This Strategy Isn't for Your Rent Money... But It Could Change Your Life Forever

Editor's note: If you're like most Americans, your portfolio is in danger.

A pullback in U.S. stocks could devastate your portfolio.

In yesterday's Masters Series – an exclusive interview with International Capitalist editor Kim Iskyan – he explained the benefits and risks of putting your money to work outside the U.S.

In today's edition – the conclusion of this two-part interview – Kim discusses his professional background... and shares the details behind his brand-new investment newsletter...

This Strategy Isn't for Your Rent Money... But It Could Change Your Life Forever
An interview with Kim Iskyan, editor, International Capitalist

Sam Latter: You've traveled all over the world, maybe more than anyone I know. Tell us about your background and what qualifies you to talk about international investing.

Kim Iskyan: In more than 20 years as an investment banker, securities analyst, hedge-fund manager, and political-risk consultant, I've traveled to more than 70 different countries... And I've lived and worked in 10, including Spain, Russia, Armenia, Sri Lanka, Kyrgyzstan, and Ireland, as well as the U.S., Mexico, and the Netherlands.

I'm an American by birth, and also a dual European citizen. I hold a few passports... speak three languages fluently (I can get by in a few others)... and today, I live with my wife and two kids in Singapore.

I started my career on a Wall Street trading floor after taking the "normal" path and getting an Ivy League degree. But my real passion was to explore the world and invest in the most exciting developments that I could find.

So I left the U.S. to help create the stock market in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan just three years after the fall of the old Soviet Union. I also lived in Moscow for nine years and ran a hedge fund there. I helped develop the financial markets in Yerevan, Armenia... worked for an asset manager in Ireland... advised Fortune 100 companies on managing political risk... analyzed stocks in Sri Lanka... and have traveled all over – from Iran to Venezuela and from Ukraine to Macau – in search of out-of-favor markets and stocks.

I've spent my entire professional life looking at international markets – and more than that, I've lived in them. I like to think that with a lot of practice, I've learned to understand how markets all around the world work.

Sam: So tell us about your new project, International Capitalist. What drove you to create this service?

Kim: The idea behind International Capitalist is simple. It's all about finding "trophy" gains in markets around the world.

As I've mentioned before, there's always a market – in some asset, in some country, somewhere – that's poised to deliver life-changing gains. It's my job to find where that is... and tell my readers how to maximize the profits in it.

Again, if you want to make extraordinary returns, you must look outside your home country. That goes for everyone, not just U.S. investors. I'm talking about investments that can shoot up 1,000%... 5,000%... even 10,000% or more.

These opportunities could change your life. They could help you buy a new car or house, or even retire a few years ahead of schedule. But they simply don't exist (or at least, they're much harder to find and much riskier) in developed markets like the U.S. or Europe.

To make explosive returns, you have to become an "Indiana Jones" of sorts. You need to get out of your comfort zone, look beyond what you're used to, and in some cases, venture into mayhem, corruption, and unrest.

These are the sorts of opportunities we'll be hunting for in International Capitalist.

Sam: That sounds awfully risky...

Kim: Yes, it's true that this type of investing carries additional risks – like political and currency risks, for starters – that mutual funds and blue-chip investments don't have.

And while the shares of these companies can absolutely soar... they can sometimes fall spectacularly as well. I won't sugarcoat it: They are volatile.

To be clear – this is speculating. This is not for amateurs. It's not for the timid. It's not for the rent money. This is for folks who want to venture for big gains where few else will go.

But the beauty is that you only need to risk 1%-2% of your portfolio in these investment opportunities. And the upside is incredible, as I've explained. Even one successful international speculation could add an extra digit to the value of your portfolio.

Sam: You say you've discovered the secret to making big money abroad. Can you explain that?

Kim: This secret involves an unfair advantage that some companies have. It gives certain companies the best chance of success.

And it's how a $5,000 investment in one Chinese gaming stock back in August 2002 could have made you $7.7 million today. That's a return of more than 150,000%. It might sound too good to be true, but it actually happened.

Again, you won't find this advantage in developed markets like the U.S. But we see dozens of high-upside opportunities in emerging markets right now.

These are the type of opportunities I look for in International Capitalist. They're the companies I plan to find and recommend to my readers.

Sam: Why do people need to follow your advice specifically? What's to stop someone from investing in cheap, beaten-down emerging markets?

Kim: As the saying goes, buyer beware.

It's a lot easier to make expensive mistakes if you're looking at a market from afar.

Understanding the local context and speaking with people who live that local context is absolutely critical. For many investors, finding the sorts of off-the-radar opportunities that I'll be uncovering would be too time-consuming and difficult (not to mention expensive).

I put my boots on the ground to explore markets by visiting companies and talking to locals to find the best opportunities. I also tap into my global network to see what some of the world's smartest investors have on their radars.

This is just the starting point for how I find investments. But it shows you the amount of thought and research I'll put into each and every recommendation that I make in International Capitalist.

Sam: That sounds great. Is there anything else you wanted to cover before I let you go?

Kim: Yes, actually. One of the elements of International Capitalist is what we're calling the "Passport Club"... it's available to folks who sign up for a lifetime subscription.

Members of the Passport Club will be able to join me when I go on investment-research trips to kick the tires of different markets around the world... talk to people, get a feel for the environment, visit companies, eat the local food, and learn as much as we can in a short period of time.

You can learn a lot more about a country by wandering around... getting stuck in traffic... ducking into local eateries... and experiencing everything that a foreign country has to offer.

The first Passport Club trip is already scheduled for early October. It's a destination that I'm guessing few of your readers have ever been to... But it's forecast to be one of the fastest-growing economies over the next few decades.

You won't find its cuisine in your local strip mall. In fact, I've never seen it anywhere. I'm excited to visit... I'm planning it right now.

Of course, I know not everyone can get away within the next two weeks. I'll be having at least a few of these kinds of trips over the next several months – with a lot more notice next time. But this is one of the parts of International Capitalist that I'm most excited about.

Sam: That sounds like an incredible opportunity. Thanks for taking the time to talk to me, Kim.

Kim: Absolutely, Sam. It's my pleasure.

Editor's note: Every month, Kim travels the world in search of "off the radar" investment opportunities with hundreds-of-percent upside. Learn more about a charter membership to his brand-new International Capitalist newsletter – and how to claim a big discount to the regular retail price – right here.