It's also the start of the greatest adventure of
your life. The most fun you'll ever have.
The New Retirement Revolution----------
Dear
Overseas Opportunity Letter Reader,
As an American abroad, you're going to find the cost
of health insurance a bargain practically anywhere else
you go.
Not so, necessarily, if you're an EU
citizen or a Canadian. If you're accustomed to
socialized or subsidized health insurance in the country
where you're coming from, the issue is not as clear-cut.
In some parts of the world, you may find health coverage
affordable...in other places, not so much.
We
Americans, though, accustomed to health insurance that
costs hundreds of dollars a month, are pleasantly
surprised, even shocked, to discover that, in much of
the rest of the world, health insurance needn't be a
significant part of your monthly budget.
You can
organize local health insurance in many countries for
less than US$100 a month. Members of our staff here in
Panama City, for example, are covered by local health
insurance that costs them US$40 to US$60 a month.
Lief and I move around too much to depend on local,
in-country insurance. Since we left the States about a
dozen years ago, therefore, we have carried
international insurance through BUPA. We pay about
US$100 a month apiece for our high-deductible coverage.
Key to the cost of your policy in both cases is your
age. Through age 64, typically, you can arrange
affordable coverage through either an in-country carrier
or an international insurer. And, in fact, it's possible
to obtain a new international insurance policy at any
age, if you're willing to pay for it. We've gotten a
quote through Lloyd's, for example, for a new policy for
a 99-year-old.
Everything you need to know as you
consider your top options for expat health insurance is
detailed in our special report "
Top
Health Insurance Options For the Retiree Abroad,"
available here.
Kathleen Peddicord
P.S.
The average American abroad is also delighted to find
that, in many places around the world, he can see a
doctor for US$20 or spend the day in a hospital
emergency room, as I did earlier this week in Panama
(for the treatment of a nasty spider bite), for about
US$70 (including lab work, injections, and the services
of a knowledgeable, helpful, English-speaking
physician). It's for this reason that a high-deductible
policy, like the one that Lief and I carry for our
family, can make sense. We pay day-to-day health costs
out of pocket and count on our BUPA policy to cover us
in the case of more extraordinary events.
P.P.S.
What else this week?
- "It seems the whole world is watching and
waiting for the 'best' deal before making a real
estate buy right now," writes resident global real
estate investing expert Lief Simon.
"With few
exceptions, global real estate markets have slowed
or stalled. The speculators are mostly out of the
game. Investors and the end-users (people looking to
buy a place to live) are in the market but moving
slowly. They are shopping, circling like sharks in
some cases, waiting out the sellers. They're
watching for absolute collapse.
"This is all
healthy and part of the long-term cycles of global
property markets. The trick is not to wait so long
that you miss out altogether.
Here's where you should be focusing your search
right now..."
- "Developer financing," continues Lief. "That's
the buzz word in the international development arena
right now, especially in places where bank financing
isn't generally available. The market is such that
even those with the wherewithal to buy their dream
homes overseas simply aren't making the buy
decision. They want to hold on to whatever cash they
have 'just in case.'
"As a result, developers
are getting creative, coming up with all kinds of
attractive offers allowing for payments over time,
to try to push buyers off the fence.
"For
example:
"The developer at Sugar Loaf
Ocean Club and Spa in Uruguay, a longtime
friend, has put together a lot purchase package
specifically intended to make the buy decision as
irresistible as possible. The offer is
straightforward and appealing. You buy with only 30%
down. The balance is paid over 18 months. No
interest is charged.
"The first set of lots
David put aside to include as part of this special
offer sold out in a matter of weeks, so David, at my
request, has pulled another 12 lots from the next
section of the development to allow us to extend the
offer to Live and Invest Overseas readers.
"Furthermore, David is
right now offering a discount on the lot price if
you move quickly..."
-
Why in the world would you seek out little Santa
Fe? This is the heart of Panama, a
hinterland region that the investors, retirees, and
adventurers who've been making their way to this
country's shores over the past dozen years have yet
to discover. Here, sleepy Panama country life
continues undisturbed and unaffected. This may also
be one of the safest, friendliest, sweetest, and
most affordable places to live anywhere...
-------- Special Offer --------
Good Wine, Grand Adventure, And A 17.24% Annual
YieldGreat wines, great times, great
adventures...all the fun of a vintner's lifestyle
without any of the work...plus the added incentive of a
17.24% annual yield!
This is my favorite kind of
opportunity. It combines an interesting investment with
a chance for a grand adventure in one of the world's
most inviting places to spend time.
And, for a
limited time, Live and Invest Overseas readers can
participate for only half down...with the 50% balance
paid over 12 months, interest-free.
Full details here.
