Archive
Malta Stories, History & Essays
The Knights, the language, the faith, the politics, and fifteen years of personal history on the island. 28 articles.
Why I’ve Been Sending Clients to Malta Since 2012 — And Why I’m Still Doing It
I first set foot in Malta in the early 2000s. I came back. Then I came back again. I lived there twice, a year at a time. My sister-in-law Sabrina has been based in Valletta since
Fifteen Years of Divorce in Malta: A Confession From a Man Who Hates Divorce and Used It
Malta legalised divorce 15 years ago. A personal, unflinching essay on marriage, the referendum, Europe's lowest divorce rate, and why commitment still wins.
The Stone in David's Sling: Why Malta Is Standing Alone Against an EU-Wide Tax (And Whether It Can Possibly Win)
Robert Abela says Malta will never accept an EU-wide tax. We unpack the gambling levy threat, the unanimity veto, and whether tiny Malta can really win.
Malta on Trial: Justice for Daphne, Fairness for a Nation
The Fenech trial has begun in Valletta. Justice for Daphne Caruana Galizia is essential. But the foreign press caricature of Malta as a mafia island is not.
The Fortress in the Fields: 250 Years of America, and Malta's Favourite Mystery
The US just celebrated 250 years of independence in Malta. A friendship dating to 1796, a $125M fortress embassy at Ta' Qali, and the rumours Malta loves.
The Order That Built Malta, and Became a Country Without One
The Knights of St John built Valletta, gave Malta its cross, then lost the island and became a sovereign nation with no territory. Inside the Order of Malta.
Malta Is a Man’s Island
Malta is a man’s island, built by knights for survival and run on a flat 15 percent tax. A storyteller’s case for Europe’s most functional bolt-hole.
Eight Points of Faith: The Maltese Cross, and the Two I Carried Home
A personal reflection on the Maltese cross — its eight points, the Knights of St John, and why I chose it over the Templar and crusader crosses in Malta.
Doing It My Way Was the Lie. Malta Keeps Telling Me the Truth.
Sinatra sang that he had no regrets. After raising my children alone in Malta, I think that is the most dangerous line in music. Here is the honest version.
How Malta Has Changed: Valletta, the Three Cities, and Why the Move Still Makes Sense
After twenty years of returns, here is how Malta has really changed: a reborn Valletta, old-school Birgu, the Michelin scene, and the tax case for HNWIs.
A German Knight Beneath My Feet: Finding Nikolaus von Enzberg at St John's
On the way to Mass at St John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta I found the tomb of Nikolaus von Enzberg, a German knight from the upper Danube. His story, and mine.
Two Islands. Two Labour Parties. Only One of Them Is Winning.
Malta Labour just won a fourth term on growth, low debt and capital attraction. Britain’s Labour is taxing capital out. Two islands, opposite lessons.
What I'd Tell Someone Who'd Read Everything on This Page and Still Hadn't Decided
You have read everything. You understand the tax framework, the residency programmes, the lifestyle, the trade-offs. Here is what I would tell you if you still have not decided.
The Mdina Question: Why Some of Our Most Serious Clients Choose the Silent City Over Sliema
Mdina is the oldest inhabited part of Malta and the least written about. Here is why some of our most serious clients choose the Silent City over Sliema, and what that decision actually involves.
The Language Nobody Talks About: Maltese, Arabic Roots, and What It's Like to Live Somewhere You Can't Read the Signs
Maltese is the only Semitic language in the EU, with deep Arabic roots, written in Latin script. What it is like to live in a country whose signs you cannot read and whose language you cannot easily place.
I Spent a Week in Rhodes. Here's What It Taught Me About Why Malta Works.
A week in Rhodes made me think harder about why Malta works. Greece is beautiful. Malta is liveable. The difference matters more than it sounds.
The EU Country Where Catholics Call God Allah
In Malta, Catholics call God "Alla" at Mass, in scripture, in daily life. This is not a paradox. It is the key to understanding the most unusual Catholic culture in Europe.
The Phoenician Shore: What 3,000 Years of Trade Routes Tell You About Malta's Instinct for Commerce
Malta has been a crossroads of trade since the Phoenicians. Three thousand years of commercial instinct explain why its modern tax regime is no accident.
13 Years of Clients in Malta: The Five Mistakes We See Again and Again
We have been sending clients to Malta since 2012. Sabrina has been on the ground since 2012. Between us, we have seen the Malta move go right many times — and we have seen it go wr
Less State, More Life: Why Malta’s Fiscal Architecture Suits a Certain Kind of Person
I have a tagline. It is not subtle: Mehr Geld. Mehr Freiheit. Weniger Staat. More money. More freedom. Less state.
Older Than the Pyramids: Malta’s Megalithic Temples and What They Tell You About This Place
There is a moment that happens to almost everyone who visits Ħaġar Qim for the first time.
Holy Week in Malta: The Most Catholic Country in the EU Does Not Disappoint
There is a version of Holy Week that most Western Catholics under sixty have never experienced. They know the liturgy — Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, the Easter Vigil. T
How Sabrina Looks After Our Clients in Malta: What On-the-Ground Support Actually Means
Most advisers on Malta residency will help you with the application. They will send you a programme brochure, collect your documents, submit the forms, and — once the certificate a
The Feast of the Shipwreck of Saint Paul: What February 10th Tells You About Malta
On 10 February, Malta stops.
The Knights of St John Built This Country. Here’s Why That History Still Matters.
Malta is 316 square kilometres. It has no rivers, almost no natural resources, and sits at the crossroads of a sea that has been fought over for three thousand years. By any ration
Christmas in Malta: Midnight Mass in Valletta, the Presepju, and Why This Place Feels Different
There is a moment that happens to people who spend their first Christmas in Malta. It tends to happen on Christmas Eve, somewhere around midnight, standing outside a Baroque church
St. Paul Was Shipwrecked Here. Why That Matters for Where You Choose to Live.
In AD 60, the Apostle Paul was on a ship sailing from Crete to Rome. A storm drove the vessel off course. After two weeks at sea, the ship ran aground on a sandbar and broke apart.
The Truth About Germans in Malta: Our Story, Our Team, and Why Clients Get Confused
More and more **German, Austrian, and Swiss entrepreneurs, investors, and pensioners** are considering **relocation to Malta**. The island offers sunshine, EU membership, and attractive rules for [tax