I’m all in on Panama.

I’ve been spending time and money in this country since 1997.

Lief and I have been living here full- and part-time since 2008.

We’ve raised our son here. Based our business here. Made every kind of property investment it’s possible to make from pre-construction condos to commercial buildings and from productive land to land for banking and the legacy undertaking that is Los Islotes on Panama’s gloriously undiscovered Veraguas Pacific coast.

Based on all that experience, what do I say to anyone who asks me what I think of Panama today?

“Get on a plane and come see for yourself,” I suggest.

Because if you aren’t taking a good close look at all that Panama has to offer right now, you’re missing out.

This is true regardless of your agenda.

Whether you’re looking to improve your lifestyle…

To make some money…

Or both…

Panama should be at the top of your list.

Our Live And Invest Overseas business is based in the heart of Panama City. We’re in good company. The Panamanian capital is home to hundreds of international operations, including some of the world’s biggest from Estee Lauder and Nike to Dell, Caterpillar, Nestle, and on and on.

I appreciate the great advantages that Panama offers the globally minded entrepreneur, but, to be honest, I don’t love Panama City.

Panama City is a boom town… crowded, dirty, noisy, and hot.

Our now 27-year-old son, on the other hand, enjoys every chance to return to the town where he grew up. He and his friends from school hit the clubs, the restaurants, the casinos.

Panama City is recognized by his generation and other folks younger than me as Miami South.

My favorite thing about Panama City is driving out of Panama City, across the Bridge Of The Americas, headed west.

Because while Panama City is not my lifestyle cup of tea, life out at Los Islotes, west of the capital and way down at the bottom of the western coast of the Azuero Peninsula, is my definition of paradise. No nightclubs or casinos in these parts. No shopping malls or fast food either. This is a frontier.

Privacy, elbow room, and a chance to create your own reality in the most virgin natural setting imaginable—those are the things that attracted Lief and me to this outpost in the first place and those are the things we most appreciate about this secret coast still.

Panama City is the most developed city in the region and increasingly recognized as a brand-name city on the world stage alongside Miami and Dubai…

Panama’s Veraguas coast is one of the most unspoiled spots on our planet…

In between are just about every other lifestyle option you could be in the market for… from cool, comfortable living among a welcoming community of fellow expats in Panama’s highlands…

To beaches that are weekend-commutable, within a couple of hours drive of Panama City…

Pounding Pacific beaches that attract the world’s best surfers…

And tranquil Caribbean beaches ideal for unplugging and recharging…

This little country is hugely diverse not only when it comes to lifestyle. Panama also offers one of the world’s most diversified investment markets.

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Venezuelans, Colombians, Hondurans, El Salvadorans, Argentines, and others from across Latin America… when they have capital to safeguard, they put it in Panama.

Americans and Canadians, too, likewise, prize this safe-haven marketplace… alongside the French, the Dutch, the Irish, the Spanish, Norwegians, Brits…

As well as, increasingly, investors from Dubai and across the Middle East…

Anyone anywhere seeking safe harbor… they’re looking to Panama.

I sat down with longtime friend in Panama Jose Bern for a conversation to launch my new Living And Investing Overseas With Kathleen Peddicord podcast. (Subscribe to our YouTube channel to be the first to hear when it’s released.)

Jose’s father Herman was one of the first people I met in Panama. Herman took me to see the beach just outside Panama City that he was preparing to develop.

Today, nearly three decades later, that Playa Bonita is a Westin-branded stretch of coastline. We hosted our Beachfront Living Event here this past July…

In the decades since we connected with him, Herman’s Empresas Bern has become “The Brand That Built Panama City”… headed up now by Jose.

As Jose put it when we spoke, investors who want to grow their money need to go to a place that’s growing.

After decades of firsthand experience on the ground in this country, I can tell you…

Boy, howdy, yes indeed. Panama’s growing.

If you’re interested in expanding your lifestyle… or your investment portfolio… or, like me, both…

I strongly recommend that you come on down and see this little country for yourself.

I’d love the chance to show you all that Panama has to offer in person.

Until next time, 

The post Seeing Is Believing appeared first on Live and Invest Overseas.

Mexico is home to more American expats and retirees than any other country—at least 1 mil­lion and as many as 2 million, depending on the survey.

They’re drawn in by beautiful beaches, laidback living, and welcoming locals, and by more practical matters, too. Let’s take a quick look at three of the main ones; health care, residency, and taxes…

Health Care

In Mexico, there’s a difference in the quality of medical care be­tween public and private facilities. As an expat, you’ll likely seek out private care, which is excellent.

The best facilities have first-rate technology, English-speaking doc­tors, and low prices. Private facilities are the best option for expats. They’re similar to what you’re used to in the U.S. or Canada.

Medical tourism is a fast-growing industry, with more Americans choosing to cross the border to seek quality, affordable health care in Mexico every year, and many Mexican doctors are trained in the U.S., Europe, or Canada and speak English fluently.

Costs here are low, typically just one-third the cost you’d pay for comparable care in the United States.

Residency

Mexico offers straightforward paths to residency, although it doesn’t offer a retiree-specific, golden, or digital nomad visa.

You can apply for temporary or permanent residency. To qualify for temporary residency, you’ll need to show that you receive $4,295 per month in income or have a minimum of $71,375 in savings.

Mexico is unique in that it allows you to jump straight to perma­nent residency, which is a more solid residency status. To do this, you’ll need to show that you receive $7,075 per month in income or $284,089 in savings.

Note that the exact qualifying amounts can vary from consulate to consulate.

Our Latin American correspondent Lee Harrison is a permanent resident of Mexico, and he found the process to be simple, straight­forward, and fast.

All it took to get a residency visa was a single consular visit, where he was helped by an English-speaking agent. And even better, they accepted his English-language documents at the consulate with no translations.

He also didn’t need apostille certifications of his income, social security, or banking information… although if a couple applies as a family unit they will require that you apostille your marriage or birth certificate.

Best of all, there’s no lawyer required… although if you do not speak English or Spanish, you’ll need to bring a translator.

The biggest thing that stands out about Mexico is that they allow you to use savings in lieu of income when qualifying for a visa. This is great for people who have savings (like a 401k) but don’t have a formal pension.

Qualification thresholds have become high, at least for now. This is because income requirements are based on multiples of the Mexi­can minimum wage, which has gone up dramatically in recent years. There are plans to correct this calculation, so that thresholds are more reasonable… but no timetable as to when it will happen.

Most of the people we hear from choose to qualify with savings, using an IRA or a 401(k). Then they switch to permanent residency after four years, with no required proof of income.

No minimum stay time is required to maintain your visa. You do not need to live in Mexico to maintain residency, however you do need to be there to renew your residency if you have a residency which expires.

Of course you may not even need residency in Mexico, thanks to their liberal tourist-entry policies. You can get a 180-day stay when you enter the country, which is usually enough for a part-year resident. And if you leave Mexico during your stay, you get another 180 days when you return.

You can import your household effects duty-free as a new resident. The nearest consulate will give you the permit upon request.

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Taxes

Mexico has a good tax treaty with their USMCA brothers in the U.S. and Canada, as well as a lax policy for categorizing you as a “tax-res­ident”.

Mexico has the lowest tax burden among all OECD countries (a group of the world’s 35 wealthiest nations).

You are a tax-resident of Mexico if you have established your pri­mary home or center of business there. Unlike most jurisdictions, they do not use time-in-country to determine tax residency.

Non-tax-residents are subject to tax on their Mexican-source in­come only, paying zero, 15%, or 30%, depending on your income. Capital gains for non-tax-residents are taxed at either 25% of the sale, or 30% of the gain (the highest tax bracket), whichever is less.

Tax-residents are subject to tax on their worldwide income, al­though much of your income may be exempt for various reasons. (For example, any income that had tax withheld is considered final, and not declared on a Mexican return.)

Also, Mexico has tax treaties with the U.S. and Canada, designed to prevent double-taxation. Otherwise, tax brackets run from zero to 35%. Capital gains for tax-residents are taxed as ordinary income.

There is no inheritance tax or wealth tax in Mexico.

Until next time,

The post Mexico 101 appeared first on Live and Invest Overseas.

Years ago, when we were getting started at Los Islotes, we rented a house in the nearby town of Mata Oscura. This was before we had a house of our own here… before there was any construction on the property.

Gary, who ran the construction crews for us in the beginning, lived in the house, with his wife Karen. Lief and I would stay in their guest room as we came and went. This was our first connection to this coast… and on our doorstep in Mata Oscura was the little Morrillo School.

It was a two-room schoolhouse with a dozen children. They had a tiny budget so we would make a point of bringing books and other learning materials with us to drop off each visit.

We’ve sponsored Christmas parties and graduation fiestas each year since… and last week Dalys, our righthand woman at Los Islotes, approached us to ask if we might be up for helping the Morrillo School with a special project.

“They want to create an area for presentations and festival celebrations,” Dalys explained. “They need cement and other things. And they are wondering if we’d be able to contribute something.”

“Let’s go have a look,” I suggested.

We drove the 20 minutes from Los Islotes to Mata Oscura to meet with the Morrillo School’s teacher. Maestro Moreno met us with a big smile…

Then he showed us the project site. “I’m working with the parents of the children,” he explained, “to create a new space for dances and other activities… plus we can host special events here at holidays”…

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“We’re trying to finish our work by Sept. 11… in time for a special party. We work every Sunday from 7:30 a.m.”

Maestro Moreno needs 20 bags of cement and some rebar. We’re organizing for the materials to be delivered by Saturday. Then, early Sunday morning, Lief and I plan to drive over again to lend a hand. I don’t think I’ll be any help, but they might appreciate Lief’s strong back… and I’ll have a chance to know more of our neighbors.

Until next time,

The post A Helping Hand appeared first on Live and Invest Overseas.