Best Places In The World To Retire

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Most Belize banks will allow you to have your social security check deposited directly to your account with them.

 

But if you have a local bank account, that US dollar is going to get converted into the Belize dollar with a 2% conversion fee, and then that money will be sitting in your local Belize bank account, denominated in Belizean dollars.  Instead of doing this, if you don’t need the money to pay for items in Belize dollars, you could just as easily...

Most Belize banks will allow you to have your social security check deposited directly to your account with them.

 

But if you have a local bank account, that US dollar is going to get converted into the Belize dollar with a 2% conversion fee, and then that money will be sitting in your local Belize bank account, denominated in Belizean dollars.  Instead of doing this, if you don’t need the money to pay for items in Belize dollars, you could just as easily have your social security check go into your foreign bank account, an offshore bank account in Belize, or international bank account in Belize. Those institutions will also accept those transfers or you can simply have your social security check deposited into your US bank account first, and then have it transferred.

 

One thing that you have to realize when you go offshore is that banking in Belize is different. Banks don’t have a ton of risk on your money, so they make money by charging fees. Fees tend to be a little bit higher when you get offshore. People in the US are used to having a free checking account or free savings account.  When you go offshore, you are going to pay a monthly fee, typically somewhere around $12 to $15.  Whether it is in Belize or somewhere in the Caribbean or out in the world somewhere else, you have a fee.

 

(For a discussion of what bank to use when you move to Belize, please see my answer under “When I move to Belize, should I open a bank account or should I open a bank account in Belize?”)

Someone once told me "your strengths are your weaknesses".   The best and worst things about living in Granada, Nicaragua is not the exception to that comment but the rule.

 

What is so great about Granada also drives us crazy at times. The city is the site of many, many national and international festivals: including  the International Poets Festival, saints' days, a week long celebration during Christmas and again at Easter,...

Someone once told me "your strengths are your weaknesses".   The best and worst things about living in Granada, Nicaragua is not the exception to that comment but the rule.

 

What is so great about Granada also drives us crazy at times. The city is the site of many, many national and international festivals: including  the International Poets Festival, saints' days, a week long celebration during Christmas and again at Easter, marching bands, school parades, fireworks displays, street vendors selling their wares starting at 5 AM, horse parades, street artists, jugglers, Mariachi bands, the list is endless.  And that makes Granada vibrant, exciting and fun.  But that also makes Granada a fairly noisy city starting early in the morning. The good news is you can hear a pin drop on most streets after 10 pm at night.  

 

So,  you are going to be an early riser to appreciate the hustle and bustle of this tiny city of 150,000 people often compacted into about 8 square blocks - that is where all the action is.   It is fun, but it can be noisy and distracting when you are trying to watch TV rather than being out on the streets and in the cafes, bars and restaurants all with outdoor seating and enjoying the pleasant night air.

 

 

I think there is a lot of pride in the Latino person in general anywhere south of the border.  Here in Panama, it is best not to offend anybody, but sometimes you may not know, for example, how much food they made, if they want to argue about something, or if they want to show you a project or some of their land or something that is dear to them. If you have the time, I suggest you go ahead and take the time to honor their wishes because I think they can be a little touchy when...

I think there is a lot of pride in the Latino person in general anywhere south of the border.  Here in Panama, it is best not to offend anybody, but sometimes you may not know, for example, how much food they made, if they want to argue about something, or if they want to show you a project or some of their land or something that is dear to them. If you have the time, I suggest you go ahead and take the time to honor their wishes because I think they can be a little touchy when they feel offended.

 

The Panamanian culture is a culture that waits, so they may like you to make the first step in terms of settling a dispute. It is best that we take one foot forward because they are not really good at that. It is difficult to offend them in this way.

 

Us Americans are used to walking around and even going to banks wearing shorts and flip flops. I know that in some nicer businesses, banks, and government offices, they feel offended if you come in wearing very casual clothing. Panamanians dress up to the tee. It doesn’t matter if they have the economic means or not. Even the poor Panamanians wear their best shoes. If they have their old pants, they will be nicely pressed. They wear pressed shirts. So I think sometimes they feel offended when foreigners come in wearing flip flops and shorts, and not shave and then go to a bank or come to a business seminar. Panamanians like doing business in business clothes and they act nicely. I think they are offended with gringos who do not respect that. That does not happen in the beach towns but when you go to town and you go to a bank, they will respect you more if you dressed up clean and nice.

 

(Panamanian foreign minister Francisco Alvares de Soto with Ecuadorian Foreign Minster Ricardo Patino wearing traditional guayabera shirts, pictured.)