Meet The Experts
Kathleen Peddicord – Publisher, Expat, and Contributor to the Panama Letter
More than 24 years a publisher of information on living and retiring overseas, Kathleen has been travelling to Panama for 13 years. In the past decade, she’s opened an office in Panama City twice; rented, bought, and renovated property in Panama City; and has made a number of investments elsewhere in the country. Since mid-2008, Panama City has been home for Kathleen and her family. Living and working in the city, she’s experiencing all angles of an overseas expat life—from educating her son at an international school to dealing with a foreign health-care system (fortunately of an excellent standard)…even venturing lately onto the chaotic streets of Panama City behind the wheel of a car! Experience the expat lifestyle every month in Kathleen’s column in the Panama Letter.
Rebecca Tyre – Expat and Managing Editor of the Panama Letter
Four years ago, Rebecca left Canada behind for a new life in Panama. She has lived in Panama City and on the emerging Azuero Peninsula—almost polar opposites in terms of lifestyle. She’ll draw from both experiences every month in the pages of the Panama Letter. Rebecca tells it like it is from the perspective of an expat in this country. More than that, she has the benefit of being part of a Panamanian family, too (her boyfriend is a native). The best opportunities in Panama (as anywhere) are relayed by word-of-mouth. Rebecca enjoys an impressive network of local contacts that keeps her current and in-the-loop. She’ll tap into this network and share her insider tips every month in the virtual pages of the Panama Letter.
Lief Simon – Expat and Real Estate Advisor to the Panama Letter
Over the last dozen years, Lief has personally bought and sold property in 17 countries. And few people know the Panama real estate market as intimately as Lief. As the founding editor of Global Real Estate Investor and the staff Real Estate Editor for International Living for 10 years, Lief was one of the first investors to identify (and alert his readers to) the potential of Panama when the Panama City real estate market was just warming up. Nowadays, Lief’s focus in Panama is west and south of this country’s capital, on the Azuero Peninsula…though he still turns up the odd deal in Panama City (also his home these days). When Lief finds a worthwhile real estate opportunity in Panama, you’ll hear about it first in the Panama Letter.
Rainelda Mata-Kelly, LL.M. — Attorney-at-law, Panama City and Legal Advisor to the Panama Letter
Rainelda obtained her law degree with honors from Santa Maria La Antigua University in Panama and a Master of Laws from Cornell University Law School in Ithaca, New York. Since 1989, she has had her own private practice, specializing in the areas of corporations and commercial and shipping law—as well as administrative matters such as taxes, contracts, real estate transactions, immigration, labor permits, etc. You can be sure that any information of a legal aspect you read in the Panama Letter (including details of residency visas and real estate law) has been double-checked by Rainelda and her staff.
Joel Nagel — Attorney-at-law and Offshore Advisor to the Panama Letter
Joel is the founder and managing partner of Nagel & Associates, a boutique legal firm focused exclusively on international issues. Joel’s focus is on helping clients to select the right jurisdiction for a transaction and the best vehicle to reduce taxation and to protect assets. He has pioneered the licensing of international structures for foreign banks, mutual funds, hedge funds, and insurance companies. He created his firm’s Personal Asset Protection Program and has developed sophisticated international estate plans encompassing trusts, corporations, partnerships, and insurance products. Joel brings all this experience to bear as he helps Panama Letter subscribers understand the current opportunities available in the world’s premier offshore jurisdiction.