Times Are Tough, But You Have Options

“I think we’re living in tough times,” writes Intrepid Correspondent Paul Terhorst this morning. “Americans appear to hate government, Wall Street, oil companies, immigrants, trade… “Our house is worth less than before. Our stocks are worth less than they were 10 years ago. Our taxes have gone up, our standard of living down. And we’re [...]

It’s Surprisingly Easy To Make This Tropical Paradise Your Home

“Malaysia is a tropical paradise,” writes Correspondent Wendy Justice. “Beautiful islands and beaches, cool mountain retreats, great food, a diverse and multi-ethnic culture, excellent shopping, and a low cost of living…Malaysia has it all. “Plus, the infrastructure and health care are modern and efficient. English is widely spoken. Entertainment ranges from street celebrations to casino [...]

Panama City’s Rental Market–What A Difference Two Years Have Made!

“I’m planning to move from the sleepy Panamanian town where I’ve been living for nearly two years, paying US$200 a month to rent a three-bedroom house at the beach,” writes Editorial Assistant Rebecca Tyre, “back to Panama City, where I lived for two years before moving to Las Tablas. “Boy, how the rental market in [...]

Two Budgets For Your New Life In Panama

How much does it cost to live in Panama? We take up this cost-of-living question regularly. This time, my point has to do with how much your cost of living can vary within a particular country. Is Panama still a bargain destination? Not really…and you betcha! Our Panama editorial team considers this question regularly and [...]

A Good Time To Look At Roatan

“Most of the expats and retirees in Honduras,” explained Correspondent Michael Paladin yesterday, “have flocked either to the north of the mainland, beginning at Copan, variously described as the Athens or the Paris of the Mayan world, or to a few enclaves along the Caribbean coast and the Bay Islands, especially the famed diving island [...]

One Good Reason To Retire To Honduras

“Here’s a reason to retire to Honduras,” writes Correspondent Michael Paladin: “No one over age 65 can be sent to prison…not for anything. “Here’s another: Obtaining retirement residency is a straightforward matter. Show proof of US$600 a month in income to qualify for the pensionista visa or US$1,000 a month in income to qualify for [...]

Nicaragua … why not?

“Kathleen, you write much about Nicaragua as a possibility for retirement,” writes reader David M. from the United States. “I am in agreement for the most part. However, as opposed to Panama, about which you are very frank concerning the downsides, I have not read anything about the problems in Nicaragua. “Most prominent in my [...]

Your Dream Country Home In Italy…From 11,000 Euro

It’s a common dream: Find a tumbledown farmhouse in Italy and renovate it into a dream country home. In some regions of Italy, Abruzzo, for example, the cost can be as tempting as the romantic notion. You can find stone house ruins in this part of the country for US$50,000 and less….sometimes much less. But [...]

Borrowing to buy overseas … this is what you have to know

Nowhere in the world has it ever been as easy to borrow money to buy real estate as it has been in the United States of America over the past decade. You could borrow more than the cost of the property you were buying, even, with a fixed rate of interest and a nice, long [...]

Your Passport To 2009′s Land of Opportunity

Panama is the world’s #1 retirement haven…the world’s top offshore haven…and an international banking center. Its pensionado program of special benefits for foreign retirees is the Gold Standard. As a foreign resident, you can pay zero local tax. Panama is one of the best places in the world right now to start a business and [...]