July 2008 Issue of International Living
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How to profit in the emerging markets of the 21st century, where economic power is shifting East. Pamper yourself in Latin America—where vanity comes at a low price. Bratislava—Europe’s next boom city.Turn your vacation snaps into cash
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The U.S. tax laws offer one huge tax break to Americans working abroad. If you qualify, you can earn up to $87,600 overseas without paying income tax—or up to $175,200 income-tax-free if you have a working spouse.
“It’s not as bad as you read in the papers,” CEO Patrick McHale told a roomful of skittish analysts and gloomy money managers. Recession fears lingered in the minds of many, like curls of smoke at a pool hall.
One evening last week, I walked from my house to a little sidewalk café that I like in the historic central district of Merida, Mexico.
To most travelers, a vacation is a time to relax, take in a few museums, enjoy coffee in an outdoor café, eat out, and meet new people. And I do all of that, too...but to me, a vacation is also my ticket to some easy cash…
When a sadistic “stylist” brandishing a sharply pointed knitting needle is plucking strands of hair from my sensitive scalp through the teeny holes in a plastic swimming cap covering my head, I hate being a woman. But considering the options, I’ll suffer through a beauty treatment any day.
There’s an old adage among those of us who write about retiring overseas that says “rent before you buy.” What it means is that once you’ve gone through the diligent process of selecting an overseas destination, you should rent first before buying a home.
As summer temperatures keep rising, U.S. investors are feeling rather hot under the collar. The Dow Jones has fallen by 12% since October. House prices are in freefall. The price of gas is at a record. And the clowns in Washington seem to be doing everything they can to send the dollar the way of the dodo.
What makes financial history so entertaining is that it is so full of jackasses and humbugs. Alan Greenspan will go down in it, of that we are certain. He will be remembered as the greatest central banker since John Law. Mr. Law invented modern financial bubbles. Mr. Greenspan perfected them.
As the final installment in a two-part series—see the April 2007 issue of International Living for the introduction—this article follows the author’s construction of a new home in Mexico as he and his wife plot their shift into semi-retirement.