Retire To Chiang Mai, Thailand
Super Low-Cost Living In The Land Of Smiles
Nov. 2, 2009
Chiang Mai, Thailand
PLUS: Save Up To 50% On Health Care Costs In Mexico...Crossing Over...At Home In Colonial Malaysia...
AND: Diary Of A Paris Landlord...
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The Perks, Privileges, And Advantages Of Foreign Residency In The World's Top Overseas Havens
From Panama to the Dominican Republic, from Uruguay to Malaysia, and from Belize to Nicaragua, some countries roll out the welcome mat for foreign retirees, offering significant tax breaks and other advantages you can't afford to ignore.
Full details here
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Editor's Note: I fear that maybe we've been living too long in the Land of Fiestas and Mañanas . Between technical difficulties and the long holiday weekend here in Panama, we weren't able to get this special Weekend Edition off to you yesterday. We apologize.
We're back on track today, though, gearing up for more coverage from Asia, home to some of the world's most affordable and exotic retirement havens. Take Chiang Mai, Thailand, for example...
Dear Overseas Opportunity Letter Reader,
At least 17,000 foreign residents call Chiang Mai home. In the current issue of the Overseas Retirement Letter, Asia Correspondent Wendy Justice tells subscribers why. This "third" Thailand (after Bangkok and the beaches along the coasts of the country's long peninsula to the south) offers a more comfortable climate than any other region. It's also a land of history and culture that's one of the most affordable places on earth to live well right now. Everything from groceries and dining out to medical care, prescription drugs, and health insurance can be downright cheap.
It's not only Thailand that is today serving up some of the world's most economical living. It's Asia in general. And the living in this part of the world is not only bargain priced, it's also interesting, exotic, and increasingly foreign resident-friendly.
That's why, with help from Wendy and Intrepid Correspondents Paul and Vicki Terhorst, we are putting the finishing touches on what I'd say amounts to the most entertaining and, at the same time, useful (from the point of view of the would-be foreign resident or retiree) guide to Asia that you'll ever come upon. This region demands your attention right now, and Paul and Vicki have been spending time in this colorful part of the world for more than three decades. You'll be delighted by their insightful (and real-time) reports.
Kathleen Peddicord
P.S. If you're a subscriber to the Overseas Retirement Letter, Wendy's full Chiang Mai Retirement Report is in your e-mailbox as you read this. If you're not a subscriber, sign on here now.
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Why You Don't Have to Worry About Outliving Your Nest Egg...
You can retire in style overseas and live better than you do now...for as little as $694 a month...
Live well -- including a maid, a gardener, a driver -- all on a Social Security budget...
Arrange health insurance for $150 a month or less...some places, you can even enjoy free medical care...
Own your own home in the sun for as little as $99,000...and wake up each morning to the sound of the waves on the sand...or the freshness of clean, mountain air...
Find out The Six Best-Value Destinations for Living and Investing in the World Today -- Free here
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P.S. What else this week?
- "Eighteen months into my move to Antigua, Guatemala," writes Central America Correspondent Michael Paladin, "much of which has been spent traveling, I'm finally beginning to feel at home in my adopted country.
"I've felt a connection here from the beginning, thanks to the daily greetings from my neighbors and people I pass on the street, for example, but, lately, things have changed and for the better. I'm having spontaneous conversations in Spanish, without even realizing it. The currency is recognizable to me now, and I can make change at the store even when I'm under pressure with people waiting behind me in line. The newspapers are beginning to make sense, and I've learned which days to avoid at the bank because the lines are too long. I know where to go to find the nearest ATM from anywhere in town, and everywhere I go now, I encounter at least five or six people who call me by name..."
- "Anyone worried about rising health-care costs in the United States can potentially save a bundle just by going south of the border," writes new Mexico Correspondent Therese Lewis. "Health care in Mexico costs a quarter to a half what you pay in the States. And those savings are across the board--including doctors' and dentists' visits, lab tests, surgeries, even medical devices and prosthetics.
"You don't have to cut back on quality to get these savings, either. Mexican health care is good, often excellent..."
- When we decided we wanted to celebrate the holidays in Paris last December, we had to seek out (and pay for) a short-term rental apartment, for our own apartment in the City of Light was occupied. We'd rented it long term to a nice Japanese banker and his wife when we'd relocated from Paris to Panama City six months before.
That's the downside to long-term rentals from the owner's point of view. You give up any opportunity for personal use. The other downside to making your rental available for long-term as opposed to short-term tenants, depending on the market, can be the return. Often, you can net more making your place available for weekly stays, for example, than on an annual contract.
On the other hand...
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