Expats, Prepare and Beware the Tax Man

expat taxes

Dear Future Expats, This is not the column I had planned for today. However, when I got this letter in my mailbox yesterday, I knew I had to share it with you ASAP. It’s from Leif Simon of Live & Invest Overseas. I’ll have a few further comments at the end. . . “The IRS [...]

Countdown: All Dressed Up and No Place to Go

Countdown to expat moving day

Tomorrow is February 1, the day we had planned to move to Panama. But we’re not going. Why? Still no tenants for our Florida house. Everything else is poised and ready. Once we get the go-ahead — in the form of a signed lease agreement — we’re ready to whip into our last-minute action. Until [...]

Five Social Media Platforms Every Expat Blogger Should Use

social media icons for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Delicious, YouTube, WordPress

You’ve set up your blog, you’ve found a terrific theme, you’re producing content. . . now what? How do you attract the right target audience? Create a social media strategy. Which specific social media platforms you use will depend on your niche and your audience. Basic rule of thumb? You need to hang out where [...]

Holding On and Letting Go

Accumulated junk - not mine, thank goodness

My parents both had hoarding tendencies. Oh, I don’t mean their house was like some of those horrible places you see on TV shows — you didn’t have to weave your way through towering piles of old newspapers or anything like that. But they held onto stuff. After my mother died last summer, we found [...]

Countdown! Uncertainty Rules

Countdown to expat moving day

As we approach our planned exit date, uncertainty has taken over. No, not uncertainty about whether we should go, uncertainty about the timing. Until we have a signed lease agreement for our house, we’re not buying tickets or going anywhere. Our rental agent had been very sanguine about finding tenants in the allotted time, but [...]

Six Ways to Learn a New Language

Learn the Language

So you’re planning on living overseas — do you really need to learn the language of your adopted country? I have a simple, two-word answer for you: it depends. Don’t learn the language: If you plan to live, work and play among other expats If you’re not interested in immersing yourself in the local culture [...]

21 More Expat and Travel Blogs to Watch

Following in a more experienced person’s footsteps is a great way to learn something new, or to take the fear factor away from a scary new undertaking. Sharing an expat’s experience with the process of relocating, or their life overseas, can teach some very useful lessons. Here’s a list of expat and travel blogs and [...]

Leaving the Country – is it Worth the Hassle?

mergozo waterfront

Guest Post by Steve Harris New Year is a time when people take stock of their lot, with many pondering “would I be better off somewhere else?” Millions of Brits live abroad both temporarily and permanently, and if you are considering joining them for an exciting new life in the sun — or just an [...]

Countdown! Less than 30 Days to Panama

Countdown to expat moving day

Wow, the time is really flying by as we get closer to our move to Panama. It seems just last week When I started this weekly recount of all the preparation steps we’d taken toward our upcoming Panama move. But actually, it was two months ago! Now we’re within 30 days of our projected move [...]

Don’t Do it with a Blog: Create an Enjoyable Overseas Retirement, Even if the Economy has Blown your Nest Egg

cha-ching machine

You’ve heard the siren song of that soft Caribbean breeze, or the bustling Asian street scene with the bright colors and temple bells. Or maybe your overseas dream runs more toward soaking up the culture of the City of Lights. The only problem is, the US economy has eaten your retirement nest egg and you [...]

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