Retirement Abroad Seminars

Overview

In October, 150 Calgarians fought their way through a snowstorm to attend a seminar McIntosh gave entitled "Thinking of Retiring to Mexico?" Most participants said they were hoping to retire within one to five years-and about half said they planned to make Mexico their permanent residence The other half only hope to winter there they'll retain their Canadian residency status and continue to pay Canadian taxes.

According to the Mexican Embassy in Canada, every year approximately 300,000 Canadian retirees head there, usually settling down for at least several months. Popular places include:

• San Miguel de Allende in the central Guanajuato area,
• Guadalajara in the state of Jalisco,
• Lake Chapala in the state of Jalisco
• the Yucatan peninsula, or
• along the Baja coast.

Overseas Tax Consultant clients often prefer Mexico to the United States because the property values and cost of living are lower, the year-round weather is beautiful, and friends and family can easily visit. Importantly, the Mexican government is not very serious about collecting taxes from ex-pats (for now) and has also changed land ownership law to make it easier for foreigners. The Lake Chapala region, close to Guadalajara and its international airport, is particularly popular. This scenic district has attracted Canadians for the past 10 to 15 years, and the relatively inexpensive community and also several high-net-worth individuals

Costa Rica and Belize are increasingly popular retirement destinations, too. They have well-established ex-pat communities, and the political situations are stable, and have minimal taxes. They also provide good bases from which to travel throughout South America. Up-and-coming destinations are slightly farther afield and include Thailand, Panama, Portugal and southern Spain.

Topics Covered
The TWO HOUR SEMINAR is free and covers the following topics suing a case study approach:

• Cash flow Planning to live in the foreign countries
• Taxation in Canada, upon departure and in your new land
• Investment planning for your retirement investments
• Real Estate issues
• Health Insurance
• Immigration