Best Places In The World To Retire

There are different forms of companies you can form in Mexico and which one is best for you could be different than for someone else, but in a general sense, it is usually better to create a corporation.

 

In order to form a corporation, you would need an accountant and you need a corporate lawyer, like me.  I only need as an example three corporate names in order to do the research for a corporate name and to then obtain the corresponding permit that...

There are different forms of companies you can form in Mexico and which one is best for you could be different than for someone else, but in a general sense, it is usually better to create a corporation.

 

In order to form a corporation, you would need an accountant and you need a corporate lawyer, like me.  I only need as an example three corporate names in order to do the research for a corporate name and to then obtain the corresponding permit that we sign before a notary. We obtain registrations from the National Registry of Foreign Investment, from the Registry of Commerce and then after that we will be able to open a corporate bank account.

 

By means of a corporate bank account, you could do business, pay taxes, declare taxes and pay your invoices and as well to issue checks. This is in very general terms what we need to do to open a business. In terms of operating the business on an ongoing basis, we need a physical address.  Depending on several issues, the process could take between 15 days to a month and a half.

 

The cost could be between US $800 up to $1,000, depending on the specific type of corporation and the specific notary. In terms of the notary and my fees, it will be approximately $1,000 up to $1,250 to create the articles of incorporation by laws and inscription and based on the legal representation, I usually charge $600. The total would be around $2,750, which would include notary fees, taxes, government fees, contributions (the inscription on the public registry, the payment of the official paper of the public deed), legal fees and all the inscriptions.  The inscription is the registration of the by laws and the public registration of the property and the commerce.

 

You need to have a Mexican on your Board only for certain activities, not for regular activities. You also don’t need to have a Mexican shareholder.

 

A foreign citizen can start a business in Mexico, even one without a permanent residence in Mexico.  There are no residency requirements in order to start a business in Mexico, but in order to exercise the charges as a legal representative of the company, you do need the resident’s document. You can obtain this resident’s document after the corporation is formed, and then qualify to act as the legal representative of the company. If you don’t have the residency requirement, you could just have someone who did (or more likely, a Mexican citizen who was an attorney) act as the company’s legal representative.

 

(Upscale steakhouse and bar in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, pictured.)

San Juan del Sur is a surf and yoga town, and a fishing village. San Juan del Sur is really a bit of many things. When we drive into town from visiting another city, as I pull into town I immediately feel more relaxed as I see people walking slower, just taking time to enjoy the day.

 

There’s no stress in San Juan del Sur. There’s a saying here, “Tuani, diakachimba, bueno anda” (good waves.) They all mean the same thing- it’s...

San Juan del Sur is a surf and yoga town, and a fishing village. San Juan del Sur is really a bit of many things. When we drive into town from visiting another city, as I pull into town I immediately feel more relaxed as I see people walking slower, just taking time to enjoy the day.

 

There’s no stress in San Juan del Sur. There’s a saying here, “Tuani, diakachimba, bueno anda” (good waves.) They all mean the same thing- it’s all good, life is good. It’s the Nicaraguan version of Costa Rica’s "Pura vida.” 

 

In San Juan del Sur and in Nicaragua in general, there are many holidays. I remember when we first moved to Nicaragua, we thought we’d do a blog post on all of the holidays, and we gave up really quickly because there’s something going on every month, and there’s rarely a day or a week that there isn’t a holiday that’s celebrated.

 

There’s Semana Santa, which is the 10-day Easter week celebration where all the locals head to any beach they can find, and San Juan del Sur is definitely one of the hot spots for that. The town probably swells four to five times its size for Semana Santa. Semana Santa is the biggest holiday in Nicaragua, but it’s one of many. 

 

A celebration unique to San Juan del Sur is the feast of San Juan Baptista. During its week-long celebration in September, there are two parades. The feast of San Juan Baptista is a religious holiday, as are almost all holidays (Catholic).

 

As with most holidays for Nicaraguans, it’s a time to get together for families, to cook meals together, and it’s definitely a time for parades and fireworks.  

 

(Mother's Day, San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, pictured.)

It is important to note that the Portuguese are extremely helpful and respectful towards foreigners. Obviously, if an American or English person or other foreigner spoke to them badly or rudely a Portuguese person would reply in kind. But in many cases the Portuguese are far nicer to foreigners and more helpful to them than they are to many of their own people.

 

Here’s a story to illustrate the point.  We have a bridge here that goes over the...

It is important to note that the Portuguese are extremely helpful and respectful towards foreigners. Obviously, if an American or English person or other foreigner spoke to them badly or rudely a Portuguese person would reply in kind. But in many cases the Portuguese are far nicer to foreigners and more helpful to them than they are to many of their own people.

 

Here’s a story to illustrate the point.  We have a bridge here that goes over the river that is like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco except that it’s about 2 meters longer.  An American company contracted to build it.   At the time our president was Antonio de Olveira Salazar, who said, “I would like you to do this so that one day they’ll be able to put a railway line underneath it.” That day came about 15 years ago when they put the railway underneath.  Many of the same people that did the original construction came here and I was going around with a lot of them looking for accommodations. Many of the Americans were a little bit surprised because they kept saying (about the country in general), “This isn’t like America.” And I said, “Well, it’s not America but if I could offer some advice it would be to find something to like.” I’ve lived in quite a few countries and I think it’s so important from the minute you arrive to find something to like—bottle of wine, a person, a place.

 

(Antonio de Olveira Salazar in 1940, Prime Minister of Portugal from 1932 to 1968, pictured.)

 

A couple of months later, one of the people I offered this advice to called me and said, “Caroline, I was riding my bicycle and had an accident.  This Portuguese couple stopped and took me to a hospital.  The man took my bicycle to have it fixed and the woman called me every day to ask me how I was recovering. And the only thing I could think of was to phone Caroline to say thank you I found something to like.” 

 

There’s a lot more English spoken here now than there was several years ago. If a Portuguese person doesn’t speak English well, they will still try. And most of the people now speak English so they are very, very nice to all foreigners.   

 

In Casco Viejo we have the chance to try with all kinds of food, from typical Panamanian food to the most modern and fusion styles.

 

My favorites restaurants in Casco Viejo are Tantalo, Las Clementinas, and for a real Panamanian food, I recommend you experience...

 

In Casco Viejo we have the chance to try with all kinds of food, from typical Panamanian food to the most modern and fusion styles.

 

My favorites restaurants in Casco Viejo are Tantalo, Las Clementinas, and for a real Panamanian food, I recommend you experience "Diablicos".   

In a nutshell, yes. The US is one of the only countries in the world which taxes on citizenship, not residency… As such, even after you are no longer residing there, you will still be taxed on your worldwide income.

 

As long as your income is above the minimum threshold (starting at $11,200 for those single and over 65), you will be required to file a tax return. Now, just because you have to file a return does not mean you will actually owe taxes....

In a nutshell, yes. The US is one of the only countries in the world which taxes on citizenship, not residency… As such, even after you are no longer residing there, you will still be taxed on your worldwide income.

 

As long as your income is above the minimum threshold (starting at $11,200 for those single and over 65), you will be required to file a tax return. Now, just because you have to file a return does not mean you will actually owe taxes. In fact, the majority of people owe nothing at all to the IRS (thanks to some big exclusions and credits which are available for expats). In these cases, it is really just an informational return that you send off every year.

It’s a little bit difficult to define eco-tourism, because it has become just a word.  However, as many people think of it, the eco-tourism in Placencia just keeps on growing. 

 

Monkey River, in the south of Placencia, is a pure eco-system. They still do not have electricity or water supply. If you chose to, you can go to places in Placencia that are still completely untouched by...

It’s a little bit difficult to define eco-tourism, because it has become just a word.  However, as many people think of it, the eco-tourism in Placencia just keeps on growing. 

 

Monkey River, in the south of Placencia, is a pure eco-system. They still do not have electricity or water supply. If you chose to, you can go to places in Placencia that are still completely untouched by modern civilization and modern conveniences.  

 

As an example, Punta Negra is growing because a few people bought there.  However, there is no electricity or water supply there. There is no doctor and the phone company doesn’t provide service in that part of the country. 

 

Belize is a small country but we use only about 12% of the land in the country. The remaining 88% is pure ecosystem that is untouched. 

 

(Community at Monkey River, Belize, pictured.)