The world has changed forever. Governments have expanded their reach over their citizens’ lives, power is being consolidated by an elite few, and the world economy has become more volatile and unpredictable.
Meanwhile, the internet, a globalizing world economy, and the emergence of the developing world present opportunities to anyone willing to make simple changes to their life.
Geography is no longer a limitation for those willing to follow Andrew Henderson’s ‘Five Magic Words’ and “Go where you’re treated best.”
As the world’s most sought-after expert on offshore tax planning, second passports, and global citizenship - cited by the BBC, Bloomberg, Elite Daily and more - Andrew has condensed his last ten years of investigative world travel into an unprecedented book to help entrepreneurs and investors keep more of their own money, live where they want, become citizens of the world, and improve their lives and the planet.
Direct. Honest. Experienced. Unapologetic. Practical. Transparent. Even funny. The Nomad Capitalist will show you how to take his “E-K-G” formula to ENHANCE your personal lifestyle, KEEP more of your money, and GROW your money by living, investing, banking, and doing business overseas.
From foreign companies to offshore accounts and from overseas investments to dual citizenship, you’ll find everything you need to know to begin a life of international proportions, storing gold in super-secret vaults, finding love in exotic locations, and improving everything from your health to your tax bill by simply “going where you’re treated best.”
It is no longer enough to be a digital nomad. Those who want complete freedom from the world’s broken systems must become Nomad Capitalists, learning to navigate the world system to reclaim their freedom and rediscover the possibilities of capitalism’s greatest promises.
This book is niched iteration on 4HWW by Tim Ferriss. Andrew Henderson's book is both a why-to and how-to of global living and working.
The reason I couldn't give it 5 stars is because Andrew is a good, not great, writer. The book plods along, and will only be finished by those who are truly dedicated to learning more about this lifestyle. If Andrew had an editor for this book, he/she would have excised all the unnecessary foreign words (at one point he inexplicably creates a phrase "tinfoil chapeaus" which is akin to trying to "make fetch happen") and helped Andrew shape a better narrative that would read less like a textbook and more like the fascinating story that it actually is. Andrew also, unfortunately, seems to avoid dealing with the fact that those with multiple homes ultimately have no home, and that technology doesn't change human nature. We make the best connections with those we live with locally, and we need to live with people for more than 3 months a year to form real relationships, the type that will truly matter in the end.
But those are minor points, ultimately, in relation to the gold mines of information that he provides. His multi-pronged portfolio approach, which encompasses not just investments, but passports and bank accounts, is something that informs not just finances and the way you work, but the way one can choose to live. More choice, more diversification, more fun. All these things are at the heart of what Andrew terms "nomad capitalism" but I think would be better served by calling "location independent living."
This is a terrible book on every level. Not only is it badly (and self-indulgently) written, its substance is a how-to guide for performing immoral and anti-social global economic activities. It makes the case — without actually telling you how to do it (which might have been marginally useful) — for why you should avoid contributing to the social good by engaging in tax- and bank-jurisdiction shopping to evade both personal and business income, how to acquire extra passports so you can shirk domestic responsibilities, and so on. This is not a lesson in how to achieve cosmopolitan “global citizenship” but rather an argument for taking advantage of globalization in the most selfish, individualistic, literally irresponsible way possible. It could only be written by a person who feels literally no obligation or even kinship with his fellow human beings, let alone national fellows. Henderson has written, in short, a long testament to what a terrible person he is, under the guise that any move which is less than perfectly selfish is “not being smart.”
The libertarian's guide to "avoiding" political conflict, laugh at the cronyism that one would leave behind in his/her home country and focus on living a lifestyle where the government doesn't commit unconstitutional acts. This is a life experience and not conjecture like many works out there. Henderson gives an excellent argument for why this lifestyle can make such a positive influence on one's life even if they themselves are not wealthy. As a generation Z chemistry student, I want to look at the world the way he does and find ways to make the world work for me instead of me work for the world.
Added in reply to another post:
Why should we have to pay taxes? To pay for politician paychecks? ------In the US they make hundreds of thousands per individual. To pay for infrastructure? ------Government gets charged too much for services to be paid for by the government due to the massive kickbacks companies dole out; it is not uncommon for the US government to be charged 250% more for the same item that a citizen would pay. To pay for schools? ----------Unionized teachers are the leading cause of kids failing out of school because they are given no incentive to work hard, YOU CAN"T FIRE THEM!! Charter schools are FOR PROFIT. They service poor communities and have allowed students better educational opportunities for a lower cost to the taxpayer. To pay for hospitals?--------As Henderson says in his book, the hospitals in the United States are horrible. Overpriced and deadly due to malpractice. Why shouldn't we look to Vietnam and Malaysia as examples of what could be. Look, we should let individuals take care of their own instead of letting the state do it. Between the bureaucrats and the red tape, getting anything done always leaves the taxpayer with a deficit. A $20 trillion deficit.
I had NO idea that people could live this way, making informed and empowered choices for themselves and their families with brave but declarative global moves and decisions. I learned a ton from this book about how to choose where you invest, how to understand how the rest of the world works, and how to be a respectful and shrewd global citizen. This book has my hair on fire with ideas.
That said, this author has the perspective of a childless person who spent a lot of time single. I appreciated the chapter on dating and marriage because it was authentic but I didn't need it and didn't always like it. I wonder why he felt the need to say that women around the world are "nicer" than American women. I'm nice! That comment felt so out of place for an author that went out of his way not to make ignorant comments like, "Oh the people here are so friendly and love Americans!" (I hate when I hear tourists say things like that!) This author does not generalise about how things work in any one country or how other cultures feel. He actually teaches readers to respect differences and approach them with humility so I was thrown a bit by this idea of American women as less datable. I'm not saying I disagree, I just was a bit thrown off course by the non-sequitur.
One thing I appreciated THE MOST about this book was the organisation. It is well thought out and organised. You will learn something from just about every chapter and you will learn it once the author has made a point he can build upon. Excellent outlining and execution.
It is a testament to modern times that a book like this can be published. I'm pretty sure governments of the West do not want you to read it so we can appreciate our freedoms as we do. I suggest this book to anyone who is has any of the following goals: To invest in tax-friendly and developing countries To explore citizenship in countries that allow for safer currencies and lifestyles To explore citizenship in nations that offer free or lower-cost college education To build a business on friendlier soils than the Western nations To anyone who spouts the company line of "greatest country on earth" and other such nonsense
I can't think of anyone who can't learn something useful from this book.
I’ve seen some reviews saying that this book does not contain much valuable content and is just a lead generation funnel for the author to sell his consultancy services.
Is this true? YES!
I mean, partly.
The book it’s definitely part of Andrew’s funnel but it’s more than that, sure I’d prefer if the author was less biased on his advice and that the whole vibe was less “sales-ish” but the good ideas and value I got from it far exceeded the trouble of reading a few call to actions.
First of all, it’s the first book I read that’s written for Nomads and don’t overly focus on how to get the best cheap deal or take advantage of the newest “travel hack” of some sort, and I believe this is the unique value proposition the author offers with the “Nomad Capitalist” brand: how you can live an international location independent lifestyle without having to do it in a budget, how it’s also possible to save along the away and go where you’ll be treated best.
Now, when it comes to practical advice: yes, I’d prefer if he gave out more of it, in the form of “open a company in country X if you’re looking for Y”, he gives out some names but most of the advice is broad and you’ll need to do your own research afterwards. I don’t think that’s necessarily bad as I do see the reason why to do so.
One is that with this kind of advice things would get outdated fairly quick (specially for a book) and the second being that he would be out of business if he gave out all of his knowledge for free.
So my overall experience was: it was definitely worth it picking it up, I’m glad the author took the time to write it and start the Nomad Capitalist brand, it’s exactly what I was looking for after growing old from the general digital nomad advice. Now, you’re gonna be sold throughout the book but if that bothers you just ignore it and don’t pay for the consultancy up sell offer. I’m sure many people can benefit from Andrew’s advice being in the form of this book or any other of the services and content he puts out.
On the one hand, the mindset and the ideas are solid, and I like them.
He grabbed my attention with ideas such as: - go where you are treated best (move towards happiness and good service), - don't just complain, do something, - "shuttles are for slaves" (sometimes freedom from specific kinds of worry is very cheap), - diversify (your country is probably not the very best in everything. And dual citizenship is not a cure for all maladies and bad government policies, but it doesn’t hurt (if you can get it, go for it), and - being a nomad capitalist is cool, and it's safer than not having options, but you don't have to evangelize people (nor convince them that you are right and they are wrong).
On the other hand, it bored me to tears when the author: - talks (A LOT) about taxes and why it's not fair to pay them, - talks about everything you could do with the money you are now paying in taxes, - talks about how taxes are high compared to Montenegro or other countries, - (the points above seem repetitive? Well, it is because they are indeed repeated a lot of times in the book,) - talks about his deals in real state in Montenegro and how hot Camboja is right now, and - *really* stresses that everything contained in the book is strictly legal.
All things considered, I think what this book accomplishes is to create awareness: it tells you about the possibility of diversifying your citizenship, your residency, and your banking and investments.
It doesn't tell you how to do any of that: but at least it foments a spark of interest and curiosity. And maybe that is enough - at least to start.
I like Andrew's work and read his emails and blog quite often. I was hoping this book went into the 'how' detail a bit more, as the title suggested. However this is a large chunk of 'why', with some 'where' and a little bit of 'what'. There is very little how, even in the last chapter. I guess I will need apply to Andrew's team for the how I am interested in.
It describes what kind of values a freedom-seeker should have. The book spin around the concepts such as growth mindset, taking action, being responsible, planting flags and go where you're treated the best which are explained through superficial personal experiences. Topics are not covered in depth.
“Go where you’re treated best!” How can you argue with this statement? When Andrew uses it, it’s not literal. Nobody, for example, is going to give the Balkans, one of Andrew’s favored destinations, any customer service awards. There are three factors to a country being in Andrew’s glowing orbit: 1) Low cost of living; 2) Decent infrastructure; and 3) Low taxes or at least low taxes for expats. Still with him? Me too. I like to go where my money goes the furthest, so I’ve spent significant time in many of Andrew’s favored destinations: Georgia, the Balkans, Southeast Asia. And, heck, I'll probably retire in the latter.
So, why the one star? Two reasons. First, this book is served up with a giant heaping of libertarian political malarkey where the US and the west are on the brink of collapse and the developing world is “emerging”. There are no libertarian countries of any scale because libertarianism is unworkable. It’s at best the chasing of pink unicorns, at worse the communism of the 21st century. What Andrew really wants is to enjoy all of the trappings of the US and the west (western government-created goods like the internet, all the tech in the iPhone, vaccines, global security) without actually paying for it. In fact, he mentions making money in “emerging markets”, but really all of his money is made from people who made their money in the west. I hate to break this to you, but you aren’t going to get rich from Montenegro. This is essential, because in the end, Andrew is selling a lifestyle, little else.
Second, and more important: You don’t need Andrew’s services. The cost of living, “economic freedom”, citizenship programs, and tax rates of various countries are all easily accessible for free on the internet. If you land on a country that piques your interest and meets your needs, at some juncture you’ll probably want to hire someone from that country to help in speeding things up, but that’s not Andrew.
Last, a word of advice: If you are planning to sell everything and move abroad and buy real estate and maybe change citizenship, do one thing first: Spend a year wherever it is. It’s important to know, after the honeymoon is over, can you live in that country? You’ll notice, for instance, that many of those who post, “Retire in X Country” videos on the internet, eventually leave X country. Don’t sink money into a place before you know you can live there.
Three years ago we moved our family to Portgual but we didn’t even begin to scratch the surface of living truly free from tyrannical tax systems. This book is the catalyst we needed to take things to the next level.
BLA BLA BLA... What an insufferable book. I've read 60 pages of it, as well as multiple blog posts on the guy's website, and there is nothing substantial I have learned so far.
Well into chapter 2, the guy keeps announcing "what this book will teach you". Dude, tell me something useful already!
It is full of anecdotes and vague reflections on our prejudice against being nomads. I thought I signed up, though, for some practical advice, not a crappy philosophical essay.
The guy is so pathetic that there are even some 4-5 star, detailed, fake reviews for the book, from users who only have 3 books in their shelves...
If he can hack the financial system, why not hack the Goodreads's score as well?
So I couldnt make it through the second chapter. Unfortunately the author assumes his audience has never given any thought to moving or patriating outside of their country of origin. The begin at the beginning outline is a VERY slow starter. Nothing new or clever, only details that dont seem to tell you anything your intuition hadnt.
No scheduling, stories of natives/restaurants/hostels to hook us. Yes we know tax saving and cost of living breaks are the reasons we chose to buy this book. Unfortunately I thew my copy in the waste basket by page 25. PASS and save yourself the 15 bucks.
The action plans at the end of each chapter were very good and I will utilize them, so I'd like to thank the author for generously providing them. The chapters about offshore asset storage and frontier markets stood out to me the most. I can also say that the ending chapters of the book really brought it together and were the most memorable parts. Good book overall, very helpful to anyone beginning their Nomadic journey to 'Go Where You're Treated Best,' as Andrew would say.
Dont waste you time on this trash! Andrew Henderson is a shady individual who has open connections with known criminals and belongs in Prison! If you're interested in learning how to scam the IRS, con people of their money and do shady deals with gangsters and crooks, then this work of feces is for you
Painful to get through this book. I have 2 foreign residencies and have been living abroad for 5 years and none of this is relatable. This guy wrote the book for the top 1%, not the mass market. And he’s pretentious as hell - literally a rant about why he never flies first class, only business class.
This book is completely lacking in substance. Once you strip away the author's self-indulgent anecdotes and the relentless advice to get a second passport, there's nothing left but a disturbingly unethical worldview.
This book is so bad I don't know where to begin. I DO NOT recommend this book for anyone considering using offshore strategy for citizenship, tax, legal, or any other purposes.
Written like a blog with less information than the equivalent Wikipedia pages. The data is cherry picked and while correct, it is incomplete and imprecise. So, just like Wikipedia, you could use it as a starting point in your research, but at that point why not use Wikipedia which is both free and updated?
Nomad Capitalist is an effective introduction into what diversification of your lifestyle looks like at the highest levels. Andrew Henderson makes the case for going where you are treated best in every part of life including schooling, income, dating, investments, and raising a family through obtaining multiple passports and capitalizing on opportunities put forth by the newly developed countries of tomorrow. The author logically explains the nomad capitalist lifestyle and its many intricacies as a set of building blocks and ends the book with a call to action that can be generalized beyond overseas living and investment. Further, the ending provides an effective starting point for those looking to become a nomad capitalist. Overall, the book contains sound information and delivers on providing a roadmap to exploring the world to live experiences and find knowledge that can only be discovered through pursuing the ultimate human drive; courageous, unbridled exploration.
In terms of criticism, the book loses two stars for the writing and the lack of concision in the final third. The author's voice and syntax become overly casual at times, distracting from his point, and pages 170 to 240 could have been reduced to 15 - 20 pages. Considering the author does not have a Ph.D which means less than academic quality writing is expected and, that the book is only 270 pages long, the reading experience is nowhere near unbearable, just somewhat underwhelming.
Though the work isn't masterfully written, the return on information for having read it is much higher than other modern works which promise to help you "reclaim your freedom". As such, is worth reading quickly and returning for refreshers on major points of information as you put the author's strategies into action. Read it expecting to be handed the challenge of resisting dogma and exploring the world along with a short list of instructions to get you started.
A few quotes I found thought-provoking:
"Watching this movie again after so many life changes, made me realize that no amount of glamour or wealth or adventure is worth a life whose chief accomplishments is the collection of the hotels statuses, airline miles, or meaningless countries on a list." (p. 248)
"One of the hardest and most rewarding things I have done is to let others and their opinions be." (p. 253)
Page 1, paragraph 3: "I had worked to benefit from everything other countries have to offer, from higher interest rates to nicer women".
If this didn't raise your eyebrows, don't bother reading this review. If it did, then also you probably already got my main point and can move on. And no, I'm not referring to the part about benefitting from the interest rates.
Now let me try to be as fair as I can. Pros: + Accessible language, your feel like you're actually in a conversation rather than just reading technical things + There are a few ideas in this book which I had never heard of or considered before + The author is bold and not afraid of pointing fingers, which is a rare and generally good thing Cons: - This book could be summarised in about 20 pages. Many passages don't serve the purpose of either informing nor entertaining, so I wonder why they are there. - In fact, one of the most repetitive ideas is that apparently most or all Western countries are "broke" or "flat broke". Now I'm not an economist, but I would have appreciated at some more evidence of such a bold claim given the amount to times it is repeated. - Too US-focussed. I get that US citizens generally have to pay tax to their home country wherever they live in, but (1) that's not the case for all the rest of us and (2) I think I had understood the idea by the 5th time I came across it. - The writer (and implicitly the editor) seemed to understand that this book might not resonate well with many. I can only guess that their assumption was based on the extremely liberal economical standpoint. However, this is really minimal in comparison to some (IMAO) absurd passages like the one above (there are a few others). Someone please help me understand: where's the gain in writing this kind of thing? And if the writer didn't see how it could be problematic, where was the editor?
Although the book is clearly targeted at American entrepreneurs (and would be most relevant for six-figure entrepreneurs), I believe “Nomad Capitalist” is a must-read for anyone who would like to grow their wealth, diminish their financial risks and increase their freedom. I’m not new to the ideas described by the author. I’ve watched and read a lot of what Andrew Henderson produced over the years, and as a libertarian, I am generally wary of governments, so I didn’t expect to be influenced by the book in any significant way. After all, I already knew much of what the author had to say and agreed with his general approach to life. I’ve tried to go where I’m treated best, and I’ve tried not to rely on governments to take care of me or my family. Curiously enough, the book left a strong impression on me and kind of shook me. It helped me realize that despite some of my efforts to diminish my dependence on just one government and just one financial system, I still haven’t done what I should have done to diminish my financial risks or grow my wealth. Hopefully, the momentum of this book will be enough for me to make some important changes in my life and educate myself. Though I don’t see myself starting a business in an emerging country in the nearest future, I feel like my outlook on the world and possibilities that exist out there has expanded after reading “Nomad Capitalist.” Highly, highly recommended for everyone. If you are worried about your financial future or feel like the country you are currently living in is not treating your well, this book might give you some ideas about improving your situation. It’s an uncomfortable read, but very necessary, now more than ever.
A great lifestyle premier on being location independent.
My chief complaint is how much the author refrains from sharing and points back to his very expensive consulting agency. Granted, I am not yet in the econonomic or lifestyle bracket of his clientele. In soon time I'd like to be.
This book teaches you about why to apply for different citizenships, things you may want to invest in, and a general understanding of how to become a global citizen. While being a global citizen is more emergent in other regions such as Europe, Singapore, HK and other international business places, the United States are ill informed and have certain challenges that other developed countries do not in being a global citizen. This book spends a lot of time on this subject which I dearly appreciate.
I only wish the author could have been more generous with sharing specifics, resources, and specific stragegies, NOT JUST THE PRINCIPLES.
This book will give you a completely new perspective. It will make you understand the benefits of being a Nomad Capitalist and it will also explain to you how to do it.
The book is just the beginning. Action is the next step. If you really are into this, you will eventually plant a flag in different places. I myself am in the process of obtaining a second passport and opening an offshore bank account.
The Nomad Capitalist lifestyle is the lifestyle of the future.
Amazing book. I bought this as a Canadian, it’s nice he talks about Canada and Australia, and Western Europe… but a lot of it is focused on Americans.
He unplugs you from the cultural conditioning that your western country is the greatest. A must read especially if you’re into crypto! Just be forewarned, he doesn’t know crypto very well, for example he only knows of proof of work and proof of stake - regardless, the point gets across.
Andrew Henderson's "Nomad Capitalist" primarily covers diversifying your livelihood through citizenship, property and investments across the globe. While some of the strategies listed in this book were a bit over my head, I found the message of "go where you're treated best" to be universal.