Welcome to Offshore Living Letter, Your #1 Resource for Offshore Diversification

Author: Lief Simon

14 Apr
Diversification

Why Foreign Property Is The Ultimate Vehicle For Portfolio Diversification

Lief: “Diversification. I see real estate as the ultimate vehicle for diversification—across countries, markets, economies, politics, currencies, asset types…” Lee: “For a better retirement. I’ve made several real estate purchases in different countries now, and in each case I’ve started the search with the question: Where do my wife and I want to be? We […]

07 Apr
local politics

The Effects Of Local Politics On Expat Retirees And Investors

People write in often to ask about the political stability of this or that country, wondering what it means when certain candidates or parties are running for or elected to office. I remember back in 2001 when the Sandinista Daniel Ortega announced he was going to run again for president of Nicaragua. Gringo retirees and […]

03 Apr
Latin America is full of property markets that offer much upside.

Financing The Purchase Of Property Overseas

I recently participated in a “How To Buy And Profit From Real Estate Overseas” webinar. For the hour-long conversation, Kathleen Peddicord, Real Estate Marketing Director James Archer, and I welcomed three special guests representing key markets of interest right now—Panama, Brazil, and Argentina/Paraguay/Uruguay. The agenda for our discussion was broad. We talked about the main […]

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 […]