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Month: March 2014

31 Mar
Lief Simon

How To Make Sure Your Investment Portfolio Is Truly Diversified

An attendee at the Belize conference earlier this month told me that, while he has traveled all over the globe and has friends in many different cities around the world, he had never, until this month’s event, considered buying real estate in another country. Despite this, he has what, until that point, he had considered […]

27 Mar
Banking And Asset Protection Structures In Belize

Banking And Asset Protection Structures In Belize

The small country of Belize nestled on the Caribbean coast of Mesoamerica doesn’t really fit in. Belizeans speak English, so they aren’t part of the Central American region culturally, and, as the country itself is tucked below Mexico on the Yucatan peninsula, Belize is not really part of Central America geographically either. European settlement in […]

24 Mar
Lief Simon

How To Choose An Offshore Bank

At last week’s Live and Invest in Belize Conference, I was able to catch up with Belize contacts and friends. I learned two specific things from my discussions and meetings that I think are worth passing along. The first is that Belize now requires all IBCs to confirm to their registered agents that they are […]

20 Mar
Lief Simon

Belize Remains A Top Offshore, Tax, And Banking Haven

He’s asked Kathleen Peddicord, therefore, to fill in for him today… My first trip to Belize, coming up on 30 years ago, was organized courtesy of the Belize Tourism Authority. I was a starting-out travel writer; the BTA was looking for press. This was well pre-“Survivor,” pre-“Temptation Island.” The only people who knew this tiny […]

17 Mar
Lief Simon

Self-Sufficiency In Cayo, Belize

The idea behind Maya Spring Estates is privacy and elbow room. The developer has allowed for only 20 lots, each one big enough to serve as a base for a fully self-sufficient lifestyle. Lot sizes range from 2.5 acres up to more than 9.5 acres, meaning you have enough room to build a house and […]

13 Mar
Lief Simon

Taxes And Import Duties On Vehicles Overseas

Singapore was dubbed the most expensive city in the world to live in last week by The Economist Intelligence Unit. That distinction is partly due to the fact that it’s extremely expensive to own a vehicle in this country. The cars themselves aren’t cheap, but it’s the cost of the right-to-own permit that really gets […]

10 Mar
Lief Simon

How To Buy And Profit From Real Estate Overseas

Many people think buying property in another country is a risk-filled quagmire that is too complicated to overcome. Certainly buying property in a location you’re not familiar with requires due diligence and research, but that’s true whether you’re living in Chicago and want to buy a lake house in Wisconsin or living in Chicago and […]

07 Mar
Lief Simon

Challenges Of Doing Business Offshore

This is Carnival week. Depending where in the world you find yourself, that’s more or less a big deal. Here in Panama, Carnaval (yes, they spell it with an “a”) is a very big deal. I managed to avoid the drinking, the loud music, and the up-all-night craziness by staying in Panama City. Most all […]