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 […]
I’ve been focused on agricultural land investments for some time, but, lately, I’ve launched an aggressive new search for new opportunities of this kind. I am more convinced than ever that productive land is the smartest place to be putting your money right now. It is also the best possible store of value and provides […]
Planting Flags I'm reviewing and clarifying my ideas related to the Five Flags theory of diversification in preparation for my opening remarks at the Wealth Retreat I’m hosting in Panama next month. If you're new to the idea, the "Five Flags" are to do with residency, citizenship, banking, assets, and business. Not everyone needs all five flags [...]
Where It’s Safe? We received the following e-mail from a reader this week: "We hear so much about bombings and uprisings abroad," the reader wrote, "why would South America be safer to live in than North America? Don't those countries have more of a national safety threat?" How in the world to respond? The irony [...]
The Easiest Way I Know To Piece Together Your Personal Offshore Diversification Plan I spoke last week with a reader who is all set to move himself and all his assets offshore. He already has a second passport and has made a connection with a banker in Switzerland. He has business contacts in several countries [...]
Hugo Chavez’s death could mean that Venezuela is again an interesting investment haven; it could also have negative consequences for the condo investment in Panama City. By now, you’ve heard that Hugo Chavez is dead. Venezuela has scheduled elections to choose its new president in April. The question in the air now is: What does […]
The Plight Of The Middle-Class Millionaire At a recent conference, a colleague suggested that the definition of being wealthy is having enough passive income to cover your living expenses. A reasonable interpretation, but, by that definition, few of us are truly wealthy. Yet many of us have at least some wealth to protect and most [...]
Ecuador--For Retirement, Yes...For Investment, Not So Much Touring around Ecuador these past 10 days, I've been enjoying the infrastructure improvements since my last visit eight years ago. The roads, especially, are in vastly better condition than when I was last here in 2005. You now travel a new six-lane highway at least part of the [...]
The Plight Of The American Middle Class At dinner one night this week with a friend here in Panama City, the subject of the American middle class came up--specifically, the decline of the American middle class. This isn't a new topic, but my friend, Bruno, who is European, born and raised in Italy, but who [...]
How Much Should You Care If A Country Is "Economically Free"? About a month ago, a reader wrote in to say that he would only move to a country with more economic freedom than the United States and therefore wouldn't be considering any of the countries I write about that aren't ranked higher than the [...]
Offshore Living Letter is a publication of Live and Invest Overseas. Our goal is to provide timely, actionable information on all things offshore, including: how to go offshore, diversifying your portfolio, wealth creation, protecting your assets, and much more.
