Now We Despise Equifax Even More…
Longtime readers know we have a low opinion of credit bureaus, with Equifax scraping the bottom of the barrel in terms of their depraved indifference to computer security. This is,…
Another Reason to Ditch the No-Fly List
Four weeks after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, President George W. Bush issued a series of directives to expand risk screening of airline passengers. In 2003, in accordance with…
An Aging Population Is a Crisis (but There’s an “Easy” Solution)
Last January, billionaire Elon Musk tweeted: If the alarming collapse in birthrate continues, civilization will indeed die with a whimper in adult diapers. That was hardly his last word on…
Should We Panic Over a US Debt Default?
Should We Panic Over a US Debt Default? As we press the send button on this week’s Nestmann’s Notes, Congress is engaged in what’s become a periodic ritual: fighting over…
Don’t Be Fooled by the Low IRS Audit Rate
You might have read earlier this month that the IRS is targeting poor people for tax audits at a rate four times higher than the wealthy. But that’s not entirely…
Countdown to National ID Card Postponed (Again)
On May 11, 2005, President George W. Bush signed into law the “Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief.” Hidden within the $82…
Revisiting the “Permanent Portfolio”
What if you didn’t need to worry about the timing of a crash, or indeed any economic scenario, and could assemble an investment mix that would withstand whatever economic conditions…
The TikTok Panic
More than 100 million Americans have downloaded a wildly popular app called TikTok to their smartphones, including two out of three teenagers. And it’s become a highly effective tool for…
The Nestmann Outlook for 2023
Here at Nestmann, we receive quite a few requests from our clients asking, “What should I do…right now?” And there’s no simple answer to that question because part of it…
Can Creditors Seize Your Offshore Assets?
We’ve long suggested that one of the key strategies you can use to gain resilience over your financial future is international diversification. Thanks to laws like the Foreign Account Tax…
Is Crypto Dead?
The year 2022 hasn’t been kind to cryptocurrency investors. Indeed, it’s been a litany of disasters. Bitcoin, the cryptocurrency with the largest market cap, is down 75% from its all-time…
You’re Not as Rich as You Think
Most wealth is imaginary. That could be seen as a provocative statement, but it’s true. Consider your stock portfolio. Let’s pretend that you own 100 shares of IBM. At a…
Fixing the Immigration Mess
One of our specialties here at Nestmann is helping US citizens acquire legal residency in other countries. Frankly, we consider getting a second residency almost a no-brainer. It gives our…
How to Overcome Propaganda and Censorship
For over a century, Uncle Sam has used the mass media to manipulate public opinion; particularly to justify its direct or indirect involvement in foreign wars. Take the presidential administration…
Protect Yourself from Big Brother at the Border
Privacy is one of the few topics that Democrats and Republicans largely agree on. Their conclusion is that you shouldn’t have any. That’s especially true when it comes to searches…
Social Security Is a Ponzi Scheme (and You Have No Right to Benefits)
Modern old age pensions originated in Prussia (now part of Germany) in 1889, financed by a tax on wages. The first nationwide pension program arrived in the United States in 1935, when…
The End of Globalization as We Know it
Globalization – the interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide – ensures that countries can use whatever strengths they possess to their fullest advantage. Countries that are rich…
California Breaks the Internet
We’ve called it the “curse of good intentions.” In medicine, physicians speak of the “cure being worse than the disease. The phenomenon we’re referring to is the metastasizing “Nanny State”…
Is the Euro Doomed?
In 1991, a dozen European countries signed the Treaty on European Union, also known as the Maastricht Treaty. Among other provisions, the treaty called for a single European currency; the…
More Civil Forfeiture Follies
Regular readers know that we consistently critique civil forfeiture, a legal procedure under which property, rather than an individual, is accused of a crime. We’ve called it the “beast that…
Hackers Can Unfreeze Your Frozen Credit Records
Back in May 2017, credit bureau giant Equifax had virtually its entire database of consumer credit reports stolen by hackers – more than 148 million in all. The attack occurred…
Fortunately, There Are Easier Ways to Get a Second Passport
Last week, we learned that along with mobilizing at least 300,000 of its own citizens to fight in its war against Ukraine, Russia is opening a recruitment center in Moscow…
Why the British Empire Is Shrinking
It wasn’t just Elizabeth II, officially “by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of her other realms and territories Queen, Head…
Four Reasons Why Dollar Dominance Won’t Be Permanent
We periodically read missives to the effect that “the dollar is doomed.” And we’ve been reading them for many years. Consider this newsletter promotion from 1985. The headline was a…
Why Are the Number of Wiretaps Decreasing?
A question our clients occasionally ask us is, “How do I know the government isn’t tapping my phone and listening to my conversations?” For those asking this question who live…
Your Blueprint for an International Lifestyle
The demand for investment migration services –residency by investment (RBI) and citizenship by investment (CBI) – has soared in recent years. Industry insiders now estimate it to be a $25…
Do You Really Need that App?
A few weeks ago, I lost the key tag that had been given to me a few years ago when I became a member of an American chain of fitness…
The Futile “War on Money Laundering” Is About to Escalate
The nightmare began in 1970. Congress was concerned that large amounts of cash were coming into the country from narcotics transactions. So, it passed a law effectively eliminating financial privacy:…
Why Price Controls Don’t Work
Inflation is soaring throughout the world. Here in the United States, it’s rising at an official rate of 9.1% annually. And without the various adjustments Uncle Sam makes to suppress…
Congress Is Set to Unleash the IRS on American Taxpayers
Last week, we learned that West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin had signed on to a slimmed-down version of President Biden’s “Build Back Better” Plan (BBBP). The BBBP, with its $2…