Best Places In The World To Retire

When I first moved to Granada, Nicaragua, there were about five of us ex-pats here. I opened a small restaurant which became the place to hang out and meet everyone. At that time, I did know everyone and just about everything going on (which was not much). Now, there are so many Americans, Canadians and Europeans living here that it is mind boggling. 

 

The ex-pat community is great and there are many things to keep us occupied like the Book Club, Dinner and a...

When I first moved to Granada, Nicaragua, there were about five of us ex-pats here. I opened a small restaurant which became the place to hang out and meet everyone. At that time, I did know everyone and just about everything going on (which was not much). Now, there are so many Americans, Canadians and Europeans living here that it is mind boggling. 

 

The ex-pat community is great and there are many things to keep us occupied like the Book Club, Dinner and a Movie Night, Friday night Mojitos on Calle La Calzada and more. Most ex-pats are very community minded and volunteer at community organizations. We help each other with problems and laugh at our silly mishaps. 

 

One of the most significant things taking place in Granada is the number of young families moving into our community. Now that we have a bilingual international school, they are bringing their families, starting businesses and enjoying life in a much more relaxed atmosphere. 

Presented with permission from Bob Adams, of Retirement Wave.  (Transcription of video below.)

 

I’d like to share with you today a rule of how you can act and behave when you relocate to another nation.  It’s a very important rule, and its one you already know.  In English we call it “The Golden Rule.”  Every language in every culture has its variations it seems.  “Do unto others as...

Presented with permission from Bob Adams, of Retirement Wave.  (Transcription of video below.)

 

I’d like to share with you today a rule of how you can act and behave when you relocate to another nation.  It’s a very important rule, and its one you already know.  In English we call it “The Golden Rule.”  Every language in every culture has its variations it seems.  “Do unto others as you want them to do unto you.”  Treat other people as you want them to treat you.
 
When you’re moving or relocating to another country, you’re not really an immigrant, but you are going to spend a number of years and possibly, as in my case, expecting to live the rest of your life there. 
 
When you arrive, you’re in a sense an immigrant in the eyes of everybody else who lives there, in that society.  Now, many of us come from North America or Europe. Right now, we’ve having a lot of trouble, a lot of discussion, a lot of very strong convictions on the subject of immigration.  Let’s put that aside.  I don’t want to get involved with that, but I do want to say one thing to you.
 
Stop and think to yourself: What is it that I expect of an immigrant coming into my society right now, wherever I live?  What do I want to see them doing?  What sort of actions do I want to hear that they’re taking?  How do I want to see them fitting in to my society so I’m happy that they really live here and they’re not just visiting from another nation?
 
Take those three, four, five basic things you think people should do who are immigrating to your nation, put it on a piece of paper, and carry it with you wherever you go, wherever you relocate.  And every month, once a month, twice or more, take a look at that list, and ask yourself: Am I trying to do this?  Am I making an effort to do what I expect other people to do when they come to my nation?  Am I trying?
 
You can’t always succeed, you can’t always do everything perfectly, but ask yourself: Am I trying?  Am I really, really working to try to meet the basic fundamentals that I expect from others and that they expect from me?
 
I think that if you can do that, if you can follow that one basic rule when relocating, you’re way ahead of the game, and you’re likely, far more likely I should say, to succeed, to be happy and to have a really interesting and useful life.                  

Yes, you do need Panamanian automobile insurance if you are going to drive in Panama. It is required by law in Panama. If you own a car, you definitely need to have insurance.  In the States you have policy and your policy moves around with the driver. Here in Panama, although I am not 100% sure, I believe that the policy goes with the vehicle. 
 
I have a car and I have insurance on it. The price of car insurance here in Panama is similar to the price in the US or...

Yes, you do need Panamanian automobile insurance if you are going to drive in Panama. It is required by law in Panama. If you own a car, you definitely need to have insurance.  In the States you have policy and your policy moves around with the driver. Here in Panama, although I am not 100% sure, I believe that the policy goes with the vehicle. 
 
I have a car and I have insurance on it. The price of car insurance here in Panama is similar to the price in the US or maybe a little bit cheaper. The insurance coverages are similar, too. The typical car insurance policy would cost around US $60 to $100 per month for similar coverage as what you would have in the US and with a similar type of deductible.

 

(Road along the locks of the Panama Canal, Panama, pictured.)

There are buses going back and forth from Cayo all the way to Belize City, and from Cayo all the way to Punta Gorda in the south.
 
They are very inexpensive and they’re safe. You're not going to find clean busses that are used in public transportation where people go back and forth, but there won't be garbage thrown all over the place. When you have children using the buses, they take their juice boxes or whatever else they’re eating or drinking and there’s...

There are buses going back and forth from Cayo all the way to Belize City, and from Cayo all the way to Punta Gorda in the south.
 
They are very inexpensive and they’re safe. You're not going to find clean busses that are used in public transportation where people go back and forth, but there won't be garbage thrown all over the place. When you have children using the buses, they take their juice boxes or whatever else they’re eating or drinking and there’s going to be accidents from time to time.
 
The only buses that are air-conditioned are the express busses.  To give you an idea of the price, the fare for a bus ride from Belmopan to Belize City is US $3.50. 

 

(Road in Punta Gorda, Belize, pictured.)

The Portuguese Constitution assures the principle of private ownership of assets regardless of the nationality of the owner. Thus there is no risk of confiscation by the Government authorities. Please note that the Constitution prevails over any law that exists in the country and can only be changed with a qualified majority in the Parliament which is hard to obtain and will (based on the last 40 years of democracy) always require the two main parties (which are both moderate parties) to...

The Portuguese Constitution assures the principle of private ownership of assets regardless of the nationality of the owner. Thus there is no risk of confiscation by the Government authorities. Please note that the Constitution prevails over any law that exists in the country and can only be changed with a qualified majority in the Parliament which is hard to obtain and will (based on the last 40 years of democracy) always require the two main parties (which are both moderate parties) to approve it.
 
Besides the protection afforded by the Portuguese Constitution, there is also the European Union rules and the European Union Courts that would also stop this from occurring, as it violates all rules and principles that are in place.
 
This is not a risk in Portugal as it would mean a complete revolution in the political scenario and in the population’s mentality as there is a tradition of private ownership in Portugal since the day of its foundation back in the year of 1143.
 
The only legal and possible reason for the Government to assume the ownership of private assets in Portugal is in cases of expropriation for public interest (for example, private land that is required to be transferred to the government for the construction of a highway) in which case the expropriation law would be applied which will allow the owner to receive a fair compensation for its assets calculated on market value prices and supervised by a court judge.
 
Regarding banks, there were banks that failed during this crisis as in most of other European countries.  Nevertheless, the process of bailout made by the Portuguese Government and the European Union did not affect the deposits that existed in those banks.

 

(The Couros River near Guimarães, a town that precedes the settlement of  Portugal, pictured.)