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Author: Lief Simon

06 Jan
Taking the most beneficial option under IRS regulations isn’t tax evasion. It’s using the rules to minimize your taxes burden.

Panama’s Recently Revoked Taxation Law

Last week, while we were all recovering from Christmas and preparing for New Year’s, the guy in charge of the tax department in Panama got an idea. “I know how to bring in more tax revenue,” this guy seems to have said to himself one morning. “I’ll change the country’s approach to taxation!” And in […]

02 Jan
Opportunity In Brazil

Opportunity In Brazil

The number of opportunities coming across my desk has increased dramatically lately. The global property marketplace is active right now, meaning we global property buyers have an interesting 2014 to look forward to. Most new opportunities coming on to my radar are agricultural, but one new development I’ve reviewed recently is residential. Not pre-construction residential […]

30 Dec
Top Property Investment Markets For 2014

Top Property Investment Markets For 2014

As the year comes to an end, I’m reviewing the 2013 investment plan I had for myself. On the list of countries I wanted to research and perhaps invest in last year were Ireland, the Philippines, Uruguay, and Peru. How did I do with the objectives I set out for this past year? I didn’t […]

19 Dec
managing your expectations

Managing Your Expectations When Living And Investing Offshore

The issue had to do with the mandatory insurance required with any car rental in Italy. The guy had bought insurance when he booked the car online through Orbitz (or whoever). However, he had bought Orbitz’s insurance, which didn’t include the mandatory local insurance. The guy’s response was, in short, too bad. His expectation was […]

16 Dec
Lifestyle Overseas

Lifestyle Overseas

My college Social Studies professor, a hyper dude who worked three jobs and lived off a quarter of his income so he could save the rest to build a children’s hospital, broke society down into nine categories. He referenced the typical lower, middle, and upper classes and then separated each of those categories further into […]

09 Dec
bitcoin

Bitcoin Investment

A reader chastised me a few months ago for not having reported on Bitcoin in this e-letter (or anywhere, for that matter). Of course, I’d heard about Bitcoin, but I hadn’t paid much attention to it…until the reader’s comment.Since then, I’ve taken a closer look. My conclusion? Tulipmania.In Amsterdam between November 1636 and February 1637, […]

05 Dec
Panama’s Gun Regulations

Panama’s Gun Regulations And Gun Permits For Expats

I finally received my permanent residency card for Panama last week through the “Specific Countries” visa program that President Martinelli authorized with an Executive Order issued in May 2012. At the time, I was in Panama on a reforestation investment visa that required five renewals before permanent residency. Five years from temporary to permanent residency […]

25 Nov
Taking the most beneficial option under IRS regulations isn’t tax evasion. It’s using the rules to minimize your taxes burden.

Offshore Tax-Filing

A U.S. friend trying to figure out his tax situation after moving overseas recently used the word “tiresome” to explain his position on U.S. taxes offshore. Specifically, he was referring to all the forms he now may or may not need to file. Does he meet the threshold for filing the FBAR and Form 8938? […]

18 Nov
Buying Real Estate Overseas For Profit

Buying Real Estate Overseas For Profit

“You tell us all the time, Lief, to ‘buy what we see.’ “But at the same time, you promote pre-construction investments. How does that make any sense?” one reader wondered this week. Perhaps I should adjust my mantra from “Buy what you see” to “Pay for what you see.” Taken literally, “Buy what you see” […]