photo credit: j / f / photos

If you are interested in investing in some stocks outside the United States, then there is an easy way for Americans to do so, using the ADR system. ADR - American Depositary Receipts - are a way of investing in a company abroad without having to actually send money out of the country, as such.

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You’re on vacation abroad and enjoying lazy days on a tropical beach, shopping for souvenirs and eating some of the local cuisine. It’s very convenient to cover these costs using your credit card - no need to convert cash to the local currency or try to work out foreign bank machines.

You might be in for a shock when you get back home and read your next credit card statement. Your credit card provider is probably charging you a “foreign currency conversion fee” of up to 3%, and sometimes another “transaction fee” on top of that. Additionally, some overseas merchants will charge you up to 6% to convert the cost into US$ before they charge it to your card.
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