A Tale Of Two Retirees

Friends David Stubbs and Lucy Culpepper retired overseas early and haven’t looked back since… “I retired to Costa Rica in 2004,” explains David, “at the age of 48. I was late. My goal from my teenage years was to be in a position to retire by the age of 35. As I approached that milestone, I was having too much fun to quit. Even at 40, I was not ready, but, by 45, I knew my time in the workforce was up. It took me a couple of years to extricate myself from corporate life, after 21 years with Hewlett-Packard. … Continue reading A Tale Of Two Retirees

This Eco-Investment Doubles Your Money, At Least,

A developer friend is launching a new project in Belize. I’ve written about early-in investment opportunities with this project once before, when the developer, Phil Hahn, made his initial Founder’s Guild package offer earlier this year. Phil sold the three packages he had available within 24 hours of my alert. That’s how compelling the offer was. What Phil has put together for this next round of early-in opportunity is no less interesting. These additional Founder’s Guild packages that Phil is making available now come with the potential to return 24% annualized over three years. Before I go into further details … Continue reading This Eco-Investment Doubles Your Money, At Least,

Fairy-Tale Living On The Continent (That, Yes, You Can Afford)

Croatia is my other top pick (alongside France) for spending time in Europe. This is a country of impossibly beautiful blue-green waters that, unfortunately, is better known for its tumultuous history. The fighting, though, in this part of the world is nearly two decades in the past, and the cultured, educated people of Croatia have been working hard ever since to rebuild their 1,000-year-old country. Croatia has captured my imagination since my first visit nearly 10 years ago. The entire family, in fact, was so taken with the beauty, the history, the culture, and the lifestyle of this country that, … Continue reading Fairy-Tale Living On The Continent (That, Yes, You Can Afford)

Here’s The Most Important Thing You Need To Understand About Spending Time In France

Here’s perhaps the most important thing to understand about France: It can be a far more affordable place to spend time than you might imagine. Paris is the best place on earth to seek out a luxury lifestyle on a budget. Whatever your idea of the high life, you can find it in the City of Light, and the best part about this city is that some of the best it has to offer comes free.  Life’s sweetest pleasures are here for the taking. Picnics in the Luxembourg Gardens, long walks along the Seine, afternoons lost among the cobblestones of … Continue reading Here’s The Most Important Thing You Need To Understand About Spending Time In France

Panama Sliced Thin

Panama is an extreme example of why thin-slicing your live and retire overseas options is important. First, there’s Panama City, which isn’t one good choice but at least a half-dozen, including El Cangrejo, Paitilla, Costa del Este, the banking center, and Casco Viejo. These are markedly different options for city living. El Cangrejo is up-and-coming trendy…the banking center is the most convenient, center-of-everything option and home to the city’s best (and most expensive) addresses. Casco Viejo is the most historic and interesting section of this city. At least that’s my opinion. A friend, on the other hand, refers to Casco … Continue reading Panama Sliced Thin

Good Wine, Grand Adventure, And A 18.97% Annual Yield

Clear turquoise waters lapping gently against soft white sand. Palm trees rustling in the warm breeze. Fishing boats bobbing on the horizon. Birdsong and island tunes all around… Ambergris Caye, Belize, is unadulterated, unpretentious Caribbean…the sea, sand, and sunshine of the Caymans or the Virgin Islands without the price tag. San Pedro town, a former fishing village, is the center of activity and home to a growing expatriate community of North Americans and Europeans catered to now by dozens of restaurants, shops, art galleries, and community organizations. You could settle in here quickly and easily, as the language (like everywhere … Continue reading Good Wine, Grand Adventure, And A 18.97% Annual Yield

Thin Slicing Paradise

You aren’t going to retire to Panama or France, not to Belize or Croatia, nor to Uruguay, Malaysia, Ireland, Nicaragua, or the Philippines… Ah, but a new life in a small beach town on Panama’s Pacific coast…a fresh start with a renovation project in a centuries-old city in the heart of France…in an apartment in Montevideo’s old town…on a horse farm in Belize’s beautiful mountainous interior…or perhaps in a custom-built home overlooking the lake just outside Granada, Nicaragua, a Spanish colonial jewel of a city… These are starting-over overseas ideas worth close consideration right now. We call it “thin slicing.” … Continue reading Thin Slicing Paradise

Zero Interest Financing To Own On Panama’s Most Beautiful Beach

Property developers I consult with have been contacting me over the past few months to ask for help creating financing offers for their respective development projects intended to make the buy decision easier in this age of tight credit. I’ve worked with at least a half-dozen developers to conceive financing packages that have, in every case, yielded very positive outcomes, for both the developers and the buyers. It’s time to take my own advice. After discussing the particulars with my partners, David Stubbs and Robert Kroesen, I’m writing today, therefore, to alert you to the opportunity now to buy at … Continue reading Zero Interest Financing To Own On Panama’s Most Beautiful Beach

Nevis Vs. Caymans Vs. BVI Vs. Hong Kong Vs. Panama –The World’s Premier Offshore Havens Compared

Back in the office in Panama City after a week in the Big Apple, I’m struggling to catch up with everything that’s new since I’ve been away… First, tomorrow is the final day for the Early Bird Discount for our Live & Invest in Belize Conference, scheduled for June 21-23 in Belize City. Starting Saturday, May 1, the price of registration increases US$200 per person. If your name is on the Pre-registration List for this event, you’re due an additional special discount of US$100 per person. Combine this with the Early Bird Discount and save a total of US$300 per … Continue reading Nevis Vs. Caymans Vs. BVI Vs. Hong Kong Vs. Panama –The World’s Premier Offshore Havens Compared

Entrepreneurs In Paradise–How To Fund Your New Life In Belize

When we left Ann and Mike last, they’d bought in Belize…built in Belize…sold in Belize…and were preparing to indulge their entrepreneurial inclinations on this country’s Temptation Island… “I’d been in my new VP position for only two years,” Ann explains. “I was doing well and enjoying it. Not yet 50, my transition timeline was seven years out. But Mike had grown to like Belize, and he was itching for the next, grander challenge. “We had fun kicking around ideas for businesses we might both enjoy. The better we got to know the island, the more niches we saw that needed … Continue reading Entrepreneurs In Paradise–How To Fund Your New Life In Belize

Why Did I Do This In The First Place?

When my boss at the time came to me to explain that the U.S. publishing company where I’d been working for 13 years was interested in setting up a new base in Ireland and to ask if I’d be interested in making the move to open that office for him, I jumped at the chance. I was 34 years old, ready for a change, and eager for an adventure. I’d been covering this live, retire, and invest overseas beat for a long time, but I realized that that was not the same as living it. This was my chance to … Continue reading Why Did I Do This In The First Place?

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

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 taken the position that it doesn’t want to do business with Americans, period. Not worth the hassle. Options for Americans to protect their assets abroad are going to continue to disappear. If you aren’t already holding a sizeable portion … Continue reading The Noose Is Tightening — Here’s How You Slip Out