When The Time Is Right?
April 3, 2009
Panama City, Panama
Kathleen is traveling today, but she leaves us with this classique,
originally published May 27, 2008.
Don't worry. Kathleen will continue her Recession Buy series Sunday, when
she's back online.
Meantime, heads up. As Kathleen reminds you, there's no better time to get
yourself together to finally make your move.
The best time to retire overseas is right now. More below...
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Dear Overseas Opportunity Letter Reader,
A couple of years ago at a conference in Panama, I met a gentleman, an
American from Tennessee, who explained that he had been researching real
estate investment opportunities in the Dominican Republic for two years.
"I'm convinced the DR is a market I want to invest in right now," he told
me, "but I'm just not sure what to buy."
"Have you invested in real estate outside the States elsewhere?" I asked.
"Well, before I started looking closely at the Dominican Republic, I
researched the market in Costa Rica for four years."
"What did you end up buying there?"
"Oh, I never bought anything. After four years of looking, prices had risen
so high that I figured it no longer made sense to invest."
"Ah, well, that happens," I offered.
The truth is, it happens a lot.
I have business associates who follow a strategy they refer to as, "Ready,
fire, aim." I think it works for investing, too...and for life.
That is to say, as friend and 20-year retiree (since the age of 35) Paul
Terhorst puts it, "You can plan to retire overseas...or you can retire
overseas and then make some plans."
Whether you're looking to invest in real estate in a new market or to start
a new life somewhere exotic and exciting, sure, you want to carry out your
due diligence. But realize that, all the while you're researching, the
market is moving.
And your life is passing.
That gentleman from Tennessee I met in Panama was so worried that another,
better opportunity might come along that he could never bring himself to
carry through with any one particular chance.
He was a smart guy. And an experienced investor. He'd done well for himself
buying long-term rentals in his home town. He felt comfortable with that
market. And perhaps that was the great hindrance to his plans for
diversification abroad. Because he understood his home market in Tennessee
so well, he was frighteningly aware of how much he didn't understand the
markets in Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, and beyond.
He kept researching and investigating and scouting, trying to identify the
right time to invest and the best thing to buy.
There is no "right" time, and there is no "best" buy.
After more than six years in Ireland and four years in Paris, why did we
pack up a third time and move again, last summer, to Panama City?
Because it's a better place to do business than France.
For me, right now, that's a reason. I'm building a publishing business (I
appreciate having you along for the ride). Plus, my husband decided he'd
like to develop some land on this country's Pacific coast. We like France,
and we were happy in Paris, but we're not stupid. And, frankly, I think
you'd have to be at least a bit daft to try to indulge entrepreneurial
inclinations in this country.
Why did we settle in Waterford, Ireland, more than a decade ago? I was
relocating myself and the business I was running at the time to Ireland
because the parent company wanted a presence in the EU. But why Waterford
specifically?
Because my then brand-new husband was considering investing in a real estate
development just outside that city. That project didn't pan out, but,
meantime, the choice had been made and Waterford became our home.
Why did we begin spending time in Paris four years ago? Because our daughter
suggested it. (No kidding.)
Paul Terhorst took early retirement and began his overseas adventures 20
years ago because the accounting firm he was working for decided to pull him
out of Argentina. He and his wife had grown to like Buenos Aires, where
Paul's firm had assigned him a couple of years earlier. When his superiors
told him the BA posting was over, he told them his retirement had begun.
Another friend also took early retirement, about five years ago, when the
engineering firm he was working for was bought out by a larger one. He saw
the corporate restructuring as a chance for a bigger change. Instead of
moving up the company ladder, he moved down south, to Cuenca, Ecuador.
Sometimes life takes you by the collar and pulls you along. Sometimes it
waits for you to create your own momentum.
I say again, there is no best opportunity and there is no right time.
So here's what you do: You do something right now.
If your life's circumstances aren't conspiring to pull you in the direction
of new horizons, get yourself up to start chasing them.
"But...but...but," you may be thinking.
But what?
What's holding you back? You're worried you can't afford it? I've shown you
that you could retire and live well in
Cuenca, Ecuador,
on as little as $660 per month...or in
Atlantida or Salto, Uruguay, on as little as $1,038 per month.
Worried it'll be a lot of hassle and work? You're right. It will be. It's
easier to stay put and to do nothing. But where would that leave you at the
end of the day? What stories would you have to tell? What adventures to
remember?
Don't like the idea of moving far from your children or grandchildren?
Don't. Try Panama or Mexico. A new life in either of these countries would
put you no farther from your loved ones than would a move to Oregon, say, or
southern California. You (and they) could even drive to Mexico for visits.
Generally scared to death? What are you afraid of? That your new life won't
work out as you hope and expect? So what? You could always return home.
Or move on. Again, there's no "right" place, and trying different places on
for size is part of the fun.
Maybe it is the fun.
On the other hand, maybe you're not worried your living and investing
overseas plans might fail. Maybe you're worried they'll succeed.
Where would that leave you?
I can't imagine.
But you can.
Kathleen Peddicord
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