July 2016 Archives

Escape the Modern Pace of Life: For Peaceful Farm Living Overseas

Editor-photo
We all hear about “the pace of modern life.” It’s fast. It’s stressful. Bad for our health. That’s what it’s come to mean anyhow. You may have paused and thought about it sometime. We all have…and then…we usually go right back to it. Running to keep still. But what’s modern life? Right this second lots of folks are walking their land, plucking ripe fruits, letting loamy soil spill through their fingers. and it’s modern—happening right now—its pace quickening and slowing with the seasons.

You could easily have a few acres of your own fruitful Eden to tend and enjoy. How about 20 acres where mountains soar to the clouds, temperatures are in the 70s F, and you’re 30 minutes from the beach. It includes a two-bedroom house–the whole lot just $132,959.

Your issue this month is full with folks who fell for farming. Amid the pine trees and meadows of Veraguas, Panama, Marianne Tobin and her son Jeff Owens found their coffee farm. “As a law enforcement professional back home my job was very stressful and the pace of life in Southern California was hectic,” says Jeff. He reveals how he traded his version of modern life for a much more relaxed one in the hills of Panama.

From the window of Nora Kravis’ farmhouse in Chianti, Italy, late spring is the best time of year. The goat kids on her cashmere farm gambol and play, lilac and wisteria bloom, and the grass is a deep lush green. The New Yorker might have found her dream in the Old World, but she’s a modern thinker, and Europe’s very first cashmere farmer.

For country living close to big-city conveniences, Costa Rica’s Orosí Valley is an ideal spot to pick up a few acres. We explain why and introduce you to some of your “could-be” neighbors.

And if someone told you that you could have your own five-acre horse ranch, with perfect weather to enjoy it year-round, and at a fraction of the cost of the same in the States, would you saddle up? Jane Holdren and Frank Gradilone are living that modern-day dream right now, having escaped honking horns, phones, beeps, and sirens…

—Eoin Bassett, Editorial Director

Live Like a King in Sucre, Bolivia

Profiles

By Miranda Booher July 2016

“If you’re making $1,000 a month, even as little as $8,000 a year, you can live like a king—more than comfortably,” says Stephen Nagy of the low-cost retirement he’s found in Sucre, Bolivia. “I mean renting a nice place, shopping at the supermarkets for the foods you are used to, and enjoying eating out and entertainment. A single person who is more frugal can live on as little as $500 a month pretty easily. The beauty of this city and the warmth of the people only amplify the value.”

Four Routes to Long-Term Living in Ireland

Expat Advice

By Eoin Bassett July 2016

If you want to spend a summer pottering in a quirky cottage garden tucked away in Irish hill country, with the prospect of a cool pint of Guinness and an evening in the local pub ahead…then it’s easy. To stay 90 days in Ireland if you’re a U.S. citizen, just get a round-trip ticket and get off the plane. Your passport gets stamped and hey presto. Your Irish adventure has begun. Want to stay longer? You could do one of the following four things.

France’s Excellent Healthcare Just Got Easier for Expats

Healthcare

By Barbara Diggs July 2016

The French healthcare system, legendary for its excellence, is about to become much more accessible and affordable to expats. This is because in January this year, France instituted a new universal system of healthcare, called the Protection Universelle Maladie (PUMA). This system grants an automatic and continuous right to healthcare to those who legally reside in France in a “stable and regular” manner. This means that, if you’ve lived in France for three consecutive months and are a permanent legal resident (that is, you live in France at least 183 days a year), you’re eligible to apply for public healthcare coverage.

Low Costs, Warm Weather, and Our Own Ranch on the Shores of Lake Chapala

Profiles

By Donald Murray July 2016

"I can’t believe this is our life now,” says expat Jane Holdren of her retirement to Mexico’s Lake Chapala. “All Frank and I have to do is walk a few yards to our stable, saddle up our horses, and we can ride for hours in magnificent, rolling country with breathtaking views in every direction. “We can see the entire eastern half of the lake from our ranch. We can also see the mountains to the north and east. We look out over an agricultural area between our ranch and the lake. It’s a breathtaking and gorgeous place to ride.”

Country Living Close to Big-City Amenities in the Orosí Valley

Living the Good Life

By Jason Holland July 2016

I take the bend on the winding and steep mountain road, and a patchwork of forest, farms, and pasture is spread out on the valley floor far below. A river, with large rocks creating whitecaps, cuts through the landscape. Beyond it I can see Lake Cachí, glittering in the mid-afternoon light between the shield of pine trees that lines its shore. The tall, thin poro trees are in full bloom. Their orange flowers look like autumn leaves at a distance. They’re a favorite of local farmers, because when their nitrogen-rich seed pods fall, they act as a natural fertilizer.

The Secrets of Spending a Summer in Ireland: Part One

By Eoin Bassett July 2016

On a sunny day, Ireland is the most beautiful country in the world. Bog flowers bloom, lush meadows invite you to hop their lichen-covered stone walls, and the seas of Europe’s Celtic fringe take on the character of the Greek Aegean: shimmering turquoise, blue, and aquamarine. Nowhere on earth is better to be. And being here is easy…at least in the summer months, when daylight stretches toward 11 p.m. and birdsong heralds twilight.

The Secrets of Spending a Summer in Ireland: Part Two

By Eoin Bassett July 2016

If you need to escape, Ireland is for you. Just drive, cycle, or walk in any direction and pretty soon you’ll come upon some green fields. But if you really want some peace and quiet, consider an island off the coast. Ireland’s western coastline is dotted with inhabited islands connected by ferry. The most famous are the Aran Islands, off the Clare-Galway coast, linked by fast ferry (around 40 minutes, $28 roundtrip) from Rossaveal in County Galway.

Profits Await in Nicaragua’s Upwardly Mobile, Colonial City

Expat Advice

By Ronan McMahon July 2016

Right now, you have an opportunity in León, Nicaragua, that will allow you to tap into a new and emerging middle class. This is among the most powerful drivers of profit opportunities I know. In the places where I’ve seen this trend play out, a similar trajectory happens. The economy is on the up. That means more, and better paying, jobs. Credit opens up. When enough people move up a social class, they want to show it. They mark their arrival into the new class with purchases—new cars, fancier foods, vacations—and, most importantly for a real estate investor, new homes.

How to Invest in the Gold Market No One’s Talking About

By Rob Marstrand July 2016

There’s a four-letter word on every savvy investor’s lips right now. And that word is “gold.” After almost five years of a bear (falling) market, gold is rising again. At a price of $1,271 per troy ounce (used to measure precious metals) at time of writing, it’s up 20% from the low of $1,055 reached in December 2015. This big reversal means it looks like gold has finally bottomed out. And a new bull (rising) market has started.

Save Big: Leave from a No-Income-Tax State

By Nick Hodges July 2016

How much do you pay every year in state income tax? And just think of how you could put that money to better use in a low-cost country where your dollars go much further. With the right move, you can completely eliminate your future state income tax and reporting responsibilities before you head abroad. You can do this by moving to a no-income-tax state before you depart for a new country.