What is Mexico’s economic system? More free market, capitalistic, socialist, etc.?
Chris Gruenwald - Biencom Real Estate
Mexico is more free market, ultra-capitalistic but there are certain exceptions like petroleum and energy and telecommunications (which can be argued one way or the other).
Other than certain sectors, which the government is highly involved with, you would not find a heavy hand of regulation like you would in California. As a business owner, you are much freer to operate as you like as long as you operate within the laws but you are not as regulated....
Mexico is more free market, ultra-capitalistic but there are certain exceptions like petroleum and energy and telecommunications (which can be argued one way or the other).
Other than certain sectors, which the government is highly involved with, you would not find a heavy hand of regulation like you would in California. As a business owner, you are much freer to operate as you like as long as you operate within the laws but you are not as regulated. At the same time, it is also not as easy to find financing. You finance your business by yourself through your business activities but it is not as easy to raise money here at all as it would in California.
The national school system in Portugal is not very great and not to be recommended. However, there are some international private schools in Portugal that are among some of the best in Europe. They are for the high school levels and lower and cater to expats living in Portugal.
There is a German school, a French school, and an American school. My granddaughter goes to an international school in the Algarve. There are about three or four international...
The national school system in Portugal is not very great and not to be recommended. However, there are some international private schools in Portugal that are among some of the best in Europe. They are for the high school levels and lower and cater to expats living in Portugal.
There is a German school, a French school, and an American school. My granddaughter goes to an international school in the Algarve. There are about three or four international schools in the Algarve, all of which are very good.
However, the private international schools here in Portugal are not cheap. If there is one thing that is expensive in Portugal, it’s a top-rank education.
(Carlucci American International School of Lisbon girl's soccer team, Lisbon, Portugal, pictured.)
Does Panama television have American or Canadian TV channels?
Friends of Best Places In The World To Retire
Note: this answer was provided by a person who chose not to be identified
If you live outside the US, several sites are blocked to you.
It takes a while to figure it out how to make providers think that you’re receiving your Internet service in the US. In the past, I used hidemyass dot com, which provides you with a virtual private network. This is a real company. (They have a great commercial with a donkey all dressed up.)
Basically right now we...
Note: this answer was provided by a person who chose not to be identified
If you live outside the US, several sites are blocked to you.
It takes a while to figure it out how to make providers think that you’re receiving your Internet service in the US. In the past, I used hidemyass dot com, which provides you with a virtual private network. This is a real company. (They have a great commercial with a donkey all dressed up.)
Basically right now we have Roku and then we have a VPN that specializes in streaming. The streaming costs $5 a month and gets you Netflix and USTVnow, so you have a huge inventory. And if you want to get Amazon Premium, everything you can imagine is available to watch.
I’ve recently witched from hidemyass to another provider the name of which I can’t remember. Unblock Us dot com is the one that is special for in streaming. You get Unblock Us dot com and Roku and you are off to the races. Basically, the sites that would normally block you think you are using a server in the United States.
The Nicaraguan government has a retirement program for expats. It is pretty close to the retirement program offered by Panama. Here in Nicaragua, as long as you are 45 years old and have at least a certain amount of income coming in through pension or social security, you can bring in US $20,000 worth of household goods tax-free. You can also bring up to a $25,000 vehicle, tax-free.
Nicaragua does not have discount privileges like Panama has. Here in...
The Nicaraguan government has a retirement program for expats. It is pretty close to the retirement program offered by Panama. Here in Nicaragua, as long as you are 45 years old and have at least a certain amount of income coming in through pension or social security, you can bring in US $20,000 worth of household goods tax-free. You can also bring up to a $25,000 vehicle, tax-free.
Nicaragua does not have discount privileges like Panama has. Here in Nicaragua they call it "Tercera Edad," which translates to "Third Age" and refers to people who are over 60 years old. If you are Tercera Edad, you might get discounts at the movies and maybe even in a few restaurants, but not that many.
Every bank in Nicaragua has a teller just for people over 60. I love it. It makes banking transactions easier. This accommodation is cultural; it is not because of a law or anything else, but because Nicaraguans are good people and they treat their elders very well.
What do I need to know about living overseas and retiring abroad?
Keila Mulero - Savvy Link
Hi I moved to Panama a year ago and I love it. I have lived in Puerto Rico, Peru, Miami, Atlanta, Indiana and Panama is by far the best choice for retirement. You must remember, and a lot of people often forget, that Panama is still a third world country. BUT with lots of advantages like currency, cost of living, life style, and much more. It's a lot safer than Puerto Rico and Miami. You can have a maid for $350 a month. Fruit and vegetables are always fresh. I even became...
Hi I moved to Panama a year ago and I love it. I have lived in Puerto Rico, Peru, Miami, Atlanta, Indiana and Panama is by far the best choice for retirement. You must remember, and a lot of people often forget, that Panama is still a third world country. BUT with lots of advantages like currency, cost of living, life style, and much more. It's a lot safer than Puerto Rico and Miami. You can have a maid for $350 a month. Fruit and vegetables are always fresh. I even became vegetarian in Panama. If you like sports, every weekend there is at least two sports events in the City or at any of its provinces. Panama has a lot of beauty. I do agree that the service industry needs a lot of improvement. When it comes to people and manners the average Panamanian is behind. However, my close Panamanian friends are well educated with manners, very good people. Traffic is an issue, like any cities such as Miami, New York, Atlanta. I have learned 'short cuts' and always managed my way out of it. One more thing, I have visited 75% of the country, I have been to places like Torrijos Carter, San Miguelito for business as well as Boca Chica, Las Lajas, Boquete, San Blas and great resorts. In summary, I know Panama very well and my experience has been fantastic.
I am permanent resident of Panama and US citizen. During my 15 years career in Corporate America I was expatriated to the US, Peru and the Dominican Republic. With the world economic situation, I found Panama as “the land of opportunities” and decided to move abroad. My family and I have experienced the whole process of relocating ourselves. We have learned the Panamanian “system” and requirements. I must admit it was frustrating and disappointing. Finally, after loosing lots of time and money, we met the right people and were able to process our residency. There are lots of scam out there, lots of attorneys that just take your money and disappear.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW - THIS IS HOW WE DID IT!
Executive Decree No. 806 October 9, 2012 - If you are citizen of any of these countries you can opt for residency like we did. The process takes 6 - 8 months depeding on how soon you present the paperwork. COUNTRIES: Canadá; Confederación de Australia; Confederación Suiza; Corea del Sur; Estados Unidos de América; Estado de Japón; Estado de Israel; Gran Ducado de Luxemburgo; Hungría; Latvia; Nueva Zelanda; Principado de Andorra; Principado de Liechtenstein; Principado de Mónaco; Reino de Bélgica; Reino de Dinamarca; Reino de España; Reino de Noruega; Reino de Suecia; Reino Unido de Gran Bretaña e Irlanda del Norte; Reino de los Países Bajos; Región Administrativa Especial de Hong Kong; Republica de Argentina; Republica de Austria; Republica de Checa; Republica de Chile; Republica de Chipre; Republica de Croacia; Republica Eslovaca; Republica de Estonia; Republica Helénica (Grecia); Republica Federal de Alemania; Republica Federativa de Brasil; Republica de Finlandia; Republica Francesa; Republica de Irlanda; Republica de Lituania; Republica de Malta; Republica de Montenegro; Republica Oriental de Uruguay; Republica de Polonia; Republica Portuguesa; Republica de Servia; Republica de Suiza; Republica de Sudáfrica; Republica de Taiwán; Serenísima República de Marino.
Will Belize make me pay income tax on money I earn in Belize?
Kate Corrigan - Caye International Bank
If you have a business here in Belize, then you do have to pay local taxes and business taxes.
I run a restaurant in Belize and I have money in Belize, so I pay the taxes and social security, etc. I am salaried here in Belize, so I pay Social Security taxes. Fortunately, currently, I don’t have to pay taxes in the UK for my earnings here in Belize, whereas I do believe in the US, you have to pay income taxes, not only in the area where you are...
If you have a business here in Belize, then you do have to pay local taxes and business taxes.
I run a restaurant in Belize and I have money in Belize, so I pay the taxes and social security, etc. I am salaried here in Belize, so I pay Social Security taxes. Fortunately, currently, I don’t have to pay taxes in the UK for my earnings here in Belize, whereas I do believe in the US, you have to pay income taxes, not only in the area where you are working, but you also have to pay taxes in the US, regardless of where the money comes from, unless you qualify for the foreign earned tax benefit. I understand that there is various different ways to qualify for that, one of which is being out of the US for a certain amount of days or something like that or being proven a resident of another country.
Like any mature, clear-thinking, rational couple, before coming to live in Mexico, my wife and I did research into what it would be like to live there. Maybe you’re in this research phase now.
It’s not easy getting to the truth.
On the one side are the obvious promoters; people, websites, businesses, seminar-sellers, certain magazines and YouTubers, etc., that tell you how wonderful absolutely everything is. It’s not unusual to hear that you can live for $1,019 a...
Many expats do not like to drive in Mexico, so I constantly answer questions about public transportation.
Tijuana has more expats than anywhere else in Mexico and it is a big city, so understandably, many people wonder about the buses and taxis.
The public transportation in Tijuana is very good and is inexpensive. I am familiar with public transportation in the United States, Europe, and Africa. The quality and prices are better in Tijuana than...
This website is specially designed for people seeking to move to a different country, mostly for retirement, or for new adventures.
In that spirit, I would like to share beautiful memories of when I first visited Nicaragua, in my teens....and I´m a senior now.
I was probably 13, and very enthusiastic about the idea of visiting my family, and making new friends in Nicaragua. I became enchanted with the country of Nicaragua...
Mexico is more free market, ultra-capitalistic but there are certain exceptions like petroleum and energy and telecommunications (which can be argued one way or the other). 
The national school system in Portugal is not very great and not to be recommended. However, there are some international private schools in Portugal that are among some of the best in Europe. They are for the high school levels and lower and cater to expats living in Portugal. 
Like any mature, clear-thinking, rational couple, before coming to live in Mexico, my wife and I did research into what it would be like to live there. Maybe you’re in this research phase now.
Many expats do not like to drive in Mexico, so I constantly answer questions about public transportation.