#129 - US Rentals To Overseas Assets: Diversification with Mike Cobb

2026-03-13

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Send a textWhat percentage of your investible net worth is actually outside your home country? If you're like most tech professionals, the answer is "basically zero" and you might be missing one of the smartest diversification plays available. In this episode of Path to Passive, Steven Arita sits down with Mike Cobb, CEO of ECI Development, who's spent over 25 years developing resort communities, running a bank, and building a teak timber empire across Latin America. Mike started his ca...

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What percentage of your investible net worth is actually outside your home country?

If you're like most tech professionals, the answer is "basically zero" and you might be missing one of the smartest diversification plays available.

In this episode of Path to Passive, Steven Arita sits down with Mike Cobb, CEO of ECI Development, who's spent over 25 years developing resort communities, running a bank, and building a teak timber empire across Latin America.

Mike started his career in the IBM clone business in the 1980s, where he learned to predict tech pricing trends and bid contracts below cost—then turned that "time machine" framework into a real estate investment strategy that's made him millions.

Here's the core insight: the developing world isn't like a time machine, it IS a time machine, and different countries represent different points on a development curve you can exploit.

Mike walks through how he spotted a market gap financing properties in Belize when no U.S. or Belizean bank would touch foreign buyers, how he turned $100 worth of outlet upgrades into a multi-country development business, and why he believes his timber business will eclipse both his bank and real estate holdings within three years.

You'll learn the critical difference between "heart decisions" (lifestyle purchases) and "head decisions" (cashflow investments), why digital nomads have created a rental arbitrage opportunity most investors are ignoring, and how remote work has fundamentally changed international real estate for the first time in human history.

Mike shares his "anchovy pizza principle"—invest in what the market wants, not what you want—and reveals why teak being cut 8-10 times faster than it's replanted represents a generational wealth opportunity starting at just $22,000.

This isn't hype—it's a thinking conversation about diversification, due diligence, and the shift from "seller beware" to "buyer beware" that trips up most foreign investors.

Whether you're exploring global optionality, looking to diversify beyond U.S. markets, or simply curious how high-earning W-2 professionals can leverage international opportunities, this episode delivers a clear framework for evaluating overseas real estate investments without losing your shirt.

Connect with Mike:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelkcobb/
Website: https://ecidevelopment.com/

Mike's giving away his book "How to Buy Your Home Overseas (And Get It Right the First Time)" for free—just email podcast@ecidevelopment.com with subject "Mike's book."

Episode Highlights:
0:52 – [Intro]
3:32 – [Hook Question] What percentage of your investible net worth is actually outside your home country?
4:16 – [Mike's Background] From IBM clone manufacturer to international real estate developer across Latin America
6:38 – [The $100 Insight] How fixing outlet strips and bathroom lights became a multi-country development business
8:30 – [The Time Machine Framework] The developing world IS a time machine—countries represent dif