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 bins full of the little boxes that fancy teas come in. . . Christmas cards from 20 years ago. . . checkbook stubs from accounts that were closed decades previously. . .

It inspired me to come home and be even more ruthless about getting rid of my excess stuff in preparation for our move to Panama.

Now that the move is imminent, my husband is starting to let go of things he’s been holding onto. Old report cards from elementary school. . . syllabuses (syllabi?) from some of his Master’s degree courses. . . cards, photos, books. . .

We’ve moved before. Back in 1989, we packed up our (then) four kids and a house full of stuff and moved from upstate New York to Florida. Before the move we had a huge sale and sold off a ton of stuff. After arriving in Florida, we realized we had kept way too much.

When we moved from one house to another in the Orlando area, we got rid of a ton of stuff before the move. We still kept too much.

This time, though, we can’t just put things on the truck, so keeping what we don’t need is simply not an option.

How Do You Live with a Light Footprint?

We’ll be living with a light footprint, for a while at least. We plan to rent someplace furnished for 3-6 months initially. In the meantime, my husband’s brother has offered to let us store a few things in his basement.

So we have a few boxes of books — and only those which are out of print and unlikely to become available digitally. We have one piece of furniture, a lovely teak desk which I’ve had since 1971. My guitar and my husband’s trumpet. Some (but not all, thank goodness!) of his tools.

We’ll ship them down once we’ve been somewhat settled in Panama a few months.

I know a couple who consider themselves perpetual travelers. They spend most of their time in Asia, going from Thailand to China to India to other Asian countries every few months.

They don’t have to worry about residency as they don’t stay long enough in one place for it to be an issue.

Their personal belongings are limited to clothing, a small netbook computer each, and a favorite coffee mug. Wherever the mug is, that’s home.

I don’t know if I could live a life pared down to that extent. Certainly not now, anyway, although I can see the appeal.

In the meantime, I’m looking around and thinking, “I haven’t gotten rid of nearly enough.”

photo by Orin Zebest on flickr

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 showings have been sparse and we’re getting nervous. it’s difficult to forge ahead when you’re not confident . . . tempers have flared, harsh words have been spoken. . . it hasn’t been pretty.

Week of January 9

This week has been a bit of a hodgepodge of activity. Dealing with a lot of paperwork — taxes, bills and such, and a lot of miscellaneous small details. It’s rather boring to write about, actually, so this update will be short.

Packing and Organizing

We sent more boxes of stuff to various family members. Packed up more boxes to move into our “these are the things we’ll store” area in the garage. My husband still hasn’t begun sorting through his papers and books, which is making me very nervous.

Maintaining Our Lives

Spent the week pulling together information for taxes, and I did start our tax return this week. It’s more complicated than what you file if you’re working for someone else and get a W-2 form at the end of the year. Thank goodness for Turbo Tax.

I also realized there were some bills we only pay twice a year (life insurance!) that I hadn’t switched over to electronic payments, so I dealt with that. One of them was easy. I could go online and switch it over on the website, and set it up to draft our account automatically.

The other required me to download, fill out and mail a paper form. In this day and age, why is that necessary? Anyway, it’s done.

Now, back to those pesky tax returns. . .

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 date, and stress levels are rising.

Hopefully, by seeing what we’re doing, you’ll be able to avoid some of the pitfalls that seem to be an inherent part of a big move like this.

Weeks of December 26 and January 2

Quite honestly, I didn’t do anything about our upcoming move during the week between Christmas and New Year. We were visiting our children in the northeast, and I took some time to chill — literally and figuratively. We saw temperatures in the single digits more than once during our stay. (Actually down to zero one night, and a couple hours after we flew out the temperature dropped into the minus numbers.)

Since returning home on the 3rd, though, it’s been pretty busy.

House Repair

We thought we were done with this category, but a couple things came up this week. We had to replace a ceiling fan that conked out unexpectedly — better now than after we’re in Panama with tenants in the house! We also had to call the Roto Rooter folks to clear out a clog in the line from the washing machine. Both pretty small compared to some of our earlier projects, thank goodness.

There were also several big tree limbs that needed to come down, so my husband’s spent some time this past week working on that.

Packing and Organizing

We’re clearing out more stuff. I’m shipping a couple of boxes to my sister in Virginia and another to my son in LA. Now that I’m home from the frozen north, I’ve packed up my heaviest winter clothes to dispose of. I’ll keep a couple of sweaters, but all the other sweaters, sweatshirts, etc., are going. I’m trying to get my clothes, shoes and personal items whittled down so they’ll fit into two suitcases. . . I’ll let you know how that plays out.

We’ve also designated an area in the garage for boxes that will go into storage. We’re gradually getting more out of the house and into that storage area.

My husband, the avid cyclist, has been researching bicycle options. He currently has two road bikes. He’ll sell one and ship the other to Panama. He’s decided a mountain bike would be a good choice for riding in Panama, so he’s researching to see whether it’s better to buy one here and ship it down, or buy one there.

Selling Stuff

We had another estate sales agent come to the house last week. She was much more encouraging than the first one, and was pleased that she’d be able to work us into her busy schedule because the house is small and clean. I liked her attitude — instead of seeing obstacles she saw opportunities. She understands that we can’t set a date until we have a signed lease in our hot little hands, and she’s willing to work with us practically any time as long as we give her a week’s notice.

I think we’ll be able to deal with her.

At this point the tentative plan — and again, it’s contingent on having a signed lease — is to set up the sale for just before the tenants’ move-in date. While the estate company is here setting up and conducting the sale, we’ll head up to my in-laws’ place for a visit with them before we take off.

Renting the House

Still nothing definite, but more activity. If you know anyone who might be interested in a charming 3-bedroom, 2-bath home in lovely Winter Park, FL, let me know!

Remember those stress levels I mentioned? We don’t have a definite move date yet, and won’t until we’ve found tenants for the house and signed a lease. I’m confident we’ll have someone in here by February 1, but the extra uncertainty isn’t helping.

Moving the Pets

Nothing particular to report in this category. The dogs are healthy, they’ve adjusted to their new kennels, and there’s nothing else we can do until it’s time to take them to the vet for their final checkup and the start of the paperwork race.

Maintaining Our Lives

So far the auto bill pay I set up through the credit union is working without a hitch.

Last week my husband finished collating all his paperwork that I’ll need to do tax returns. So this week I’ll be starting the tax returns and the financial aid paperwork for our daughter.

The Panama End

I found another Panama forum last week, on Reddit. Got some new leads on places to rent. . .

Somehow, when I write it down, it doesn’t look like much. But I assure you, we’ve been very busy this past week preparing for our Panama adventure.

Last week we skipped the Countdown post because we were doing the 12 Days of Christmas guide to expat gift-giving, so we’ll combine weeks 6 & 7 this week. In this installment we’ll review the steps we took over the last two weeks toward getting ourselves moved from Orlando to Panama.

At this point, I’m wondering seriously why we thought moving a month after Christmas was a good idea. . .

Weeks of December 11 and 18

House Repair

Fortunately, we’re pretty well done with this category. We don’t have any more repair projects, although we do have a few things left on the list. They include items like spackling and touch-up painting over holes in walls where we’ve pulled out picture hooks and such.

Of course there’s always more cleaning. . .

Packing and Organizing

My husband has finally started organizing his stuff. I’m relieved, because I can’t do all of it for him. He’s going through work-related papers, books and — most importantly for him — his tools.

The tools are proving to be a big stumbling block. He can’t imagine a life where he won’t need them, so he wants to bring them with us somehow. I don’t see it happening, at least during our initial move. Maybe later when we ship the few things that we want to keep.

Another issue is his bicycle. He’s an avid cyclist, and wants to take his good road bike with him. I think he’d do better to just replace it down there. I’ll let you know how that plays out.

Selling Stuff

I called a half dozen estate sales agents last week. One of them came to the house, and told us our house was too small for a worthwhile sale. I got the impression if we’d had it stuffed to the rafters with antiques or original art she wouldn’t have found the size a problem. Nevertheless, she did put us in touch with someone who will buy the entire contents outright, then transport it to his warehouse and sell it at auction.

If we don’t find a better solution, it’s a reasonable fallback.

Renting the House

People are starting to come look. According to the rental agent, we can expect activity to increase after the first week in January.

Moving the Pets

Last week the dogs went to the vet for their regular checkups and dental cleaning. We wanted to get it done well in advance of the move. Unless one of them gets sick between now and February, we should be able to take them in for their health certificates and not have to worry about any other pet health issues.

And they seem to be adapting quite contentedly to their new kennel arrangements. They’re all going into the right kennel each evening, and we’re not hearing any more complaining.

Maintaining Our Lives

Now that Christmas is over, one of the larger hurdles I’m facing is our taxes and the financial aid forms for our college student daughter. I need to have them all done before we move, so I’m starting the preliminary organizing now.

My plan is to get everything done early in January, even before we have all the proper IRS forms (1099s in our case, since we’re both technically self employed). As soon as we have the official forms everything should be ready to go.

I’ve also switched all the house-related bills (mortgage, electric, water, etc.) to an auto bill pay offered through our credit union. I still need to set up electronic billing for a couple of them so we don’t need to rely on postal mail for any house-related bills once we’ve moved.

Just before the holidays we had a nice visit with a friend from out of state. We hadn’t seen him in several years, but he was visiting family in North Florida and drove down to spend a few days.

We’re currently in the northeast with three of our five children. I figure it’s the last Christmas we’ll spend in the cold for quite a while, and it has been cold, for sure. Zero degrees when I went to bed the other night. . . Right now we’ve got big, fluffy flakes drifting lazily down and accumulating on the roads.

We have plans to visit the in-laws next month and during January we’ll also spend as much time as possible with local friends.

The Panama End

Last week I made contact with someone who can help us find a furnished house or apartment in Panama. Next week I plan to get back in touch with some of the people we met last year, and ask them to start keeping their eyes and ears open for furnished rentals in the area.

I feel like the juggling act is going to get much more challenging once we get home from this Christmas break. . .

Wow, I can’t believe this is the fifth week of Countdown! posts.

When we got within the 90-day window for our move to Panama, I started this weekly recount of all the preparation steps we’d taken during the week. Any move is a big undertaking, but the first overseas move is ginormous, so I thought it might be helpful to future expats see what someone else is doing, step by tottering step.

You can find the previous Countdown! posts here.

Week of December 4

House Repair

Last week I announced happily that our last big repair project was finished. That was the bathroom retiling, and what a relief it was to be done. Now there’s just a lot of smallish stuff. We have a ceiling fan to replace (not a big job for my electrician husband), some painting touch-up, spackling and touching up holes where picture hooks used to be, and so on.

We did list our house with the rental agent this week, and there’s now a sign in our front yard. It doesn’t sound like much, but it was really a very significant step since we won’t leave until we have tenants in the house.

Packing and Organizing

I took another bag of clothes to Goodwill. I think it’s multiplying on its own. . . I don’t know where it’s all coming from.

Frenzy of cleaning in the leadup to listing the house. . .

I’ve been de-cluttering the house for showing. Taking the family pictures off the walls, packing away the handful of items from my grandparents’ home that I plan to keep and that sort of thing.

I’ve also been going through files, disposing of reams of old ones we don’t need to keep. I’ve started making copies of the most important documents so we can bring originals with us (for things like the pensionado visa application) while storing copies with a relative in case someone here needs access to that information.

Selling Stuff

I meant to contact estate sales agents this week, but didn’t get to it. Will do it next week. Really.

Moving the Pets

I’m happy to report that the kennel rearrangement worked. We’ve put the oldest dog in the smaller kennel by himself, and the whiner together with the youngest. Since then, we’ve been able to enjoy a quiet night’s sleep every night. And the dogs are getting used to the arrangement. They now trot happily into their appropriate kennels each night.

This week they go to the vet for their regular 6-month checkups and routine shots. Hopefully, when we take them for their pre-departure physicals they’ll be good to go without anything additional.

Maintaining Our Lives

I knew this would get more complicated. . .

We had a dinner on Friday with friends and former coworkers. Had a lovely time, but it felt like the first of many “goodbye” parties. We have another party this evening, the annual Christmas do for an organization of avid bicyclists that my husband belongs to. I’m not sure I’m really ready for this.

Spent a long time on the phone yesterday with a friend I don’t see often enough. They’ve known for a long time we were planning on moving out of the country, but when I shared our plans with her yesterday the shock coming through the phone lines was almost palpable. We planned a time to get together after Christmas, as both our calendars are too full to do it before.

And, finally, my husband spent a long time on Skype last night with his parents. He shared our timetable for the first time, and they were very unhappy but seemed to accept it. Considering how strongly his mother has attacked the idea in the past, she took it well. (Although I don’t think for a minute we’ve heard the end of it.)

Do you have any funny moving stories to share? I could use some laughs right about now. . .

I think this week’s countdown can be described as “sleep-deprived zombieland.”

The end of our fourth countdown week saw us taking away our dogs’ big wire crate where they’ve happily slept at night for several years, and putting them in their spacious travel kennels to sleep. It wasn’t a happy experience, for them or for us.

To put it mildly.

Week of November 27th

House Repair

Hallelujah, the bathroom tile job is done! The final tiles are in place, grouted, cleaned, and looking great. Just a little touch-up paint needed around the edges and we’re in business. That was a project that — as with many such — took on a life of its own and became far more time- and labor-intensive than we ever anticipated.

We have an appointment with the rental agent this week to come and actually list the house. Now we just need to keep it clean, clean, clean for showing while we continue the packing and sorting.

Packing and Organizing

My husband has started going through his clothes, books and other personal items, sorting, discarding and making decisions.

We have another bag of clothing at the door ready to take to Goodwill. Where is it all coming from? I didn’t think we had that much. . .

I also spent some time at our credit union, arranging for automatic bill payment and discussing the recommendation letter we’ll need from them in order to open a local bank account in Panama.

My big task this week has been sorting through files. I’ve pulled out the documents we need to take with us, and have another stack of documents to photocopy or scan. For example, our life insurance policies can stay in storage, but I want to have the information for paying the premium or making a claim.

Selling Stuff

The items I listed on eBay didn’t sell, so now I have to figure out another way to dispose of them. I’ve decided not to attempt to sell any more individual items. Instead, we’ll save it all for the big sale at the end.

Moving the Pets

I thought the whole sleeping-in-the-new-kennels thing would go smoothly. The dogs have had a couple of weeks to get used to having them around, they’ve been happily going in and out for treats and toys, they’ve spent brief periods inside when I’ve had errands to do during the day.

So yesterday we took out their familiar wire crate and moved the kennels into its old spot. (Well, its old spot plus quite a lot more floor area.) At bedtime, the dogs cheerfully entered, got their treats, and I headed off down the hall for bed.

Then one of them started whining. Then crying. Then yipping. Then barking. He kept it up, with short breaks for water, all night long. Of course, the one who was carrying on was the one in the kennel by himself. Remember, the airlines absolutely won’t let us crate three of them together, which is what they’re used to. . .

So today my husband and I are stumbling around like zombies. Remember that newborn baby in the house feeling?

The oldest of the three dogs seems to like the smaller kennel (he’s gone into it several times on his own), so maybe tonight we’ll try him by himself and put the whiner together with the youngest in the larger kennel. . . I’ll let you know how that goes.

Maintaining Our Lives

This is getting trickier.

Now that the end is in sight, my husband’s getting much more impatient with his job. And I’m finding it harder to focus on my writing when I have all this cleaning, sorting, packing and organizing screaming out to be done.

We’ve also got all the extra social engagements that go with Christmas. Coupled with the fact that we’re trying to see a lot of our friends while we still can, and we’re pretty busy.

It sure will be easier to handle if the dogs don’t keep us awake all night again!

In any big move, there are always one or two tasks that seem the most daunting. For us, obviously, it’s the whole business if putting our pets on an airplane. What’s the toughest part of a big move for you, and how did you handle it? Leave a comment!

If you’re about to move abroad, you certainly don’t want to collect more doodads, tchotchkes, knicknacks and other stuff you’ll have to store or move. So what do you give a soon-to-be expat for Christmas? I thought we could join the rest of America in some Black Friday shopping, but for things that will help you create the untethered expat life you’re looking for.

I’ve divided them into categories for you. At the top, the Time Sensitive Sales are special deals that will expire after this weekend. Below those I’ve divided them into our two main categories, Prepping the Move and Portable Careers. These are top-quality items I recommend.

All of them make wonderful Christmas gifts for that hard-to-buy-for expat on your list.

Time-Sensitive Sales

50% Off all Host Gator Website Hosting Black Friday Only, expires 11:59 PM EST on November 25.

31 Days to Build a Better Blog, Revised and updated for 2012. If you plan to blog as part or all of your expat portable career, you can get a jump start and save 25% through next Tuesday, November 29. Learn more.

25% off everything at StudioPress
Using the code THANKS at checkout (don’t forget that), you can save 25% off of anything you’d like at WordPress design shop, StudioPress. All you need to do is use the code THANKS when you check out and you’ll save 25% on anything and everything at StudioPress.com. This deal ends promptly at 7:00 pm Pacific time on Monday, November 28, 2011. Hurry up and claim your new WordPress theme before the code expires!

Premise for WordPress Get the best WordPress landing page plugin for sweet savings over Black Friday weekend. Only $95 for Premise Ultimate. All you need to do is use the code THANKS when you check out. This deal ends promptly at 7:00 pm Pacific time on Monday, November 28, 2011. Hurry up and get Premise Ultimate before they come to their senses!

International Coach Academy teaches you everything you need to know to become a certified life coach. It’s a growing field, and coaches — especially expat coaches — are in high demand. They’re offering 22% off if you enroll in their premier course before November 30.

Entire Live & Invest Overseas Bookstore!. Country reports, conference recordings, monthly Overseas Retirement Letter, the whole enchilada. Click here for more information.

Prepping the Move

Technology and Entertainment

I’m an avid reader, and I love to re-read books as well. Parting with my extensive library would be torture. Fortunately, we live in the digital age. With my trusty Kindle e-reader, I can get almost everything in a digital version.

There are quite a few choices now, unlike when I bought my first-generation device. The two I recommend are the Kindle Touch 3G and the new Kindle Fire.

Kindle Touch 3G

With this device you can download books from almost anywhere in the world, even if there’s no WiFi available, using the 3G network. There’s no charge for this connectivity. The device holds about 3,000 books, and newer features including borrowing Kindle books from your local public library in the US.

There’s a built-in browser, so you can even use it for light web surfing.

This Kindle uses e-Ink technology, which is easy on your eyes and allows you to read even in bright sunlight. Excellent battery life, lightweight, and available for either $149 or $189.

Click here for more information or to purchase the Kindle Touch 3G

Kindle Fire

This is Kindle’s latest offering, just released earlier this month. Think of this Kindle as a “tablet lite” more than an e-reader. Yes, of course you can read your Kindle books on it. But it comes in color, not e-Ink, has a fully functional web browser and allows you to download apps like a tablet.

You can stream videos, listen to internet radio, and lots more.

If you read for hours at a time, this is probably not the best choice for you as the display will not be as easy on the eyes. Also, because this is a lighted display, it’ll wash out in full sunlight. But if you want something you can surf the web with, enjoy some apps with, and do some reading with — all in a brilliant color display — this is the Kindle for you.

Click here for more information or to purchase the Kindle Fire

Books, Movies, Music and More

If you absolutely, positively need to have wrapped packages under a tree, take advantage of Black Friday specials throughout Amazon.com.

Narrowing your Country/City Search and Planning

After lots of searching and a few false hopes raised, I finally found something that will actually help you plan your overseas move, step by logical step.

52-Days to Your New Life Overseas

 

Don´t Let Another Single Day Pass You By–Launch Your New Life Overseas Now

It took me more than 12 years to launch my live overseas adventures…

Today, 13 years later, I´ve reinvented my life from Baltimore, Maryland, to Waterford, Ireland…then from there to Paris and on to Panama City, where I´m living today…

My advice to you?

Don´t let another single day pass you by.

Leverage my experience to launch your own dream retirement overseas in as few as 52 days from today.

That´s a specific promise that I mean literally and that I take seriously.

Research and reading will get you only so far. To make your live- or retire-overseas dream come true, you need a detailed plan. Here´s mine…for you…

Here´s How

Specific Country Information

There’s tons of good information available about specific countries. Here’s a representative sampling:

Panama:

• Live & Invest in Panama Home Conference Kit
• Panama Bridge Kit
• Panama Starter Kit

France:

Not everyone is cut out for life in the Tropics or the developing world…

If you´re more interested in Old World living, consider France.

France is the good life defined. The food, the wine, the art, the shopping, the history…

And here´s what you may not realize about France: Living here, even in Paris, can be far more affordable than you might ever imagine.

Go Here Now To Learn More

Asia: Yes, I know, Asia’s not a country. . . Around Asia

Colombia:

 

Revealed: The World’s Top Undiscovered Retirement And Investment Haven

I’ve found the city that I believe is on track to become one of the world’s most sought-after destinations, for both retirement and investment.

This overlooked destination checks every box:

Perfect weather…it’s springtime all year long…
World-class health care (5 of the best hospitals in all Latin America are here)…

Very affordable cost of living…

And the real estate? It’s a screaming bargain, both to buy and to rent…
Plus, the people are friendly, the streets are clean and safe, the infrastructure international-standard…with its restaurants, cafes, galleries, and shops, this place feels more European than Latin American…

Go here now to learn more

Argentina: The Argentine Vineyard Buyer’s Guide

Upcoming Country Conferences

The right conference can be a great way to jumpstart your transition from future expat to expat. I’ve attended two. One was specific to Panama, and the other took a broader view with information about 20 countries that should be on your radar for overseas retirement.

I recommend the functions that Live and Invest Overseas puts on. You can see a list of their upcoming events here.

Portable Careers

Writing

Travel Writing

There are two programs I recommend for future travel writers.

MatadorU Travel Writing Course A dynamic program for launching or advancing new media and travel writing careers is based on 12 weeks of rigorous coursework, including lessons, recommended reading, and weekly assignments critiqued by editors and peers. As a graduate, you’ll have lifelong access to the curriculum, all the forums and future Bonus Modules.

Learn more about it here.

AWAI’s Ultimate Travel Writer’s Program. It’ll take years off your learning curve on both the writing and the business sides of developing your career as a travel writer. Learn more about it here.

Copywriting

Copywriting 2.0 Your Complete Guide to Writing Web Copy that Converts. The market for copywriting is huge, and the market for web copywriting is exploding. Highly successful copywriter Bob Bly has called this program “the Bible of website copywriting.”

Learn more about copywriting for the web and this program here.

Secrets of Writing High-Performance B2B Copy takes your copywriting skills and shows you how to use them to specialize in writing for the B2B business to business) market. Learn how to take advantage of this $55 billion a year market — that’s not a typo.

Learn more about Business-to-Business Copywriting here.

Blogging

Blogging for Expats. First, although it’s not something you can buy, if you haven’t been following my Blogging for Expats tutorial series, check it out.

How to Become a Successful Freelance Blogger. Don’t want to maintain your own blog but still want to earn money blogging? Freelance blogging is the answer, and this guide by my friend Paul Cunningham will show you how.

Learn More about How to Become a Successful Freelance Blogger here.

31 Days to Build a Better Blog, Revised and updated for 2012. If you plan to blog as part or all of your expat portable career, you can get a jump start and save 25% through next Tuesday, November 29.

I highly recommend this ebook program, which I followed earlier in my blogging career. Learn more about it here.

Studio Press Premium WordPress Themes 25% off everything at StudioPress over Black Friday weekend.

Using the code THANKS at checkout (don’t forget that) you can save 25% off of anything you’d like at WordPress design shop, StudioPress.

1. Get the Genesis Framework for only $45
2. Snag most Genesis / design combos for a song and save close to $20
3. Wipe the entire shop clean and get the StudioPress Pro Plus All-Theme Package. Get Genesis plus every design they’ve made, plus every design they make in the future, and save more than $74 off the regular price and over $875 off the retail price — and that’s just the existing 43 designs!

All you need to do is use the code THANKS when you check out and you’ll save 25% on anything and everything at StudioPress.com. This deal ends promptly at 7:00 pm Pacific time on Monday, November 28, 2011. Hurry up and claim your new WordPress theme before the code expires!

Take Advantage of the Studio Press Black Friday Sale

Premise for WordPress
Get Premise Ultimate for only $95

Copyblogger Media just released version 1.2 of their Premise landing page software for WordPress, and it includes lots of cool new features and refinements. Most impressive of all is the introduction of an innovative 8th landing page type — the social sharing page. Premise Ultimate usually goes for $165, as it gives you:

1. All the landing pages you can build
2. Use on as many domains as you want
3. Access to ongoing optimization seminars
4. Copywriting advice from inside WordPress
5. 1,100+ custom graphics by Rafal
6. Unlimited technical support
7. Unlimited updates (you’ll thank yourself for this next year)

During their Thanksgiving sale, you can get Premise Ultimate for only $95. Yes, really. Just use the code THANKS when you check out and you’ll save $70 on the best landing page software available for WordPress. This deal ends promptly at 7:00 pm Pacific time on Monday, November 28, 2011. Hurry up and get Premise Ultimate before they come to their senses!

Photography

Turn Your Pictures into Cash. Photography is amazing. It can feed the soul and inspire people. It also provides a measure of freedom I suspect you value highly. You can live wherever you like, work whenever you feel like it.

Learn how to turn photography into a portable career that can support you wherever you live or travel.

MatadorU Travel Photography Course is based on 12 chapters of rigorous coursework, including lessons, recommended reading, and weekly assignments critiqued by editors and peers in Photo Labs. As with their Travel Writing program, graduates have ongoing access to the forums and new modules.

Learn more about it here

Coaching

Life coaching is a growing field, and expats and finding it meets all the criteria for a worthwhile and rewarding portable career. Get your training and certification from the International Coach Academy.

Enroll in the Certified Professional Coach Program before November 30 and save 22%.

Click here for more information about International Coach Academy’s course.

Websites

How to Write Your Own Money-Making Websites. Not exactly blogging and not exactly a corporate website, learn how to create a content-rich site that provides an ongoing income — in just a few hours per week.

The traditional approach to savings and retirement doesn’t work anymore.
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photo by djlicious on flickr

Here at Future Expats Forum, we focus on two main topics: portable careers and what I call “prepping the move.”

Prepping the move is anything you have to do to prepare for moving overseas, from getting rid of stuff you don’t want to move or store, to telling your friends and family your plans, to arranging the sale or rental of your current home.

It also includes more general considerations, like how to determine where you want to move, whether to learn the language in your new country, and technology that can help you along your way.

At the conference I attended recently in Orlando, Live and Invest Overseas publisher Kathleen Peddicord divided “prepping the move” into seven categories:

1. Planning and getting your finances into shape
2. Buying (or not buying) property
3. Visas and residency
4. Funding your new life (where I spoke about Portable Careers)
5. Taxes
6. Health Care
7. Nuts and bolts of getting established overseas

Here at Future Expats, we talk mostly about #1, #2, #4 and #6.

Financial planning, of course, is very important. It costs money to move and to get set up in your new home, so no matter how much you figure you’ll save once you’re there, you need funds to move yourself. And, if you’re retired and planning to live on investments, pensions and the like, you need a realistic budget.

Other kinds of planning involve questions like:

• Where will you move to
• What’s your time frame
• Will you move household goods
• If not, what will you do with them
• Will you learn the language before you go
• How will you handle your day-to-day expenses and other administrative tasks in your new country
• How will you handle any remaining administrative tasks in your home country
• What kinds of technology will help you stay in touch, work, or take care of administrative tasks
• What about schools for the kids, if you still have children at home

There are many more items that could go on this list.

Along with Health Care, these are the basics of what I include under the broad heading of “Prepping the Move.” I don’t get into taxes, visas and residency — there are plenty of experts in those areas to consult.

Here are some links that will take you to popular articles on Prepping the Move.

Narrowing your Country Search
Health Care
Learning the Language
Technology
Househhold Goods
Selling, Renting or Buying a Home
Quality of Life

And, of course, if you’re looking for something not on this list, you can always search the site using the Search box in the upper right-hand corner.

Are there other elements of Prepping the Move you’d like to see here? Let me know in the Comments

photo by Katie Tegtmeyer on flickr

While you’re reading this, I’ll be at the Live and Invest Overseas Conference in Orlando, FL. It’s an intensive, three-day get together where we’ll talk about the 20 best countries to retire to, along with sessions on the practical issues of relocating to and living in a new country.

I’ll be reporting to you next week about the conference, but for today I thought I’d share with you some thoughts about when easy isn’t necessarily best.

Guest post by Lee Harrison

I retired abroad almost 10 years ago. And since then, I’ve re-retired and relocated a few more times, just to continue the adventure I started back in 2001.

I’ve accumulated a large body of personal knowledge about where to retire … and how to evaluate retirement destinations.

When choosing the easiest places in the world to retire, IL talks about criteria like being English-friendly. . . ease of travel and proximity to the US…availability of rentals…a strong social infrastructure, with a well-organized expat community. . . climate. . . healthcare.

So taking all that into account, I’ve arrived at the world’s easiest place to retire for North Americans. It’s Arkansas. I’m serious.

If “easy” were your overriding criteria in choosing a destination, I think Arkansas could be great. It offers loads of English-speakers, warm and friendly people, beautiful mountains, broad rivers, access to good health care, a low cost of living, and excellent infrastructure.

But if you wanted to retire to Arkansas, I doubt you’d be reading this e-letter.

What’s wrong with Arkansas? I say: It’s too familiar. While it’s easy, comfortable and affordable to go there, it’s too similar to our cultural norm to offer the excitement and adventure I think most folks considering a retirement overseas hope to find when moving abroad.

And the same holds true for many overseas destinations that are easy places to retire to. The easier they are, the more like Arkansas they tend to be. If you have lots of English-speakers, Walmart, Burger King, a large expat group and U.S. Cable TV, then retiring there may be easy. But a year later, it may not feel like much of an adventure anymore.

Now does that mean I think you should consider only destinations I’d categorize as “hard?” No. But you should consider that an offshore destination’s “easiness” offers most of its advantage during the settling in period. . . the time when you’re hooking up the utilities, finding a dry cleaner, and don’t know how to say “screwdriver” in a foreign language.

In my experience, once you’re settled, “ease” is less important. The wonder, awe, and adventure of your new land become more important. And the more unfamiliar your surroundings are, the more adventure and excitement you’ll feel. The most-successful expats I know didn’t necessarily become successful because they went to “easy” places.

They’re successful because they went overseas prepared, with reasonable expectations, and with a sense of adventure.

Things like language study, learning the culture and prepping yourself on issues like visas and legal matters will do wonders for your ease of integration. Any retirement destination can be easy if you’re well prepared…while most can be difficult if you’re not.

Reasonable expectation is important because it’s tempting to build a false picture in your mind about what life in a foreign land is like. Then if you don’t see what you’ve come to expect, you could be disappointed. A number of advance visits will help keep your expectations real.

Your sense of adventure, however, is probably your most important ally. It allows you to laugh at and surmount almost any obstacle. By contrast, if you rely too heavily on “ease,” you may find yourself at a loss.

Remember that adventure, by its nature, is the antithesis of “easy.” I recently met an expat couple living in a small, local town on Nicaragua’s central coast. The infrastructure is shaky, they’re the only English-speakers, and the nearest supermarket is over an hour away. They’re one of the most well-adjusted and happiest couples I’ve met abroad. . . even though their destination is anything but “easy.”

On the other hand, I also visited a well-known expat destination, where English is widespread, and many live in planned communities filled with North Americans. Here I met a handful of guys who spend most of their time complaining.

In the first example, both members of the expat couple were classic adventure seekers.

In the second, the expats sought familiarity. . . and what they found came up short.

We’re all different when we move abroad. Our dreams are different. . . and the places that make us happy abroad will span the spectrum of the globe. What’s more, the perfect place for each of us may change over time, as we grow and evolve.

In my view, the “right” place needn’t necessarily be “easy,” as long as it’s a place that’s familiar enough to let you get your feet on the ground…but different enough to allow you to face each day with anticipation of adventure, excitement, and wonder.

Lee Harrison has been living in South America, and writing about it, for 10 years. He’s resided in Ecuador, Uruguay, Brazil, and Colombia — so far. You can catch up with Lee and read more of what he’s written here.

What do you think? Do you want an easy retirement, or one that challenges you all the time? Let me know in the Comments!

“Why do you feel moving outside the US is the only option you have?” an online acquaintance inquired recently.

The answer to that question feels so painfully obvious to me that I had to really stop and think about it.

If you’ve been thinking about living abroad and you’re not sure whether it makes sense for you in your individual financial circumstances, here’s some food for thought. (I’m talking specifically to my readers in the US here.)

Now, let me be clear. If your income covers your expenses and leaves you with something left over, if your savings, 401(K), IRA and investments are growing every month, I’m not really talking to you. (Although you might be interested in some information here to help you protect those assets. . .)

If you’re still reading, you probably fall into one of two groups. Statistically, I’m on pretty safe ground with that assumption.

1. You’re scraping by. You’re not getting deeper into debt, but you’re not getting ahead either. One unexpected expense is likely to demolish your savings or tip you into debt.
2. You’re sinking. Your money runs out before the end of the month, your savings are depleted, and you’re starting to worry about keeping up with your basic living expenses like rent or mortgage, car payments, or maybe even food.

If you’re in either one of these situations, you have only two choices if you want to turn your financial life around. You can

• Increase your incomeIf this were easy, everyone would be doing it and the middle class would be growing, not shrinking. Opportunities to find better paying work are very limited right now. Starting a business takes money and time. You could start a business or add a part-time job to your full-time job, but some employers are firing moonlighting employees.Let’s say you’re able to add a part-time job that keeps you afloat. How long can you sustain that kind of work schedule? How long can you do it while keeping your family intact and yourself healthy?If you’re already retired, you can’t increase your Social Security or pension check.
• Reduce your expensesIf you own a home, steps you can take to reduce your expenses while living there are limited. (Since selling property takes so long these days, downsizing or selling to rent someplace smaller aren’t great options for the short term.)You can do your own yardwork or housework if you’ve been paying someone else, you can cut back on what you spend for clothing, eating out and entertainment, you can reduce or eliminate Cable TV.Once you’ve made those reductions, what’s left? Perhaps you live in a city with good public transportation and you can get rid of a car, but most Americans don’t.

  Then what? Cut out your health insurance? You’ll be in good company — according to Bloomberg, there were 52 million of us, as of last March.

So let’s say you’ve cut your expenses to the bone, and you’ve found a way to increase your income through a job change or adding part-time work. What sort of life do you have left?

Is it a life that nourishes you and makes you happy? Does it bring your family closer together? Does it enhance your vibrant good health?

Probably not so much. . .

If you’re a regular reader, you know the financial downturn in ’09 pretty much wiped us out. We believe living overseas is the only viable option to salvage our finances and improve our quality of life. Here’s why.

Quality of Life

Quality of life is extremely subjective. It involves some tangibles — decent housing, food, clothing, transportation, health care — and a lot of intangibles. Our quality of life if we stay will be more of what it’s been in the past 2-1/2 years — lousy.

If we go, our financial stress will be greatly reduced or even gone. Because we’re choosing a place where the pace of life is slower, overall stress should be way down, too. That can only improve our quality of life.

Many expats find their health improves as well, and we’re hopeful that will be true for us. They’re able to lose some unwanted pounds without effort, and fresh fruit and vegetables are abundant and cheap. Medical care is hugely less expensive.

It’s true that we’ll be farther away from family. Our kids have all left the nest and the Central Florida area. We have three in New England, one in New York and one in California. All pretty much an airplane ride away now, and after we move. My parents are both gone, but my husband’s folks are still with us. They live about 500 miles away now, and we may need to make some emergency trips to the US.

Income

Currently we have income from three sources: my husband’s job, my freelance writing and blogging, and — for the past few months — his Social Security check. After we move, we’ll still have about 2/3 of our current income. He’ll be looking for ways to generate some income after we move as well.

Monthly Expenses

If we go, we are pretty well assured that the tangible part of the equation will be much less expensive. (Of course, we’re only looking at moving to places where these costs are low. Japan, Singapore and Abu Dhabi are not on our list.) The cost of living overseas, for us, will be about a third of what we’re paying now.

So with our income reduced by about 35% and cost of living reduced about 180%,
we’ll have some funds left for some of the intangibles that improve quality of life — entertainment, travel, doctor visits, things like that.

Obviously, you need to consider the cost of the move itself. Airline tickets, cost of shipping goods overseas, maybe staying in temporary (more expensive) housing until you find a longer-term rental, all add up.

In our case, we figure we’ll recoup the cost of moving ourselves and our beloved dogs within about four months of lower-cost living in Panama. After that, we can start paying down some credit card balances that have crept up over the past couple of years.

If we stay here, over that same four-month period, we’ll — at best — tread water financially.

Do your own math — you may be surprised at the answer you come up with.

Are you already living abroad? How do your expenses and quality of life compare with what you expected?