Nirav is a self-taught private investor and has been interested in finance and investing since an early age. Having lived on 3 continents, he is naturally interested in global financial trends and intermarket relationships. He has invested in stocks, residential real estate, currencies, gold coins and oil/gas drilling programs. He is partial to investments that pay dividends but doesn't shy away from investments that have the potential for long-term appreciation. He has a Masters Degree in Computer Science from the University of Southern California and hopes to graduate with an MBA from UCLA's Anderson School of Business in the vague near future. He can be contacted at livingoffdividends[at]gmail[dot]com and through his blog, Living Off Dividends & Passive Income (http://livingoffdividends.com). Note: Seeking Alpha editors have contact information for all contributors to enable ongoing communication regarding articles published.