Chapter 1: Control Yourself

by Ryan Russell as "Bob Knuth"

How much money would you need for the rest of your life? How much would you need in a lump sum so that you never had to work again, never had to worry about bills or taxes or a house payment. How much to live like a king? Your mind immediately jumps to Bill Gates or Ingvar Kamprad with their billions. You think that is what you would need

Alone

Ah, but what if you wanted to live in obscurity, or at least were forced to? It s not possible with that much money. You might actually need a billion dollars to live like royalty in the United States. It can be done; a few people live that way, but their lives are reality TV. If that kind of attention means the end of your life, either by a charge of treason or a mob hit, then the US isn t an option. The US has a culture of being intrusive , everyone knows too much about everyone else.

People in other countries know when to mind their own business, government and citizens alike. There are a number of countries in South America like that. Those that live in those countries know how to respect power. They know how to respect money. They don t labor under any delusion that they have any civil rights. They don t assume they will be the ones in power tomorrow or running the army the week after.

With enough money in a place like that, you can be your own de facto mini dictatorship. As long as you re not a monster, the people you employ will be grateful for the money.

The money. Most Americans would be surprised how comparatively little money it takes to live like a billionaire in South America. In my case, I need to start with only $180 million US. That will cover taxes (bribes), an estate, employees , and a private army. No, I ve got no interest in becoming a drug lord. I ve got no interest in earning any more money again, ever. I will have enough to do anything I want, until the day I die.

Oh, only $180 million, hmm? Yes, that s more than about five nines of the people in the world will ever have. Still, in some circles, that s not very much. Most venture capital firms easily have that much. Some of the largest companies have that much in the bank. International banks move trillions of dollars every day.

No, I don t have a way to earn that much money, legitimately. I m by no means poor. After retiring from a government job, I got to play impress-the-investors with a Virginia INFOSEC tech startup. Due to some impressive bubble-surfing, my share of the buyout netted me 7.2 million US.

It was not without its costs; several years of my life and my wife. Now I m alone, there s no one to take care of but myself . No reason to stay in Virginia. No distractions.