Moving to Spain - Reboot for 2014!

If Moving to Spain is your idea of Quality of Life welcome! Spain came up 17th on the International Living list of the Best Places to Live back in 2010- only 17th? But who doesn't love Spain or at least the idea of living in Spain? Today Spain is even more attractive particularly for expats. Real Estate is at an all time low as is the cost of living and yet the Spanish people remain some of the most friendliest and hospitable in the world. For 2014 I.L. upgraded Spain to 5th spot for the best place to retire. 

We recently visited Spain and it's now top of our list for places we're seriously thinking of moving. Check out the great checklist below courtesy of SpainExpat for.....

How to move to Spain

If you're seriously considering a Move to Spain then there are quite a few things to take care of before you go like: learning at least a bit of Spanish; obtaining a visa; gaining residency; health insurance; opening a new bank account; and finding Property in Spain. I discovered a convenient checklist of 'Things to do before Moving to Spain' on SpainExpat.com and summarized it below:

Click Here!

SpainExpat suggested Things to do before moving to Spain:

1. Print this check-list for your move to Spain.
2. Take at least a 'Basic Spanish' language course - anyone who has moved to Spain will tell you this!
3. If you aren't retiring to Spain then you will need a job. Unless of course you're in a position to retire. With Spain's ultra low cost of living and Real Estate bargains you may find early retirement in Spain a real possibility. It's a good idea to have employment locked down before you move to Spain.
4. Maybe you're considering opening your own business in Spain. Be sure to find an English speaking lawyer in Spain and get as much done by email and phone before you move.
5. Apply for your Spanish Visa. This needs to be done in your home country before you go. Look up the nearest Spanish Consulate and get the ball rolling - it may take some time.
6. Do you plan on making this a permanent move to Spain? If so you may need to change your residency. This can also have some tax advantages particularly if you are Canadian.
7. Check into health care. What are the costs health costs and how will you pay? Make sure you have this set up before you change your current residency or cancel any insurance coverage you now have in place.
8. If you are not sure whether this will be permanent plan on sharing residency between home and Spain.  Keep some ties and in particular keep a bank account and credit card in your home. Find a bank that offers special accounts and perks for travellers and international residents. Many have low fee plans for example when it comes to taking money out in a foreign country.
9. Make certain your drivers license or passport are up to date. If they are getting old then renew them now before you go.
10. Remember living in Spain means most things will come with Spanish instructions. Computers and cell phones will have different, Spanish language keys etc. You may want to consider buying items like this at home before you move to Spain. Trust me, learning how to use a Spanish keyboard and settings can be very frustrating and time consuming. On another note make certain any electronics you buy at home will work in Spain.
11. If you are buying Property in Spain and need to move household items be sure to make your flights and arrival dates convenient for being there when your furniture arrives.
12. Will you be moving a car too (not recommended) or buying one once you settle in? If so you want to be familiar with the Spain Car Hire Agencies in particularly ones that offer long term car rental rates.  Also check into public transit. In Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia this is a great way to get around.
13. Is Fido moving to Spain too? You may be surprised what it takes to move a pet out of your country and into a new one. Allow time to get all the required paperwork done.
    
14. Go to your local post-office and arrange for your mail to be redirected to your new home for at least 6 months.You may even want to consider keeping a permanent post box at home and have your mail forwarded indefinitely.

The Cheapest Places to Retire by the Beach

When it comes to living in retirement on the cheap we all know the concept is almost completely subjective - that is to say one persons cheap could be completely different than another. Lifestyle factors are the first consideration. For some living in the cold is no big deal. Some retirees may even have problems dealing with heat and exposure to the sun and therefor really want and need to live some where cool and cloudy or at least shady. On the other hand many people and in all likelihood the majority of people would say living by water and specifically near a beach would be wonderful. So, is it possible? Can one find a cheap place to retire by the beach? I think so! Let's have a look at -

The Most Affordable Places for Retirement by the Beach

Choosing the cheapest places to retire is not a task that should be taken lightly. Retiring abroad is the dream of many people who have lived and worked in the same places their whole lives and want to experience something different in their twilight years. In some cases people want to return to a place that they have visited on vacation before, in others they are looking for an adventure. It is always best to conduct serious research into any country before visiting, let alone moving there permanently. For the few who actually get to do it, choosing the right place usually involves selecting based on a list of criteria including personal taste, cost of living, quality of the healthcare available and familiarity with the culture.

Panama is One of the Best Places to Live After Retirement

Panama is one of the more popular places for retirement outside of the USA for several good reasons. The first is the potential for it to be a tax haven for those who meet certain qualifications. Another is the fact that the country has a relatively high standard of living while also being an affordable place to live. Panama also uses the US dollar as its national currency, making things a lot simpler for new residents as they will not have a new currency or new exchange rates to figure out. To make it all even more appealing, Panama has always had strong ties with the US and there is a large community of ex-pat retirees in place there already. Those retiring to Panama can choose between the bustling metropolitan life of Panama City or, for a more rural setting, they may want to venture into the the hills and forests of the county. For many, the selling point is the abundance of beaches and the relaxed atmosphere of the beach towns.

Mexico Has Some of the Best Beaches in the World

Good old Mexico has gotten a bad rap recently due to drug cartel squabbles, but the fact is that those occur mostly in border towns and therefore ex-pats elsewhere in the country should be relatively safe. Apart from being next-door to the USA, Mexico has good food, a plentiful supply of beaches and in the big cities it is possible to find a good standard of living and reasonable healthcare. This is to say nothing of the fact that there are thousands of ex-pats living there already, therefore newcomers will have a community ready and waiting for them to join in.

France Has an Excellent Healthcare System

France is well known as a tourist destination. French food, wine, and art are all of a high enough quality that people travel from all corners of the world to partake of them. The French beaches of Canne and St Tropez are also among the more glamorous and well-known Europe. In fact, it could be said that no one can truly consider themselves a world traveler without experiencing a trip to France. Well, France is no longer just for backpacking college kids and the average summer tourist. It is widely considered to be one of the more appealing places in which to retire. Apart from the culture and countryside, France is one of the all-round best places to live in the world and offers a number of benefits including relatively affordable home ownership some of the very best health care available anywhere.

Cheap, Safe, and Friendly: The World's Top Retirement Havens

There are places, the world over, where people are friendly, crime is almost non-existent, health care is excellent, and prices for everything from homes to groceries and doctors' visits could make you think it's 1953 again.


Places where it is possible to reduce your retirement cost of living, perhaps dramatically...while increasing the quality of your life.


We have prepared a series of five Country Retirement Reports that contain complete details on retirement opportunities in some of the world's top retirement havens right now.

Go here now to learn more

Is the idea of moving abroad for a cheap place to live in retirement just not your cup of tea? If you're goal is to live in retirement in the U.S. there are plenty of cheap places to live and many are on the beach. Check out the post below for a free report on the cheapest places to retire in the U.S. and a review of the new comprehensive directory by the Rich Habits Institute.

Best Places to Retire Cheap

I was reading a great little article by Kathleen Peddicord on the Yahoo! Finance page this morning. Kathleen reviews 5 Places you can retire for under $500 a month. She begins by pointing out that housing costs are still one of the biggest expenses we have not only throughout our working years but in retirement too. She suggests retiring abroad to the cheapest places that offer affordable housing is one way to maintain your standard of living in retirement.

Here are Kathleen's Top five picks for

The Best Places to Retire Cheap

1. Leon Nicaragua

2. Medellin Columbia

3. Las Tablas Panama

4. Chiang Mai Thailand

5. Languedoc-Roussillon France

"You may recognize Kathleen's name from her years at the helm of International Living. Recently Kathleen left I.L. to head up her new venture called Live and Invest Overseas. She is also the author of How to Retire Overseas: Everything You Need to Know to Live Well (for Less) Abroad

Source: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance