Reid Kirchenbauer is the world’s foremost expert on frontier market investment in Asia.
Hi, my name is Reid Kirchenbauer. I’ve been investing in real estate and stocks in Asia for more than a decade.
During that time, I’ve bought dozens of properties, made thousands of international stock trades, and learned three languages.
I started the world’s first frontier market property fund when I was 25 years old.
How did I accomplish this? Well, it’s a rather unusual story.
While growing up in Los Angeles, I was a child actor with roles in nationally-aired TV commercials and movies.
The bulk of my work involved network ads for companies like Disney, Oscar Meyer, and Toys “R” Us.
Of course, the hundreds of auditions and time away from school wasn’t always easy, but I credit it for teaching a certain work ethic at a young age.
Now, when you’re in this situation, usually the government and union holds onto your money until you’re an adult… unless you invest it.
This strangely enough led to my career. Much of my spare time as a teenager was spent trading stocks, doing research, and reading books on the topic.
I was more interested in how the Hang Seng Index closed than the normal fascinations of a teenager – all because I wanted to get ahold of my earnings a bit early!
My stock portfolio did relatively well in the 2008 Global Financial Crisis. At the time, I was shorting financial companies and miners.
Then I turned eighteen, moved to Asia on a full-time basis, and never looked back. My life was about to change forever.
I graduated with a finance degree at one of Asia’s top universities, and in the meantime, continued trading stocks while adding to my global real estate portfolio.
Reid on the set of How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
Reid’s graduating class picture in Thailand (2016)
Reid speaking to a live audience of over six hundred people in Kuala Lumpur (2024)
By the time I got out of university, the comparatively small sum I earned as an actor was multiplied by over ten times.
How? Well, I learned how to buy property and other assets in Asia at low prices. I found people who were determined to sell quickly. They were sometimes overleveraged and simply needed more liquidity.
One time, a bomb exploded down the street from the seller’s apartment during a protest in Bangkok… an alarming but temporary event.
I bought the property, which was otherwise in a prime location, and it tripled in value a few years later.
Soon, I began venturing outside “the usual” emerging markets like Thailand and China, and instead spent several years diving into Asia’s rapidly-growing frontier markets.
Places like Nepal, Cambodia, and Vietnam each became my home for several months at a time. My goal: achieve optimal returns.
You can make a great deal of profit in these places, although they’re difficult to invest in and usually require an “on the ground” presence.
Either way, the returns from real estate and stocks in Asia’s fastest growing countries are stellar.
Your own background might be different from mine, yet our goals are probably similar: we both have some money and want to invest in the most effective way possible.
Skip the Next Western Recession
Learn the best places to invest – and where to avoid – by downloading our free Investment Cheat Sheet.