At my Offshore Wealth Virtual Summit last week, one attendee proudly commented that he was well into his flag-planting and had already taken several key steps toward internationalizing his life. He had a bank account in Panama… had made real estate investments in Panama… had actually moved to Panama… and was on his way to […]
On Aug. 7, 1974, Frenchman Philippe Petit made headlines when, in the space of 45 minutes, he crossed four times between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. He didn’t just walk—the 24-year-old high-wire artist danced and lay down on the wire, too, balance pole in hand. Whether you look on it as art […]
One important factor that makes Brazil particularly attractive to North Americans today is the extraordinary currency advantage. Right now, the dollar is trading at over 5 Brazilian reais. That means that everything from eating out to staying at a hotel to buying property comes at a significant discount. But these low property prices we’re seeing […]
Greece’s Golden Visa program stands out. Nothing else in Europe matches this golden ticket. For a 250,000-euro investment in real estate (just under US$300,000 at today’s exchange), non-EU citizens and their families can get residency of Greece. The visa covers children up to 21 years of age and is granted for five years. After that, […]
I don’t usually pay attention to exchange rates on a daily basis. However, being in Europe for the last month, I’ve been watching the U.S. dollar rate versus the euro. The euro has dropped from US$1.13 to US$1.115 since I arrived about four weeks ago. The difference of a penny-and-a-half—or a bit less than 1.5%—isn’t […]
I don’t try to predict currency exchange rates when shopping for real estate investments overseas. I focus on finding a good opportunity in a market I believe in. I don’t then wait to make the buy depending on whether the local currency is over- or undervalued relative to the currency I’m shopping with. In 2011, […]
A developer I work with in Brazil wrote to me this week to say that several recent reservations he’s received from would-be American buyers have been cancelled after the buyers have spoken with their financial advisors. Reasons these financial advisors have counseled their clients to pull out of purchases after having signed contracts include: It’s […]
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.
