Len Galvin
Articles by Len Galvin
Ecuador is a retirement paradise. Yes, it is the winner of IL’s Global Retirement Index 2012. But you don’t need an index to tell you that the climate is incredible…and varied—lush mountains, dense Amazon jungle, sun-drenched Pacific beaches…
Whatever you’re looking for in a tropical paradise: diving…real estate…connecting with top attorneys…Caribbean beaches…the retiree program that sweetens the deal for anyone over 45-years-old…rich mountain pastures…offshore wealth protection strategies…and much, much more…this video has it all.
Of course, cost of living alone does not make a well-rounded retirement. In fact, affordable beach is only a small part of the real Belize story. It’s easy to fit in…everyone speaks English…they don’t levy taxes…and consistently defend their asset protection laws in international courts.
My friend Margaret just sent me details of the best property she found on her recent Caribbean scouting trip. She’s from Pathfinder, IL’s preferred real estate advertiser—and clocks up serious air miles on her scouting trips. When Margaret calls a property the “best” anything, it’s worth paying attention to. In the video below, she reveals an affordable beach house on a Caribbean island.
My friend Margaret often sends me e-mails about real estate deals on or near the beach in places like Costa Rica. But sometimes she sends an insider tip like the one in her Video Postcard below. In it, she reveals three tropical destinations right now where there’s an easy way to finance your overseas property purchase…sometimes interest-free.
Stephen and Linda lived in Northern California. But if they wanted to retire there, they knew they’d only be able to afford “some desolate place and live in a double-wide.” So they began searching for somewhere in the world that had the surf they craved but at prices they liked, too. They found a little Pacific Coast beach town about 60 miles west of Panama City.
You probably already take lots of photos when you’re on vacation…or when you’re scouting a second-home location overseas. But did you know you might be able to sell those photos, too? That’s what Dave Morgan did. When he traveled to Asia, he took pictures of the native people, monuments, and scenery.
We’re looking for someone to spend a month in the world’s top retirement haven—on us. If you like the idea of relaxing in a spring-like climate, exploring a colonial University city, making new and interesting friends from all over the world, trying new things and maybe even reporting about your adventures…this could be for you.
You can fly from Florida to Cancun, Mexico in less than two hours. And right now, the round-trip airfare for the end of February is only $262. That’s with American Airlines from Miami. Another cheap flight at the same time is from JFK New York with Delta—$333 round-trip.
Andrea Gingerich started out as a world-traveling biologist. But she had much more fun taking photos of turtles in Belize…and snaps of insects in Costa Rica. Better yet—these are photos she can sell. In fact, Andrea spent most of last year traveling and living off of the royalties from her photos.
Belize is the Caribbean’s last secret. The country should be heaving with North American tourists and residents. But the rich and famous seem to have the place mostly to themselves. When you realize how low the prices are here, you can see that almost anyone can afford a Caribbean beach house.
Columbus landed in the Dominican Republic in 1492—the same year he “discovered” some of the other Caribbean islands. Like those other islands, the Dominican Republic is ringed by white sand beaches and coconut palms. Unspoiled towns boast stone churches and candy-colored home facades.
Timing is critical when it comes to rescuing your retirement. Now more than ever, hard-working folks just like you are asking themselves: How do I do it? Do I work longer, try to save more… or do I have another option? Our response: You have lots of options.
We tell you often about the low prices in Ecuador and how a couple can live the high life for as little as $940 a month. Well, we’ve recently been in contact with lots of North Americans living in Ecuador right now. Turns out the cost of living isn’t as low as we thought…it’s even lower!
My favorite thing to do on a Sunday in Ecuador is a trip to Baños. Not the major spa town in the central sierra…but the little village in the southern sierra, 15 minutes from Cuenca.
Mike spent a lot of time since then looking for somewhere that reminded him of those beaches in Southern California—including Guatemala, Mexico, and Costa Rica. But it wasn’t until he discovered one particular stretch of Pacific coast in Ecuador that he felt like he’d “come home to 50s California…”
Every week, many IL readers make the crucial decision to “just do it,” and get moving on a new life overseas. Often we’re lucky enough that they send in their stories. Here, briefly, are four of my recent favorites…
International Living editors Dan Prescher and Suzan Haskins have just returned from a two-week, in-depth exploration of Belize. They covered every inch of this English-speaking Caribbean playground, from the mountains to the mainland to the islands. From popular cayes to beautiful, low-cost alternatives. In fact, they’ve been coming to Belize for almost 20 years.
Andy and Fran Brown had a predicament. It was 2008, and both had suddenly found themselves out of work. The couple had a nest egg but after doing their sums, they discovered that their funds would only last nine years… if they stayed in the U.S.
Stunningly beautiful, cheap and English-speaking…it’s no wonder Belize is drawing Americans in ever increasing numbers.
“After a stint abroad, who wants to wait in the U.S. customs line upon arrival home?” asks Darius Fisher in the current issue. He continues: “Luckily, you don’t have to anymore, thanks to a new program that allows travelers to breeze through customs in just minutes.”
Subscribers to International Living magazine regularly learn of little-known retirement and investment opportunities, like the ones I’m about to reveal—straight from the current issue of the magazine…
Fair waring: What you’re about to read may change your overseas plans to focus on Costa Rica…and if you haven’t yet considered a move overseas…you’re about to be “Costa Rica’d.”
Retiree Al Fine is originally from Orlando but now lives in Panama City. Al is 85 and, frankly, the way he’s treated in Panama means he could never be happy anyplace else. Every time he steps in to a restaurant, hospital, or bank, he has people falling over themselves to help him.
We talk about a straightforward idea here at International Living — you can live better for less overseas.
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