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Hi, my name is David. I’m a blue-eyed, left-handed American who's self-employed and lives abroad. I’m a native of Connecticut (go Pats) who’s been doing the expat lifestyle for the last few years.

I got my start working for PWC after college and the Air Force. After 60 hour weeks for a year I quit and went abroad to teach English for a few years. While abroad I built a location independent online income.

Drinking tea in China.

I now have a broad range of web skills ranging from SEO, copywriting to UX design and WordPress.

I spend most of my time running my online business and being useful to my audience. I love to travel as a hobby and make regular, casual travel videos you can checkout on the YouTube.

Welcome to my personal development website with articles on financial independence, expat travel, and personal growth strategies.

This site has both public and private subscriber only content as well as a weekly newsletter.

What's the story behind the name?

I got the idea for the name from a poem (in the Outlaw Bible of American Poetry) by Christopher Louge called come to the edge:

"Come to the edge. We might fall. Come to the edge. It’s too high! Come to the EDGE!

…and they came, and he pushed, and they flew
."

I enjoyed the underlying meaning of this poem that there is no security in life beyond your ability to adapt and that you should actively look for that edge because that’s where the growth is, but also trouble too.

So no it's not because my content is intentionally "edgy" or anything like that, but I guess things kind of turned out that way.

Smart people find an edge and enjoy life.

This blog is about the things that make an intelligent, hard working, masculine man great.

Health, wealth, travel, choice in life and fulfilment.

Let's get started.

Tools, software and Gear I Find Helpful and Essential

The Best Vlogging Camera Ever - The Sony X3000
So you want to start vlogging about your incredibly exciting (or boring) life? You’ll need a camera for that. The best vlogs are engaging, tell a story and have an interesting perspective. More important than the video quality is the actual story. Sure, if you’re an aspiring film maker
Supplements For Men I Take (Almost) Daily
Optimize your health, energy, age well, and maintain yourself. I’m pretty intentional about the supplements I take and don’t want to overdo it or make this an overly complicated process/system. From my own research and personal experience with trying different products here are the supplements I take and have
Google FI is The Best Phone Number For Expat Americans
I’ve been an expat for 10+ years and let me tell you one thing, having critical accounts like your email, brokerage accounts and credit cards tied to some stupid foreign phone number is the worst. Like an idiot, I tied my old Voyager account (now bankrupt) to my then-current Vietnamese
Life Advice for Young Men - 19 Things You MUST Know
19 things no one tells 19 year olds.
26 Reasons Why You Should Never Have a JOB
I used to watch this show called The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch while at University (I’m dating myself now!). I loved the stories of people doing something creative to make more money than they ever did before. This show was a source of hope and inspiration for me
Dream Killer - Doing What You’re Supposed to Do
I’ve wasted a lot of time in my life doing what I’m supposed to do. * I went to college because that’s what you’re supposed to do. * I got a job to sit in a cubicle for 8 hours a day because that’s what you’re supposed to do. * I
Hell is When You Meet The Person You Could Have Been.
At some point, you’ve probably had the idea of a multi-universe reality where there are multiple versions of yourself. Some doing very well, other versions... not so much. Where are you at? I just wrapped up a wonderful 1-month trip visiting my family and one painful realization set in that
7 Simple Ways To Set Yourself Up for Success in Your 30’s
Welp, I’m no longer in my 30’s. So far life has only gotten better as I’ve aged. Life gets better when you get better as I like to say. Not that everything is perfect, things could be much better obviously, but things could also be a lot worse so I’m
43+ Books Every Man Should Read - My Essential Reading
Book for men. This my continually updated list of of book that every man should read.
Understanding Men: What Drives Us
Trying to understanding men always boils down to understanding what drives us. If you want to understand the men in your life and why they do what they do, then keep these two points in your head: First, men are simple. Second, do not project how you think or feel

Money, Bitcoin and Financial Independence

How I Make Money Online - Become a Wealthy Expat Instead of a Peasant English Teacher
First off, I got my start as an English teacher in Thailand so I don’t mean to disparage English teaching. It changed my life forever and for that I’m thankful. However, I’ve seen too many men get stuck as English teachers in Thailand and elsewhere. They quickly go from being
Bitcoin is The Invention of Money and You Can Buy Some (For Now)
Bitcoin is the invention of money and the best cooperation technology we have for the digital age.
How to Invest Money - The Monetary Ranks
Welcome to your free crash course on how to invest your money. This guide is going to cover everything you need to know as a total beginner. It starts off with assuming you’re in debt and goes through what to consider doing as you start to make money and build
How To Work For Yourself as an Expat
It’s the best of times and it’s the worst of times. It’s the best of times because you can live a life that was impossible even 20 years ago. With enough luck, hard work and intelligence, you can live better than any king. It’s the worst
Gemini Credit Card Review - Cash Back vs BTC
The Gemini credit card. Is it the best cash back credit card available? Let’s find out.
Niche Markets That Are Too Small
I’m not a fan of Gary V. I call him 1DV because he’s so 1 dimensional. Work, hustle and enjoy life when you’re old I guess? I get it, Gary V is a work-a-holic type character. Nothing wrong with that if that’s how you’re oriented in the world. However, it’s
Best Places to Buy Bitcoin (For Americans)
Buy Bitcoin. Having no BTC is the wrong position and I don’t care what Ramit Sethi or Dave Ramsey have to say.

Expat Travel advice and strategies

Thailand vs Vietnam - Long Term Living Breakdown From an Expat
I lived in both countries for years, not weeks. Here are my thoughts on Thailand vs Vietnam.
The Teacher Trap - Going Abroad and Getting Stuck as an ESL Teacher
I’ve been on both sides of the coin; a broke AF English teacher in Thailand making $1K a month to now being a self employed guy making a very good income while living abroad. It took years to make it happen, it was stressful (at my worst I was $7K
The Ha Giang Loop Vietnam - Yep It’s Really That Incredible
Ha Giang is a stunningly beautiful, northern most province in Vietnam where you can find the border with China. It used to be quite a dangerous drive through the mountains, but over the last 5 years it has developed into one of the most beautiful, scenic motorcycle adventures I’ve done
11 Remote Working Tips For Expats Abroad
I’ve been doing the digital nomad, remote work lifestyle thing for 10+ years now. As the concept has only grown in popularity since I started (passport bros is now a thing), I thought I would share a few hard-won tips to help you be successful, happy, safe and productive.
Bangkok vs Chiang Mai Compared by an Expat
I’ve lived in both as a digital nomad so I have a unique perspective on the pros and cons of each places. If I had to pick one or the other however I’m choosing Bangkok. Chiang Mai vs Bangkok Both these places are awesome and you should totally live
Cost of Living for Bangkok Thailand
Alright alright, I’ll get the generic statement out of the way first. Yes, your cost of living depends on your spending habits, your current debt and any credit card payments. It also depends on what you would find acceptable and what you would consider to be a sacrifice. Done.

Controversial articles

8 Reasons Why Connecticut Sucks
I was watching this YouTube video of Joe Rogan talking about why Connecticut sucks and I nearly spit my coffee out all over myself laughing because it was so funny and so spot on (but obviously over the top). “CT sucks” and “Connecticut sucks” are pretty popular search terms because
Real and Raw Dating Advice for Women (Must Read)
I’m deeply concerned about the future population crisis we could be living through in the not to distant future.
A Few Things That Surprised Me About Jakarta (Girls, Food, Travel)
Jakarta Indoneisa. I solo traveled there for 5 days and wow, what a great city. In this post I’m going to document my short experiences there. Yes, this is going to be kept private because I’m talking about topics I don’t want publicly available so subscribe (you can cancel anytime)
7 Age Gap Dating Realities as a 40+ Year Old Guy
Alright fine, I’ll step my foot into the bear trap.

Enjoy friends.

-David

PS - Be sure to follow me on Instagram and YouTube - both @edgeofdavid