Thanks to tourism and foreigners coming here, our economy is doing very, very well in Chapala and Ajijic. I say that because if you travel the strip between Chapala and Ajijic, you will find new businesses every week. Whether it’s a furniture store, a dentist, a doctor, or whatever, there are businesses opening all the time and that has not happened within the last 20 years until the last 5 years. There is a demand. So we’re doing the supplying.
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Thanks to tourism and foreigners coming here, our economy is doing very, very well in Chapala and Ajijic. I say that because if you travel the strip between Chapala and Ajijic, you will find new businesses every week. Whether it’s a furniture store, a dentist, a doctor, or whatever, there are businesses opening all the time and that has not happened within the last 20 years until the last 5 years. There is a demand. So we’re doing the supplying.
Mexican tourism is principally on the weekends and the holidays. Up until school gets back in session, we have a lot of people here. There are a lot of people from Guadalajara who own homes in Ajijic and who take advantage of those homes during the holidays and during the school vacations. Then, there is the round effect of Americans and Canadians injecting money in the economy.
(Authors Diane Pearl and Anna Elena Berlin promoting their self- help books, Ajijic, Mexico, pictured.)
Moving to another country gives you a new lease on life. When you move to a new country you have new experiences.
I’m a firm believer that everybody in the planet should move overseas for about two years. If they do, they get a broader perspective. They see things. I always find the most narrow-minded people in America are people who rarely traveled or left the town they’ve lived in. Travel broadens the horizons in every way. You become more open to new...
Moving to another country gives you a new lease on life. When you move to a new country you have new experiences.
I’m a firm believer that everybody in the planet should move overseas for about two years. If they do, they get a broader perspective. They see things. I always find the most narrow-minded people in America are people who rarely traveled or left the town they’ve lived in. Travel broadens the horizons in every way. You become more open to new experiences. It just improves a person; makes you more rounded.
Carol Bartlett Ribeiro - Carol Bartlett Ribeiro, Property Consultant
There aren’t really hurricanes in Portugal. A couple of weeks ago, we had tremendous winds but nothing like hurricanes that you have in the States.
We have high winds and the month of August can be very windy but not hurricanes. People are still talking about the recent high winds. If you drive up the coast, up the Sintro, which is the mountain, they have very big eucalyptus plantations that came from South Africa or Australia and...
There aren’t really hurricanes in Portugal. A couple of weeks ago, we had tremendous winds but nothing like hurricanes that you have in the States.
We have high winds and the month of August can be very windy but not hurricanes. People are still talking about the recent high winds. If you drive up the coast, up the Sintro, which is the mountain, they have very big eucalyptus plantations that came from South Africa or Australia and they absolutely split and came crashing down, but it was quite unusual.
Along the coast in August, we may get high winds and the waves may be high but it’s not something that happens on a regular basis.
(Eucalyptus lining the mountain road of Serra da Senhora do Monte, Portugal, pictured.)
What's the language most often spoken in Nicaragua? Can I get by if I just speak English?
Carolyn Membreño - León Travel Bureau
You need to learn a little bit of Spanish in order to get by in Nicaragua. There are places that you would go to, especially in the government offices, where they speak little to no English. If you are going to any office that is run by the government, you must be able to speak Spanish or at least have an interpreter. Most expats in Leon, where I live, do know how to speak basic Spanish.
(Baseball player, Wilton Lopez from Leon, Nicaragua,...
You need to learn a little bit of Spanish in order to get by in Nicaragua. There are places that you would go to, especially in the government offices, where they speak little to no English. If you are going to any office that is run by the government, you must be able to speak Spanish or at least have an interpreter. Most expats in Leon, where I live, do know how to speak basic Spanish.
(Baseball player, Wilton Lopez from Leon, Nicaragua, pictured.)
When I move to Belize, should I use a regular phone line, a cell phone, Skype, Magicjack, or something else?
Gwido Mar - Grupo Mar Realty Ltd.
What the best communication tool depends on where you are be located in Belize. If you are in a remote area, you might want to go with Dish and find out what system works the best, whether it is Skype, Vonage, etc. If you are in town, you have many more options for internet service providers. And pretty much, because we have VOIP in Belize, then you could use all these apps to call for free to Canada, the US, and other countries. As long as your family and friends have Skype,...
What the best communication tool depends on where you are be located in Belize. If you are in a remote area, you might want to go with Dish and find out what system works the best, whether it is Skype, Vonage, etc. If you are in town, you have many more options for internet service providers. And pretty much, because we have VOIP in Belize, then you could use all these apps to call for free to Canada, the US, and other countries. As long as your family and friends have Skype, Viber, or Whatsapp, then you could make phone calls or video calls for free, over the Internet.
If you are in business, you would want to use a cellphone or a landline. If you have a home in town, then you could have a landline as well. A landline helps you because you will have a home phone number and that also allows you to have a DSL line. In some cases, when you are in town and you don’t want to have a landline, but you need the internet, you will still end up getting the landline because that is how you will get your internet connection. If you are using DSL, then by all means you will have a physical line installed at your house.
Over the years, communications in Belize has gotten better because before, we only had one internet provider in the towns, which is BTL. Now, we have Smart Company, and we have MyFi, which is basically a portable Wi-Fi hotspot device just like Verizon has in the US. You can connect up to five devices to it. It is wireless and you just need to plug it in so it is charged. Once it is fully charged, you can put it in your pocket and walk with it. It holds a charge up to 3 hours. You can purchase a MyFi and take it wherever you go. MyFi works anywhere as long as you have cellphone reception because it uses the same signal as the cellphone signal. MyFi can be postpaid or prepaid. You can be in your car or you can go to the beach and have Wi-Fi. As long as you have cellphone reception, with MyFi, you will have internet.
Are there taxes other than Panamanian income taxes I have to be aware of?
Lourdes Townshend
Taxes in Panamá
In Panamá, interest income on savings accounts is tax free. One of the reasons for this is to encourage the residents to have good saving habits.
There are other benefits on investments, either personal or corporative that could be of great advantage, under certain laws, for investment or for retired residents. Under the tourism law, there are many tax advantages, if an investor wants...
Taxes in Panamá
In Panamá, interest income on savings accounts is tax free. One of the reasons for this is to encourage the residents to have good saving habits.
There are other benefits on investments, either personal or corporative that could be of great advantage, under certain laws, for investment or for retired residents. Under the tourism law, there are many tax advantages, if an investor wants to open up a bed & breakfast, a hotel or any tourist facility.
If you are a tourist and produce your passport, many stores will void the sales tax on your purchase at that store.
If you are a legal retiree in Panamá, you get the same benefit as locals; which include great discounts on movies, restaurants, train travel, other transportation and airline tickets, among others. (Panamá Canal Railroad Company train, pictured.)
The property taxes law in Panamá varies, and recently, the new administration stated that it will soon consider new appraisals, especially in certain neighborhoods. But for a certain time now, taxes and new appraisals have been considered as well in the interior, especially in those areas that has more demand. A foreign has to be very careful, and follow the law. Panamanians are very jealous about applying taxes. If you are a resident and your country of origin demands you to pay taxes to your country wherever you reside (for example, the US), you should report to your local embassy, and there are certain documents you should take care of at local banks, in order to open up an account. Banks in Panamá are extremely strict in enforcing those laws, in order to avoid unintentionally becoming involved in money laundering.
Property taxes are high in certain high-income neighborhoods. In the "interior" (or the country), property taxes are more relaxed, but constantly revised, in order to prevent tax fraud. It is good advice to meet with a good and well known accountant, or attorney, if you plan to buy a property, or set up a business.
Another advice is to be careful of buying a property legally registered in the "Public Registry". Do not settle for "derechos posesorios" (possessive rights), in which the owner is not yet recognized.
My husband is 73 and he was on several medications over the last few years in America. We have been in Panama only 10 months and he has cut his medications in half. He feels better, has more energy and feels less stressed. We attribute our good health to foods, climate, and less stressful lifestyle here. He has lost over 12 pounds, walks often and enjoys our life here.
We were paying almost $700 per month additional to Medicare for supplemental...
Yesterday, Holy Saturday, Mary and I went to the church to ask God for the peace of the world and ask for our union. It was a very beautiful and emotional Mass of 3 hours with songs and candles.
Then, after Mass, we went to see the new coastal belt. We have no words to describe our excitement at seeing Panama growing this most beautiful day. The belt goes from the Old Town (Casco Viejo) to the Bridge of the Americas. It has playgrounds, skating parks,...
Not many little girls who love animals grow up to be animal trainers in films, but as Jet Metier found out about Anne Gordon de Barrigón, that was one of her earlier steps to do what she really wanted to do: swim with dolphins and whales as a way of life. And along the way she married a man from a native Panamanian tribe and opened a B & B on Contadora Island that offers studies for those interested in spiritually connecting with dolphins and whales.
Thanks to tourism and foreigners coming here, our economy is doing very, very well in Chapala and Ajijic. I say that because if you travel the strip between Chapala and Ajijic, you will find new businesses every week. Whether it’s a furniture store, a dentist, a doctor, or whatever, there are businesses opening all the time and that has not happened within the last 20 years until the last 5 years. There is a demand. So we’re doing the supplying. 
Moving to another country gives you a new lease on life. When you move to a new country you have new experiences.
There aren’t really hurricanes in Portugal. A couple of weeks ago, we had tremendous winds but nothing like hurricanes that you have in the States. 
You need to learn a little bit of Spanish in order to get by in Nicaragua. There are places that you would go to, especially in the government offices, where they speak little to no English. If you are going to any office that is run by the government, you must be able to speak Spanish or at least have an interpreter. Most expats in Leon, where I live, do know how to speak basic Spanish. 
In Panamá, interest income on savings accounts is tax free. One of the reasons for this is to encourage the residents to have good saving habits. (1).JPG)
went to the church to ask God for the peace of the world and ask for our union. It was a very beautiful and emotional Mass of 3 hours with songs and candles..jpg)
