I’ve been hosting conferences on the world’s best places to live and invest overseas for nearly 40 years.
For decades, when I’d speak about residency and citizenship options, a few scruffy-looking fellows in the back rows would perk up and lean forward. Only certain characters were interested in those things.
Everyone else looked bored. Some would go for a bathroom break.
Who wanted to establish residency in another country?
Why would anyone need a second passport?
It’s a different world today. Today we all understand the value of these options and opportunities, and the conference sessions devoted to those topics are among the most anticipated and best attended.
Things like how to filter your residency visa choices, yes, but also the many other practicalities you need to address…
From how to choose the right health insurance to how and where to open a bank account…
From whether to buy a home or rent one to how to figure out how much money you need to make a move like this in the first place.
Plus all the administrative details that could drive you mad if you’re not prepared.
I’ll lead each of these discussions. The panelists in every case will be experts and expats, all… veterans of this world of living better by reinventing your life overseas.
Everyone approaches an international move from a different background and with different expectations. So, for these workshops, I’ll include multiple voices, each speaking from a different perspective.
Those who will join me on stage have learned a lot of lessons the hard way… just as I have. We want you to benefit from our mistakes.
Together, we will show you how to tackle all aspects you must consider as you prepare to make your move.
These discussions will be lively and interactive, your chance to have all your questions answered in person by people speaking from firsthand experience.
Workshop #1: Don’t Let Money Get In Your Way
What do you need to do to get your financial affairs in order for a move abroad?
And where could you afford a new life at the beach?
We’ll answer those questions for you—and show you how you don’t need a big nest egg to do this.
My panel of experts will reveal everything you need to know to make your own financial plan for living overseas, including:
- How much money you need to move or retire abroad…
- What to do if your savings are on the skinny side…
- How you should invest (for the short- and long-term) to maintain a healthy portfolio…
- How to manage your day-to-day spending, complete with budget spreadsheets…
- How to cope with changing exchange rates…
- The best time for you to start taking Social Security as an overseas retiree…
- How to manage your credit cards while living abroad…
- Whether to sell or to keep your U.S. property…
- What to do if the U.S. dollar tanks…
After addressing these questions for decades, I am happy to reveal that—in nearly every case—our attendees have discovered that what they really need to move is far less than what they feared they needed… and far, far less than what they’d need to afford a comparable standard of living in the United States.
Workshop #2: Visas And Residency
How can you stay legally in your new country for as long as you want to stay?
In these days of tightening immigration control, not everywhere may suit you.
That said, certain parts of the world roll out the red carpet for expat retirees and investors offering special incentives, perks, and advantages. We’ll look closely at all your best options.
In these discussions, you’ll learn the good, the bad, and the ugly of establishing a physical presence overseas:
- The most retiree-friendly beachfront countries in the world. In these places you can look forward to generous discounts—often as much as 50%—on goods and services from restaurant dinners to dental work and from airline tickets to closing costs on a home…
- The fast track to permanent residency in the world’s top retirement havens…
- How residency affects your tax burden and how you can control and minimize this through careful planning…
- The benefits of using an attorney to guide you through the application process… when you must use one… and when you can save yourself the expense…
- Easy immigration: Places where you can easily stay long-term on a tourist visa…
- The implications of establishing residency in a foreign country (for example, how local inheritance laws could affect your estate)…
- The many benefits of second citizenship and how to obtain it…
Workshop #3: The Nuts And Bolts Of Getting Established Overseas
In these important (yet fun… I promise!) discussions, we’ll address all of these nitty-gritty issues that you’ll need to know once you’ve landed in your new country.
We want you to experience the minimum amount of hassle (and the maximum fun) getting set up in your new home—so our experts will talk to you about:
- When, and if, you’ll need a new driver’s license…
- The ins and outs of opening a bank account in another country…
- How to pay your bills… both locally and back home…
- Organizing your household for shipping… how to decide what stays and what goes…
- Learning the local language… or getting by on English alone…
- Staying in touch—inexpensively—with friends and family back home…
- Getting utilities connected and choosing internet service…
- How to find reliable craftsmen…
- Bringing your pets… details of the paperwork you’ll need…
- Tips for a smooth move if you’re bringing your household goods…
Workship #4: Taxes For The Expat And Foreign Retiree
If you’re an American, your international tax burden is one of those areas that’s hard to get excited about.
But it’s one that you can’t ignore either. In fact, regardless of where you’re coming from and depending on your strategy, you could wind up paying far less tax than you do right now… and maybe none at all.
I’m talking about things like:
- How to earn up to $260,000 per year tax-free…
- Three assets you can legally hold overseas without triggering a reporting requirement to the IRS…
- The top countries for low-tax or no-tax living…
- Getting good representation—the key to paying no more tax than you should…
- Where you’ll enjoy the lowest property taxes… and where you won’t pay any property tax whatsoever…
- Where and how to enjoy exemption from import duties on household goods and belongings you decide to bring with you to your new home…
- Understanding your options and how to structure your new life overseas can save you thousands of dollars in taxes each year…
Workshop #5: The Property Question
It’s one of the biggest issues to address when making a move overseas—and one that’s inspired many a heated debate… even among the Live And Invest Overseas team where our points of view differ.
Generally, I say rent first and maybe rent long-term.
However, sometimes, depending on your situation, buying a home of your own and even buying right away can make sense. When we meet, our panel of property experts will talk this important question through for you, considering all the options and many different points of view.
They’ll also share their insights on everything you need to know about buying or renting your new home abroad, including:
- The benefits of renting long-term…
- What to look for when choosing a rental, whether for short- or long-term use…
- How to review a rental contract in a foreign country…
- Where to start your search for a rental property and how and why to take your search local…
- What you need to know about buying property overseas, including the pitfalls and how to deal with them…
- 12 critical questions you should ask before buying real estate in a foreign country…
- How to protect yourself as a buyer in a foreign market…
- How to evaluate a selling price in any given market…
- How to structure foreign property ownership…
- How to address the tax implications of owning real estate in a foreign country…
- What the IRS needs to know about your property holdings overseas (note: for you, that may be nothing)…
Workshop #6: Health Care For The Expat Abroad
Good news. There are many, many options—often excellent and affordable options—for the expat looking for medical coverage abroad.
And, as many of the expats and health professionals you’ll meet at my Beachfront Living Event will testify, it’s possible to receive quality care—sometimes even better than the level of service you’re used to at home—in many of the beachfront havens on our agenda…
And it will always come at a lower cost—often a dramatically lower cost.
From this workshop, you’ll find out:
- The differences between public and private health care systems… and when to use the (possibly free) public systems abroad…
- Your top options for medical insurance abroad and the pluses and minuses in each case…
- The points to consider in choosing a policy that suits your specific needs…
- Why you should never buy insurance online… at least not until you’ve confirmed the answer to this all-important question…
- What your overseas health policy should cover… and what it likely won’t…
- How to determine how much deductible makes sense given where you’ll be living and your personal health circumstances…
- Cost details for sample insurance plans in a number of overseas retirement havens…
- What to do if you’re beyond the age for enrolling in a new health insurance policy in the country where you want to move…
- How to evaluate a policy in a foreign country…
- The best international health and travel insurance policies on the market today…
I promise you’ll leave this event knowing everything you need to know to reinvent your life somewhere sunny, warm, friendly, safe, and welcoming… and with a glorious sea view… with confidence.
If you’re considering a move overseas—whether you’re planning to launch your new life this year or several years from now—you should be in the room for this one-of-a-kind program.
This is your way forward.
Until next time,
