Is Volcan and Cerro Punta, Chiriqui Province, Panama safe?
James David Audlin - Editores Volcán Barú
Unless you are foolish, the Volcán and Cerro Punta region of Panamá is perfectly safe for gringos. With extremely rare exceptions, the only people who have crime issues are either stupidly involved with illegal drugs or weapons or foolishly are ostentatious about how relatively "wealthy" they are in comparison to the Panamanians. If you live as Panamanians do, being friendly and respectful, and not leaving anything you cherish in plain sight, you ought to be just...
Unless you are foolish, the Volcán and Cerro Punta region of Panamá is perfectly safe for gringos. With extremely rare exceptions, the only people who have crime issues are either stupidly involved with illegal drugs or weapons or foolishly are ostentatious about how relatively "wealthy" they are in comparison to the Panamanians. If you live as Panamanians do, being friendly and respectful, and not leaving anything you cherish in plain sight, you ought to be just fine.
What's the language most often spoken in Cayo, Belize, including San Ignacio and Belmopan? Can I get by if I just speak English?
Roberto Harrison - Chaa Creek
Most people in Belize are bilingual. That is the beauty of living in a diverse country with tourism at the center of the economy. We get to live and learn different languages. Even if it is not proper English or proper Spanish, we learn enough of the language to get by and help others as well.
In the Cayo District, the language that is most often spoken is Spanish and Creole. Creole is a dialect, which is a mixture of African and English. It is comparable...
Most people in Belize are bilingual. That is the beauty of living in a diverse country with tourism at the center of the economy. We get to live and learn different languages. Even if it is not proper English or proper Spanish, we learn enough of the language to get by and help others as well.
In the Cayo District, the language that is most often spoken is Spanish and Creole. Creole is a dialect, which is a mixture of African and English. It is comparable to the Jamaican Patois. When Americans hear the Belizean Creole, they find some words to be understandable because there is some English in it. English is also spoken in Cayo, but overall, the languages that are most often spoken are Spanish and Creole.
You will still be able to get by here in Cayo even if you only speak English. In fact, many expats enjoy living here because most people here in Belize speak English. English is the official language of Belize so all the contracts and any legal documents are in English. Everybody in the government offices communicate in English. Most companies also service in English so if you need to turn on the electricity in your house, for example, you can communicate with the electric company in English and that won’t be a problem.
(Map showing Belize surrounded by Spanish speaking Guatemala and Mexico, pictured.)
Do I still have to file my US income taxes if I retire, work or just live abroad?
Roy Cannon - Gestoria Cocle - main office in Penoneme
Absolutely, you belong to the IRS as long as you hold a US Passport.
If your world wide income falls below the reporting minimum, you are not obliged to file, although this is recommended for a couple of reasons.
You will be required to file a report listing bank and security accounts in any year where the total value exceeds $10,000, even if you are not required to file an income tax return.
If you work abroad, you may be able to claim an "Earned Income Exclusion" on your wages, but not...
Absolutely, you belong to the IRS as long as you hold a US Passport.
If your world wide income falls below the reporting minimum, you are not obliged to file, although this is recommended for a couple of reasons.
You will be required to file a report listing bank and security accounts in any year where the total value exceeds $10,000, even if you are not required to file an income tax return.
If you work abroad, you may be able to claim an "Earned Income Exclusion" on your wages, but not on bank account interest, rental income or other income that is not "earned" by "working".
Other countries are more understanding than the American IRS
What are the best and worst things about living and retiring in Algarve?
Luis Teixeira da Silva - Algarve Senior Living
I’ve lived in several locations that would be considered ideal retirement locations such as Florida and I have little doubt that the Algarve is the best, if not one of the best locations in the world. Here are some of the reasons:
The weather is superb. The Algarve has than 3,000 hours and 300 days of sunlight. The Algarve has more sunlight and more sunny days than California. The weather is very similar to Southern California—San Diego, Santa...
I’ve lived in several locations that would be considered ideal retirement locations such as Florida and I have little doubt that the Algarve is the best, if not one of the best locations in the world. Here are some of the reasons:
The weather is superb. The Algarve has than 3,000 hours and 300 days of sunlight. The Algarve has more sunlight and more sunny days than California. The weather is very similar to Southern California—San Diego, Santa Barbara—that kind of area. The Algarve also receives very little rainfall. It doesn’t get very hot, and it doesn’t get very cold. Whatever heat we get in the summer is moderated by the Atlantic, which keeps things moderate.
The cost of living is very reasonable, if not low—certainly low in European standards.
The healthcare is good. We have a great public healthcare system, and one in which, under certain circumstances, expats can participate.
The Algarve is very safe.
Most people in the Algarve speak English.
There’s a huge range of activities to do in the Algarve even in the winter, whether it be sporting, wellness, or cultural.
There is an existing expat population in the Algarve so it’s quite easy to integrate and you’ll probably easily find someone of your nationality. And if you don’t like your own nationality you’ll find someone with somebody else’s nationality. So there are plenty of options there.
Generally speaking, people just like living here. They like the Portuguese people and the way that they are; the friendly nature of the local folk.
Portugal is probably the most tax efficient country in Europe at the moment. It has no income tax on pensions for most pensioners. It has no inheritance tax. It has no wealth tax. So there are a number of advantages from a taxation perspective that draws many people to Portugal and to the Algarve in specific.
Here are some of the not so good things:
Portugal is a fairly bureaucratic country, so as a retiree even though the system is being simplified, initially come prepared for a little bit of bureaucracy. It will take a little bit of time to get things organized. Dealing with public bodies is not easy at all. I’m someone who lives most of my time outside Portugal and therefore when I’m here I always feel a little bit frustrated by having to deal with public sector bodies that take too long and many times they don’t give you the right answer at the first go, so you have to be very careful about the advice that you take from them and double check it. It helps to have someone on the ground to help you along if you’re moving to the country just to make sure you avoid any mistakes and make sure that the transition goes smoothly.
Getting Internet connectivity may be a bit of an issue. Once it’s working, it’s great. But it just takes a little bit of time to get things set up and organized.
If you are thinking of building, planning, or constructing something, there may be challenges. If you have a passion to buy a piece of land and build a house, take great care because it’s a fairly long process and you need to make sure that planning is in place that you are authorized and build and develop what you want. And it’s something to be handled very, very carefully.
Another challenge here in the Algarve for some people is that there are certain items that are not competitively priced, for example, electronics, motor vehicles, and fuel. So shop around. This is not necessary a negative point. In every country there are expensive or less expensive things. When you move and retire to the Algarve, make sure that you shop around because by doing so you can cut your cost of living tremendously.
The old Spanish Fort San Juan de Ulúa still stands watch over the bustling port of Veracruz, Mexico, but it is no longer filled with many tons of silver and gold.
This fort was built in 1565 on the island where the Spanish first landed in their conquest of Mexico in 1518. And it was the last place held by Spain in Mexico. Although independence was granted in 1821. Spanish troops remained until 1825. For most of the 300 year period of Spanish rule, it was the main center...
Yesterday was the last Sunday of the month which means it is the Amigos de Animales Spay and Neuter Clinic.
The day actually begins on Saturday when it is time to take a small day care center and turn it into an in-take processing area, pre-op area, surgical room, post-op area and recovery room. Every square inch is used in the most efficient manner possible.
On Sunday, the veterinarians arrive from Costa Rica to begin operating on at least 100 animals....
I just want to bring up some information that very few visiting Panamá are aware of.
If you are a visitor, for the first 30 days, you are 100% covered with medical services, totally free of charge. This is a courtesy service provided by the Tourism Department.
This free coverage includes home (hotel) visits, hospital, or whatever you need to get better, and doctors speak English.