May 12, 2013, Panama City, Panama: The three-stage Cinta Costera redevelopment project in Panama City, Panama, is nearly complete.

Dear Overseas Opportunity Letter Reader,

It isn't Mother's Day here in Panama. Panamanians celebrate their moms officially on Dec. 8. Being an American mom in Panama, though, I was treated to a special lunch with my family yesterday.

May 9, 2013, Buenos Aires, Argentina:To be happy as a retiree overseas, you must suit your new life to your true self, rather than the other way around.

Dear Live and Invest Overseas Reader,

Mark Twain summed up common behavior succinctly.

"The cat, having sat upon a hot stove lid, will not sit upon a hot stove lid again. But he won't sit upon a cold stove lid, either," Twain observed.

The cat is reacting with his gut. You and I might think gut decisions, coming from instinct and emotions, make little sense. We might think we're better off using reason, analysis, and logic rather than instinct.

May 8, 2013, At the Beach in Panama: Coronado, Pedasi, and the west coast of the Azuero Peninsula are the three top beach retirement choices in Panama.

Dear Live and Invest Overseas Reader,

One of Panama's greatest assets is its beachfront. This is a little country with two long coasts and several clusters of outlying islands...meaning lots of different beaches, Pacific and Caribbean, touristy and undiscovered, developed and emerging, accessible and remote.

May 7, 2013, Santa Fe, Panama: Santa Fe, Panama, is a mountain town offering a simple, sweet, and highly affordable retirement lifestyle option.

Dear Live and Invest Overseas Reader,

I visited the undiscovered, unassuming mountain town of Santa Fe, Panama, for the first time about six years ago. Back then, Santa Fe was about as out-of-the-way as a mountain town can be. The roads in the region sometimes washed out and became impassable during the rainy season. It's not an island, but (not only six years ago but still today), if you don't bring it with you from Santiago (the nearest destination of note), you're going to have to do without, at least until your next drive into the big city.

May 6, 2013, Panama City, Panama: Panama offers top city, mountain, and beach retirement options, including El Cangrejo in the heart of Panama City.

Dear Live and Invest Overseas Reader,

If full-fledged city living is what you're looking for in retirement, Panama City is the only place in Central America that qualifies. It's the only true cosmopolitan choice in the region. Compact as it is, however, Panama City is not one choice but many.