Best Places In The World To Retire

Yes, you can absolutely lower your US tax liabilities abroad .  Living outside the U.S. creates amazing opportunities to lower your worldwide tax bill--sometimes even to $0.  That's right, depending on your specific situation, you may be able to grow wealth while not paying tax to any government, all completely legally.  

 

On the U.S. side of things, the main strategy here is to own an active business through a non-U.S. corporation and...

Yes, you can absolutely lower your US tax liabilities abroad .  Living outside the U.S. creates amazing opportunities to lower your worldwide tax bill--sometimes even to $0.  That's right, depending on your specific situation, you may be able to grow wealth while not paying tax to any government, all completely legally.  

 

On the U.S. side of things, the main strategy here is to own an active business through a non-U.S. corporation and actually participate in the operation of that business.  That way, your non-US corporation itself is not subject to U.S. tax (assuming that its business is conducted outside the U.S.), and then your non-U.S. corporation can pay you a salary of up to about $100,000, which will be free of U.S. tax as long as you qualify for the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (the "FEIE").  You can qualify for the FEIE by staying outside the U.S. for at least 11 months per year.  Or, if you want to spend more time in the U.S., you can become a "bona fide resident" of another country and still qualify for the FEIE even if you spend up to 4 months per year in the U.S.

 

Now, the above is just a high-level overview--there are of course some ins and outs there.  But the bottom line is, if you own and operate the sort of business that you can do from anywhere, living outside the U.S. provides tremendous opportunities to grow tax-free wealth.

 

(Pictured: hotel in Virgin Islands)

Wao, this is a long one: the history of Casco Antiguo in Panama City, Panama. Here is the short answer: the first city in Panama was "Panama Viejo" which was located in what basically was (and is) a swamp. This city, although it did very well during the Spanish conquest, was not exactly comfortable or easy to defend. Therefore some entrepreneurial pirates found it fun to visit and leave without paying the bill. After being attacked by Henry Morgan and mosquitoes alike, people...

Wao, this is a long one: the history of Casco Antiguo in Panama City, Panama. Here is the short answer: the first city in Panama was "Panama Viejo" which was located in what basically was (and is) a swamp. This city, although it did very well during the Spanish conquest, was not exactly comfortable or easy to defend. Therefore some entrepreneurial pirates found it fun to visit and leave without paying the bill. After being attacked by Henry Morgan and mosquitoes alike, people said "that`s enough"!!! and in a display of common sense just moved out.

 

The place they chose was a rocky peninsula, with access to fresh water and cross winds. It also had this bizarre 16 ft tide that made it easy to defend and still have access to the water since commerce was what they lived from. That place, which was known at the time as the "Ancon", became "Panama" in 1673. Initially a colonial site, the city grew, flourished and burnt to the ground three times. But each time it came back, which allowed it to introduce architecture from different styles reflecting the types of people who came in waves. As a big salad, Casco became a reflection of the people who lived in it and formed Panama`s mixed DNA. Different waves included the Gold Rush, the French Canal and later the American Canal. In 1903, Casco Viejo saw "Panama" become an independent Republic. As it grew beyond its borders, the city became the "old town" and after going through a period of decay in the 70`s to the 90`s, in 1998 it was declared a World Heritage Site, therefore starting a new era of revitalization, which is what you see today. It is here where you can understand Panama`s roots and cultural heart.