Reid Kirchenbauer
Hi, my name is Reid Kirchenbauer.
I’ve been investing in real estate, stocks, and private equity in Asia for over a decade.
Off the top of my head, I can quote you Cambodian apartment prices, help you open a Hong Kong brokerage account from home, and give you a few dozen Vietnamese stock tips.
Growing up in Los Angeles, I was a child actor with roles in movies and commercials. The government keeps your money until you’re an adult in this situation… unless you invest it.
This led to my career, strangely enough. My spare time as a child was spent reading books, doing research online, and trading stocks. I was more interested in how the Hang Seng Index closed than the normal fascinations of a teenager.
I did rather well during the 2008 Global Financial Crisis by shorting oil and manufacturing companies. Then I turned 18, moved to Asia and never looked back.
I graduated with a finance degree from one of the region’s top universities, learned a few languages, closed over a million dollars worth of property deals, and made thousands of international stock trades.
The comparatively small sum of money I made as an actor was multiplied by over five times.
My graduating class picture. One of these things is not like the others.
How? Well, I learned how to buy assets in Asia at low prices. I found people who were determined to sell quickly. They often just needed more liquidity.
One time, a bomb exploded down the street from the seller’s apartment… an alarming but temporary event. I bought the property which tripled in value a few years later.
Things are usually harder though. I spend a lot of time in frontier markets like Cambodia and Myanmar. You can make lots of money in these places but they’re difficult. They often require being “on the ground” and finding your own opportunities.
Either way, the returns from investing in property and stocks with fair valuations, in countries which are growing quickly, are no less than stellar.
Perhaps most notable is that I’m only 26 years old. But don’t let that fool you. Despite my age, I’ve been investing in Asia for awhile, speak Thai and Lao fluently, and have bought property in four different countries. I’m one of very few people who can do all the things I can.
My goals are probably similar to yours. I have some money and want to invest in the most effective way possible. Most growth in the 21st Century is coming from Asia. Therefore, I focus all my effort on this part of the world.