Seven Critical Questions To Answer Before Planning Your Retirement Overseas

March 29, 2012, Panama City, Panama: At our Retire Overseas Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona, April 30-May 2, our panels of experts and expats will answer the seven most critical questions associated with planning and executing a move to another country.

Dear Live and Invest Overseas Reader,

When we convene in Scottsdale, Arizona, next month with our top experts and expats from around the world for our Retire Overseas Conference, we're going to draw from all the assembled wisdom to address the seven critical questions associated with conceiving, planning, and executing a move to another country.

The Four Most Affordable Neighborhoods In Panama City (That You’ve Probably Never Heard Of)

March 28, 2012, Panama City, Panama: These four neighborhoods along Via Tocumen offer the best options and the best value for comfortable, affordable living near Panama City.

Dear Live and Invest Overseas Reader,

"Living in Panama City isn't cheap, not if you're talking about the city center," writes Panama Letter Editor Chris Powers. "Living in popular areas like El Cangrejo, San Francisco, and Costa del Este requires an average budget of no less than US$2,700 per month. And, realistically, you're likely to spend more than that to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle including dining out frequently and filling your pantry with the imported foods you miss from the United States.

"In recent issues of the Panama Letter, I've reported on affordable areas outside the city, but maybe you don't want to live out in the interior of this country. If being near the city is what you desire, but you don't want to pay the price of hanging your hat in Casco Viejo or Punta Pacifica, you must be asking yourself, 'Where do the middle-income locals live?'

What Is Life Really Like In Panama City?

March 27, 2012, Panama City, Panama: How does day-to-day life in Panama City compare with the Panama City depicted in the Mark Wahlberg movie “Contraband”?

Dear Live and Invest Overseas Reader,

Lief and I saw the movie "Contraband" here in Panama last weekend. It was fun identifying the different spots filmed in Panama City, at the Miraflores locks of the Panama Canal, and in the very local neighborhood known as Chorillo, where some of the more off-color action of the film takes place.

If you haven't seen the movie, I'd recommend it if you have any interest in Panama. The story takes you back and forth between New Orleans and Panama City. Sometimes, it's hard to tell the difference between the two locations. The more unsavory neighborhoods of the Big Easy could easily be mistaken for the more unsavory neighborhoods of Panama's capital.

That's one observation.

Come Out From Behind The Bullet-Proof Glass

March 26, 2012, Montevideo, Uruguay: One of the biggest benefits of becoming part of a new culture and a new country can be the chance to walk away from the “target” status that the United States has created for itself.

Dear Live and Invest Overseas Reader,

"This week I got a good lesson in what it's like when your country's a target," writes Latin America Correspondent Lee Harrison, "and experienced one of the biggest benefits of being part of another culture.

"A few days ago I found myself walking along a quiet, tree-lined street in Pocitos, Montevideo, one of the city's nicest neighborhoods. I checked the address I was looking for and walked up to an attractive, colonial-style home.

"As I approached the front gate, it glided open. A few yards farther on, I reached a beautiful old-fashioned wooden front door, which also opened quietly as I approached. (I thought it was a clever system, but later learned that the receptionist inside had seen me coming and pushed a button.)

You Never Know Who You Might Meet In This Melting Pot Town Of Opportunity

March 25, 2012, Panama City, Panama: Panama City, Panama, is a melting pot town of opportunity attracting investors and entrepreneurs from around the world.

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Dear Overseas Opportunity Letter Reader,

After three-and-a-half years at home in the melting pot that is Panama City, Lief and I have been really fortunate. We've developed an always-expanding and eclectic (we think of it as nutty and random) circle of friends. Folks from all over the world, who, like Lief and me, have sought out Panama City at this point in their lives for different reasons.

As in Waterford, Ireland, when we arrived on the scene some 14 years ago and, 7 years later, when we then moved to Paris, our first friends in Panama City were the parents of friends and classmates of our children...and architects.