Rainelda Mata-Kelly is one of the most qualified legal experts I’ve ever met in Panama, and today she shares her insights with us on doing Panama right. It’s Rainelda Mata-Kelly on this edition of Finding Your Overseas Paradise.

Editor’s Note: Learn more about Panama and other countries in our daily postcard e-letter. Sign up for IL’s free daily postcards here and we’ll send you a FREE REPORT — Panama: First World Convenience at Third World Prices.

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That can be complicated even for those who live in the States, but for expats living abroad, properly filing your taxes takes on a whole new dimension.

I’m Dan Prescher for International Living, and this week I’m talking to Nick Hodges—a guy who specializes in helping U.S. expats navigate the minefield of rules and regulations and properly file their taxes no matter where in the world they live or what their financial situation is.

Nick cuts his professional teeth on the taxes of global corporate executives, and he’s recently started bringing his expertise to International Living conferences… with rave reviews from folks from all walks of life who appreciate some qualified help cutting through the jungle of expat taxes.

Nick and I talk about the T word on this episode of Finding Your Overseas Paradise.

Editor’s Note: Don’t pay a cent more in taxes than you need to. Understand the filing rules for overseas Americans, and you could save yourself hundreds—even thousands—of dollars this year. Find out more here.

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His new book tells the stories of 10 successful entrepreneurs making their dreams come true in Mendoza’s beautiful wine country right now, and the lessons he takes from their stories will inspire anyone thinking of starting a business abroad. David shares his story with us on this episode of Finding Your Overseas Paradise.

Editor’s Note: If you’d like to learn more about ways you can pay for your life or travels overseas, sign up for Fund Your Life Overseas, a free e-letter from International Living. Sign up here and we’ll send you a free report: Fund Your New Life Overseas With These 5 Portable Careers.

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In fact, Jason can work from anywhere he has an Internet connection…which at the moment is a hotel in Cambodia for $13 dollars a night. But if you think he’s roughing it, you’re going to be surprised. It’s a fascinating story, and Jason shares it with us on this episode of Finding Your Overseas Paradise.

As Jason’s story so clearly shows, the Internet has changed everything. Finding a portable career that allows you to live, work, or retire anywhere you choose has become so much easier thanks to the instant connectivity found throughout most of the world today.

Jason specializes in freelance writing, so his career choice was obvious, but even careers that you wouldn’t have thought to be transportable just a few years ago are becoming more common on the Internet: consulting, sales, copyediting, proofreading, mentoring, research… all are fields that, with a little training, preparation, and determination, can be taken on the road and done from the beach or mountaintop of your choice.

The trick is finding what you like, what you’re good at, and translating it into a service that you can offer from the comfort of your laptop… and you’d be amazed at how many and what kinds of careers qualify. Learn more here about taking your own transportable career on the road with you here to the second home or retirement destination of your dreams here.

Editor’s note: If you’d like to learn more about flexible, work-anywhere ways you can pay for your life overseas, sign up for Fund Your Life Overseas, a free e-letter from International Living. Sign up here and we’ll send you a free report: Fund Your New Life Overseas With These 4 Portable Careers.

Tuey’s deep knowledge of legal issues throughout Latin America has made her a favorite speaker at International Living conferences and seminars, and this week we catch up with Tuey at her home near El Transito, Nicaragua on this edition of Finding your Overseas Paradise.

Nicaragua is usually misunderstood by most people, which is why forward-thinking investors can find some of the best real estate deals in Latin America in this country. For the record, this country is not in the midst of a civil war…and it’s not a Communist state. It has, however, suffered from a serious case of bad press.

The cost of living, for example, is a fraction of what you’re accustomed to back home. You can employ a full-time maid here for about $100 per month. You can see a movie for $2…and get your hair cut for $1.25. Two people can have an excellent meal, including a good bottle of wine, for less than $20.

Plus, the tax burden is very light.

Put it all together, and you have a retirement or second-home option that deserves to be on the radar screen of any expat looking for an affordable and beautiful place to live or invest.

Editor’s note: Learn more about Nicaragua and other countries in our daily postcard e-letter. Simply sign up for IL’s free postcards and we’ll send you a FREE REPORT- Start a New Life on the Beach in Nicaragua.

In fact, Jack is our neighbor in Cotacachi, where my wife, Suzan Haskins, and I have lived for several years now. It’s comes as no surprise to us that Jack and Debbie have found a way to make public service and community involvement just as big part of their new lives in Ecuador as it was for them back in the States.

We talk to Jack about this new adventure and how they’ve made themselves at home high up in the Andes on this edition of Finding Your Overseas Paradise.

With a total population of just 7,000 people, Cotacachi, Ecuador is a surprisingly vibrant and forward-looking community that blends the best of Ecuador’s indigenous culture with an interest in community development.

This combination makes Cotacachi one of the most charming, peaceful, and well-managed towns in the region, and its fame as a center for leather crafts brings visitors and shoppers from all over the world to sample its wares.

Just 90 minutes from Ecuador’s historic capital of Quito, Cotacachi combines the best of small-town living with proximity to world-class services, shopping, and transportation infrastructure. Put it all together, and it’s no wonder that Cotacachi makes the list of many expats and retirees looking for safe, affordable, and healthy living outside the U.S. and Canada.

Ecuador has just been named as International Living’s top retirement haven for the third year running. You can read the full article here.

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Editor’s Note: Ecuador’s low costs and great quality of life creates options you just don’t have in most other places. That’s why International Living is soon hosting its first event in five years focused exclusively on Ecuador. Get your advance notice details here.

If you think that she might have relaxed a bit after her Peace Corps days, you’d be sorely mistaken… Donna has so many irons in the fire that it’s hard to count them all… and that’s good news for other expats in the lovely colonial town of Granada, because Donna always has some way for them to keep busy AND give back to the community she’s made her home.

We catch up with Donna and get her expert advice on living, working, and getting the most out of living abroad in this edition of Finding Your Overseas Paradise.

Granada is just one of the many locations in Nicaragua that expats have been exploring, investing, and living in for retirement, vacations, or second homes.

The colonial charms of Granada compete with the beautiful surf beaches of San Juan del Sur, the northern colonial ambiance of Leon, the bustling city life of Managua, and the largely undeveloped Atlantic beaches along Nicaragua’s eastern coast.

Nicaragua is one of the most affordable retirement and second home destinations in Latin America, and with such a wealth of different locations to choose from, Nicaragua is fast rising on the radar for retirees and home buyers looking for affordable and comfortable lives abroad.

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Editor’s note: Learn more about Nicaragua and other countries in our daily postcard e-letter. Simply sign up for IL’s free postcards and we’ll send you a FREE REPORT- Start a New Life on the Beach in Nicaragua.

It’s a big territory, and Mike handles it while pursuing his personal love of music and motorcycles. And he has some great advice for anyone who’s looking to follow the same expat path… it’s all in our interview with Mike on this episode of Finding Your Overseas Paradise.

Coastal Ecuador spans almost 1,400 miles

Ecuador’s Pacific Coast stretches from Esmeraldas in the north to Machala in the south and spans almost 1,400 miles. Along the way, you’ll find everything from burgeoning coastal resorts, tiny fishing, craft, and farming villages, and the country’s largest city, Guayaquil. The weather is tropical, and so is the laid-back and slow-moving attitude of the people.

Much of Ecuador’s most desirable beachfront real estate lies between the coastal resort city of Salinas and the Caribbean-style town of Esmeraldas.

Along this stretch of coast, you’ll find rocky cliffs, pristine beaches, secluded coves, and magnificent vistas. The booming port city of Manta divides the coast roughly into northern and southern sections.

On the southern coast, the resorts of Playas and Salinas share the distinction of being the closest beach towns to an international airport at Guayaquil. Both feature safe beaches, high-rise condos, good restaurants, and lively nightlife.

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Editor’s note: The Live and Invest in Ecuador Seminar 2011 in November is International Living’s first event in five years dedicated 100% to Ecuador. And it will be our only Ecuador event of the next 12 months. That’s why we’re packing it full of everything you’ll need to find out exactly how you can find the life of your dreams in Ecuador. Full Seminar details here.

Sarah is also a people person, which makes her one of our favorite attendees at International Living conferences and seminars. Sarah may live the ideal life of a retired globetrotter, but she’s not retired… the world is her business. She’s not easy to catch up with, but we do just that on this edition of Finding Your Overseas Paradise.

Sarah’s home base in Coronado, Panama, but she started her career investing in real estate in Canada. Through International Living she then started real estate investing in Latin America. Her most recent real estate investment was in Medellin, Colombia, where she just bought two penthouse apartments there.

Editor’s Note: Learn more about how you can become a global real estate investor here.

Currently she’s living in a World Heritage city by the sea, Campeche, but she’s soon going to see what life is like in Mexico’s central highlands. All of this while she’s spending the summer in Spain. It’s not hard to see why Glynna describes herself as a “serial relocator” and we catch up with her in this edition of Finding Your Overseas Paradise.

Reports are that approximately one million Americans live in Mexico. While it’s hard to verify that number, it’s not hard to imagine that it’s true. Some are working, of course, for U.S., Mexican, or other foreign corporations. You’ll find them in cities like Mexico City, Monterrey, Merida, Campeche (where Glynna currently lives) and Queretaro.

Snowbirds in Mexico

Some live in Mexico part-time…spending winter months in vacation homes, where the weather is always warm and the cervezas are always cold.

Many expats in Mexico, however, have moved there to enjoy their retirement years. They live in Mexico full-time and enjoy better weather, a more relaxed lifestyle, and a host of other benefits—including affordable top-quality health care and a much lower overall cost of living.

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Editor’s Note: Learn more about Mexico and other countries from around the world in our free daily postcards. Simply sign up for these free postcards here and we’ll send you a free special report – Why Millions of Americans Are Moving to Mexico.

What is it about Merida that draws so much attention from expats, young and old? Mérida was called “exotic and cheap” when it was profiled in the first-ever issue of International Living in 1980.

Thirty-one years later that’s still true. Mérida offers a low cost of living and real estate prices ranging from $60,000 for a small fixer-upper in the central historic district to less than $400,000 for a 6,000-square-foot colonial mansion with all the bells and whistles…and completely furnished.

What has changed, though, is that back in 1980, the most convenient route to Mérida from the U.S. was through a newly-built resort town called Cancún, four hours to the east. Today, with its own international airport, Mérida and its nearly 900,000 inhabitants and nearby Gulf Coast beaches is a destination all its own, and more easily accessible than ever.

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Now their restaurant, Rumfish, is one of the most popular on the peninsula, and they’re busy raising their daughter who was actually born in Belize.

It’s a story that will inspire anyone who has ever thought of owning their own business in a tropical paradise (in fact, John and Pamela found it easier to open a business in Belize than in New York) and they share their experience with us on this edition of Finding Your Overseas Paradise.

Once you visit Placencia, it’s not hard to see why it captures the hearts of so many expats like John and Pamela. The village of Placencia itself is a charming little place that reminds many people of the U.S. in the 1950s… people wave hello and stop to chat in the street, and the pace of life is slow and easy.

For many retirees, the simplicity of life in Placencia (and Belize) is a real draw. But that doesn’t mean that Placencia is backward…in fact, a new road and improved electricity infrastructure has inspired a mini-boom in residential developments, some of which are very upscale.

But it seems that in Placencia, they’re striking a wise balance between development and preserving the relaxed and friendly way of life that makes this village such a draw to begin with. For both retirement and investment, Placencia is in a special class by itself.

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Editor’s note: Placencia is one of the places covered in IL’s new Blueprint for a New Life in Belize. This new product is a virtual boots-on-the-ground walk-through of the best opportunities that Belize offers right now. Find out more here.

Each winter they headed for warmer weather…until they realized that they could just stay where it was summer all year round…and rearrange their tax situation to let them build their nest egg much faster than they could back home.

They embarked on a Caribbean odyssey that led to Ambergris Caye in Belize, and they tell us how they got there and what their lives are like on this idyllic tropical island in this edition of Finding Your Overseas Paradise.

A growing number of Canadian, U.S., and other expats are looking at retirement and second home options in Belize, the only Central American country with English as an official language.

In this podcast you’ll hear how Paul and Kelly:

• Save on taxes by moving their business to Belize, thereby speeding up the process of saving for their retirement
• Enjoy year-round good weather
• Why they are happy with the health care in Belize
• How they ended up on Ambergris Caye
• How property is so much cheaper than back home in Canada
• Why they love living in the Caribbean
• What it’s like to start a business in Belize

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Scott and Nancy now serve what some people call the best cheeseburgers in paradise at Scotty’s Bar & Grill in Corozal, Belize. Scotty’s is a popular place where locals and expats meet and socialize. It’s a family affair, and Nancy Rifenbark tells us what it’s like to run one of the most popular gathering places in northern Belize in this edition of Finding Your Overseas Paradise.

Corozal is the northern most of Belize’s six districts and shares a border with Quintana Roo State in Mexico.

Corozal: A favorite with expats

Corozal Town is the district’s capital, and while English is the official language of Belize, Spanish is also spoken thanks to years of immigration from, and contact with, Mexico.

Corozal Town sits on the shores of the Bay of Chetumal, which connects directly to the Caribbean, but offers calmer water to the towns and villages surrounding the bay.

Long a favorite with expats, Belize in general and Corozal in particular are favorites with North Americans looking to retire or live full- or part-time and enjoy good weather, a relaxed lifestyle, and a lower cost of living. The fact that the official language of Belize is English also helps this little Caribbean country rank high with expats.

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Gary and Kate chose to settle in Merida in part because it is one of the most popular destinations in Mexico for expats, retired or otherwise, and there are many reasons why.

Merida is hot in the summer, which is the perfect to go to the nearby beach at Progreso or hop in the pool. But even during the summer evenings in Merida are delightful …and the rest of the year, both daytime and night time weather in Merida is ideal. The city is remarkably clean and well maintained, and although it’s only half an hour from the ocean, it’s far enough inland that strong winds and corrosive salt air aren’t a problem.

Merida also has an international airport with regular direct flights to Miami, Houston and Mexico City. It’s a relatively easy Latin American city to drive in, and taxis and buses cost from just a few cents to a few dollars and go almost anywhere you want…including to suburbs where you will find Home Depot, Office Max, Sam’s Club, Wal-Mart, Costco, and several huge shopping malls. Or stay put in the historic district where traditional shops, ice cream parlors, and local restaurants are within easy walking distance.

A lower your cost of living in Merida

Like anyplace, you can spend as much as you like in Merida…there are terrific shopping, eating, and entertainment options. But when you factor in vastly lower taxes and health care costs, lower labor costs for household help, three- and four-dollar meals at local restaurants, and the virtually free entertainment of people watching at the plazas, dancing to live outdoor concerts almost every night of the week, or playing in the surf at the nearby beach town of Progreso, your monthly budget can be up to 50% less than it was in the States.

And best of all, Merida is unique, even among Mexican cities. Its culture is a historic combination of European, Caribbean and Maya Indian influences that guarantees that you’re always fascinated by some aspect of life here…not to mention being in the center of what is probably the largest concentration of magnificent Maya ruins to be found anywhere.

You can make day trips to Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Dzibilchaltun, and other major sites, and discover great little local restaurants for lunch in the bargain. Cuban influence is also high here, and that adds spice to the city’s music and nightlife.

If you’re thinking about living the expat life like Gary and Kate, Merida has just about everything you’re looking for.

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But being raised in Mexico City and writing extensively about the Caribbean, and Belize in particular, has also given Don a unique insight into the benefits of living abroad.

His journalism background and his travel experience combined to make him the logical choice for updating the Belize Owner’s Manual for International Living, and today I talk with Don about what makes Belize such a special place and how he’d compare it to living in Costa Rica, on this edition of Finding Your Overseas Paradise.

Editor’s Note: The Belize Owner’s Manual will be available to buy soon. Sign up for International Living’s free daily postcards and be the first to hear when it’s available.

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Find out more here about IL’s upcoming Costa Rica event.

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Editor’s Note: Join us this February in Cancun to learn everything you need to know about Mexico and the 14 other countries that offer you the best lifestyle and investment opportunities right now. At IL’s upcoming Ultimate Event we’d like you to come with a dream and leave with a plan. Book your place or learn more here.

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It’s a job that keeps this native of County Cork, Ireland on the road more often than not, and that’s a level of personal involvement that the readers of his Real Estate Trend Alert really appreciate. He’s the man who finds them the deals, and he’s here to tell us how he does it on this edition of Finding Your Overseas Paradise.

Editor’s Note: Ronan McMahon is the director of Pathfinder (IL’s preferred real estate advertiser). Join him and a team of property experts in Toronto next month, at the International Real Estate Investment Forum.

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Editor’s Note: In Panama you can have it all: a genuinely cosmopolitan capital city with one of the world’s largest financial districts…hundreds of miles of spectacular beaches…highland retreats with green valleys where the weather is spring-like, even at this time of year. For these reasons and more, we’re going to Panama in April—pick up a ticket to join us.

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Editor’s note: If Panama has your attention now, then join us April 13-16 for the Live and Invest in Panama Seminar. You’ll discover everything you need to know about this country. Full details about the Seminar (and the big discount that expires Monday) available here.

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Editor’s note: Learn more about Costa Rica and other countries in our daily postcard e-letter. Sign up for IL’s free daily postcards here and we’ll send you a FREE report - Why Are Americans Still Flocking to Costa Rica.

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Editor’s Note: Like Dan and Suzan, you too can make your retirement dreams a lavish reality for a small fraction of what a comparable lifestyle would cost you back home. We’d like to show you how fun and easy it really can be. Learn more about finding your own overseas paradise in International Living’s monthly magazine.

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