Dear Live and Invest Overseas Reader,

The sweetest pleasures of life, there for the taking. Picnics in the Luxembourg Gardens, long walks along the Seine, afternoons lost among the cobblestones of the Latin Quarter...

Ah, Paris.

This city is a never-ending feast of gallery openings and special performances, museum exhibitions and seasonal celebrations, many available for little cost. You can enjoy prix-fixe meals for US$20 or less, and you can spend hours in a café, seeing and being seen, for the price of but a single café au lait. You can join conversation groups, discussion groups, book clubs, and cooking classes often for very little cost, even free.

Of course, walks among the centuries-old rues of the Latin Quarter and gallery openings don't substitute for dinner on the table or wi-fi access.

That's OK, because, in France, even in Paris, the more practical necessities of life can be a bargain.

Two years ago, when we were preparing for our move from Paris to Panama City, my husband Lief presented me with a budget showing that it would cost slightly more for our family to be in Panama City, Panama, than it had been costing us to live in Paris, France.

After I suggested he double-check his math, my husband the accountant assured me his figures were correct, and, indeed, Lief's projections have played out. Our day-to-day cost of living in Panama City is a little higher than it was in Paris.

How can this be?

Paris is the most beautiful, most romantic city in the world. It's also a place where your cost of living can be hugely variable and highly controllable. That is to say, you don't necessarily need a royal's budget to be able to enjoy life in the greatest city on earth.

In Paris, you can live happily car-free, walking nearly anywhere you'd want to go. The butcher, the baker, the grocer, the wine shop, a half-dozen busy cafes, and as many lovely parks and gardens are all less than 15 minutes' walk from almost any point in central Paris. And, when you want to venture beyond your quartier, the Metro will transport you from restaurant to nightclub, from museum to café for less than US$2.

France boasts perhaps the world's best infrastructure, and it's a bargain. Cable TV, Internet, and telephone, as well as the Metro, the bus, and the RER train system...all are likely less costly than comparable services where you're living now. Our phone plan living in Paris cost less than 40 euro per month and allowed unlimited free calls anytime to anywhere in the United States and anywhere throughout Europe. That's hard to beat.

My point is not that you should plan to move to Paris to reduce your cost of living. It is possible, in fact, to do just that, but that's not the typical agenda where Paris or France is concerned.

My point is that you shouldn't deny or delay your dreams of la vie française because you're worried you can't afford them. We lived in Paris for four years, with two children, and I'm here to tell you that we were able to control our costs within a very reasonable budget.

And oh what a lifestyle that budget bought us! Hands down, no contest, this is the best place in the world to seek out what qualifies no question as a rich and full life. Five-star restaurants with wine lists to match...malls and boutiques offering internationally recognized brand-name indulgences...live theater...movie cinemas showing first-run and foreign flicks (in English)... an active artist community...specialty food shops...wine stores offering top vintages from around the world...English-language bookstores... spa and salon services...cafes full of interesting people on every corner...

All in a setting of architectural delights...historic landmarks... manicured gardens...well-tended parks...

And running through the center of everything the romantic Seine River with its many romantic bridges...

Everywhere you turn something new to explore and discover... somewhere lovely to wander and linger... And, of course, Paris is only the beginning of France. The charms and appeals of French Country Life are unrivalled.

After spending a year on the road, trying a series of places on for size, France Correspondent Lucy Culpepper and her family chose to settle in the "other" south of France. Not Provence (which, yes, is pricey), but southwest of there in Aquitaine. Not everyone is cut out for life in the Tropics or the developing world. If you, like Lucy, are more interested in Old World living, this region of France is perhaps your best option right now.

As Lucy explains, this other south of France is "colorful, eclectic, always changing, never following a formula, very open to retirees, and very affordable."

Lucy also spends a lot of time with her extended family at the other end of the Pyrenees, in the Languedoc region. This is big wine country, with a long history and a lot of heart. And, again, this part of the country is cheap. Lucy explains that a retired couple could live comfortably here on a monthly budget of US$1,300, including rent.

That's only slightly more than the average monthly U.S. Social Security check... meaning you could retire to the good life French-style, which is perhaps as good as it gets, on your Social Security alone. France is a country of superlatives.

Its health care, for example, is the best in the world. For years, the World Health Organization (WHO) published an index rating and ranking the quality of the health care in all the countries of the world, and, year after year, France came out the winner. If you're a legal resident, health care in this country is also highly subsidized by the government, even sometimes free.

Which raises a critical question: Should you become a full-time legal resident of France? This is one of the many important questions we'll address in detail, with the help of real-life France expats, during our Live & Invest in France Conference in Paris this July.

By their own admission, the French like paperwork. Do you want to get wrapped up in the paperwork associated with applying for full-time residency?

Could you possibly qualify if you made the effort?

This is one of the sticky wickets of a new life in France, an administrative hurdle that you want to address but that certainly shouldn't interfere with your plans for a new life in this glorious country.

I've been spending time in France for 25 years, and, in that time, I've known dozens of expats, in Paris and elsewhere, residing in the country full-time or only now and then, some operating businesses, some raising children, some soaking up la vie française in retirement... Each case is different, and I'll share many of these stories with you when we meet in Paris in July.

In addition, I've invited some of these France expat friends to participate in our Live & Invest in France program in person, so they can tell you their stories firsthand...and so you can put your questions to them directly.

I'm not writing today to sell you on the idea of living or retiring in France. A new life in France isn't an idea that needs to be sold. It's an idea whose appeal speaks for itself.

I'm writing today to invite you to join me and my key France contacts, resources, advisors, correspondents, and friends for two days in July to consider together the glories and the frustrations...the benefits and the downsides...the ins and the outs of spending your time and your money in this beautiful country that in so many ways epitomizes the very notion of "the good life." France also boasts some of the world's best infrastructure. This is a country where things work and where getting around to take advantage of all the delights on offer from Paris to the coast is a pleasure. In the countryside, the living is simple and traditional while still offering all the services and amenities of the 21st century.

La Belle Et La Bête Of La Vie Française Beast: All but the big food stores close at Noon. Shop assistants begin to get misty eyed at the thought of lunch at about 11:30. Don't try to make any big buying decisions around that time. Lunch is sacrosanct. Beauty: Between Noon and 2 p.m. is a great time to do your grocery shopping. Or do as the French: Stop and eat! Beast: Don't do your grocery shopping on Friday mornings, unless you want to join the ranks of French retirees for a good natter. They really do park their carts in the aisles, blocking the flow of other shoppers, and chat. Beauty: Friday food shopping is a lot of fun...if you're not in a hurry. It's when the local farmers come into the supermarkets to sell their farm-produced cheeses. It's when the fishmonger shouts out the day's best catch and buy. It's when the bakery counter has lots of samples and great deals; 10 fresh buttery croissants for 2 euro. And it's when the local cherry growers dress up in their jaunty Basque berets and give out handfuls of sweet cherries. This is at the huge national supermarket, not a small Farmer's Market. Beast: Retail stores are closed on Sundays. Really. Beauty: Retail stores are closed on Sundays! I see this as a beauty, unless you've forgotten an essential ingredient and your new French neighbors are coming over for lunch. Sundays in the country in France are different. You go into the center of town and enjoy the beauty and the history of the place, rather than the squish of retailing madness. The main road is closed to traffic, the cafés spill out onto the streets, people stroll through the parks. Sunday is for leisure, family, and friends. Beast: Smoking. Despite the fact that smoking is banned in airports, railway stations, hospitals, schools, shops, offices, restaurants, and bars, it is still common to see people puffing in the street and at outdoor cafes. Company employees can still smoke at work but only in special rooms that are often located around the entrance. Beauty: There isn't one...unless you're a smoker, in which case, welcome to the land of chic smokers. Beast: French drivers. They use their signals oddly, they often beep after something has happened so no one knows who the beep is meant for, and they cut back into line on the freeway, after passing, as if there were a chase on. Beauty: Compared with other south European drivers, who seem to do everything but concentrate on driving, French drivers are on the ball and considerate. They let you out if you are waiting to enter traffic, and, as with everything else in life, they are generally courteous (Parisians excluded!). Beast: French people are proud and arrogant. Beauty: It's a myth or at least an over-generalization. Here in southern France, the people certainly are not arrogant. Proud, yes, but that can be a good thing if you have a lot to be proud of. Beast: Strikes. It is true that the French are constantly striking about one thing or another...and costing the taxpayer millions of euro in the process. Beauty: Sometimes you get a day off work or school. Beast: Learning French. It is a tricky language to master; there are so many ways to say the same thing and so many ways to say the wrong thing. How many languages use three vowels for one sound? For example, the word for water, "eau," sounds like "o." Beauty: French is a beautiful, sexy language to listen to. Beast: Opening a bank account. Be prepared for the third degree. You will be asked a lot of questions abut your financial situation. If you are uncertain where you stand vis-à-vis your tax, residency, etc., status, be careful. Beauty: After a long and complicated bank manager meeting, I stepped out onto the town square, into the middle of the Farmer's Market, bought some smelly cheese, a long crusty baguette, a bunch of home-grown Lily of the Valley, then sat to contemplate life as I sipped a café allongé.

When we convene for our Live & Invest in France Conference in Paris in July, we'll introduce you in detail to current property markets in this country, both in Paris and beyond, for both sales and rentals. "There is a great diversity of property for sale in the region of France where we've chosen to settle," reports France Correspondent Lucy Culpepper. "I've just discovered a lovely stone barn that has been converted to a three-bedroom house on offer for 150,000 euro...a typical local farmhouse with outbuildings available for 150,000 euro...and a 60,000-euro renovation project..."

If you are prepared to go small, then you could own right now in some parts of southern France on a budget of as little as 30,000 to 40,000 euro (that is, about US$50,000).

And you could maybe even own for a little less. We've just found a one-bedroom duplex/apartment in a lovely French country town on the market for 28,000 euro.

Or how about a three-floor, one-room-wide ancient stone townhouse in need of renovation. The price is US$42,700 at today's exchange rate, including the agency fees!

Also on offer as of this writing are...

• A small two-bedroom village house for sale furnished, asking price US$70,419...

• A two-bedroom village apartment in good condition, possible rental, asking price US$96,000...

• A typical stone house on three levels, possibly dating to the 12th century, in need of renovation, asking price US$151,200...

We'll detail many other opportunities to own the French country house of your dreams when we meet in July...whether you're looking for something fully fitted out and ready to move into or whether you're in the market for a labor of love, a renovation bargain set amidst the sunflowers and the lavender...

And, yes, we'll tempt you with appealing Paris pied-a-terre options, as well. We've invited our top Paris real estate resources to join us. Together, they'll introduce you to the chicest Parisian addresses...the most up-and-coming arrondissements...and the most affordable places to own in the City of Light right now...

Plus, they'll walk you through the property purchase process...and they'll even help you consider all your options for arranging financing in France. Yes, this is possible. With help from the experts we'll introduce you to in July, it can even be easy.

Our top financing contact in the country reports that French banks, which had pulled back last year and become more restrictive in their lending policies, especially toward foreign buyers, are loosening up. If you qualify, you can borrow up to 90% LTV in the current market.

Lief and I have borrowed locally to buy in Paris ourselves, and we'll be happy to share details of our own experience.

Renting can be a challenge in France (if you want to rent legally and not off the books...we'll discuss the pros and cons of each approach), because a French owner will require lots of proof and guarantees that you are able to pay. Remember, when in France, it's all about the paper, the paper, the paper. They'll drown you in documentation and paperwork if given half a chance.

But we won't let that happen to you. Again, the experts and friends we've invited to join us in Paris in July will walk you through the process of renting, both in Paris and elsewhere throughout France. They'll arm you not only with the step-by-step details of how to rent an apartment or a house in this country...but they'll also offer creative solutions and workarounds. All completely above board, of course! We don't want to get anyone into any trouble. But one thing you'll learn about doing business in France is that you have the protocols and the procedures...and then you have strategies for how to get things done. Everyone understands this, especially the French themselves. When we meet in July, we'll make sure you understand all your creative options, as well.

How much to rent? In rural France, in the region of the country Lucy calls home, you could rent a small apartment for as little as 250 euro per month.

In Paris, again, if you're willing to go small and you don't need to be at a super-chic, center-of-the-city address, you could rent for as little as 700 euro per month....maybe even a little less.

France Delights In Every Season... Springtime in the Béarn "My garden is a mass of primroses, daffodils, violets, tulips, fruit blossoms, and camellias," writes France Correspondent Lucy Culpepper from the Béarn region in the southwest of that country. "In the distance, I can see a tractor plowing the deliciously rich, chocolate-brown soil in preparation for the coming maize season. A woodpecker is tapping away at a hollow tree in the woods behind the house, and a hoard of garden birds is busy chasing the emerging gnats to feed to their young. "Spring has arrived in the Béarn! "The distant Pyrenean ski resorts are all but closed and will be tidied up over the next month in preparation for walkers, cyclists, and water-sport enthusiasts. Our thoughts are turning away from the mountains toward the ocean and the beautiful Atlantic beaches; already surfers are braving the waves and the frigid water temperatures of the 'hot' surf spots on the Basque coastline. "This weekend, we'll be joining our neighbors at the village vide grenier (which means 'empty attic') to sell unwanted stuff that we have accumulated over the last year. The vide grenier is an institution in France; it's like a mass yard sale with food and drinks sold alongside and often includes an organized family walk or bicycle ride. "One of the great attractions of the Béarn is that there is something for everyone to appreciate with every season..." Summer in Languedoc "The vines are bursting with great big juicy grapes, and signs are appearing warning drivers of 'Vendage' traffic; the tractors and trailers rumbling all over the countryside as they scuttle hither and thither collecting grapes. "There are so many vineyards in this region, in places they stretch as far as the eye can see. Each time we eat out, we discover a new bottle of wine from a local vintner we didn't even know existed. In some villages, the streets get sticky from juice that has poured off the trailers. "The River Orb is busy with canoeists and swimmers. As I write, a midday silence blankets the village as everyone, locals and visitors, succumbs to the tremendous heat that is sweeping across the country right now. Lucky Cessenon-sur-Orb to have the river running through it! Yesterday we canoed down the Orb from one of the most gorgeous towns in the area, Roquebrun. The houses are perched up on a cliff overlooking the River Orb, and cobbled streets weave up to the ancient tower dating back to the year 900. "As the heat of the sun dies down, the village will come back to life. Local musicians will play outside the village bar, families will gather to eat out on the main square, swallows will swoop over the ancient tiled roofs, and the older generations will gather to play petanque or boules. It's so idyllic and, well, so French..." Autumn in Cessenon-sur-Orb "I'm in Cessenon-sur-Orb in the Languedoc region of France savoring the beautiful fall weather during this All Saints vacation. The daytime temperatures hover around 68 degrees, the air is crisp and clear, and the views across the Orb Valley to the Haut Languedoc National Park are breathtaking. "On my last visit, at the end of summer, the grape growers were hard at work gathering in the crop and zipping around on tractors loaded to the brim with juicy grapes. Now the vine leaves are just about clinging on and the rolling countryside looks like an artist's palette loaded with russet, burgundy, ochre, and green. There is a peace about the countryside, as the land sits quietly and the locals settle down for a well-earned rest; many restaurants and shops are closed until April when the early visitors will return. "We went to the village wine co-operative to sample the first wine from this season--Le Primeur, a wine sold before it is bottled and often bought as a 'future' (investment). Delicious roasted local chestnuts were served and there was a buzz about the whole place. This is a glorious time of year in this part of France..." Winter in Paris "The sales are on! Continuing through the month of January, prices are discounted, reduced, and slashed. "Unlike in most of the rest of the world, where sales are staged throughout the year and at the retailer's discretion, here in France, the retail industry is permitted to hold sales (soldes) only when the government says it's ok. Stores are allowed to mark down prices but twice a year, every January and every July. These twice-annual soldes are big deals, indeed. Many tourists time their travels to be in the country to take advantage of them...and the French themselves are out en force, especially over the opening days. It makes for a shopping frenzy like nothing you've ever seen. "Allez, shoppers!"

France is the most-touristed country on earth. As a result, Paris is perhaps the world's most proven rental market. If you're considering a real estate purchase in the French capital, think about a place you could use yourself from time to time...and then rent out when you're elsewhere. When we moved from Paris to Panama City two years ago, we didn't sell our Paris digs. They figure in our long-term retirement plan, as Paris is a place we know we'll want to return to as often as possible throughout our lifetimes.

However, we had another, more pragmatic reason for not selling our Paris apartment when we decided to move out of the city. We met with a Paris rental manager who told us how much we'd be able to rent the place out for and what occupancy rate we could expect!

Lief and I have been long-distance landlords in many countries around the world. We've had delightful and profitable experiences...and we've had disastrous and costly ones. The difference, we've learned, is the rental manager. A good one is both the key to success and often a very difficult thing to find.

And, in fact, you need not only a rental manager, but a property manager, too, if you're not residing locally yourself. That is, you need someone to find renters for your rental, but you also need someone to look after the place while you're away. Someone to manage inventory and cleaning (if you're renting your place out furnished). Someone to pay local bills. Someone to deal with repairs and maintenance. Someone you trust to look after your property as if it were his (or her) own. Again, not always an easy thing to find.

In Paris, I'm delighted to report, we have found a lady who has been acting as both property and rental manager for us and who is doing a bang-up job on both fronts. She's keeping the place rented, and she's making sure our Paris home is well taken care of in the process. We'll introduce you to her in Paris in July.

Bottom line, an apartment in Paris can be one of the smartest things you could do with your money right now. It's a hard asset that can double as a yield-producing one, as well, in a market that will always see renters. A Paris pied-a-terre can be a solid part of your long-term portfolio, a wise buy with both personal and financial upsides.

All the details on where, how, and for what return you should considering buying when we meet in July. When we meet in July for our Live & Invest in France Conference, we'll also introduce you to a particular French property investment opportunity that can make great sense right now.

It's called the French Leaseback. In today's zero percent world, this is an opportunity to earn up to 5% and more per year guaranteed.

This is a long-term play, as you must commit to lease your property back to the rental management group for nine years. However, again, in the current climate, locking in nine years of guaranteed yields doesn't sound like such a bad idea. And, at the end of the nine years, you can walk away with your own retirement home in France.

As resident global real estate investing expert Lief Simon explains it:

"I discovered the French leaseback more than a decade ago. At the time, the appeal to me of these units was their simplicity. They amount to condo-hotel units (though you sometimes find Leaseback properties that are full villas). The proposition is straightforward. You buy the unit, lease it back to the management company, which rents it out for you, and you receive a quarterly check for the guaranteed yield.

"The French Leaseback program was put in place by the French government to encourage the construction of rental accommodation throughout the country. France has been the world's number-one tourist destination for decades, and the government found it prudent more than two decades ago to take steps to ensure enough rental rooms long term.

"What really makes this program work for the investor is the leaseback requirement. You must lease your unit to the specified management company for a term of nine years. In return, the management company pays you a net rental amount throughout the term of the lease. "I like the Leaseback, again, for its simplicity (once you've made the purchase, you don't have to think about it again, other than to deposit your yield payouts). Couple this with the fact that you can get a mortgage in France for the purchase of a Leaseback property. Leverage on a piece of real estate for which you know your minimum cash flow up front for nine years allows you to set up the investment so that it breaks even from a cash flow point of view from day one...making this a truly set-it-and-leave-it investment.

"Plus, with leverage, you can turn a 5% yield into a double-digit annualized ROI over the term of the nine-year lease.

"In addition, the leverage means that only modest capital is required to get into a Leaseback."

Lief wrote recently about five particularly interesting Leaseback investment opportunities in France right now for readers of his Global Property Investor's Marketwatch service. He has agreed to share details of these for attendees at our Live & Invest in France Conference in July.

Getting To Know Other Expats...It Really Is Easy! The International Women's Club (known as "The Wick") is a 120-member group of women who meet once a month in St. Chinian. Many nationalities are represented in the group, including French, English, German, Dutch, American, and Danish. Some of the activities organized include walks, outings (e.g. to Spain, Toulouse), group lunches, sewing, handicrafts, and painting. The monthly meetings are conducted in English and French, and the annual membership fee is US$38. The husbands of the WIC members also go on excursions and have organized their own group. We'll share many other options and opportunities for making friends and becoming part of your new community as a foreign resident, full- or part-time, in France, when we meet for our Live & Invest in France Conference in Paris in July.

France is the good life defined. The food, the wine, the art, the shopping, the history. This country boasts the most beautiful and romantic city on earth plus the best of country living and a dramatic Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts. On top of all this, France is home to the world's best health care, the world's best infrastructure, top international schools, and, in some regions, zero crime and a wonderfully relaxed way of life...

If you've ever day-dreamed about la vie française, here's your chance to make that dream come true.

France is a land of superlatives...including, perhaps, most bureaucratic nation on earth. Meaning that, no matter what form your French dreams take, you'd do well to enlist some help making them come true.

I've been spending time in France for more than 25 years. I knew from the first day of my first visit, as a just-starting-out travel writer, that this was a place I wanted to return to and to get to know better. France gets under your skin. It captures your imagination in a way that is impossible to ignore.

Eventually, I was able to realize my own French dreams and make a home in Paris. My family and I spent four years savoring the charms of this city. During that time, we made many contacts and friends, including French attorneys and notaries, real estate agents and property managers, bankers and finance brokers, residency experts and tax advisors, doctors and logistics experts, architects and antique dealers, plumbers and cabinet-makers...

Plus, of course, we got to know other expats, not only fellow American expats, but also people from all over the world who have sought out new lives in this country.

If you dream of joining them, again, you'd do well to engage some help.

And that's what I'm writing today to offer: Help.

During the two days of our Live & Invest in France Conference in Paris in July, we're going to open our Rolodex and introduce you to our top resources in this country. This is your chance to have every one of your France questions answered by people who know from firsthand experience what they're talking about...

• Should you become a legal resident? What are the pluses and the minuses...and how would you qualify?...

• What is required to open a bank account? (We'll make a personal introduction to our own banker in Paris, who is very experienced helping foreigners open accounts in this country)...

• What are the options for health insurance?...

• What about public medical care? It can be free. Would you qualify to use it?....

• What are the options for financing as a foreigner? How much could you borrow...how would you qualify...what terms are available?...

• Don't the French hate Americans? (We get this all the time. The answer, of course, is no...but we'll give you further insight when we meet in July.)...

• What are your best options for learning French?...

• Where does it make sense to buy today for investment?...

• What return could you expect from a rental in Paris, arrondissement by arrondissement?...

• What about French taxes? (They can be diabolical...but you need not necessarily deal with them.)...

• How would you undertake a country house renovation? What would it cost?...

• What about raising a family in France? Lucy and I will speak from firsthand experience on this. Lucy is living right now with her husband and two children in the south of France...and Lief and I lived for four years in Paris with our son and daughter. We'll tell you about school options, culture shock, language hurdles, opportunities for making friends, getting connected, joining sports teams, and much more...

• What are the opportunities for you to connect with the expat communities in Paris and elsewhere in France? (Many.)...

When you join us July 22 and 23 for our Live & Invest in France Conference, you'll learn everything you need to know about residency and taxes...bank accounts and mortgage financing...rental management and health insurance... Plus, we'll introduce you to your many and varied opportunities and options for savoring la vie française. If you're dreaming of a new life, either full- or maybe part-time, in France, you need to know about the cost of living, health care, renting, buying, paying your utility bills...

Those things are important, of course. But we want to make sure that, while addressing them, you don't lose sight of the big picture.

For the big picture is pretty appealing. The big picture is a chance to make all your French daydreams come true...to make a new life in France, full-time, part-time, or maybe just now and then...

I've enjoyed life in this country, and I'm here to tell you: It's everything you imagine it to be and so much more. You might even say it's the best this world has to offer.

Come, see for yourself.

At our Live & Invest in France Conference in July, we'll introduce you to: Live and Invest Overseas France Correspondent and full-time France expat

Lucy Culpepper has traveled to, written about, and worked in some 30 countries. She is originally from Wales in the United Kingdom, has lived all over the UK, in southern California, and Spain, and has spent extended time in Mexico, Panama, and Costa Rica. Previous careers saw her working as a catalog production manager for a major U.K.-based travel clothing company, a tropical rainforest guide in Peru, an ethno-botanist in Ecuador, and as the editor of a triathlon magazine in southern California.

Lucy recently spent seven months exploring Mexico and Central America with her husband and two children before deciding to return to France. After "commuting" for several months between the Languedoc region, at the eastern end of the French Pyrenees, to the Aquitaine region, at the western end of the Pyrenees, Lucy and her family have chosen west over east for all-round family happiness.

Lucy is our top "France Beyond Paris" expert, and we're delighted she's able to join us in July to share her story with you, including full details about why, after an "around-the-world" search for the perfect place to settle, Lucy and her family chose rural France.

Lucy says, "I can't think of another country where I would rather raise my children. The quality of life here is simply better than anywhere else!" More in Paris in July... Senior Partner, The Okoshken Law Firm

Sam Okoshken, a graduate of Brown University and NYU Law School, also obtained a Masters of Law in Taxation from NYU Law School. He put in a stint with J. K. Lasser publications, writing tax articles and books. As a member of the New York Bar, he spent 2+ years with a medium-size New York law firm as their sole tax associate, thereby gaining a broad background in many areas of tax planning.

Sam created his law practice in Paris in 1974, his clientele at that time drawn from the Paris expatriate community. In the 36 years since, Sam has become a member of the Paris Bar and has built up a prestigious clientele around the world whose problems generally fall into the following areas: income tax planning; preparation of French and U.S. tax returns for residents and non-residents of France; estate planning for persons with international estates; estate administration; structuring new businesses in France for individuals; expanding a foreign business into France; facilitating and structuring the acquisition of real property in France; and obtaining visas and work permits for incoming executives.

Sam has great experience with the tax problems of the American expatriate and the structuring offshore trusts and lectures on a regular basis to groups in Paris on these subjects.

Sam's approach to his law practice is "restrained creativity." He is a problem solver and looks for the creative solution. His experience and knowledge of both the French and the U.S. tax and legal systems allows him to structure solutions for his clients that are well within the acceptable limits of the law in both jurisdictions.

Sam is the most important and effective legal resource we've found in Paris. Founder and Managing Director, France Home Finance

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Tahminae has lived and worked in the United States, Australia, and, most recently, France, where she has been a resident for the past seven years.

With a background in finance and international business, Tahminae spent much of her career with General Electric Capital, holding positions since 1997 in international account management, quality, and e-commerce. 

Tahminae first moved to France to obtain her MBA at INSEAD, the leading graduate business school in Fontainebleau. She then rejoined GE Capital Consumer Finance in the role of Quality Director.

In 2004, Tahminae left GE to create France Home Finance, the Paris-based independent mortgage broker for expatriates and non-resident investors. Tahminae's group is expert in helping foreign buyers source French financing (the best terms possible supported by superior customer service) and French insurance. She can also help with opening a French bank account and considering your French tax obligations. Tahminae is uniquely qualified to guide you through your options for obtaining a French mortgage for your France property purchase...and that's precisely what she'll do when you meet her in Paris in July. French jurist and associate member of the Delaware Bar Association

Jean Taquet specializes in civil, criminal, and commercial law. As Jean explains it, he specializes in "cutting the red tape of enjoying life in France to a minimum...so you can actually enjoy life in France."

Jean is married to an American and lived in the United States for almost four years. He experienced firsthand the challenges and frustrations involved with being an expatriate. He is understands how to navigate the legal ins and outs of both countries.

Jean graduated from Saint Cyr de Coëtquidan (the equivalent of West Point in France) in 1985. Founder and Managing Director, Imoinvest Group

Gregory has a dozen years of experience with the French property market, including the French Leaseback program, rentals, and resort rental opportunities. In recent years, he has expanded his business to focus on opportunities not only in France, but also elsewhere in Europe. In addition to his office in Paris, Gregory now manages a dozen other offices throughout the Continent.

Gregory was one of the first to see the potential of the French Leaseback offer...and, later, again one of the first to identify the opportunity for investment in rentals in Berlin.

Current best market of opportunity from Gregory's point of view? He'll tell you in Paris in July.

Who else do you need to know? Others just like you who've already made the move. Expats already living, investing, or doing business in this country. We'll make these introductions, too, to other expats, including personal friends in Paris, who chose this country as the place to launch their new lives overseas...and haven't regretted the decision for a minute (the infamous French bureaucracy notwithstanding!).

In addition, during these two jam-packed days, you'll meet experts who will speak to you about medical care and health insurance in France...current real estate markets, both for purchase and rentals...obtaining a visa and qualifying for residency...opening a bank account...shipping your household goods to the country...everything right down to how to have the electricity turned on in your new home, how to arrange for cable and a cell phone, and how to go about furnishing your new France digs...

Plus, we'll walk you through a detailed and fully itemized budget for living in France, both as a property owner and as a renter. In fact, we'll present you with more than one budget, for the cost of living in Paris, for example, would be quite different from that out in the southwestern region of the country where Lucy Culpepper calls home.

In addition, of course, Lief and I will be on hand throughout the entire program, sharing details of our own experience, living, owning, renting, and raising our children in Paris.

(Lief promises details on his favorite French property buys right now, as well.)

We'll also make sure you have plenty of time to mix and mingle one-on-one, during cocktail receptions and over café lunches, with both the speakers and your fellow attendees. These private introductions with like-minded folks and with those whose footsteps you're considering following...these alone are worth the price of admission and can often prove the most important benefit of the entire event.

Bottom line, here's our promise to you: We're going to show you France, from Paris to the coast, from country villages to mountain hideaways. We're going to show you the real France. The good, the bad, and the ugly. This will be the real deal.

No place is perfect. This may be the land of "la vie en rose," but, even here, we understand that a rose-colored view does you no favors.

There are reasons the folks you'll meet at this event have chosen to spend their time and their money in France. They're smitten. But they're not fools. They recognize not only the pluses, but the minuses, too, of day-to-day life and of trying to do day-to-day business in this country. They're enjoying the advantages...and they're reconciled to the downsides.

An important part of our agenda during our July 2010 event is to show you these downsides...so you can decide whether you could live with them, too.

This will be a high-energy, full-throttle two days. But we'll do everything we can to make sure it's also an opportunity to savor Paris. You aren't going to travel all this way to see the inside of a Paris hotel meeting room...and nothing else. Certainly not if we have anything to do with it.

As I said, we're creating a Discover Paris VIP Package that will introduce you to the beauty, the charms, the romance, and the history of the City of Light. This Discover Paris VIP Package will include a guided walking tour of historic Paris...a private wine-tasting with one of our favorite city wine aficionados...and a café lunch with a special invited guest who will delight you with stories from this city's rich literary past.

We're enlisting the help of longtime Paris friends to create this insider's introduction to Paris that will help you get the most out of every minute you spend with us in this delightful city.

And here's the best part: This Discover Paris VIP Package is available free to the first 30 registered attendees.

This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to experience Paris, not as a tourist, but in the company of long-time residents...while, at the same time, making every connection and contact you'll need to make your own France dreams come true. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to this chance to spend time in one of my favorite countries in the world. I look forward to meeting you there.

Sincerely,

Kathleen Peddicord
Publisher, Live and Invest Overseas

P.S. The two days of our Live & Invest in France Conference (July 22-23) will arm you with everything you need to know to make your own dream of a new life in France come true.

But, while you're in Paris, you'll want to get outside the hotel meeting rooms and explore the world's most beautiful city. That's why we've created the special Discover Paris VIP Package. As a Discover Paris VIP Attendee to our Live & Invest in France Conference, you'll be invited to join us for a guided walking tour of historic Paris...for a private wine-tasting with one of our favorite city wine aficionados...and for a café lunch with a special invited guest who will delight you with stories from this city's rich literary past.

And (and this is the really great part), if you're one of the first 30 registered attendees, you'll enjoy all the delightful experiences included with our Discover Paris VIP Package free.

This is a first-come, first-serve invitation. And, given the level of interest already expressed for this event among the Live and Invest Overseas readership, I expect the room to fill very quickly. I urge you, therefore, if you want to join us for this one-of-a-kind event, to get in touch with Conference Director Sofia Hogan immediately. When you do, Sofia will let you know if any VIP Attendee spots remain available.

Reach Sofia right now by e-mail at Events@LiveandInvestOverseas.com or by telephone, toll-free from the United States, 1-888-627-8834.

Or go here now to register as a VIP Attendee online.

P.P.S. In addition, when you register now, you take advantage of the Early Bird Discount, which is on offer through June 1, 2010. Sign up now and save US$200 off the cost of the Live & Invest in France Conference registration fee.

Register as a couple, and, yes, both you and your significant other are eligible for the savings, meaning your total cost is reduced by a full US$400.

In addition, we'd like to invite Overseas Retirement Letter subscribers to join us at a specially discounted price, along with previous conference attendees, who also enjoy special savings.

Live Overseas Personal Consulting Clients attend as our guest, of course. Other important discounts are available. See below for full program and cost details... Your Live & Invest in France admission includes all seminars, breakout sessions, workshops, lunches, cocktail parties, entrance to the sponsor hall, participation in the farewell reception, plus printed materials and your own "France Retirement Report."

The cost of admission is only US$1,295 per person, only US$1,995 per couple. (That's right...the second half of a couple attends for less than half-price.)

We're holding our event at the Saint Petersbourg Hotel in the heart of Paris, where we've negotiated a very special rate for our attendees, including both full breakfast and free wireless Internet.

We've reserved a block of rooms, but, when they're gone, we may not be able to get more. Frankly, we're expecting a great turnout, given the volume of pre-registration sign-ups we've been receiving. So, again, please, don't delay in making your reservation.


EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT: When you register before June 1, 2010, you take advantage of our Early Bird Discount and save a full US$200 off the cost of your conference registration. This Early Bird Discount is available for both members of a couple registering together. That means, you and your significant other can save a full US$400 by reserving your seats in the room before June 1, 2010.

In addition, we'd like to extend a special discounted invitation to our Overseas Retirement Letter subscribers. If you're an active ORL reader, you save an additional US$50.

Plus, we offer a special US$100 discount if you have attended any event with us in the past. Note that you can combine this with your Overseas Retirement Letter subscriber discount and the Early Bird Discount if you qualify on all counts.

And, of course, Live Overseas Personal Consulting Clients are invited to join us as our guests. Simply contact Conference Director Sofia Hogan to reserve your place in the room.

Don't delay. Reserve now to take full advantage of special offers and limited-time discounts. Click on the Reserve My Place! button below. Or get in touch with our Conference Coordinator Sofia Hogan by e-mail: Events@LiveandInvestOverseas.com or by phone (toll-free from the United States): 1-888-627-8834.

Remember to mention that you're an Overseas Retirement Letter subscriber or a previous conference attendee when you get in touch. Sofia will take care of everything from there.

On behalf of our entire Live and Invest Overseas team: We look forward to meeting you soon in France!

Kathleen, a quick note to say thank you to you, your staff, and the professionals who participated today in your conference. It was a great day for me and I am sure for every other participant, as well. I am so happy to have taken the decision to join the group, as I am learning a lot about investments, offshore banking, living in foreign countries, and much more. Congratulations for your organization. -- Serge B., Spain

Just great. Very welcoming and supplied answers to all questions very well. I'll see you again soon. -- Charles M., United States

Kathleen, thank you for all your hard work. You have made a lot of people dream and a lot of dreams come true. I enjoy all the e-mails from all your staff living all over the world. I am always telling people about you and how you started your publications years ago. In fact, I just today told my banker about how honest and smart you are, letting us know where to go. Wish I had listened to you more years ago... -- Marlene M., Alaska

I particularly appreciated your information today about the joys (?) of international rental property. What I admire is your honest, tell-it-like-it-is approach. A lot of people have been hurt by nothing but glowing reports about offshore living from various sources. Your honest, direct approach is a real service. -- Arlean K., United States

"This was a 10! Great event. Awesome job by the Live and Invest Overseas team! -- Edward T., United States

The level of experience, knowledge, and competence is top-shelf. Primarily, I appreciated the sincere and honest approach of the organizers and all the presenters, as well as the obvious desire to give participants complete, accurate, timely, and appropriate information and to answer questions thoroughly. -- Andrew F., United States

Kathleen, I have to say that you seem to dig deeper into the feel of a particular place and to do comparative analysis between alternative places. Your approach is more sophisticated and thoughtful and therefore more useful than that of other information sources covering these same subjects. -- John W., United States

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