In this age of 24/7 real-time news, it can be easy to succumb to the theory that things are bad all over.
Au contraire, dear reader…
In so many places across our world life is good… grand even.
If you’re not seeing things that way, please, try shifting your perspective.
If your friends aren’t seeing things that way, consider new friends.
We’re here to help on both scores.
If I had to name one thing that can make the difference between embracing an exciting, adventure-filled new life in a new country… and staying stuck in a situation that’s something less than that… it’d be:
Connections.
As you work to formulate and then realize your plan for where best to spend your time and money overseas, focus on making the right connections.
I’m talking about…
Connections With Experts
Professionals with long experience helping others like you do the things you’re considering doing in the destinations that have your attention.
Who has the authority, judgment, and experience to help you navigate the local landscape safely, efficiently, and with maximum success?
Identify as many on-the-scene, English-speaking experts as you can, including lawyers, tax pros, medical professionals, shipping agents, bankers, real estate agents, developers, etc.
Wherever you’re going and whatever you’re hoping to do once you get there, you’ll need an infrastructure of serious people who understand the challenges that expats, retirees, and investors face in the locale where you’re thinking about spending your time and money.
Connections With Expats
People just like you who have already made the move to Portugal, Spain, Greece, or France… to Belize, Colombia, Mexico, or Panama… to the Dominican Republic, the Cayman Islands, Thailand, Malaysia, or wherever it is you’re thinking about reinventing your life.
To maximize your chances of success and minimize both frustration and cost along the way, you need to connect with both professional local experts and expats with boots-on-the-ground knowledge of the Shangri-las on your short list.
Who knows better how to do what you’re thinking you want to do than other people like you who’ve already done it?
Connections With Like-Minded Folks
Retire-overseas is an idea whose time has come. A recent Monmouth survey found that 34% of Americans would considering moving to a new country. That’s 1 out of every 3 people.
More than a half-million of those folks read these dispatches every day.
It’s quite a community you’re part of. While your family and friends might find your go-overseas inclinations batty, your fellow Live And Invest Overseas readers have got your back.
They, like you, are seeking better lives somewhere sunny and warm… beautiful and adventure-rich… welcoming and safe. These folks, who have so much in common with you, could be sounding boards for your plans and ideas. They could be potential travel partners. Some could become your new neighbors overseas… even your next love interest.
Lief and I met on a tour of Ireland when we both were considering making moves from the States to the Emerald Isle. Did I imagine that two-and-a-half decades later Lief and I would be married and living part-time in Panama and part-time in Paris? Never.
Connections With Me And My Team
You could make a move to another country on your own. That’s how Lief and I got started down this path 27 years ago.
Looking back, though, I can tell you we did this the hard way. We set off armed with nothing but naïve enthusiasm for a country we knew only as tourists, counting on hope and force of will to carry us through. And, eventually, they did.
You could do the same, making your move on a wish and a promise, fingers crossed for luck. But you have an option that can greatly reduce your risk and the amount of effort required. This option can make your move, wherever you eventually decide to go, easier, more efficient, and less costly… not to mention a whole lot more fun.
You have a chance to leverage the hard-won knowledge and wisdom of me and my team… in effect goof-proofing your move to your dream home in the sun… or the mountains… the beach… or maybe the rain forest… or one of the world’s big, brand-name cities.
What new life overseas might be best for you? Only you can answer that question.
What I can tell you is that no matter who you are…
Whether you’re in your 20s or your 80s or anywhere in between…
Whether you’re single or married…
Whether you have health concerns…
Whether you have kids to raise…
And no matter if you want or need to earn an income to support your adventures…
You could improve and enrich your lifestyle dramatically while perhaps reducing your cost of living significantly by reinventing your life in a new country.
And you could do it this year… by making the right connections.
Step one: Walk away from the news cycle.
Step two: Hit the road.
Until next time,
