Can I buy furniture in Chapala and Ajijic, Mexico?
Centeya - Radisson Blu Ajijic
You can buy mostly locally-made furniture in Chapala and Ajijic. I would also recommend Tlaquepaque, which is a part of Guadalajara, about an hour from Ajijic. Tlaquepaque has a large retail area where you’ll find restaurants, furniture, art galleries, and decors made mainly out of wrought iron and blown glass. Tlaquepaque is very Mexican but with a very charming twist.
I’ve seen some houses in Tlaquepaque decorated beautifully with Tlaquepaque...
You can buy mostly locally-made furniture in Chapala and Ajijic. I would also recommend Tlaquepaque, which is a part of Guadalajara, about an hour from Ajijic. Tlaquepaque has a large retail area where you’ll find restaurants, furniture, art galleries, and decors made mainly out of wrought iron and blown glass. Tlaquepaque is very Mexican but with a very charming twist.
I’ve seen some houses in Tlaquepaque decorated beautifully with Tlaquepaque furniture. There are some really beautiful furniture stores in Tlaquepaque.
There are large stores in Guadalajara such as Fábricas de Francia and Liverpool. Fábricas de Francia is where you’ll find couches and really nice furniture. The stores in Guadalajara will deliver to Ajijic. Fábricas de Francia is equivalent to Macy’s in the United States.
The quality of the furniture in Guadalajara depends on where it is manufactured. For instance, if you opt for the locally sourced stores like those in Tlaquepaque, you’ll be able to purchase furniture with very good quality and not those that are made in China. The prices will range, but certainly not like the ones from China. These are really beautiful locally-made furniture with quality.
(Miniature kitchen and key holder, made in Jalisco, Mexico, pictured.)
In general, how does the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) affect me if I move overseas?
Stewart Patton - U.S. Tax Services
There's quite a bit of misinformation and fear surrounding FATCA, but the bottom line is that it's not a big deal at all (assuming that you are OK with being 100% honest and open when it comes to complying with your U.S. federal income tax responsibilities).
If all you do is move your residence overseas, then FATCA will have no effect on you whatsoever. You could live your whole life overseas and never say or read "FATCA" ever again. Some...
There's quite a bit of misinformation and fear surrounding FATCA, but the bottom line is that it's not a big deal at all (assuming that you are OK with being 100% honest and open when it comes to complying with your U.S. federal income tax responsibilities).
If all you do is move your residence overseas, then FATCA will have no effect on you whatsoever. You could live your whole life overseas and never say or read "FATCA" ever again. Some people seem to think that FATCA requires 30% withholding on all international wire transfers or all amounts paid to persons who live overseas, but that is not the case at all. FATCA withholding only applies in very limited circumstances generally related to U.S. banks and brokers paying interest or dividends to non-U.S. persons.
Now, if you also move some assets overseas with you, or otherwise invest in non-U.S. assets (e.g., by forming a non-U.S. corporation, or opening non-U.S. bank accounts), then FATCA will be something you'll need to think about. However, it still won't negatively affect your life (as long as the assumption in the first sentence of my answer holds true).
FATCA is mainly an information-gathering tool for the IRS, and it has two parts.
First, FATCA requires some additional disclosure on your U.S. tax return--this is IRS Form 8938. So, you'll need to add a few extra pages to your return to tell the IRS about your non-U.S. bank accounts or interests in non-U.S. entities. No big deal (assuming you have your U.S. tax return prepared by someone knowledgeable in this area).
Second, FATCA essentially requires non-U.S. banks and brokers to provide information about their U.S. account holders. (I say "essentially requires" because FATCA subjects them to a punitive withholding regime if they don't comply.) So, when you open a non-U.S. financial account, you'll have some extra paperwork to fill out. Then, if you invest through fancy offshore structures, you'll need to make sure it is structured in a way that makes FATCA compliance easy (you'll need a tax attorney on board). Again, FATCA should not ultimately have a negative impact on your life.
So, no need to worry about FATCA--just enjoy your new life abroad!
(Lake Nicaragua and the island volcano Ometepe, Nicaragua, pictured.)
Are there islands in Portugal? If so, where, and what are they like?
Luis Teixeira da Silva - Algarve Senior Living
The obvious answer to this one is, of course, that the reason that Portugal has one of the largest maritime zones in the world is that its outer fringes are bordered by the archipelago of Madeira, comprised of Madeira and Porto Santo, and the archipelago of the Azores, which are strategically located in the mid-Atlantic (the US has had a military base at Lages for many years, although its presence has recently reduced to much concern of the local population). Portugal's highest...
The obvious answer to this one is, of course, that the reason that Portugal has one of the largest maritime zones in the world is that its outer fringes are bordered by the archipelago of Madeira, comprised of Madeira and Porto Santo, and the archipelago of the Azores, which are strategically located in the mid-Atlantic (the US has had a military base at Lages for many years, although its presence has recently reduced to much concern of the local population). Portugal's highest mountain, Pico, is in the Azores.
What are the worst places in Belize to live and retire?
Chris Leonard - Paradise Found Belize Real Estate and Development
The worst place to live and retire in Belize is Belize City. It is over saturated and there are crimes resulting from gang activities. Unfortunately, some areas in Belize City are no different than what you would find in the United States, like the worst neighborhoods in Detroit or Compton (a suburb of Los Angeles). With limited educational resources and rap music, some of the individuals in Belize believe that what’s being said in the music is what life is and they try to...
The worst place to live and retire in Belize is Belize City. It is over saturated and there are crimes resulting from gang activities. Unfortunately, some areas in Belize City are no different than what you would find in the United States, like the worst neighborhoods in Detroit or Compton (a suburb of Los Angeles). With limited educational resources and rap music, some of the individuals in Belize believe that what’s being said in the music is what life is and they try to emulate that. You can imagine how that happens.
I went out for lunch with a government official and his son in Belize City. We had armed guards to go through Belize City, not necessarily armored cars, but everyone with us was carrying a gun. That was just for peace of mind.
Belize City is not a very nice place to visit. When the big cruise ships come in they tell you to not go too far away from the docks. That is the worst part of Belize. It is like night and day compared to the rest of Belize.
I spent a good amount of time just traveling around the country to see everything. Placencia is really laid back and it’s definitely the richer area of the mainland and it is clean. It’s just like if you were driving from Beverly Hills down to Compton, you see the difference, you see the same type of difference going from Placencia and Belize City.
You hear about robberies every now and again. I was never afraid for my life or concerned about being robbed anywhere in Belize, with the exception of Belize City. That was a place I definitely needed some extra protection.
( The cruise ship Liberty of the Seas off the coast of Belize, pictured.)
How much does food cost in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua?
Gordon MacKay - InNicaNow.com
A dozen bananas in San Juan del Sur costs 15 córdobas ($0.50,) a pineapple costs $1, and watermelons cost just over a dollar each. Eggs cost about 4 córdobas ($0.13,) while a boneless, skinless chicken breast costs 65 córdobas ($2.20) a pound.
Some fruits and vegetables are seasonal. For example, mangoes are very inexpensive right now because they’re in season. A very large mango that when once cut up will fill a whole bowl...
A dozen bananas in San Juan del Sur costs 15 córdobas ($0.50,) a pineapple costs $1, and watermelons cost just over a dollar each. Eggs cost about 4 córdobas ($0.13,) while a boneless, skinless chicken breast costs 65 córdobas ($2.20) a pound.
Some fruits and vegetables are seasonal. For example, mangoes are very inexpensive right now because they’re in season. A very large mango that when once cut up will fill a whole bowl costs only about $0.70.
If I spend $10 in the market in San Juan del Sur, I end up with two big bags of fruits and vegetables that if I carry around, would get me really good biceps. Mainly, we shop at the fruit and vegetable market for most of our food then go down to the butcher shop to get meat, and then maybe down to the fish market to get fish. We go grab a couple of things at the specialty shop like flavors and spices. My family and I eat mostly local produce.
(Ceviche, fish "cooked" in lime juice and fried plantains, San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, pictured.)
What are the best things to do in and around the Pedasi, Azuero, Panama area?
El Sitio Playa Venao Spokesperson - El Sitio Playa Venao
We can comment on the best things to do at our resort, which is in Playa Venao, just 25 miles south of Pedasi, Panama.
Still untouched by intensive development, Playa Venao offers a quiet environment together with state-of-the-art amenities. The place is a jewel. Set at the foot of green and lush hills, Playa Venao is a beach-front community with everything you could possibly desire. At Playa Venao, you can walk along the beach, relax in luxury suites or villas, watch the surfers in...
We can comment on the best things to do at our resort, which is in Playa Venao, just 25 miles south of Pedasi, Panama.
Still untouched by intensive development, Playa Venao offers a quiet environment together with state-of-the-art amenities. The place is a jewel. Set at the foot of green and lush hills, Playa Venao is a beach-front community with everything you could possibly desire. At Playa Venao, you can walk along the beach, relax in luxury suites or villas, watch the surfers in the sunset, go horseback riding in tropical nature settings, or have meals in an exquisite gourmet restaurant.
If you’re like me, with typical middle-class US suburban experiences and sensibilities, when you first arrive at Jocotepec, you are confronted with several things that just don’t seem right.
For starters (and this is not unusual for Mexico), what was to be our home for the next 10 days did not have any internal hallways. All the rooms were placed at the far rear of the property, closest to the mountains, so that the back wall of each room was...
One of the first things to catch my eye when we arrived in Panama was the indigenous Indian women's brightly colored dresses. They make them and many are sold at the side of the Pan-American Highway under thatched roof huts. From infant to adult sizes the colored dresses float in the wind at the small vendor's places. On the women everyday you find yourself counting the different colors you see as you walk around town or pass the villages long the highways. Blue, green,...
Jet Metier has noticed there are three things you can do after reading a person’s reason for moving to Panama. You can 1) learn from them; 2) laugh with them; or 3) interview them to learn and laugh some more with them.
Giselle Otero lives in a world in which she hears operatic airs from humpback whales and smells the “life-giving bitterness” of the flowers that lent their essence to coffee beans. In this interview, Giselle shares with...