Best Places In The World To Retire

How much does it cost to get landline phone service in Mexico?

Sandi Vandiver

Carlos Slim Mexico billionaire – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

I have a landline phone here in Mazatlan, which costs me 638 pesos (US $38.60) a month. We pay strictly in pesos here. The price includes my Internet with the landline.

I have a very fast Internet speed. There aren’t a lot of choices when it comes to Internet, phone, and maybe cable services because quite a few of them are owned by one man.

(Pictured: Carlos Slim, Mexican billionaire and telephone company owner.)

How's the surf and surfing in and around Algarve?

Luis Teixeira da Silva - Algarve Senior Living

Swells at the beach at Carrapateira, Algarve, Portugal – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

Surfing in the Algarve is fantastic. Algarve is the second most popular region of Portugal for surfing. The most famous surfing spot can be found north of Lisbon, which is called the silver coast, in the area between Peniche and Nazare. They broke the world record there several times.

The Algarve has a fantastic reputation for surfing on the west coast of the region, between Sagres and Aljezur, and we have a number of famous beaches there such Bordeira and...

Surfing in the Algarve is fantastic. Algarve is the second most popular region of Portugal for surfing. The most famous surfing spot can be found north of Lisbon, which is called the silver coast, in the area between Peniche and Nazare. They broke the world record there several times.

The Algarve has a fantastic reputation for surfing on the west coast of the region, between Sagres and Aljezur, and we have a number of famous beaches there such Bordeira and Carrapateira. We also have other beaches in and around the Sagres area, such as Martinhal and Baleal. They all have long, sandy beaches and very good surf. They have a fantastic swell and very evenly spaced waves. It’s easy to get a ride and get it in without being hammered by the next wave. But the water is cold so you need a wetsuit to go surfing.

There is also some surfing on the southern coast of the Algarve. The further west you go, the better the surf. There are small surfing spots just off the beaches around Lagos and around Praia da Luz. The distance between Lagos and Sagres is only about 25 kilometers so you don’t have to travel far to get to surf.

It’s safe to go into the water in Praia da Luz. The waters there are just like the Mediterranean most days. It is calm with azure colors; nary a wave so it’s very safe.

In the western part of the Algarve, you shouldn’t really go into the waves alone. If you have children, they can certainly play in the shallow water but I wouldn’t be far away because a lot of the beaches in that area are very remote and there are not a lot of people there. They don’t necessarily have protection such as life guards and so on. However, most of the southern beaches do have lifeguards.

The Algarve has probably the largest number of “Blue Flag” beaches in Portugal. “Blue Flag” is the European Union symbol for quality of the beaches, infrastructure and water quality. The beaches in the west coast has big waves whereas there are hardly any waves on the southern shores of the Algarve, so there are surf conditions to love for anybody.

(Swells at the beach at Carrapateira, Algarve, Portugal, pictured.)

How's the hiking and camping in and around Panama?

Captain Carl Davis - Jungle Land Panama

PANAMA CANAL HIKING – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

Hiking in Panama is pretty undeveloped - signs are hit or miss, trails aren't always well maintained. That being said, hiking in Panama can be EPIC!! For very light hiking, you can try the Metropolitan Park in Panama City. If you are looking for more serious hiking, Chiriqui has excellent trails - just make sure to leave early in the morning, be well prepared and hire a guide.

HIKING IN THE PANAMA CANAL – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

If you are looking for an adventure more than...

Is Belize Safe?

Howard Oldham - Tropic Real Estate

The Oldham German Shepard security force – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

It is relatively safe in Belize as long as you are willing to provide your own security. I live out in what you would call “the country” in the Cayo District, half way between Belmopan and San Ignacio, so I’ll answer for the conditions for where I live. If you want to have a secure place, you have to put up a fence on your property, get guard dogs, set up security cameras, etc.

Belize does not have a large police...

It is relatively safe in Belize as long as you are willing to provide your own security. I live out in what you would call “the country” in the Cayo District, half way between Belmopan and San Ignacio, so I’ll answer for the conditions for where I live. If you want to have a secure place, you have to put up a fence on your property, get guard dogs, set up security cameras, etc.

Belize does not have a large police force and they lack equipment and vehicles. Most likely, it will take them a lot of time to get to where you are because of these reasons. If you call them, they will say something like, "Look, we don't have a vehicle right now. We'll have a vehicle in the morning. We'll come up tomorrow afternoon because we got two calls in the morning."

So, what we've done here is we organized a "neighborhood watch" to respond in emergency situations. Let's say, I have somebody on my property who threatens me. I call two people to come to my house and they call two more and so on. In 15 to 20 minutes, I have 20 people in my house with guns. Out here in the country, you provide your own security.

You build a reputation no matter where you go. For example, relative to my property, the locals will cross the street when they pass by my property and walk on the other side because my dogs scare them to death. Remember, the thief is going to pick the weakest link to hit. So, they're not going to rob somebody who has dogs and cameras. They look for somebody who has no fence, no dogs, and no cameras. A lot of this is just common sense. Generally speaking expats don't have that much of a problem because they're smart enough to know what they have to do.

The same general concept is true if you live out in the country like I do, or if I live in Belmopan or San Ignacio. I live on 16 acres, so if I lived on just a lot, I wouldn't have as elaborate a system as I have here. But the first thing I would do is to put a fence on my property and get a dog because they are all afraid of dogs. To me, it's just common sense.

But don't get me wrong; Belize is safe. I lived here for 20 years and I have never had a problem or any incidents; nothing. I feel just as safe as I did when I lived in Houston.

Our police in Belize are concerned primarily with fighting crimes. Traffic here is such a pleasure to drive because the police do not pull you over. You can speed right by a policeman. The reason is that giving you a ticket is not their job; that's the traffic department's job. Their job is to hunt down murderers, thieves, and stuff like that. You can't really get in trouble behind a wheel here unless you have an accident and they start looking for who's at fault.

(The Oldham German Shepard security force, pictured.)

How corrupt are the police in Nicaragua? Do I need to bribe the police in Nicaragua?

Carlos Roman Gutierrez Solis - Casa Granada Properties

Granada, Nicaragua – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

Police corruption in Nicaragua is like everywhere else in the world. It is less in this country than in Mexico and Guatemala, but there is police corruption. The police in Nicaragua are not extremely crazy, but they ask for bribes all the time, especially when you get a ticket while driving.

However, when you start a business, you don't need to worry about the police asking for payment. They mostly ask for bribes for traffic violations. They only...

In general, should I keep my US bank, brokerage, investment, IRA or retirement account if I move overseas?

John Ohe - Hola Expat Tax Services

Map of Bank of America in Guadalajara, Mexico – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

You should absolutely keep your US bank, brokerage, investment, IRA, or retirement account when you move overseas.

Opening financial accounts abroad exposes you to additional risks and a lot of reporting. This is paperwork not only for your tax return, but you may need to complete the FBAR (Foreign Bank Account Report). The FBAR is not exclusive to just bank accounts, but also applies to life insurance policies with a savings component, mutual funds, brokerage accounts,...

You should absolutely keep your US bank, brokerage, investment, IRA, or retirement account when you move overseas.

Opening financial accounts abroad exposes you to additional risks and a lot of reporting. This is paperwork not only for your tax return, but you may need to complete the FBAR (Foreign Bank Account Report). The FBAR is not exclusive to just bank accounts, but also applies to life insurance policies with a savings component, mutual funds, brokerage accounts, etc.

Assuming you're not a retiree, your tax return will be much more subject to scrutiny if you have a lot of assets abroad. With FATCA (Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act), the US government will have access to foreign bank account balance and income information of US citizens living abroad.

Therefore, working expats are now much more on the radar screen than they were before. There are also reporting requirements. Given the fact that the Treasury Department and the IRS now have more access and could get greater information on a foreign bank account than they do a US bank account, in some respects, expats need to file their tax returns even more accurately.

For example, I have a client who stayed in Mexico who forgot about US $15 worth of interest income on a bank. He got a letter from the US government saying that he forgot to report that $15, which is amazing. Gone are the days when people actually had to look at papers. Now, the computers are doing all the reconciliation.

Foreign banks and foreign financial institutions are sending account information to the US Treasury Department. They are now able to reconcile that with the tax return and the FBAR. Expats filing their income tax returns must be much more accurate.

There are all kinds of risks of investing abroad such as country risks, political risks, and "know-how" risks. You may be subjected to scams. You can easily invest in foreign markets through US accounts. I would do this.

Leave accounts in the local country for liquidity purposes. For example, I would need funds in a bank account to keep a small amount in the money market or a CD (certificate of deposit) because I need an account to earn interest while I spend the money down.

For the most part, I would maintain most of my assets in the US.

I have a client who has been living in Guatemala for a long time. She has let go of all connections in the US, including her US bank accounts. The US has the PATRIOT Act. She has severed her ties to the US completely, not just for residence purposes, but also for financial account purposes. Now that she wanted to open a US bank account for another reason, she is having a ton of difficulty even though she is a US citizen because there is no recent record of her.

Recently Answered Questions

How much does it cost to get landline phone service in Mexico?

How's the surf and surfing in and around Algarve?

How's the hiking and camping in and around Panama?

Is Belize Safe?

How corrupt are the police in Nicaragua? Do I need to bribe the police in Nicaragua?

In general, should I keep my US bank, brokerage, investment, IRA or retirement account if I move overseas?

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Best Places In The World To Retire