The World Is Your Oyster

February 25, 2008
If your portfolio is tied up solely in American stocks, you're missing out, warns journalist Opdyke. In this lucid investment guide, he advises average investors to bypass Wall Street, avoid domestically held Exchange Traded Funds and American Depository Receipts, and to put their money to work directly in foreign economies. More than 320 of the Fortune Global 500 are based outside the U.S., and tens of thousands of smaller companies never show up on the radar back in America, but afford American investors a host of opportunities for growth, diversification, risk reduction and richer returns. Opdyke offers panoptic investment advice from finding overseas brokerage firms and picking promising stocks to funding accounts and handling tax issues. The author masterfully condenses a daunting amount of information and presents useful crash courses on how currency works and the differences between developed, emerging and frontier markets, concluding with a detailed portrait of China's investment potential. Comprehensive and inspiring, with a strong, assured voice, Opdyke's book is a must for would-be overseas investors.

April 1, 2008
Financial journalist Opdyke offers his theory that small and medium-sized companies throughout the world that meet basic middle-class needs offer lucrative investing opportunities, and he explains how to find these companies and invest in them. His advice includes setting up foreign brokerage accounts and funding them, conducting research and tracking overseas companies, and wiring money and converting currencies. The author teachs us about the risksincluding geopolitical (e.g., terrorism), country, and government policyof owning assets denominated in foreign currencies. Opdyke explains how an individual can capture global growth opportunities in the U.S., although these opportunities are comparatively limited, and offers important information on investing in China, Turkey, and central and Eastern Europe. The author, contending that he is an average investor, presents the risks and rewards of seeking investment opportunities overseas and notes that all we need to follow his advice is an e-mail account and Internet access. This is an excellent book.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)