{"id":32354,"date":"2021-12-10T10:07:23","date_gmt":"2021-12-10T15:07:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/?p=32354"},"modified":"2021-12-10T10:07:23","modified_gmt":"2021-12-10T15:07:23","slug":"why-panama-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/why-panama-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Panama?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Another great piece from Jackie Lange<\/p>\n

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The one question I get asked most often about Panama is \u201cWhy Panama?\u00a0\u00a0 What about Costa Rica or Belize?\u201d\u00a0 I visited Costa Rica, Belize, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Honduras, Mexico, and many other countries before I picked Panama as my new home. I\u2019ve traveled all over the world and I could live anywhere. But I picked Panama. I picked Panama for many reasons including its natural beauty, friendly people, ease of getting a visa, weather, etc etc\u2026.but most importantly the stable economy and democratic government.<\/p>\n

I ran across this article by\u00a0Jaime E. Figueroa Navarro titled Why Panama<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 which helps explain many of my reasons for picking Panama as my new home too.\u00a0\u00a0 Panama is an incredible country that I\u2019m very proud to call home. \u00a0 Read this article to see why.<\/p>\n

WHY PANAMA<\/strong><\/h1>\n

by Jaime E. Figueroa Navarro<\/p>\n

This is an oft-asked question that needs to be addressed regardless of your lifestyle, investment strategy or retirement expectations.<\/p>\n

We cannot help but notice while watching the North American evening news the growing number of medications being offered during commercial breaks. Panama is poles apart.\u00a0We often say that you retire in Panama TO LIVE, not to die.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"Farmer's<\/a>
Fresh Produce<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

With\u00a0abundant organic tropical fruits and vegetables, as well as naturally grown cattle, fowl, and game, the incidence of first-world diseases is noticeably lower here. Never mind that the name Panama in the native language means \u201cabundance of fish\u201d.\u00a0 The country enjoys the most delicious seafood variety. Panama prawns are world-famous for their taste and consistency. Local \u201ccorvina\u201d or sea bass has been hailed as the best fish in the oceans. Red snapper, lobster, and other sea specialties adorn the Panamanian menus. And our coffee has been awarded the #1 ranking in the world by the Specialty Coffee Association for the eighth consecutive year.<\/p>\n

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\"www.panamarelocationtours.com\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

With local health facilities linked to top U.S. hospitals such as Johns Hopkins, The Cleveland Clinic, and the Harvard University Medical School,\u00a0medical care in Panama is excellent\u00a0at a portion of U.S. costs and exemplified by humane treatment and not by commercial exploitation. As a matter of fact, the latest fad is for many people to come to Panama for medical tourism. With the savings, the entire family enjoys a marvelous vacation!<\/p>\n

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\"punta<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

In the early years of the twentieth century, the United States built the Panama Canal, one of the wonders of the world. Now under Panamanian control, the canal is currently undergoing an unprecedented expansion project, larger than the original undertaking, to allow the continued expeditious flow to the mammoth freighters that command a sizable number of the current world commercial tonnage.<\/p>\n

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\"Panama<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The U.S. presence in the isthmus extended for almost a century, leading to the creation of a new Panama, the Phoenicians of the modern era, a most unique country in the entire Americas, which finds itself today with\u00a0the largest merchant fleet in the world, its\u00a0second most important banking center\u00a0after Switzerland and\u00a0home to the second-largest free trade zone\u00a0after Hong Kong, and all this, amazingly, with a population only a trickle over three million citizens!<\/p>\n

Additionally,\u00a0canal traffic and revenues have almost doubled\u00a0since the American departure at the end of 1999, and the new ports in the entry cities of Panama and Colon have become two of the most modern and efficient in the world.<\/p>\n

Fort Clayton, the former U.S. Southern Command troop abode has been converted to Ciudad del Saber (City of Knowledge) where\u00a0universities and educational institutions from around the world have established\u00a0research and educational centers and the United Nations has launched its regional headquarters. Other military facilities, such as Amador located at the Pacific entry of the Panama Canal, have been revamped to tourism centers with a plethora of restaurants, boutiques, yacht piers, and the new convention center that hosted the Miss Universe Pageant. Nearby, the Biodiversity Museum, Panama City\u2019s icon, was constructed under the watchful eyes of world-renowned architect Frank Gehry.<\/p>\n

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\"Biodiversity<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Panama has used the U.S. Dollar as its currency since 1903. Thus, as opposed to other investment alternatives elsewhere, there is\u00a0no exposure to foreign exchange fluctuations\u00a0and investments are rock-solid. Its close association with the United States has led to a lengthy history of\u00a0economic stability and very low-interest\u00a0rates, making this the ideal retirement destination.\u00a0 In addition, Panama has maintained double-digit\u00a0annual growth\u00a0through the 21st century whilst the world economies have recessed.<\/p>\n

Panama is very close to North America, just a bit over a two-hour flight from Miami, and in many cases, closer than other North American destinations, depending on your hometown. Unlike the popular retirement destinations in Florida and the Southeastern coast of the United States,\u00a0Panama is beyond the hurricane belt\u00a0providing significant savings in expensive hurricane and associated flood insurance and zero stress related to these impacting natural disasters.<\/p>\n

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\"Copa<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

When contrasted to the west coast of the United States, it is important to note that\u00a0Panama has had no major earthquakes.\u00a0And when matched to the Midwest,\u00a0Panama has none of the tornadoes or blizzards\u00a0common to the area.<\/p>\n

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\"Boquete<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

A tropical paradise<\/strong>\u00a0in all sense of the word,\u00a0Panama offers year-round warm climate in an ecologically superior area where you will find more species of birds than all North America and Europe combined, a bio-diverse rainforest so dense that the province of Darien is the only stretch of the Inter-American Highway that has not been joined, from Chile and Argentina in the South to Canada and Alaska to the North.<\/p>\n

Panama\u2019s flora and fauna are nothing but inspiring.\u00a0Its water, the purest in the world,\u00a0is now being bottled for overseas markets. As a natural bridge between the continents, there are many species of animals and vegetation in lush greenery that breathes life. Coiba, the largest tropical island in the Pacific coast of the entire continent, is one of Panama\u2019s national parks where you can catch a glimpse of humpbacks and many other species of whales coming from the poles for their annual mating rites. And the Pacific\u2019s Pearl Islands have served as hosts to several Survivor episodes.<\/p>\n

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\"www.panamarelocationtours.com\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Panama is safe:<\/strong>\u00a0Safer than post 9\/11 U.S. and much safer than its neighbors, Central America and Colombia. Panama City is an international business center with modern amenities that match and in many cases, outperform the amenities of North American and European competitors. It is, without doubt, the fastest-growing, best-affordable, modern metropolis in the world.<\/p>\n

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\"Panama<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Fishing<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Panama offers\u00a0world-class deep sea fishing, diving, sailing and surfing. Pi\u00f1as Bay in Panama\u2019s Pacific holds over two hundred world fishing records, including sailfish and both black and blue marlin, ranked as the number one destination by the prestigious Robb Report.\u00a0 Panama offers fabulous diving in both the Pacific and Caribbean. Punta Catalina in Veraguas and Playa Venado in the Azuero peninsula are regarded among the top surfing spots in the world. And beyond ocean sports, there are many golf courses and other amenities from ocean to ocean, to cater to your specific desires.<\/p>\n

Of extreme importance to those baby boomers researching Panama is the\u00a0best Retiree Program in the world<\/strong>. By applying for the Pensionado Visa you will be granted permanent residence in Panama, regardless of whether you decide to stay here permanently or visit for a few weeks or months every year. The Pensionado Program\u00a0entitles you to the following perks:<\/p>\n