Las Tablas is a bustling little town. It's busiest when temperatures are coolest -- in the early morning, around lunchtime, and then in the evening after dark. (Here in the tropics, we don't have the lengthened summer evenings and the short, short winter days that North Americans are used to.) It's located on Panama's Azuero Peninsula, near the east coast. The nearest beach is about six miles away. A few days ago I grabbed my camera and went into town to shoot some video. It was mid-afternoon …
How To Choose the Best Country for your Overseas Retirement
Once you're bitten by the expat, overseas bug, how do you go about choosing your best country for overseas retirement? At the risk of stating the obvious, it's a vital part of your relocation process. In fact, it's so obvious I needed to be reminded of it! A few days ago I received this email from a reader: "Hello: "I stumbled on your site and was looking for info on the process you used to select Panama. For example, what other countries did you remotely and in-country evaluate. How long did …
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5 Ways to Find a Home (to Rent or Buy) in a New Country
If you're from the US, Canada or western Europe, you're used to a highly organized real estate market. You have agencies to help with buying, selling and renting. In the US, multiple listing services are the norm where you can deal with any agent and have access to the full spectrum of available property for sale. Not so much in Latin America. So how do you find a place to live when you've landed in Panama, Uruguay, Mexico or another Latin American country? Word of Mouth Unless you want to pay …
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Portable Careers: How to Get Paid Overseas
You've started a profitable portable career. You have clients or projects (or you know how to get them). Congratulations, you can work from almost anywhere in the world. You just need your laptop, camera and an internet connection, and you're in business. Now, how do you get paid? The best portable career in the world doesn't do you any good if you can't access the money you've earned. Back in the US, clients mailed me checks which I took to the bank and deposited. That doesn't work so well …
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A Day at the Beach — Playa Uverito, Panama [video]
When we decided to move to Panama, we liked the idea of being close to both beaches and mountains. Last Saturday we spent the afternoon at Playa Uverito. That's the beach most folks from Las Tablas use on a regular basis. Only about six miles out of town over a brand-new, top-notch road, it's easy to get to. Like other Panama beaches (at least the ones I've seen), the sand is dark. Not black sand, but definitely not white either. Plenty of houses line the beach as well as a half dozen …
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Expat Tax, Tips and Traps
Guest Post from expat CPA Diane Siriani Every day we get questions about the expat tax rules and are always amazed how each situation is always a little different and has a different hurdle to cross. Here are some quick answers to those common difficult questions that come up on a regular basis: Foreign Income Exclusion Can only be taken by filing a return and completing IRS FORM 2555. No return, no exclusion! Foreign Bank Accounts If cumulative balance is $10,000 -- including savings, …