The unknown. . . it can be exciting, exhilarating or paralyzing. Even when we're excited that we might "boldly go where no man has gone before," there's usually a bit of terror lurking in the background. In this internet era, with easy access to satellite photos and maps of the entire globe, there's not much on this Earth that's totally unknown. As a future expat, sometimes it just feels that way. How do you handle that moment of truth every future expat experiences, the time when you have to …
Expat Conferences: Valuable Tools or Expensive Hype?
My husband and I are planning an exploratory trip to Panama in the spring. Coincidentally, one of the big names in the publishing-for-expats business is holding a conference in Panama City at the same time. I'm seriously considering attending. If I go, I'll not only be listening and taking notes for myself but for all of you as well. I've been wondering for a long time whether these events provide reasonable value for participants. Testimonial, Shmestimonial Oh, I know what the promoters say, …
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Panama Bridge Kit: A Feast of Information
As some of you know, Panama is currently at the top of my list for possible expat destinations. (In fact, my husband and I are setting dates right now for a visit in the spring to explore.) In preparation, I’ve been looking over reams of information about the country. One of the packages I reviewed is called the Panama Bridge Kit. It’s a comprehensive rundown of the kinds of information that future Panama expats need. The kit includes six modules: First and foremost, the Live and Invest in …
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Retire to Latin America if You’re Poor, Europe if You’re Not
I don't generally follow investment websites or blogs, but The Oblivious Investor caught my eye recently. Why? Because author Rick Todd rated some expat retirement destinations based on how much income you have to retire on. His top five picks for retirees with a limited (primarily Social Security) income: Costa Rica Malaysia Uruguay Panama Nicaragua His top five picks for retirees with higher income: France Spain Italy Portugal New Zealand Note that four out of the five …
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A Video Look at Some Expat Destinations
For a change of pace today, I thought I'd share with you some YouTube videos about expats and their new homes. A quick YouTube search of "expat" turns up over 4,000 videos. As you'd expect, some are good, some are terrible and most are in between. Some are slick, commercially produced efforts, most are not. The ones I find most interesting are individuals who shares specifics about their new homes. [ad#Google Adsense Double] I've chosen 14 videos worth a look. We'll come back to this from time …
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Panama Hits the Sweet Spot for Life and Business
If you plan to start a business overseas -- and most of you indicated you'll have to generate some income to finance your overseas lifestyle -- Panama is the country to look at. According to Kathleen Peddicord, publisher of the Overseas Retirement Letter, the country's friendliness to business is why she and her real estate developer husband moved from Paris to Panama two years ago. Kathleen explains: In the past few months, since my How to Retire Overseas book was published, I've been …
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