Category: Pillar 5 of 7 – Finance and Financial Education

How to Weaponize Your Bank Account So You Never Start Over From $0 Ever Again

Great Places For Holidays And Investments, Real Estate, Real Estate InvestmentsLeave a comment

Sand-Fringed, English-Speaking, And Seriously Tax-Advantaged

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“Initially, I was attracted to Belize by its natural beauty and environment, including the opportunity it offers for scuba diving and water sports,” writes Correspondent from that country Ann Kuffner. “Thinking back to when this country first got my attention, I realize that, then, I wasn’t in a hurry. I had a lucrative career. I wasn’t thinking of making an international move. Instead, my husband and I invested in a vacation home on the island of Ambergris Caye. For eight years, we traveled to Belize yearly, to relax and to scuba dive. “I wanted to be sure before committing to … Continue reading Sand-Fringed, English-Speaking, And Seriously Tax-Advantaged

Attitudes, Investments, Real Estate, Real Estate Investments1 Comment

Most Frequently Asked (And Not So Crazy) Questions About Retiring Overseas

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The following questions, which we receive regularly, are often preceded by, “I feel a little foolish asking, but I’m just not sure…” Don’t be shy. It never hurts to clarify. For example: 1. “If I move overseas, could I ever return home?” Yes, of course. Living overseas, even full-time, even as a legal resident of another country, affects your ability to spend time in your home country not at all. You’re still an American (or British or Australian, etc.) citizen, after all. You can come and go as you please. 2. Living overseas, would I lose my original citizenship? Again, … Continue reading Most Frequently Asked (And Not So Crazy) Questions About Retiring Overseas

Real Estate, Real Estate InvestmentsLeave a comment

How To Vet A Foreign Real Estate Buy

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“Here are the key factors to keep in mind as you scout opportunities: The real estate agents you encounter may not be licensed, and they may have next-to-no relevant experience (maybe they were travel agents or mechanical engineers in previous lives…I’ve known real estate agents in emerging markets who were both those things as recently as two weeks before I made their acquaintance)… The real estate agent you decide to work with probably isn’t working for you. In emerging and unregulated markets (like the ones I direct you to regularly), the property agents don’t work for the buyer, and they … Continue reading How To Vet A Foreign Real Estate Buy

Attitudes, Real Estate, Real Estate Investments3 Comments

How To Filter The Best Real Estate Investment Opportunities Of 2010

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“Falling markets over the past 18-plus months have created crisis buy opportunities,” writes resident global real estate investing expert Lief Simon, “for personal use and for investment. New Year 2010 is a year for action. I’ll present specific opportunities starting next week. “Meantime…invest in a piece of real estate in another country? How do you get started? “First, you ask yourself why you’re buying–for investment or for personal use. The answer may not be clear-cut. And the best case is when you find a piece of real estate that holds out the potential for an investment return (in the form … Continue reading How To Filter The Best Real Estate Investment Opportunities Of 2010

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The Simple And Satisfying Pleasures Of French Country Life

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“We recently visited an organic beef and lamb farm,” writes France Correspondent Lucy Culpepper from her home in the southwest of that country. “It was part of an annual, all-weekend event held across France. Farmers opened their doors (and their stables) to visitors to show off their animals, their cheese making, and their meat, wine, and vegetable production. “We visited the farm of Josie and Jean Pierre Pommiés, just outside the pretty village of Coarraze in the beautiful rolling countryside of the Haut Béarn. Jean Pierre is a classic shepherd; in early summer he drives his animals, on foot, up … Continue reading The Simple And Satisfying Pleasures Of French Country Life

Real Estate, Real Estate Investments1 Comment

The Noose Is Tightening — Here’s How You Slip Out

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Putting your money into foreign real estate is becoming a more appealing strategy all the time. Thanks to a crazy piece of pork in the recently passed U.S. HIRE Act, currency controls in that country have been seriously tightened. You know, of course, that you have to report any financial accounts you hold outside the United States with a value of more than US$10,000. Now, though, foreign financial institutions are required to report on the investment activities of U.S. citizens. It’s been increasingly difficult for some time for an American to open an international account abroad, and Switzerland recently has … Continue reading The Noose Is Tightening — Here’s How You Slip Out

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The Town Of Everlasting Peace

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“Greetings from Taiping,” writes Intrepid Correspondent Vicki Terhorst this morning. “This place is an historical and hidden gem in Malaysia. So few Westerners visit the ‘town of everlasting peace’ that Paul and I attract attention wherever we go. Young folks yell ‘Welcome to Malaysia’ from car windows, school bus windows, and motorcycles. Older folks come up to us when we are eating or out walking, to greet us and to ask where we are from. “The other day I walked by a huge convent school that teaches in English, and their motto caught my attention: Simple in Virtue, Steadfast in … Continue reading The Town Of Everlasting Peace

Attitudes, Great Places For Holidays And Investments1 Comment

The Top Three Reasons Not To Retire Overseas Debunked!

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Reason #1 Not To Retire Overseas: You have young children. Bring them with you! The advantages to raising children abroad are many, from a second (or even third) language to a second passport. Children raised overseas are generally self-confident, open-minded, and resourceful. They learn to make friends easily and to adjust quickly to change. If you’re hesitating making an international move because you have children, you’re making a mistake. That, however, is not to say that raising kids in another country is easy. When you make a move overseas with children, they, specifically the options for their education, become your … Continue reading The Top Three Reasons Not To Retire Overseas Debunked!

Great Places For Holidays And Investments1 Comment

Emergency Health Care In Belize–One-Third The Cost You’d Pay Stateside

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“After a lovely weekend with friends,” writes Belize Correspondent Ann Kuffner, “my husband Mike and I stepped into our condo at dusk Sunday evening. I had just picked up my new prescription sunglasses at the Hoy Eye Center in Belize City. I was pleased that the transition lenses are very dark but not yet used to focusing with them. Entering the house, I did not see our big, black dog, Ziggy, asleep on his favorite dark rug… “Before I knew it, my heels were in the air, and I had landed on the unforgiving tile floor, directly on my hip. … Continue reading Emergency Health Care In Belize–One-Third The Cost You’d Pay Stateside

Real Estate Investments1 Comment

Assessing Your Retire Overseas Risks

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“Read almost any article in the mainstream press about retiring overseas,” writes Intrepid Correspondent Paul Terhorst from his current base in Chiang Mai, Thailand, “and the writer almost invariably starts by evaluating the local health care situation. ‘Country A offers high-quality, low-cost health care…Country B allows expats to buy into the national health plan.’ “I’ve long been puzzled by this emphasis on health care. “Sure, most overseas retirees are older…and we older folks buy more health care than young people. But we buy other stuff, too. We buy transportation, plumbing, electricity, and lodging. You never read that ‘Country C offers … Continue reading Assessing Your Retire Overseas Risks

Great Places For Holidays And Investments, Real Estate, Real Estate Investments2 Comments

Retire Overseas Fundamentals

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Lief and I have begun conversations with our first Live Overseas Personal Consulting clients, and I’m being reminded of the fundamentals. For example… Language This can seem an intimidating, even paralyzing hurdle. If you’ve never spoken a second language or even if you speak, say, a little Spanish but not enough to hold a business conversation or to negotiate a rental lease, you can worry how you’ll get things done, how you’ll keep from being taken advantage of, and how you’ll make friends. The concern can be greatest if you’re thinking of making a move on your own. I do … Continue reading Retire Overseas Fundamentals

Investments, Real Estate, Real Estate Investments1 Comment

Why These Expats Chose This Safe Haven

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“Developed in the 1930s as a resort for wealthy Argentineans,” writes Uruguay Correspondent Sol Tuya, “Piriapolis has evolved into one of the world’s most affordable and appealing retirement havens, attracting expats from North America, Europe, and elsewhere throughout South America.             “I include myself among them, and I can tell you that, here in this small city on Uruguay’s coast, we are enjoying peace and harmony and a quality of life that I think would be hard to match. “Every month, the Piriapolis English Speakers Club gathers by the sea for good conversation, good food, and a chance to network … Continue reading Why These Expats Chose This Safe Haven