You do not need to own a car in Puerto Vallarta. There are so many cabs down here that I do not even know how they all make money. They are everywhere. There are yellow cabs like we are used to in the States. There are other vehicles that drive from Puerto Vallarta to towns north of Puerto Vallarta that are very closely connected like Bucerias, Nueva Vallarta, Sayulita, and Punta de Mita.
If you do not have a car and you take a bus, it takes an hour to get to those towns I just...
You do not need to own a car in Puerto Vallarta. There are so many cabs down here that I do not even know how they all make money. They are everywhere. There are yellow cabs like we are used to in the States. There are other vehicles that drive from Puerto Vallarta to towns north of Puerto Vallarta that are very closely connected like Bucerias, Nueva Vallarta, Sayulita, and Punta de Mita.
If you do not have a car and you take a bus, it takes an hour to get to those towns I just mentioned. But if you have a car, you can get there in half an hour. Just to go around the city of Vallarta, there are so many buses and cabs that a lot of people, Mexicans and expats, do not own cars.
I do not have a car. I would like to get one just because if I have to leave the office for lunch and take the bus back to my house, it takes a little bit longer than I would like and I want to be able to take my dog to the park on my lunch break. It is more of the convenience factor. You do not need a car, but it is good to have one if you want to get to places a little bit quicker instead of having to wait for the bus at the bus stop and then wait for them to make all those stops. The bus, obviously, will not drop you off right in front of your house. You have to get off at the bus stop closest to your house and then walk from there. So I would like to get a car, but no, I do not have one.
From one end of Puerto Vallarta to the other in a cab, it might cost 150 pesos to 200 pesos (US $8 to $11). From my house to Walmart, it costs 40 pesos ($2) for a cab. If I go shopping and get a whole bunch of food, they have cabs waiting out in front of the Walmart to take people home and I will just get a cab to go home.
I'm not sure if there is Uber in Puerto Vallarta. I have seen it on Facebook. In Guadalajara and in some other places in Mexico they have it.
How’s the kayaking in Belize and the rafting in Belize?
Therese Jonch - Programme for Belize
Both kayaking and rafting are very popular activities in Belize. In the western part of Belize, you can go kayaking, which is a really fun experience. There's canoeing as well, which is popular. Canoeing is definitely one of the most popular activities at our property at the Hill Bank Field Station, which is located on the Rio Bravo. There's a lagoon that borders the Hill Bank Field Station.
In Belize, you can go kayaking on the river and in the ocean as...
Both kayaking and rafting are very popular activities in Belize. In the western part of Belize, you can go kayaking, which is a really fun experience. There's canoeing as well, which is popular. Canoeing is definitely one of the most popular activities at our property at the Hill Bank Field Station, which is located on the Rio Bravo. There's a lagoon that borders the Hill Bank Field Station.
In Belize, you can go kayaking on the river and in the ocean as well. It just really depends your preference and where you're staying but you can definitely go for hours and hours kayaking in Belize. Kayaking is one of the most popular activities there.
There are a couple resorts in San Pedro (on Ambergris Caye) that offer kayaking. And the resorts that are located out in the other atolls such as Glover's Reef offer kayaking as well. These are all within the barrier reef. Kayaking is not recommended outside the barrier reef because it gets too deep and it is much calmer inside the barrier reef.
There are a lot of mangrove areas where you can go canoeing or kayaking around Belize, too. Belize is a kayaker’s paradise.
The best beaches in Panama...we have beautiful beaches both on the Atlantic and on the Pacific Oceans.
When you are in Panama City...you get on the Panamerican Highway...and after driving for 1 hour...you will get to go to a lot of wonderful beaches right off the highway. The roads to most of these beaches are very good too.
On the Pacific side we also have some beautiful beaches in the Chiriqui area, in the Peninsula de Azuero...
The best beaches in Panama...we have beautiful beaches both on the Atlantic and on the Pacific Oceans.
When you are in Panama City...you get on the Panamerican Highway...and after driving for 1 hour...you will get to go to a lot of wonderful beaches right off the highway. The roads to most of these beaches are very good too.
On the Pacific side we also have some beautiful beaches in the Chiriqui area, in the Peninsula de Azuero area, in the Pearl Islands, etc.
Then we also have some beautiful beaches on the Atlantic/Caribbean side. Bocas del Toro has some beautiful beaches. San Blas has some gorgeous beaches.
If you like beaches...you can take your pick. You can fish, snorkel, dive, swim, surf, or just relax. Different beaches are better known for each of the things I have mentioned above. Once you are here you will see that we have a LOT to offer beach-wise!
What should I be most concerned about regarding retiring abroad?
Tom Zachystal - IAM
There are a number of financial planning issues people face that are unique to retiring abroad as compared to retiring in your home country:
If your retirement savings are held in your home country they may be denominated in a different currency from that in which you will spend. This can lead to considerable currency risk. As an example, consider that the Euro has strengthened by 30% vs. the USD over the last decade or so.
Inflation rates are generally higher in developing countries...
There are a number of financial planning issues people face that are unique to retiring abroad as compared to retiring in your home country:
If your retirement savings are held in your home country they may be denominated in a different currency from that in which you will spend. This can lead to considerable currency risk. As an example, consider that the Euro has strengthened by 30% vs. the USD over the last decade or so.
Inflation rates are generally higher in developing countries than developed countries. So if you plan your retirement expenses using a 2.5% or 3% inflation rate but move to, say, Mexico, where inflation is typically around 5%+, your savings may not support your lifestyle throughout retirement.
You may not be able to keep the bank or retirement accounts you now have in your home country once you are no longer a resident. This is especially an issue for Americans moving abroad since many US financial firms no longer will deal with non-US residents.
What's it like to live in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua?
Natalie Sullivan
Living in San Juan del Sur is great. It’s a very happy town. Nicaraguans are generally very happy, San Juan del Sur is a vacation town, and people are happy when they’re on vacation, so here in San Juan del Sur, we’re mixing happy people together, so it’s a great place to live.
The key to living in San Juan del Sur is to have self-control. The reason: between the locals and the bars, there’s a party every night. Nicaraguans...
Living in San Juan del Sur is great. It’s a very happy town. Nicaraguans are generally very happy, San Juan del Sur is a vacation town, and people are happy when they’re on vacation, so here in San Juan del Sur, we’re mixing happy people together, so it’s a great place to live.
The key to living in San Juan del Sur is to have self-control. The reason: between the locals and the bars, there’s a party every night. Nicaraguans party more than any people I’ve ever met. Any Saint’s Day, they have a festival. Any excuse to have a party, they take it. We just had San Juan del Sur Day, featuring the hipicos, which are the fancy horses that prance and dance. I had a party right in front of my house!
Will Portugal make me pay income tax on money I earn outside of Portugal?
Luis Rodrigues - Gouveia Pereira, Costa Freitas & Associates, Law Firm, RL
In accordance to paragraph 6 of article 81º of the personal income tax code, if a non-habitual resident obtains income deriving from pensions in the United States, it is applied to the exemption method provided that the income is not considered obtained in Portugal.
In accordance to paragraph 1 of article20º of the Double Tax Treaty signed between Portugal and the United States, any pensions and other similar remuneration (other than pensions or...
In accordance to paragraph 6 of article 81º of the personal income tax code, if a non-habitual resident obtains income deriving from pensions in the United States, it is applied to the exemption method provided that the income is not considered obtained in Portugal.
In accordance to paragraph 1 of article20º of the Double Tax Treaty signed between Portugal and the United States, any pensions and other similar remuneration (other than pensions or remuneration to which Article 21º applies – Public or Governmental Service) derived and beneficially owned by a resident of a Contracting State (Portugal) in consideration of past employment shall be taxable only in that state (Portugal).
As such, pension income received by a Portuguese non habitual resident that is paid from the United States cannot be taxed in the United States and will be exempt from tax in Portugal.
However, there is an exception for the social security benefits and other public pensions related to Public or Governmental Functions that will still be exempt from tax in Portugal but may be taxed in the United States.
(Discoveries Monument commemorating important people in Portuguese history, Lisbon, Portugal, pictured.)
When starting from where we stayed in our planned community in the agricultural countryside (“campo”), we would drive into the center (centro) of San Miguel de Allende in one of two ways, depending on whether we wanted to enter from the north or from the southwest.
If we wanted to visit from the north, we would turn directly onto Highway 51, which from the gates of where we were staying at Los Labradores is a modern two-lane highway with cars, trucks and busses passing each...
I don't spend all of my time in Boquete, even though it is a very easy place to live with lots of good places to eat and the nice weather and cool temperatures there are times I need a little beach. Just two hours southwest of my home in the mountains is Limones, a little beach town that is home to Hooked on Panama, a gringo fishing resort that is finally getting the recognition it deserves and a few local fishermen and a few cowboys, and a couple of rice farmers. Having been born on Cape...
One of the best things about moving to Panama is that I have met and I am now friends with people who I would have been likely to even meet at a coffee shop back in Toronto. My group of amigos range from 30 years to 65+ years in age and come from all walks of life and corners of the earth. In the last few months a group of these "unlikely's" as I would call them got together with a common interest and goal of completing a series of Triathlons in Panama. It really happened at a...