About Us
The Panama Letter isn’t a dreamy travelogue or glossy lifestyle magazine. It doesn’t paint a rosy picture of life in Panama. It gives you a real feel for what it’s really like to live, retire, invest, and do business in the world’s top overseas haven.
The pages of the Panama Letter are packed with practical information, everything you’d need to launch your new life or your new business…all the know-how, experience, and judgement you could possibly require to realize whatever Panama dreams and objectives you may have.
Every feature destination report in the Panama Letter will include:
- Complete details of the cost of living (including tips of where to shop for the most affordable items)…
- A sample monthly budget for living in a particular locale (including the cost of gas, electricity, high-speed Internet, having part-time household help, owning and maintaining a car…)
- Coverage of the neighborhoods and best places to live (and where to avoid)…
- Your best medical care options…
- An overview of the current real estate market, both for sales and rentals, including current listings (and how much you should really expect to spend in each case)…
- The best places to eat, drink, and be entertained…
- Opportunities for settling in, making friends, and becoming part of the community…
- What you need to know if you want to relocate to Panama with children…or pets…
- Full contact details for everyone you should know in every location featured, from architects and attorneys to bankers and dry cleaners…from shippers and painters to handymen and auto mechanics…
Plus, you’ll get all the need-to-know information that’s relevant no matter where in the country you choose to settle. Things like…
- Your options for staying in the country, so you can figure what visa is right for you…
- The property purchase process in this country…
- Your best options for local and international health insurance…
- How to bring your dog (or cat)…
- What you’ll need to open a bank account…
- Top international schooling options…
- An insider’s guide to local customs and etiquette (to help prevent you from making social blunders)…
Why The Panama Letter
As a publisher of information on living and investing overseas for more than two-and-a-half decades, I’ve been travelling to Panama for a long time now. And, today, I feel lucky to call this country home.
In the past decade, I’ve opened offices here (twice). I’ve purchased, rented, and renovated property…apartments and a whole building…river-front and beachfront…in Panama City and beyond.
Eighteen months ago, Panama City became my family’s primary residence. My husband and I conduct our businesses here, and my son attends one of the city’s international schools.
The most important thing I’ve learned, in all my experiences travelling, living, and doing business all over the world as well as here in Panama, is that you can’t do it alone. At least, not if you want to avoid making costly mistakes.
I know people who’ve turned their backs on Panama thanks to misinformation (which usually originated on the web) or because they put their faith in the wrong people. A real estate deal that went awry…living costs that worked out to be more expensive than advertised…a bad experience with a so-called “professional” financial advisor or business consultant…
This is such a shame. I appreciate how much Panama has to offer right now…and I believe in the potential of this country at such an important turning point in its history. But that doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed a good experience here.
Quite the contrary, to take advantage of what’s on offer in Panama today, you need reliable help that you can trust. You need not information…at least not only information.
More than information, you need judgement.
