The different ways countries and people use money is really fascinating to me. Why do some countries use credit cards? Why do some barter? Why do same have large percentages of debt while some are very money savvy? Thankfully, my good friend Hiro, a native of Japan, was nice enough to sit down and talk about [...]
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Interview with a Thai Twenty-Something Who Has Lived in Chicago, Yokohama, and Bangkok
I met Chris Kridakorn in 2007 when we both were part of our college’s China and Japan study abroad program for 15 weeks. Since then he’s been all around the globe, not just visiting, but claiming residence and studying. Today, Chris is living in the heart of Bangkok, Thailand with his parents and we recently [...]
Catching Up on International Posts
You may have noticed some slight changes slowly making their way onto the FF homepage as of late. I’m trying to get the site to the next level as Year 2 approaches at the end of the summer. One request I’ve had is to make the site easier to navigate so that people who are [...]
How to Improve Your Credit While Living Abroad
Credit is the most underrated money word out there. Not many people realize the importance of a good credit score, but it has a huge impact on the 2 big purchases in any one’s life: a car and a mortgage. (If you don’t know what your credit score is, click here for a briefing) Part [...]
Carnival of Money Stories #49 – The Sakura Spring Edition
Welcome to the Carnival of Money Stories! This week we’re celebrating spring in Japan and the beautiful sakura (cherry blossoms) which are the hit of the season. I hope you enjoy some sakura pictures and facts, and of course, some insightful money stories from over 20 great bloggers! Most Japanese schools have a sakura tree on grounds [...]
Foreign Savings Accounts and CDs (Not Just For Those Abroad)
As currencies like the Euro and China’s yuan become more popular, the days of the dollar dominating the world’s financial markets could be a thing of the past. So what does a weakening dollar mean for the 90% of people who read this site who have 100% of their money in dollars? Well, diversification is a [...]
Interview with an English Filmmaker Living in Kyoto, Married to a Japanese Woman, and Living a Dream
I recently had a reader, Luke, e-mail me with a question about opening up a joint bank account in Japan since he is English and his wife is Japanese. Luke and I got to talking and I quickly realized he had a fascinating story that I needed to share. On a whim, he left his [...]
How to Save for Retirement While Working Abroad
*Update 5/24/2010* A reader recently e-mailed me and told me about her troubles opening up an account with Vanguard since she was a foreigner working in Singpaore. It appears it is incredibly difficult for Americans who live abroad to open taxable accounts with brokerages and banks. I’ll be updating this topic this week with new [...]
Welcome to FF!
Hi, my name's Austin Morgan. I teach English in Japan and write about money for twenty-somethings. Feel free to contact me with any questions and I hope you enjoy the site!
