This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

International Investing - World Cup

The world is a big place – there are over 190 countries and 7 billion people in the world, which really boggles the mind if you sit down and think about it. In addition to being an interesting intellectual exercise, this fact can also have broad implications for your investments and your financial future. It is easy to stay focused on U.S. firms, news, and events during the day-to-day grind, but it is always important to be aware of your surroundings – especially when it comes to your investments. With that in mind, this series of articles will focus on countries and investment opportunities outside the United States that you might not usually hear about.

As always, be sure to consult a financial services professional familiar with both the potential investment and your unique financial situation before embarking on any investment program.

The World Cup

Find out what's happening in Hobokenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In the United States there are several sporting events that dominate headlines, generate economic activity, and lead to the construction of stadiums costing hundreds of millions (if not billions) of dollars to build. Basketball, football, baseball, and hockey are widely considered to be the “Big 4″ of sports, but in the world at large there is a completely different sport that captivates audiences, creates enormous economic activity, and dominates headlines.

Soccer, or as is it known elsewhere football (futbol).

Find out what's happening in Hobokenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

This 2014 world cup, set to begin on June 12th, has generated a lot of media coverage for several reasons. Protests, police crackdowns, and construction delays have plagued the process, as Brazil attempts to ready its people and infrastructure for the influx of tourists and media coverage. That said, the World Cup is still an economic heavyweight and can significantly add to a nation’s economy.

Let’s take a look at a few of the ways that this can happen:

1) Infrastructure — whether it is completed on time or not, once the infrastructure is completed, it is there to stay.

2) Local businesses — only a very small percentage of Brazil’s exports are generated by small and medium size enterprises, and the World Cup is an excellent opportunity to showcase these businesses.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?