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By Lisa Leuthesser,
Stephen Harris, a reporter from the Overseas Property Professionals magazine contacted us recently for our opinion on the election of President Martinelli and its impact on Panama's economy in general and the real estate market in particular. Below are some of his questions and our answers:
Q. How do you think the election of President Martinelli will effect Panama’s standing in the business world? Are investors likely to see the country differently?
Happenings in Latin America and The Caribbean
Information and resources for all those who want to Live abroad, travel abroad, invest abroad, retire abroad.
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Jul 21
2009
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By Patrick Osio,Taking a vacation,high crime city, Mexico, Mexico Real Estate, Baja, Baja California, Patrick Osio,Tijuana
You're planning a vacation trip; you want to stay relatively close to home, no overseas travel, not this year. Maybe Mexico or in the U.S. – but it has to be affordable and with plenty to do. So you’re reading about some cities. You find one of interest, but on reading other information lo and behold you find that the chances of becoming a crime victim in that city are 1 out of 4 – a whopping 25% chance of being a crime victim. That ended that city as a destination.
You're planning a vacation trip; you want to stay relatively close to home, no overseas travel, not this year. Maybe Mexico or in the U.S. – but it has to be affordable and with plenty to do. So you’re reading about some cities. You find one of interest, but on reading other information lo and behold you find that the chances of becoming a crime victim in that city are 1 out of 4 – a whopping 25% chance of being a crime victim. That ended that city as a destination.
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Jul 14
2009
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Jul 14
2009
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Mexico, Mexico Real Estate, Retire in Style South of the Border, Mexico Retirement, Retirement Destinations, Baby Boomers
“Baja (California) Media Analysis,” prepared by Scott Hanning and Jeffrey Werner, Emerson Strategic Communication Group, for (Playas de Rosarito) Mayor Hugo Torres; Emerson Communication Group: Charmiant Corrado, Scott Hanning, Rob Rykowski, Jeffrey Werner and Professor Gregory Payne; Emerson College, Boston, MA
Executive Summary: Through selective reporting, presenting information without context and insufficient analysis, U.S. media outlets have helped perpetuate the mistaken perception that Mexico, including all of Baja California, is a “drug war crisis zone” unsafe for visitors. The net result is the conflation of President Felipe Calderón’s campaign against the drug cartels with tourism in the minds of millions of ordinary Americans, who have chosen to travel elsewhere or stay home. Media coverage of the drug war crisis has thus spawned a second, equally urgent one: Rosarito Beach’s economy, like those of other areas almost entirely dependent on American tourism, has suffered a devastating revenue decline of more than 75%.
Executive Summary: Through selective reporting, presenting information without context and insufficient analysis, U.S. media outlets have helped perpetuate the mistaken perception that Mexico, including all of Baja California, is a “drug war crisis zone” unsafe for visitors. The net result is the conflation of President Felipe Calderón’s campaign against the drug cartels with tourism in the minds of millions of ordinary Americans, who have chosen to travel elsewhere or stay home. Media coverage of the drug war crisis has thus spawned a second, equally urgent one: Rosarito Beach’s economy, like those of other areas almost entirely dependent on American tourism, has suffered a devastating revenue decline of more than 75%.
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Jul 08
2009
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Austin is a Best Boomer Town on Talk Radio Show Voice America Noon PT and 2:00 pm CT Thursday, July 9
Best Boomer Towns gives an inside perspective on the best places to relocate or retire in the U.S. Each week publisher and talk show host Nancy Shonka Padberg will highlight one of the 21 towns with special guests, local executives and boomers who live, work and play there.
This week we highlight Austin for our Best Boomer Town. Interviewing guests M.E. Cook, Austin Realtor, and special guest Luis Miranda, President Boomersabroad.com Austin is known as the Music Capital of the World and for their high concentration of brain power. It is also an active area with rolling hills, hiking, golfing and culture.
Tune in each Thursday at Noon PST, 2 PM CT on the Voice America Variety Channel to start planning the best rest of your life. www.voiceamerica.com
http://bestboomertowns.com
Voice America is the world leader in internet streaming radio with over 3 million listeners per month.
This week we highlight Austin for our Best Boomer Town. Interviewing guests M.E. Cook, Austin Realtor, and special guest Luis Miranda, President Boomersabroad.com Austin is known as the Music Capital of the World and for their high concentration of brain power. It is also an active area with rolling hills, hiking, golfing and culture.
Tune in each Thursday at Noon PST, 2 PM CT on the Voice America Variety Channel to start planning the best rest of your life. www.voiceamerica.com
http://bestboomertowns.com
Voice America is the world leader in internet streaming radio with over 3 million listeners per month.
LISTEN > THURSDAY, JULY 9 at 12.00 PT
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Jul 06
2009
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Americans for Medicare in Mexico, A.C. (AMMAC) is a legally chartered Mexican non-profit organization based in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. AMMAC was formed in April, 2009, in order to coordinate a campaign to obtain U.S. Congressional authorization for a Medicare Demonstration Project, benefitting eligible seniors residing in Mexico.
AMMAC is urging expatriates to write to their elected representatives and senators with their personal health-care stories. “They have constituents living in Mexico whose votes count,” Paul Crist, founder and presdient of Americans for Medicare in Mexico (AMMAC), points out in a recent newsletter. Senators and congressmen need to hear from their constituents “to understand this is an important issue,” Crist says. Crist’s newsletter and AMMAC’s website contains a sample letter to cut and paste, as well as a list of congressional offices that the organization has already visited, along with the email of a staff person who is aware of the Medicare issue. Links to a full list of elected officials is also available on the site, www.MedicareinMexico.org.
AMMAC is calling for a limited-scale Medicare experimental project in Mexico and believes it will be successful for three main reasons:
1. Medicare savings will result due to significantly lower health care costs in Mexico.
2. There will be improved health outcomes for seniors in Mexico, who are likely to access care earlier when symptoms arise and have more frequent preventative examinations and care.
3. The project will stimulate and enhance improvements already underway in certain sectors of the Mexican health provider sector.
Besides being an issue of cost savings for the Medicare Program, there is an issue of fairness. Eligible seniors living in Mexico have paid into the Medicare program through payroll deductions for their entire working lives. Yet, due to their decision to retire in Mexico, they are unable to access the services for which they have paid.
One might argue that moving to Mexico was a choice, and a consequence of that choice is foregoing benefits paid by a U.S. government program. But in many cases, that "choice" is almost an economic necessity. In a survey conducted by a team led by Dr. David Warner, Professor of Public Health Policy at the University of Texas, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Policy, it was found that the lower cost of living is the primary reason seniors choose to move to Mexico. The median income for a retired couple living full time in Mexico is $35,000 per year. There are few places in the U.S. where $35,000 is sufficient for a comfortable lifestyle, while in Mexico that sum is quite adequate.
Further to the fairness issue, the University of Texas survey found that 63% of seniors living in Mexico had worked in the U.S. for 31 years or more. These people have paid a lot of money into the Medicare system!
Most seniors living in Mexico continue to maintain their Medicare coverage. 60% are enrolled in Medicare Part A, the traditional coverage for inpatient hospital care, and 50% pay monthly premiums for Medicare Part B, which covers outpatient medical care expenses including doctor's fees. Smaller numbers of seniors have Medicare Parts C and D. Yet, in order to access the benefits for which they have paid, and in many cases continue to pay, they must travel back to the U.S.
Bringing Medicare to Mexico is primarily a political campaign. But rather than votes from the public, we need votes from Members of Congress. Getting those votes is never easy. Members of Congress must consider, debate, and vote over hundreds of issues every year. TO READ MORE ABOUT AMMAC Go to http://www.medicareinmexico.org
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Jul 01
2009
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Nicaragua: A Wonderful Retirement Lifestyle
by Jane A Moore
Baby boomers are starting to look at Central American real estate and in particular Nicaragua Real Estate as a desirable place to retire. And why not? Nicaragua, once riddled with civil unrest, has transformed into a beautiful, tranquil and affordable place to relax and enjoy life. There is quite literally something for everyone in beautiful Nicaragua.
by Jane A Moore
Baby boomers are starting to look at Central American real estate and in particular Nicaragua Real Estate as a desirable place to retire. And why not? Nicaragua, once riddled with civil unrest, has transformed into a beautiful, tranquil and affordable place to relax and enjoy life. There is quite literally something for everyone in beautiful Nicaragua.
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Jul 01
2009
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On July 1, 1867, Canada became a self-governing dominion of Great Britain and a federation of four provinces: Nova Scotia; New Brunswick; Ontario; and Quebec. The anniversary of this date was called Dominion Day until 1982. Since 1983, July 1 has been officially known as Canada Day.
Canada Day is celebrated in grand style in Ottawa, the nation's capital. Every year, tens of thousands of people flock to Parliament Hill to take part in the noon show with the Prime Minister, the Governor General and the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages. This year, Canada celebrates the 142nd anniversary of Confederation, and will also celebrate Canada's hosting of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. KEEP READING and watch the VIDEOS.
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Jun 27
2009
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By Carla White.
Returning Signs of Life in Baja Real Estate: Now’s the Time to Invest in the Coast
Some experts, like Marianne ‘Mimi’ Mills of Bajamar Premier Properties, are seeing returning signs of life in the recently booming Baja California real estate market. They say, ‘Now is the time to get in.’
“It’s as beautiful here as it ever was…and just as safe. The great part is that Baja California is more affordable right now than it has been in years. This is good news for people looking to pay less for vacation or retirement housing in an idyllic location that’s on or close to the Pacific Ocean and an easy drive to San Diego,” comments Mimi Mills, owner of Bajamar Premier Properties located at the Bajamar Golf Resort and Hotel. Mills, who has lived in Ensenada for more than 7 years, has been heartened in recent weeks to see renewed interest by visitors in real estate investment in the area.
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Jun 26
2009
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By Diane Lindquist, mexbiznews
Blame Mexico
Mexico's media image in the United States has taken a beating lately. Coverage of the outbreak of the deadly strain of swine flu and its focus on the country's raging narco-trafficking war in conjunction with the visit of President Barak Obama and members of his administration were presented as threats that were spreading across the border into the United States.
CNN and ABC underscored the possible danger to U.S. citizens, going so far as to seek out a San Diego County family that had been abducted and robbed on a Baja California toll road more than two years earlier. But they didn't include when the incident happened or that the alleged perpetrators were caught and security on the highway has been heightened.
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Jun 17
2009
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FOR DECADES , MEXICO HAS BEEN THE ANSWER FOR MANY AMERICANS, CANADIANS AND EUROPEANS WHEN THEY’VE NEEDED TO CHOOSE A SECOND HOME. TODAY, THE POSIBILITIES OFFERED BY THIS COUNTRY ARE BETTER AND MORE VARIED THAN EVER .
By Monica Lopez
By Monica Lopez
Everyone dreams of a second home, from young couples and families who wish to have a permanent holiday retreat, to baby boomers looking for a retirement haven. Choosing the location of the dream involves multiple factors, such as the value of the investment to be made, accessibility, safety, and ultimately, whether this will be a place to spend time comfortably, with all the necessary services, surrounded by like-minded people. The answer for many Americans, Canadians and Europeans, for several decades, has been Mexico. Today, the possibilities offered by this country are better and more varied than ever. Some of the reasons are obvious. The weather is a major pull factor for both Americans and Canadians who look for warmer latitudes during winter. These “snowbirds”, as they are affectionately known, spend four to six months of the year in Mexico, where they never have to put up with a blizzard or de-ice a car. By spending the rest of the year in their home countries, they can stay in touch with their families, handle business affairs and maintain their resident status.
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Jun 12
2009
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The port city of Manzanillo, Mexico may offer some excellent real estate investment opportunities for foreign investors looking for an alternative to Mexican tourist cities such as Cabo, Cancun and Puerto Vallarta. Real estate values in Manzanillo have been on the rise in recent years and will likely continue to increase as the city gains popularity with cruise lines, expatriates, and holidaymakers.
Located on the western coast of the state of Colima, Manzanillo City was home to 110,728 residents as of the 2005 Population and Housing Census. Manzanillo City is the municipal seat of the Manzanillo municipality. Copper and marble deposits can be found in the region, and a large portion of the municipality’s economy is founded on agriculture. Crops such as corn, sorghum and green chilies are grown, as well as cyclical crops such as watermelons, tomatoes, pumpkins and perennial crops such as mangoes and tamarind.
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Jun 08
2009
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by Denise in Placidway
A large percent of baby boomers (those between the ages of 45-65) are currently uninsured. Many who belong to this age group have lost their jobs due to aging, unemployment or downsizing and are no longer covered by affordable health care or insurance.
Traveling beyond local borders offers this group, more than any other demographic, the opportunity to pursue and receive premium healthcare, alternative treatments and travel, all at the same time. Boomers are leading the way to more affordable healthcare, seeking medical care overseas to address such needs as knee and hip replacement surgeries, cardiac care, and alternative treatments for chronic conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, orthopedic procedures, and dental care.
American boomers needing dental care and prescriptions often travel south of the border into Mexico or even as far as Brazil, Argentina, and Costa Rica for their needs. Dental procedures as well as medications in Latin American countries is less than half of what comparable procedures and medications cost in the United States. Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia are popular destinations for those needing hip or knee replacement surgeries. Europeans are making trips to Hungry and Poland for dental and cosmetic procedures at great savings, even after including the cost of travel and hotel or clinic accommodations.
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Email Marketing You Can TrustBoomers Abroad
BoomersAbroad.com was born in direct response to hundreds of conversations with baby boomers from the USA and Canada who were seeking a new life, and to better understand how they might live abroad, travel abroad, relocate abroad, retire abroad and/or invest abroad. Leading industry experts and many of those who have journeyed ahead will share their personal experiences and knowledge in a great variety of areas.
Boomers Living Abroad
The number of Americans and Canadians living abroad, by today's count approximately 7 million (according to The Washington Post), is twice the population of Chicago and greater than that of 33 U.S. States. A number that has grown steadily over the past decade, and it is expected to more than double within ten years. In the next 20 years, 100 million baby boomers, from the USA and Canada, are going to retire. Five million baby boomers turn age 60 each year, Ten Thousand per day, Eight per minute, and scores of them are purchasing property abroad as vacation homes or investment homes. Naturally, many of them are auditioning these homes for potential primary retirement residences.
Boomers Abroad Online Community
At BoomersAbroad.com online community members can ask experts their questions, create their own profiles, join groups of those who share their particular interests, create their own groups, make friends, upload photos, and have their own blogs, among other features. Using the online community model, our goal is to provide the necessary information, education, guidance, resources, tools and alternatives to start boomers down the path of discovering and understanding all that living, retiring and investing abroad has to offer.
