Medical Costs In Dallas Versus Medical Costs In Thailand—A Side-By-Side Comparison

Nov. 28, 2011, Bangkok, Thailand: Medical tourism in Thailand saves you money, time, and aggravation when seeking medical care overseas.

Dear Live and Invest Overseas Reader,

"My husband Billy and I have been proponents of medical tourism for decades," writes retire early expert Akaisha Kaderli (www.RetireEarlyLifestyle.com). "The value and convenience of medical treatment in other countries has made a considerable impression on us over the years.

"Recently, a friend who lives in Dallas gave us a side-by-side comparison of seeking medical care for a skin condition both in Dallas and then in Bangkok, Thailand. His side-by-side comparison of the two experiences really hit the point home.

Not Always Easy But Never Dull

Nov. 27, 2011, Baltimore, Maryland: When retiring overseas, the first move is the hardest. Overcome your fears and take the first step, and every subsequent retire overseas step is easier.

Also This Week: Expat Thanksgivings...Rising Damp--Or, Remembrances Of Starting A New Life In Ireland...Yuan Action--Or, Why You Might Want To Open A Chinese Bank Account...Why Singapore Is A (Nearly) Perfect Retirement Choice...

Dear Overseas Opportunity Letter Reader,

"I remember sitting in your kitchen with you one night, boxes all around, all the cabinets emptied out on to the counters, and you looking at me and asking, "Ceci, what am I doing?'

"I have to admit, I was wondering the same thing. What were you doing? You were getting married and moving to Ireland? What?!"

Lief and I, in Baltimore this long holiday weekend, had dinner last night with my college roommate, Ceci, who was recalling the inauspicious beginnings of Lief and my co-adventures overseas all those years ago.

Three Options For Financing The Plan For Your Retirement Overseas

Nov. 25, 2011, Baltimore, Maryland:  It’s not possible to borrow locally for the purchase of real estate in Central America beyond Panama. Here, though, are three opportunities to arrange seller financing in three of the world’s top overseas and retirement havens.

Dear Live and Invest Overseas Reader,

Financing the purchase of real estate in Latin America is difficult if not outright impossible for foreign non-resident buyers. The exception is Panama, where financing is available on reasonable terms, and it's possible, even as a foreign buyer, to arrange a mortgage through a local bank. It's not quite the same as in the States (it's not possible to borrow with a fixed rate of interest, for example), but it's straightforward and common.

Beyond Panama, you have to rely on seller or developer financing.

Expat Thanksgivings

Thanksgiving Day, Baltimore, Maryland: Over the past 14 years as expats overseas, we’ve worked hard to preserve as many Thanksgiving traditions as possible.

Dear Live and Invest Overseas Reader,

You couldn't buy a turkey, plucked or in any condition, really, other than roaming around a barnyard, in Waterford when we moved there 14 years ago. Nor could you find cranberry sauce or pumpkin filling for making a pie in any supermarket.

Since we left the States, we've spent some Thanksgivings back in Baltimore, with my family (as we are this year), and some in the places where we've been living along the way. In some ways, for me, Thanksgiving abroad has been more difficult to come to terms with than Christmas overseas. While everyone everywhere we've been has joined us in celebrating Christmas, we've had to work, as we've roamed, to preserve our own Thanksgiving traditions.

Rising Damp—Or, Remembrances Of Starting A New Life In Ireland

Nov. 23, 2011, Waterford, Ireland

Dear Live and Invest Overseas Reader,

While I waited, I wandered from room to room. It was the house I'd had in mind since the day Lief and I had decided we'd move together to Ireland. Classicly Georgian with high ceilings, a winding central staircase, symmetrical sets of tall shuttered windows in each room, plank wood floors, marble-mantled fireplace and French doors in the living room, and, from every window and every angle, views of the rolling green Irish countryside all around.

Standing in the dining room, looking out the window to the front of the house, I could see sheep in the fields and, here and there, low stone walls. Our seven acres were surrounded by many more undeveloped acres, meaning that our views were unobstructed in every direction. Not another house anywhere in sight; the only structure in view an old cow barn on the other side of our fence out back.