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Recently Answered Questions

Is the electricity reliable in Los Cabos - La Paz, Mexico? Are there blackouts or brownouts in Los Cabos - La Paz, Mexico?

John K. Glaab - the settlement company®

Students in front of a roof top solar panel mural in La Paz, Mexico – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

We have a tremendous electrical and support system in Los Cabos and La Paz so blackouts rarely happen.

La Paz is moving like gangbusters towards using solar energy and other forms of energy. When we had that tremendous hurricane Odile, Cabo San Lucas was absolutely incredible. The electrical commission had convoy after convoy of big, heavy equipment coming in from the mainland to put that place back on its feet.

(Students in front of a mural...

What are the holidays of Granada, Nicaragua?

Esmerelda Vargas - Schuvar Tours

Dancing horse in Nicaragua – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

The most important holiday in Granada, Nicaragua is the 15th of December, which is the Virgen Maria Inmaculada, or, in English, the celebration of the Immaculation of the Virgin Mary. The Granadinos (the people of Granada) place an image of the Virgin Mary in front of the house. Everybody walks in the streets and sings to the Virgin Mary. The owners of the house give drinks and food to the people who walk and sing on the streets.

The people who have...

What are the best things to do in and around Panama?

Allen Rosen - Chiriqui Coastal Real Estate

Go see the 16th century Spanish stone fort at San Lorenzo on the Atlantic coast in Colon Province. It is one of the great historical treasures of Panama and rarely visited by tourists.

Henry Morgan, the Welsh pirate, liked it enough that he stormed the fort with his band of miscreants and killed the Spanish defenders.

You can have a great time just by driving there and seeing the spectacular views of the confluence of Rio Chagras...

What are the home mortgages like in Belize? How long are home mortgage terms and how much down payment is required?

Rachel Jensen - Grand Baymen

Mortgage rates in Belize vary depending on the bank and developer. Generally interest rates are around 8-13%. The most common terms are 50% down, 11.5% interest, 10-year amortization.

Are there English-speaking doctors in Portugal?

Carol Bartlett Ribeiro - Carol Bartlett Ribeiro, Property Consultant

I often say that you feel safer if you can be sick in your own language. There are excellent hospitals and excellent doctors in Portugal, all of whom speak English. The nurses also speak English. You are very well cared for.

I have a lot of experience with the healthcare system in Portugal is because of my husband having been in hospital so much before he died last year. Whether you go to a public hospital or if you have private insurance, the doctors here are very, very good. And there is a lot of ongoing very high quality research going on. I often say to visitors to Portugal that you don’t need to think about getting on a plane and flying home unless you’re doing so for a specific doctor who you don’t have here. Other than that, from a healthcare perspective, there’s everything here.

Things have changed so much regarding the language here. It’s important to perhaps pick up some words in Portuguese and there are lots of schools you can go to but the Portuguese are quite happy if speaking English to you. They prefer to speak English to you in order to practice their English rather than you struggling Portuguese, but it’s always good to say “obrigado” (please) and “faz favor” (thank you).

The Portuguese spoken in Portugal is more formal than the Portuguese spoken in Brazil. For many people it’s easier to pick up Portuguese from the Brazilians because the way Brazilians speak Portuguese is more musical as opposed to the way those the Portuguese speak it, wherein they would tend to sometimes swallow the end of the word. I learned my Portuguese in Brazil when we were living there. The difference is it’s a little bit like the difference between American English and English from England, where you have the same word but maybe different meanings.

(Logo for Todos os Santos clinic, Lisbon, Portugal, pictured.)

What's the best strategy for asset protection and wealth preservation offshore?

Jay Butler - Asset Protection Services of America

I generally recommend that Americans try and stay on-shore whenever reasonably possible because if you have a business with an international presence, offshore properties producing income, or wish to move more than $10,000 in cash per year offshore, such activities will invariably need to be reported on your annual income tax return and can raise suspicion with the IRS.

The benefit however to moving your business, investments, or larger quantities of money offshore is that it can place...

The benefit however to moving your business, investments, or larger quantities of money offshore is that it can place assets outside the reach of judgment creditors. And if such assets have not been moved offshore in an illegal manner (by not violating the badges of fraud for example), assets in a foreign jurisdiction are extremely difficult for the U.S. government to gain authorization to seize.

With the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) having been enacted on January 1st of this year, you may want to have a competent international tax advisor assist you with some of these strategies from a tax perspective. Outbound wire transfers which exceed an aggregate of $50,000 during the calendar year are now subject to a 30% withholdings tax. You may be surprised when you send a $100,000 offshore to purchase a piece of real property and only $70,000 arrives.

If you are considering moving a (relatively) larger portion of your estate offshore, then you may want to consider making use of an irrevocable offshore trust or foundation. The $5 Million lifetime gift-tax allowance previously available during calendar years 2011 and 2012 has been extended through 2013. By taking advantage of IRS form 709, you may be able to gift upwards of 80-90% of your estate into a safe, zero-tax jurisdiction for the benefit of your children and future generations.

Overall, the best strategies for asset protection and wealth preservation offshore should be simple to understand and execute. If you cannot readily wrap your head around your structure, you may want to consider revising your current strategy.

Recently Posted Expat Stories

My travels in Mexico --- Chapel of the Rosary, La Antigua, Mexico --- The First Church Built in America

The first Christian worship service in Mexico was in

Ermita del Rosario, First Church Built in the Americas, La Antigua, Mexico – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

1519 in La Antigua, Veracruz. Four years later the first chapel in the Americas was built by Hernán Cortés and is named the Chapel of the Rosary (Ermita del Rosario). It is a picturesque tiny church in the beautiful lush green setting of the tropical rain forest.

The town of La Antigua is considered to be the first real Spanish town in the country and was established...

A New Twist on Life in Nicaragua

Jet Metier first heard of the term “tail twisting” from Kent Payne, who explained that it’s a way to get a cow to move where it should go by twisting its tail. Kent expounded that the same principle could be applied to people. Jet learns it did not take much tail twisting for Kent and his wife to settle down in beautiful Gran Pacifica, Nicaragua.

Jet Metier: Good morning, Kent! This interview is our way on behalf of our visitors to thank you for all...

Casco Viejo, "the Old City of Panama"

Casco Viejo, or “the Old City of Panama” French Embassy in Casco Viejo Panama City Panama – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

is the historic city center of Panama. It is a peaceful and charming district of narrow streets, accompanied by balconies full of the flowers of two and three-story houses. At its end is the French Park, a monument to the French builders who began construction of the Panama Canal, and the beautiful French Embassy, pictured here.

On the boulevard around the monument, visitors have a good view of Mirador Amador and the Bridge of the...