Frozen Christmas Trees In The Tropics

Dec. 4, 2011, Panama City, Panama: This is the best place to buy a Christmas tree in Panama City.

Also This Week: The Stereotype Is Undeserved, But I'm Not Complaining...Nine Reasons Not To Retire Overseas...The Cheapest Place To Retire In Panama?...Medical Costs In Dallas Versus Medical Costs In Thailand--A Side-By-Side Comparison...

Dear Overseas Opportunity Letter Reader,

"You learn," said the man in the parka and scarf with a grin as he pushed through the door into the refrigerated room and nearly collided with the bunch of us huddled together in a big shuddering mass. "You learn to come dressed for the occasion," he continued.

The man was followed by a woman and two children, also wearing parkas and scarves. The kids wore gloves.

Earn Double-Digit Yields From This Turn-Key Agri-Investment

Dec. 2, 2011, Fortaleza, Brazil

Dear Live and Invest Overseas Reader,

Double-digit yields are scarce these days, but I've found a few property investment opportunities promising this level of return for my Marketwatch members over the past year...and many of these have to do with agriculture and productive land.

The productive land investment I'm perhaps most excited about right now is in Brazil.

Over the years, I've shied away from recommending real estate investment in Brazil for a couple of key reasons. The main one is the language barrier. There is a general lack of English-speaking support for any investment activities in Brazil. Another is the complications associated with getting your money in and out of the country.

The Stereotype Is Undeserved, But I’m Not Complaining

Dec. 1, 2011, Medellin, Colombia

Dear Live and Invest Overseas Reader,

"'¡Bájense!' said the man in the green fatigues, as he told us to get off the bus," writes new Latin America Correspondent Lee Harrison. "And just in case the two Americans on board were slow to understand, he waved his machine gun at the door while looking our way.

"'Hombres aquí...mujeres allá,' he said, as he and his group separated the male and female passengers for frisking purposes...even though all the available friskers were guys.

"I looked in front of the bus and saw that they'd dragged a large, freshly cut tree branch across the road to stop traffic. I also noticed a tiny Colombian flag sewn on to the back of their camouflage shirts, just below the collars, telling me--with relief--that they belonged to the Colombian army...the good guys.

Nine Reasons Not To Move Overseas

Nov. 30, 2011, Panama City, Panama: Here are nine reasons not to retire overseas and why they don’t matter.

Dear Live and Invest Overseas Reader,

Reason Not To Retire Overseas #1: "I can't afford it."

Your nest egg has been marginalized in recent years, and you're thinking there's no way at this point that you can afford to entertain these notions of living or retiring in a new country.

Here's the truth: You can't afford not to. I mean this both literally and figuratively.

You could take my advice and launch a more comfortable, more interesting, safe, pleasant, even adventure-filled life in a number of places around the world that I introduce to you in these dispatches on a budget of as little as US$1,200 per month or less.

The Cheapest Place To Retire In Panama?

Nov. 29, 2011, Rio Hato, Panama: A couple could retire comfortably on a budget of US$1,200 a month or less in Rio Hato, Panama, one of the cheapest places to retire in Panama.

Dear Live and Invest Overseas Reader,

Panama City is no longer a cheap place to live. Life in Panama's capital city can be affordable (depending on your interpretation of that idea), but it's no great bargain. Rents are down from the 2008-2009 highs, but, realistically, you're still looking at US$1,000 a month for a comfortable place in a good location. Other costs, from groceries to household help and from restaurants to movie tickets, have risen steadily during the three-and-a-half years we've been living here to the point that, again, today, cheap is no longer a word I'd use to describe them.

However, as I point out often, Panama City isn't Panama, and Panama beyond its capital can still be a super-bargain destination.