New members of the Panama forum, introduce yourself here – 2nd quarter of 2015

I, along withy wife, are snow birds.  We have a condo in Playa Blanca and come down for 5 months in the winter and about 6 weeks in late summer and early Fall.  We love Panama. We moved to Chicago 9 years ago to be with our daughter's family. ( that really means near our grand kids). We are east coast people where I worked in NYC and the greater NYC area until I retired and moved to Chicago. I grew up in New England and am an avid Boston sports fan.
When I worked in NYC being a Red Sox fan was a character builder. The Red Sox-Yankee rivalry was intense.
We are both learning Spanish although my wife is far and away more advance than I am.

Good evening folks ! My name is Tim Howard. I am a retired business owner currently residing in Panama City, Florida.
I am investigating the process for relocating to the Country of Panama. I have read of several programs which would
allow either a full time residency, or the ability to come and go....my objective over time would be to receive citizenship.
I am not  going to seek a job there, but could conceivably start a business.
My immediate priority is the process of opening a banking relationship. I have been told I need a FBI background check,  and references from bankers I have worked with in the US. Both of those have been accomplished.....is there
anything else I need ? can anyone suggest a bank interested in dealing with a US citizen (having English speaking
staff would be a plus).....what kind of interest can a person expect to generate ?
Any miscellaneous pointers on the process of applying for residency would also be greatly appreciated ! I sincerely
appreciate any help....Best Regards,  Tim Howard

I was in Panama City for 6 weeks recently. I met a fellow Canadian who has started the process of moving here. He set up a bank account and was informed that the interest earned is 5% on his deposit account. Pretty impressive in comparison to a deposit account in Canada.

I didn't know anything about an FBI background check. I knew you had to have a passport.

Hi Tim,
I'm in a similar position. New to the forums and blogs. So I'll be a keen follower of your posts.
I've seen a number of expat posts that recommend a few Panamanian banks that welcome US citizens.
My wife and I are flying to Panama tomorrow, for a short tour to select a base from which to scout about.
All the best,
Derik Howard
Las Vegas, NV

Hi there all! My name is Bob Ham and my wife and I have been exploring the possibility of relocating overseas.  We are retired and have considered and traveled to Belize and Ecuador. We spent a considerable amount of time and travel to Ecuador, but are not fully sold on moving there.  We have considered Costa Rica (too expensive) and the Far East (too far from U.S.).  Now we are researching Panama.

We are interested in living near the Pacific coast, not far from a city with modern hospital(s) and infrastructure and amenities.  We don't think we want big city living, but we want to be close enough so we can take advantage of whatever the city has to offer with regards to cultural events, fine restaurants, shopping, and entertainment.

We plan to visit Panama this year and have been researching moving to Panama through International Living, Live and Invest Overseas, and by subscribing to Expat.coms or newspapers.

Cuenca, Ecuador has a very vibrant Expat Newsletter and Real Estate listing which was very helpful for short term rentals in different parts of the country. . .we took advantage of these Real Estate listings to find short term rentals during our research.  Is there a source for researching short term rentals in different parts of Panama?

Hope we can help each other on our research on Panama.  Will pass along any info when I can.
Regards, Bob

Moderated by Priscilla
Reason : You are off topic + post in the jobs section.

Let me introduce myself as a new member.  My name is Steven Rich, MBA.  I always use the MBA as part of my name because there are over 1,000 other people named Steven Rich on the internet and this helps to separate me from the others. 

I am a Canadian who has lived in Panama from 1997 - 2000 and returned to live here permanently in 2004.  I have published a lot of articles about Panama over the past 10 years and am willing to share new ones on this blog.  My articles will mainly deal with relocating to Panama and understanding the many laws of Panama so expats can better know what to expect before moving here and how to obey the laws and get things done.

I look forward to getting to know other members and sharing experiences of living in Panama.

Steven Rich, MBA

Hola Steve
My Biz Partner, Tim Rhodes, are starting a new website, expatimports.com, and a new blog, PedasiPundit.com.
ExpatImports will have items of interest to tourist and expats and will include the maps and field guides presently at www.mapsofcentralamerica.com. PedasiPundit will be a daily News Blog that complies the top news of the day with several additional categories. One of those categories will be helpful articles for Newbies and those that have been here for a while.
OK, OK, the reason I am replying to you, is that I would like you to be a contributor to the news blog with the back log of articles that you have plus new things as you think of them.
Any interest?
If YES, then please email me at moller66 @ gmail.com, drop the spaces.
Chau,
Mikkel Moller
pa.linkedin.com/in/pedasipundit

Steve - please post a link to your blog when it's ready. Looking forward to it.

My name is Robert (Bob) and I currently live in Aberdeen Scotland and worked in the service and manufacturing sector of the oil and gas industry as a mechanical engineer and latterly as a Business Development Director. I'm kinda semi-retired now.. but extremely active and looking for new challenges/adventures.. whether that be work or leisure activities.  I've done a bit of research via the internet on expat life in Panama and as result plan to spend 3/4 weeks in November exploring the possibilities of living in Panama. Having been brought up on the East coast of Scotland I have a affinity with the sea and would love to try my hand at yacht sailing.. although my experience is somewhat limited... Other interests are live music... particularly blues and country, outdoor  leisure activities and I enjoy most sports....I'm also a big football/soccer fan!!

I am from Chiriquí,Province of Panama. I traveled for different citys in the world, now, I am looking people that need help for restart his life, and get new purpose for get his goals and dreams with my services in Life & Integral Coaching.

Hola

I don't live in Panama, nor have I ever visited but it is on my shortlist of places to retire so I'm planning a holiday there early next year.

I'm English living in Malaga (Spain)

Coach, my wife and I are attorneys in our late 50s, looking to retire on little, but also looking for opportunities where we retire, like Panama.  She is Puerto Rican, I am half Japanese, and between us, we are well-traveled and fluent in four languages.  Please contact me, Leslie.  Thanks much.