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Generally speaking, a housekeeper or a maid in the Ajijic / Lake Chapala area will cost around 50 pesos an hour.  At the current exchange rate, that's about $2.50 per hour.

 

In addition to that, they may ask for bus fare (maybe a dollar or so, or less), you may want to feed them (we do), and, for long term arrangements, you should pay a bonus just before Christmas of one month's salary for a year's work.  For example, if you have a housekeeper...

Generally speaking, a housekeeper or a maid in the Ajijic / Lake Chapala area will cost around 50 pesos an hour.  At the current exchange rate, that's about $2.50 per hour.

 

In addition to that, they may ask for bus fare (maybe a dollar or so, or less), you may want to feed them (we do), and, for long term arrangements, you should pay a bonus just before Christmas of one month's salary for a year's work.  For example, if you have a housekeeper for one day a week for four hours and you had her work for you the entire year, you would give a bonus of around 860 pesos (200 pesos per week x 4.3 weeks in a month), or, around $43.   If they had worked for you for six months, you would pay around 430 pesos.

 

 

You can certainly pay more per hour or give a larger bonus, but what I'm quoting is the going rate.

 

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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.) 

There are different types of bank accounts that you can open up here in Belize.
 
Belize has two separate banking regimes. There’s the domestic banks, which transact in the Belizean currency, which is Belize dollars, and there are international banks. The international banks deal with foreign currencies, typically United States dollars, but some of the international banks in Belize offer accounts in Canadian dollars, pound sterling, Japanese yen, and euro.
 
Doing...

There are different types of bank accounts that you can open up here in Belize.
 
Belize has two separate banking regimes. There’s the domestic banks, which transact in the Belizean currency, which is Belize dollars, and there are international banks. The international banks deal with foreign currencies, typically United States dollars, but some of the international banks in Belize offer accounts in Canadian dollars, pound sterling, Japanese yen, and euro.
 
Doing the application for either an international account or for a domestic Belize dollar account involves completion of due diligence documents by the bank. These documents typically consist of copies of identification documents (including passports), a driver’s license, documents that can verify residence (which typically are utility bills, or perhaps, again, a driver’s license or government ID of some sort), and also letters of reference. Different banks have different due diligence requirements.  Some are more extensive than others but typically they would request some sort of personal character references from a professional such as an attorney, a doctor, perhaps an accountant, to vouch for the character of the applicant.  They also request bank references.  What the banks down here are looking for is a reference that tells them how long you have had a relationship with your particular current bank as well as whether your accounts are in good standing. In addition to those requirements, there are probably a few other documents that I’m missing among the significant amount of application documents that need to be completed and submitted to the bank.
 
Opening a bank account in Belize is quite different and a bit more involved than one may be used to in the United States or Canada. If somebody is coming in from the United States, they have to realize that this is a different country. The regulations for banking institutions in this country are different. The banks in Belize are governed by the Central Bank of Belize, which is something similar to the Federal Reserve of the United States. The reason there is more regulation here is to protect the Belizean banks, and to protect Belize as a sound jurisdiction for banking.  Over the years, there has been a problem with money laundering, terrorist financing, and drug money being run through various banks globally. Therefore, the Central Bank of Belize and the banks in Belize go out of their way to try to avoid being involved in anything that would hurt their ability to have a sound banking regime with well-respected banking institutions.
 
My office assists our clients with bank account applications. We typically act as liaisons between the applicant and the bank and work to consolidate the documents used in due diligence, submit those documents to the bank, and push for the bank to process the applications in as efficient a manner as possible.  

 

(Central Bank of Belize, pictured.)

The doctors in Nicaragua are excellent! In Managua we have a top rated certified Hospital named Hospital Metropolitano Vivian Pellas.
 
Mostly if not all the doctors at Hospital Metropolitano Vivian Pellas speak English and there is a personal factor in their approach to patients. The medical equipment is top of the line from Phillips. People who I know have had cardio exams there and have been happy with the personnel as well as the accuracy of the medical equipment. My...

The doctors in Nicaragua are excellent! In Managua we have a top rated certified Hospital named Hospital Metropolitano Vivian Pellas.
 
Mostly if not all the doctors at Hospital Metropolitano Vivian Pellas speak English and there is a personal factor in their approach to patients. The medical equipment is top of the line from Phillips. People who I know have had cardio exams there and have been happy with the personnel as well as the accuracy of the medical equipment. My pediatric doctor there answers his calls even on holidays and has given me medical instructions over the phone. I highly recommend this excellent hospital.

If you are from the US or other First World place where you have a culture of efficiency, you have to be what you would consider to be very patient with people here in Panama, especially when you are building a house or something like that. If you are patient, then you will get along.

 

Try to accept the fact that you are no longer living in the United States and that the culture and the importance of efficiency is different here in Panama.  

...

If you are from the US or other First World place where you have a culture of efficiency, you have to be what you would consider to be very patient with people here in Panama, especially when you are building a house or something like that. If you are patient, then you will get along.

 

Try to accept the fact that you are no longer living in the United States and that the culture and the importance of efficiency is different here in Panama.  

 

(Pictured: a home being built in Panama.)