Oct. 29, 2008
Panama City, Panama

PLUS:

• The World's Top 20 Overseas Retirement Havens And Connecting The Dots...
• What Next? Get On A Plane...
• Dry Season's Comin'...
• "I'm Looking For Beaches And Snorkeling"...
• Business Idea For Montevideo and Punta del Este...

AND:

• "Is A French Leaseback Like A Time-share?"...

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This is the answer to how to save your retirement portfolio.

Dear Overseas Opportunity Letter Reader,

You've got your list. (If you missed yesterday's issue, catch up here.)

Now you need another, shorter one...a list of the countries that might support the lifestyle you seek.

Here are 20 countries to consider:

• Argentina
• Belize
• Colombia
• Costa Rica
• Croatia
• Dominican Republic
• Ecuador
• France
• Honduras
• Ireland
• Italy
• Malaysia
• Mexico
• New Zealand
• Nicaragua
• Panama
• Portugal
• Spain
• Thailand
• Uruguay

The truth is, right here, right now...I can't take this conversation much further. You've got your list of what matters to you...and now you've got a list of the world's top retirement havens today.

Given all this, should you retire to Panama...or to France? To Uruguay...or to Thailand? I have no idea.

I'm not copping out. I'm being honest. You've got to do the work of considering the 20 countries on my World's Top Havens list in the context of your personal preferences and priorities.

You've got to connect your own dots.

For example:

If you're looking to retire on a limited budget, look into Ecuador, Nicaragua, Thailand, and Uruguay, the world's most affordable retirement havens.

If you want a temperate climate, put Argentina (in the north), Ecuador, and Panama (in the mountains) on your list. If you want four seasons, think about Uruguay (on a budget) or Paris (the most romantic place on earth but certainly not a budget choice).

Want to pay no local income tax? Think about retiring to Belize, Panama, Malaysia, or Uruguay.

Get the shakes at the thought of life without reliable Internet? Take Nicaragua off your list. And if you're interested in any of the other Latin American or the Asian countries on my list, reconcile yourself with city living. You can't count on regular, reliable Internet in the "interiors" of any of these places.

Don't like bugs? Don't retire to a tropical beach.

Get sad without sunshine? Don't move to Ireland.

Want to start a business? Come to Panama, perhaps the most business-friendly jurisdiction in the world today...or perhaps Malaysia if you want to be on that side of the planet.

Travel a lot? Come to Panama in the Americas...or maybe France in Euro-land. From Tocumen you can get anywhere in North or South America with ease...and from Charles de Gaulle, you're no more than a couple of hops away from anywhere, period.

Value regular nights of culture? Consider Buenos Aires (on a budget) or Paris (not).

Want to be far away from the troubles of the world right now? Think about Cafayete, Argentina...the coast of Uruguay...Granada, Nicaragua...or maybe New Zealand.

"Retiring" with children? Education becomes your number-one priority. In this case, consider France, Costa Rica, Panama, or Uruguay.

If you have an ongoing health concern, medical care facilities are your top priority. Put, again, France, at the top of your list if money is not another key criteria...and consider Panama and perhaps Uruguay if it is.

Panama is an international banking center...Nicaragua is not.

You can't own your own home outright in Thailand, if that matters to you.

Argentina enjoys drama...in its politics...in its economic policies...in its cocktail party conversation... Will that make you nervous?

France is one of the most legislated places on earth. The French, though, simply ignore the rules and the restrictions as suits them. Could you?

Taxis in places like Panama City, Panama, and Managua, Nicaragua, often come minus things like door handles, air conditioning, and tail lights. Will that bother you?

Over to you, dear reader. You'll have to continue this line of thinking for yourself. Meantime, of course, we'll do everything we can to support your connecting-the-dots efforts in these dispatches.

More tomorrow,

Kathleen Peddicord

P.S. Step #3 in this How To Find Your Own Personal Retirement Haven Overseas process? Get on a plane. Once you've identified a handful of countries that might qualify, you've got to go to see them for yourself. A place can make great sense on paper but just not feel right. You can't spreadsheet your way to a new life in paradise. Start with a spreadsheet, but make your final determination with your gut.

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----------

TODAY:

"I can't speak for sure about Panama," writes Costa Rica Correspondent David Stubbs, "but, here in Costa Rica, the three sweetest words of all are beginning to be heard:

"'Dry season's coming.'

"That's the official report from the Instituto Meteorológico Nacional: The season is turning. For those in the tourism industry in this country, this is big news indeed, for dry season equals high season and more money.

"The change is triggered by cold fronts from North America moving into the Caribbean. These generate winds that end the rains and flip the season."

FROM THE MAILBAG:

"I'm interested in an American retirement community in Uruguay, with nearby beaches and the opportunity for snorkeling. I'm in the carwash business, and another option, I think, would be to build an upscale tunnel wash in Montevideo and then to rent or own nearby. There may be an opportunity to bring new technology to this country. I think it would be of value, as there are no quality facilities in Uruguay now."

-- Randy C., United States

The top American-style retirement community in Uruguay is on that country's coast just outside Punta del Este. It's called Sugarloaf, and the developer there, David James, has extended an open invitation for Live and Invest Overseas readers to come down to take a look for themselves...as his guest. David's offering a seven-night stay in Montevideo gratis for anyone interested in seeing what he's building out at Sugarloaf. More details here.

Yes, there's good snorkeling off this country's coast.

And, yes, your business idea could make good sense, dear reader, in the upscale areas of either Montevideo or Punta del Este. You could retire to Sugarloaf and become the carwash king of nearby Punta del Este...

***

"Is a French leaseback the same as a time-share?"

-- Ivi S., Canada

No, the French leaseback isn't anything like a time-share.

With a time-share, you are buying use of a particular unit within a resort development. And that's all you own--the right to use the place for so many days or weeks a year.

A time-share, therefore, isn't an investment. It's buying forward use. When the time comes to resell, you can't expect more than 60%, say, of what you paid.

With a French leaseback, on the other hand, you own the apartment outright. Your use, during the term of the leaseback (typically nine years), is limited (maybe as little as two weeks a year). However, here, you're not buying use. You're buying an apartment.

Indeed, you can be buying a retirement strategy.

The initial yields are low (although right now, they don't look so bad compared with other options)--typically 3% to 5%.

However, if you buy with a mortgage (possible and straightforward for foreign buyers in France) and arrange your cash flow so that you operate at break even month by month from month one, a French leaseback can pay for itself over the 20-year term of the loan. At the end of the day, you can enjoy a leveraged return of even double digits on a relatively low-risk investment.

The French leaseback isn't for everyone, as finding the right one and making the leveraged purchase can take a lot of time and effort. However, if you're a conservative investor looking to invest a limited amount in what can amount, nine years hence, in a ready-made retirement home on the Continent, the French leaseback can make a lot of sense.

For those reasons, in today's market, it can make more sense than ever.