Falling In Love Again With This Lovely City Of Flowers

Jan. 22, 2012, Panama City, Panama: Medellin, Colombia, is one of the world’s most pleasant and appealing cities, offering great weather and lots to do, including lively nightlife in Parque Lleras.

Also This Week: Panama Is #1, But It’s Not Always Best…The Cheapest Place In The World To Retire In 2012…Follow Your Priorities To The New Life Overseas That's Right For You…

Dear Overseas Opportunity Letter Reader,

Kathleen and Lief are en route to Medellin this morning, to prepare for our first-ever Live and Invest in Colombia Conference taking place in that city later this week. Kathleen didn't have time to write something for us before leaving for the airport but suggested that we re-run this brief dispatch written following her second visit to Medellin about a year ago this time...

Sometimes first impressions can be deceiving. So I'd worked hard to keep my expectations in check leading up to this return trip to Medellin. Surely, this city, upon second, closer look, couldn't live up to the rose-colored memory I've cultivated since my first visit a few months ago.

Ignore This Property Investing Due Diligence At Your Own Risk

Jan. 20, 2012, Panama City, Panama: When planning to purchase property overseas in a situation where you’ll become part of a home owners’ association (HOA), you want to carry out due diligence into the management of the property and the financial position of the HOA before making your foreign property investment.

Dear Live and Invest Overseas Reader,

Buying a piece of property in a gated community or an apartment building means that, as an owner, you're going to be part of some kind of home owners' association (HOA). How that association is run will affect not only the value of your property, but also your enjoyment and experience of the place overall. Not all associations are managed the same, and, unfortunately, not all are managed well.

Generally speaking, an owners' association should have a board of directors that oversees an administrator, either an employee or a management service, who deals with day-to-day management of the association and of the building. That team should work together, making decisions jointly.

Follow Your Priorities To The New Life Overseas That's Right For You

Jan. 19, 2012, Panama City, Panama: The key to being happy in a new life overseas is to understand your priorities before making the move.

Dear Live and Invest Overseas Reader,

"On a recent visit in the United States," writes Retirement Planning Correspondent Paul Terhorst, "we ran into our long-time friend Susan. Vicki asked her what was the most important thing that had happened during the past year. Susan replied, 'My pet sheep didn't die.'

"Susan's sheep amounts to a live-in lawnmower, and the little guy had been sick recently. Susan was pleased with the recovery.

"Vicki and I later learned, after chatting a bit with Susan and others, that, during the year, Susan had also built a new house, witnessed the birth of her first grandchild, and gotten a new job.

The Cheapest Place In The World To Retire In 2012

Jan. 18, 2012, Olango Island, Philippines: Cebu and Olango islands, the Philippines, qualify as two of the cheapest places in the world to retire overseas in 2012.

Dear Live and Invest Overseas Reader,

"As I young adult," writes Philippines Correspondent Victoria Clair, "I often dreamed of the kind of place where I would like to live...and it never involved snow storms. I dreamed of a tropical paradise where the sun was almost always shining, it never got cold, and I could swim in the ocean whenever I liked. I dreamed of breakfasting on tropical fruits and of sipping mango lassies while feasting on curry at a beachside restaurant.

"Now these dreams have come true. I live on Olango Island in the Philippines.

"Olango Island lies 5 kilometers east of Mactan Island, between the islands of Cebu and Bohol. Olango and its neighboring islets have a total land mass area of approximately 10 square kilometers (about 4 square miles). It's a tiny tropical dream offering much to explore in the way of natural delights, from sandy beaches and rocky shorelines to beds of sea grass, forests of mangrove, and reefs of coral.

A Second Residency—All Important And Easy In This Top Retirement Haven

Jan. 17, 2012, Medellin, Colombia: Colombia, one of the world’s top retirement havens, offers a dozen options for establishing foreign residency.

Dear Live and Invest Overseas Reader,

Having a legal residency outside the United States can be like having a strongbox full of cash buried in the back yard. It's not hard to put in place, and the day may come when you're awfully glad you've got it.

Medellin, Colombia, is one of our top recommended lifestyle choices for 2012. As we've been reporting for the past 18 months, this pretty mountain city is emerging as one of the best retirement options worldwide. In past reports, however, we've cautioned that establishing yourself here, specifically, for example, establishing legal foreign residency, may not be as straightforward as it can be in, say, Panama, Belize, or Uruguay.

Contacts in the country, including our attorney, have disagreed, telling us we've got this all wrong.