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Your great-great-great-grandparents (may they rest in peace) could be about to hand you citizenship in Europe…and, with it, the legal freedom to live and do business in any of the 28 countries of the European Union. Your family tree could hold the key to opening a path to second citizenship for you and your family, especially in Europe. There, several countries will grant citizenship to you based on ancestry.
The case for owning farmland as a strategy to safely grow or preserve your nest egg has never been stronger. Increasing populations and wealth in emerging economies is the primary driver
The biggest deciding factor for many people in choosing a retirement destination is climate. Retiring to a warm-weather paradise is infinitely preferable to spending your days shoveling snow and scraping windshields.
Ten years ago it was mainly scuba divers, anglers and adventure travelers who knew of Belize's natural treasures. At that time few tourists could point to Belize on a map. But there's been a growing buzz about Belize for the last few years. The constant press coverage about predictions of what would happen at the end of the Maya calendar (December 21, 2012) catapulted Belize into the international spotlight. Ever since, tourism numbers have been on the rise. And a growing number of Baby Boomers are retiring there.
When I'm back home in the States, I'm often asked why I moved to Belize. It's not a difficult question to answer...but with all the things I love about living here, the answer can be a long one.
"Sitting on my sofa, I can look out to the Caribbean Sea and watch the water crash over the barrier reef," says Rose Alacantra. "The view from my condo connects me with nature. It helps frame my day-to-day attitude."
Nestled in the Panamanian mountains along a rocky road, off the paved highway, is the home of Dr. Dave Ahrend. To get there, you drive up a newly constructed freeway for about 45 minutes before turning off onto a paved road that takes you up into the mountains.
One of the bonuses of living in Panama is that you’re never very far from the coast. Surprisingly, most of the Caribbean and Pacific coastlines are undeveloped or even inaccessible.
The sky is a piercing blue, with a few wisps of white that could hardly be called clouds. Small boats and yachts bob in the marina, and birds and bees swoop and buzz around the trees and flowered hedges that line the walkway.
"I'm glad we didn't have enough money to retire in the U.S." says Kris Cunningham, who moved to Panama with her husband Joel in 2012. "If we had, we would have missed out on our wonderful life here."