above fair market value, when it should only retail for $2-3 a loaf. I figure that is a lot of wasted productivity to pan all day for 0.3 grams of gold. If someone figures out what Zimbabweans would be good at exporting, then pays them 1 silver dollar a day or something like, and then has them produce 2 silver dollars in productivity they could make a killing. The traditional fair market wage for a worker throughout history has been like 1 ounce of silver a day. 1 ounce of silver during the 2008 top was $21 for spot metal, and a $2-3 premium for mint issued coins like eagles ( Or $300-625 per ounce for the 1980's high). They could be helping them by paying more, and at the same time protecting them from hyperinflation.

[Dan.Linehan]

Originally Posted by newsbone

Comfortable – 2000$
Very comfortable- 4000$
Diplomatic – 6000$

What?

I live comfortably in San Francisco on $2,000 / month, and that's one of the more expensive cities in the US..

[vMike]

Originally Posted by Dan.Linehan

What?

I live comfortably in San Francisco on $2,000 / month, and that's one of the more expensive cities in the US..

Yeah that seemed quite high to me too. You could live quite comfortably in India for under $1k/month

[newsbone]

Originally Posted by Dan.Linehan

What?

I live comfortably in San Francisco on $2,000 / month, and that's one of the more expensive cities in the US..

I misjudged your definition of the word comfort, i think! If it stands for affording three meals a day, basic transportation plus all the others ,, then 200$ would be enough for you.

[mysticmadness]

when strong economies are emerging, areas like africa still need to live the time the way developed countires lived in the past. I think risk is more than return.

[vMike]

Originally Posted by newsbone

I misjudged your definition of the word comfort, i think! If it stands for affording three meals a day, basic transportation plus all the others ,, then 200$ would be enough for you.

Rent also.. and a bunch of other fun things. But comfortable living is a subjective term.
What's the average salary in there? E.g. in UK its about $3100/month

[newsbone]

Originally Posted by vMike

Rent also.. and a bunch of other fun things. But comfortable living is a subjective term.
What's the average salary in there? E.g. in UK its about $3100/month

Africa is a land of contrasts where the gap between the poor and the rich is massive. So we have the rich and the poor; salaries for the typical civil servant $300 while the bosses average more than $700.