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    Whether you’re looking for fun and sun, a peaceful retirement, or the chance to earn some extra income, you’ve got a real world of opportunity open to you… In short, we’ve done our best to narrow down your best options, but only you can decide the right country for you.

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    Super Cheap

    • Chitré, Panama
    • Santa Marta, Colombia
    • Phuket, Thailand
    • Dumaguete, The Philippines

    Cheap

    • Medellin, Colombia
    • Boquete, Panama
    • Kyrenia, Cyprus
    • Hua Hin, Thailand
    • The Algarve, Portugal

    Affordable

    • Valencia, Spain
    • Cascais, Portugal
    • Las Terrenas, The DR
    • Pisa, Italy
    • La Rochelle, France
    • Mazatlán, Mexico

    Luxury

    • Ambergris Caye, Belize
    • Kotor, Montenegro
    • The Panama City Beaches
    • Paris, France
  • Resources

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    • Living & Retiring Overseas
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  • Home
  • Countries

    Top Destinations:

    Whether you’re looking for fun and sun, a peaceful retirement, or the chance to earn some extra income, you’ve got a real world of opportunity open to you… In short, we’ve done our best to narrow down your best options, but only you can decide the right country for you.

    • Spain
    • Portugal
    • Panama
    • Belize
    • Colombia
    • Cyprus
    • Mexico
    • France
    • Montenegro
    • Browse All Countries

    Best For:

    • The Best Places To Retire
    • Health Care Abroad
    • Cost Of Living
    • Investing in Real Estate
    • Establishing Residency
    • Gun Laws In The World
    • English-Speaking Countries
    • Safest Places For Retirement
    • Best Places In Latin America
  • Budgets

    How Much Will It Cost You To Live Overseas?

    The only honest answer is, we have no idea. And neither does anyone else. The only one who can answer that question is you. Here’s the most important thing to understand about budgeting your new life overseas…

    Super Cheap

    • Chitré, Panama
    • Santa Marta, Colombia
    • Phuket, Thailand
    • Dumaguete, The Philippines

    Cheap

    • Medellin, Colombia
    • Boquete, Panama
    • Kyrenia, Cyprus
    • Hua Hin, Thailand
    • The Algarve, Portugal

    Affordable

    • Valencia, Spain
    • Cascais, Portugal
    • Las Terrenas, The DR
    • Pisa, Italy
    • La Rochelle, France
    • Mazatlán, Mexico

    Luxury

    • Ambergris Caye, Belize
    • Kotor, Montenegro
    • The Panama City Beaches
    • Paris, France
  • Resources

    Global Living

    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore & Diversification

    Making Money

    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing

    Follow Us:

    • Meet Our Experts
  • Real Estate

    Buying Real Estate For Cashflow

    • Discover tips and strategies used by global property investing veterans

    Explore Our Latest Posts

    • Learn how to invest and purchase property abroad…

    Go To The Overseas Property Alert Site

    • How To Become Independently Wealthy And Fund The Lifestyle Of Your Dreams
  • Conferences

    Upcoming Events

    • Explore Our Events Site

    Live and Invest In Spain Conference

    Offshore Wealth Summit

    Argentina Workshop

    VALENCIA, SPAIN

    Sep. 17-19, 2025

    PANAMA CITY, PANAMA

    Oct. 15-17, 2025

    VIRTUAL

    Nov. 13, 2025

    Learn More About This Event
    Learn More About This Event
    PRE-REGISTER
    Learn More About This Event
    PRE-REGISTER
    • MORE EVENTS

    Contact Our Events Team

    Toll-Free U.S. and Canada:
    1 (888) 627 8834
    From Outside North America:
    1 (443) 599 1221
    Working Hours
    Monday – Friday 08:00 am – 17:00 pm EST.

    Reach us with your questions by email at: events@liveandinvestoverseas.com

  • Store

    Unlock The World

    • Access Your Library

    Overseas Havens Reports

    • Expats' comprehensive destination guides

    Conference Kits

    • Hours of coverage  from our latests conferences

    Lahardan Books

    • Titles on living and investing around the world
    • Explore Our Store
    Your passport to a life well-lived abroad

    Services

    overseas living letter offers affordable retirement guidance
    The Simon Letter Wealth Protection Insights
    Global Property Advisor Global Investment Opportunities

    Our Customer Service team is here to assist with any questions or concerns CustomerService@LiveandInvestOverseas.com

  • My Library
Live and Invest Overseas
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Home Retirement/Living

Retire Overseas Conference Q&A Session With Kathleen Peddicord

by Kathleen Peddicord
Jan 11, 2019
in Retirement/Living
0 0
“Welcome to Houston… welcome to Live and Invest Overseas’ 10th Annual Retire Overseas Conference…” So I addressed the crowd Saturday afternoon during the opening session of this year’s mega-event in Space City. My entire far-flung Live and Invest Overseas team is here with me to help all in attendance consider their best options and opportunities related to living or retiring in another country. Who would do this? Who would think about moving to a new country? That was the first question put to me by the Houston Chronicle reporter who visited the event on Saturday. As I explained to him… “Who’s retiring overseas? More folks than ever!” Why? A move like this is often motivated, at least in the beginning, by financial concerns. How will you be able to enjoy a rich, full, rewarding, comfortable, not to mention adventure-filled retirement even if your retirement budget is on the small side? Move to an interesting, appealing place where the cost of living is low. That benefit is straightforward enough and also very realistic. It is possible to embrace a rich, full, rewarding, comfortable, and adventure-filled lifestyle many places around the world where the cost of living is low or even bargain-basement. However, the reasons to think about making a move like this go beyond budget. The real benefits of moving to a new country in retirement have to do with reinventing your life… improving your quality of life… and chasing your dreams. What often begins as an exercise in financial planning evolves organically into the greatest adventure of your lifetime. That’s the end game. What we’re convened this week to discuss together in Houston is how to get from here to there. I think of it as connecting the dots… helping attendees to identify their best options for reinventing their lives overseas. Here are a few examples of the conversations we’re having here in Houston this week: “Kathleen, I’m thinking about Ecuador and Nicaragua… specifically, Cuenca and Granada. Here’s what I want… “Well, first, here’s what I don’t want. I don’t want hot or humid. I want a cool climate, and I want a city. I’ll be making this move on my own, and I want easy access to things to do… museums and art galleries. Things like that. What do you think of my choices?” Take Nicaragua off your list. Its climate isn’t what you’re looking for. Cuenca could be a good choice—cool and comfortable year-round plus an established community of expats to tap into. That would help to make the transition for a woman on her own much easier. You could also consider Medellín, Colombia, another good-weather destination that would also be a comfortable option for a woman on her own.
***
  “Kathleen, I’m afraid I’ve made a big mistake. I’ve put down a deposit on a house on the beach in Belize…” Why do you think that might have been a mistake? “Well, I’ve never been to Belize…” Ah. “But I know that Belize is what I want.” OK, let’s start there. Why do you believe Belize is the place for you? “I want the beach. I want to be right on the beach, right on the sand. And I want low-key. I don’t like resorts or tourists, or people, really. I’m kind of kidding but not. I like quiet and solitude. And I don’t want to learn a new language…” Great. Yes, based on all that, Belize is a great choice for you. Still, you should go see it. A place can seem ideal on paper but just not feel right once you’ve put your feet on the ground. When that happens, you want to follow your gut… go with your instinct. So, while, based on your checklist of criteria, Belize seems like the place, before you commit in full, you need to get on a plane. Meantime, I’ll put you in touch with our Belize attorney so he can review the contract for the real estate purchase you’re about to make. Definitely, you want an experienced attorney to review any property contact before you execute in full.
***
  “Kathleen, we think Panama is the country for us, but we have a strict budget of US$1,700 per month. Here’s my question, and I need you to answer me honestly. Can we really live in Panama on US$1,700 per month?” Yes. In Panama City, Coronado, and Boquete, that budget would be enough… but maybe just enough to live comfortably. Outside those developed spots, in more rural locations, you’d have no budget concerns at all.
***
  “Kathleen, I’m making this move with my young son, and I need a place that is disabled-friendly. My son is autistic. I’ll be bringing his caregiver with me, and I’ll be running my website business from wherever we end up. Where would you recommend?” Medellín, Colombia. This is a peaceful, quiet, pleasant city with lots of parks and pedestrian areas, as well as a comfortable climate and friendly, respectful people. The city itself is the most disabled-friendly in the region. A former mayor had a blind daughter and was sensitive to the accompanying infrastructure implications. As a result, Medellín has wide sidewalks, organized crosswalks, and ramp access everywhere. Plus, this city has excellent health care, some of the best in all Latin America.
***
  “Kathleen, we’re considering between a teak investment in Panama that would also get us visas and an investment in the mango plantation  that is presenting here at the conference this week. Which do you think makes more sense?” Both make sense, but here’s my advice: If you’re shopping for a visa, shop for a visa. That is, identify your best visa option among the dozen that Panama offers. If you’re shopping for an investment, then consider the two options for their investment merits. Separate your agendas. Make your lifestyle (visa) choices based on lifestyle criteria and your investment choices based on investment criteria.
***
  “Kathleen, I’ll need to make a little extra income on the side to supplement my retirement budget. Do you think it’s really realistic to think I could find work as an editor or writer living in Europe?” Yes. The online publishing business is big and ever-bigger. We publishers are hungry for more editing and writing support. We don’t care where in the world you’re located… only in how reliably and effectively you edit our copy. You could be doing your editing from anywhere in the world where you have a good Internet connection.
***
  “Kathleen, we came here with specific locations already in mind. We want Europe. We knew that when we got here, and we still want Europe now after listening to all your presenters. However, you have gotten our attention with one place in Europe we hadn’t been considering— the Algarve in Portugal. We were considering between France and Italy, but, really, neither of those seemed right for us. “To tell you the truth, what we really wanted before we came here was Germany, but we realized it wasn’t in our budget. We have a good retirement pension to count on but not enough for Germany. So that’s why France or Italy. “Do you think, though, that the Algarve might be a better choice for us than those places? We lived in Germany years ago and loved it. That’s why we know it’s our top choice. Do you think the Algarve might be more like Germany than France or Italy?” Yes, I do. There’s a big German community in the Algarve. Lots of British, too. As well, the weather in the Algarve is better than in France or Italy, and the cost of living is among Europe’s lowest.
***
  “Kathleen, we’ve planned our whole lives to retire to Ireland. Now that the time has come, we can’t figure out where, though. We think Dublin is probably too expensive for us. Where else would you recommend?” My two favorite places in Ireland are Galway and the Copper Coast of County Waterford. Both would make ideal retirement options… and, yes, the cost of living in both would be lower than in Dublin. Kathleen Peddicord
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Kathleen Peddicord

Kathleen Peddicord

Kathleen Peddicord has reported on opportunities for Americans to live, retire, and do business overseas for 40 years. She has traveled to more than 75 countries, invested in real estate in 24, established businesses in 7, renovated and built properties in 6, and educated her children in 5.

Kathleen has moved children, staff, enterprises, household goods, and pets from the east coast of the United States to Waterford, Ireland, then to Paris, France, and finally to Panama City, Panama, where she has based her Live And Invest Overseas business. Peddicord and her husband, Lief Simon, now divide their time between Panama and Paris.

Peddicord was a partner with Agora Publishing’s International Living group for 23 years. She opened, staffed, and operated International Living publishing and real estate marketing offices in Waterford, Ireland; Panama City, Panama; Granada, Nicaragua; Roatan, Honduras; San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; Quito, Ecuador; and Paris, France. Peddicord launched Live And Invest Overseas group in 2008 and has built it into a successful multimillion-dollar business. Today, she shares her firsthand experience of expat life with more than 500,000 readers of her publications, including Overseas Opportunity Letter and Overseas Living Letter.

Kathleen has been featured often in The New York Times, MSNBC, AARP, CNN, Bloomberg, CNBC, and more and writes monthly about expat matters, international real estate, and offshore diversification for Forbes and U.S. News.

Kathleen has written several books including the memoirs “At Home In Ireland” and “At Home At Los Islotes” and her latest title “At Home Abroad,” all published by Lahardan Books. Her best-selling "How To Retire Overseas: Everything You Need To Know To Live Well (For Less) Abroad” was published by Penguin Random House in 2018 and her “Buying Real Estate Overseas For Cash Flow (And A Better Life)” was published by Wiley in August 2020.

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Top Countries

  • Spain
  • Portugal
  • Panama
  • Belize
  • Colombia
  • Cyprus
  • Mexico
  • France
  • Montenegro

Best For:

  • Health Care Abroad
  • Retirement Living
  • Cost Of Living
  • Investing in Real Estate
  • Establishing Residency
  • Gun Ownership
  • English Speakers
  • Safety
BROWSE ALL COUNTRIES

Budgets

How Much Will It Cost
To Live Overseas?

Super Cheap

  • Chitré, Panama
  • Santa Marta, Colombia
  • Phuket, Thailand
  • Dumaguete, The Philippines

Cheap

  • Medellin, Colombia
  • Boquete, Panama
  • Kyrenia, Cyprus
  • Hua Hin, Thailand
  • The Algarve, Portugal

Affordable

  • Valencia, Spain
  • Cascais, Portugal
  • Las Terrenas, The DR
  • Pisa, Italy
  • La Rochelle, France
  • Mazatlán, Mexico

Luxury

  • Ambergris Caye, Belize
  • Kotor, Montenegro
  • The Panama City Beaches
  • Paris, France

Resources

Global Living

  • Living & Retiring Overseas
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  • Employment
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Discover tips and strategies used by global property investing veterans

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Learn how to invest and purchase property abroad…

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Live and Invest In Spain Conference

VALENCIA, SPAIN Sep. 17-19, 2025
Learn More About This Event

Offshore Wealth Summit

PANAMA CITY, PANAMA Oct. 15-17, 2025
Learn More About This Event
PRE-REGISTER

Argentina Workshop

VIRTUAL Nov. 13, 2025
Learn More About This Event
PRE-REGISTER
MORE EVENTS

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From Outside North America:
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Reach us with your questions by email at: events@liveandinvestoverseas.com

Store

Overseas Havens Reports

  • Expats' comprehensive destination guides

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  • Hours of coverage  from our latests conferences

Lahardan Books

  • Titles on living and investing around the world

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