Journal
Panama, from someone who lives here
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July 28, 2026
The Boom Of Branded Residences
When a Gen X physician and her partner, living in New Orleans, began looking at retirement properties they ran through options in Mexico and South Florida where…
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April 23, 2025
The Purpose of Life Is to Live It!
It is always beautiful at the Playa Bonita Village, situated just over the Bridge of the Americas, on a private Pacific Ocean beach. Drenching rain, brilliant red…
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February 24, 2025
When You Live At Playa Bonita
The photos and renderings of new residential projects are almost always stunning and near-perfect. Everyone is well-dressed; oftentimes, there is a sparkling blue…
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January 15, 2025
Panama Is Set For A Coming Of Age Moment In 2025
As we begin 2025, the new year promises to be historic for Panama. Having been on most Best Places to Retire lists for over a decade, Panama is a well-loved ex-pat…
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October 15, 2024
Panama doesn’t Have Hurricanes, Tornadoes
It is difficult to watch television and news reports about the current destruction in Florida. How does one wrap their head around two “once-in-a-lifetime” storms…
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August 19, 2024
Panama’s Experiencing A Short-Term Rental Boom
According to the latest glossy Conde Nast Traveler issue, “Panama Is Ready For Its Close-Up”! The magazine’s audience is upscale and well-respected by serious…
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March 6, 2024
Finding The Right Fit For You
Many published articles routinely list the best places in the world to retire. Panama is regularly named, noting the lower cost of living, ease of residency, and…
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February 1, 2024
What Panama Offers Residents
Most individuals who recently took relocation tours to Panama, seeking first-hand information for retirement or new chapters, were generally concerned about the…
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December 26, 2023
Ending 2023 And Welcoming 2024
As we close the books on 2023, the main artery of Panama City, Avenida Balboa, is adorned with sparkling lights, holiday music, and a general feeling of…
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November 1, 2023
Renting, Investing In Panama Checks Lots Of Boxes
The adage in real estate is location, location, location. The bottom line in finance is Return On Investment (ROI). Today, you can realize both with the same…
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June 28, 2023
Panama Welcomes Newcomers To “Best Of” Lists
Has Panama worn out its welcome of always being at the top of most “Best Of” lists for retirement, investment, living abroad, and island getaways? Not really, but…
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June 6, 2023
Slowing Down And Smelling The Roses
After almost 15 years of living in Panama, I have finally paused for a minute and looked around at what I love about this country. Australian by birth…
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May 9, 2023
Restaurants At The End Of The World
Boquete, a picturesque Panamanian town of approximately 25,000 is located only 37 miles from the Costa Rican border and has always been a top retirement haven for…
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April 18, 2023
The Tipping Point Of Panama
When I moved to Panama almost 15 years ago, it was considerably different than what I see today. Just a couple of weekends ago, I woke up to find numerous emails…
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January 10, 2023
Once A Zonian, Always A Zonian
Lots of Panamanians speak English fluently, including many well-to-do locals who have studied in the United States, Canada, or Great Britain. Servers in fast-casual…
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August 30, 2022
New Opportunities in Boquete
Many retirees are not looking for the urban hustle of Panama City or the business vibe of Costa del Este. Even the beach properties of Gorgona and Coronado have not…
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November 11, 2021
If You Build It, Will They Come?
It’s no secret that between the Millennials and pandemic, how we work, live, and communicate continues to change and evolve. Only a few years ago employees filed…
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October 19, 2021
Panama Tourism Is Exploding
As the long, long season of COVID-19 wanes, everyone worldwide seems ready to get back to traveling. Booking sites can’t take reservations fast enough, wedding…
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April 2, 2021
Like The Bunny, The Panama Canal Just Keeps Going!
The recent crisis with the grounded container ship in the Suez Canal was something that made many Panamanians become instantly grateful and then reflective. Of…
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March 15, 2021
Tourism, The GDP and Economic Recovery
The Panamanian economy retracted by as much as 14% in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Approximately a year ago when the World Health Organization (WHO)…
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March 2, 2021
Panama Continues To Develop
It seems like everything has changed and much has stayed the same since the COVID-19 pandemic descended on us a year ago. When things first started closing and…
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February 9, 2021
Creating Your Best Professional Life
The American financial journal Money. Inc., noted recently that Americans may never go back to a traditional office. Then, they took a deep dive to identify what…
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January 21, 2021
Why You Need More!
People often send me links to “Best Places To Retire” or “Top Places to Live Abroad” articles. Panama is routinely among the countries and cities listed and if…
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December 16, 2020
One-Stop To Your New Life!
I’m not sure if it’s just 2020 or if I’m permanently into wanting to make things really simple. If I can purchase a gift or dinner with a one-stop solution, I’m…
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November 24, 2020
Positioning Panama For Economic Growth
Given the unique geography of connecting the Pacific and Atlantic oceans as well as North and South America, Panama literally connects the world and is the gateway…
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November 11, 2020
Open For Business!
Panama opened its doors for international travelers on October 12th and it’s been wonderful to see visitors and business executives traveling through Tocumen…
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September 10, 2020
Come On Down! It’s The New Normal
When I speak with people in the States, they often tell me they aren’t sure what day it is as days tend to blur together given the current pandemic restrictions. I…
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July 7, 2020
Still Number One For Retirees
It’s no secret Panama continues to struggle with COVID-19 and on July 7, 2020, announced a total of 39,334 positive cases and 770 deaths. The good news is the…
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June 16, 2020
Beginning With Local Tourism
Rooting out corruption and closing the income gap for Panamanians was promised when Laurentino “Nito” Cortizo was sworn in as the newly elected president of Panama…
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March 17, 2020
Medical Tourism in Panama Continues to Grow
The second Johns Hopkins Medicine International Hospital in Panama is under construction in the Panama City suburb of Costa del Este and it promises to promote even…
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February 7, 2020
The Evolving Opportunity of The Arcadia Residential Tower
If managing investments were easy, everyone would do it, routinely driving amazing profits to a portfolio’s bottom line. For new construction real estate…
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December 18, 2019
A New Decade; A New Opportunity
It is hard to think about the fact it will soon be a new year and a new decade. Time seems to move so quickly. After more than ten years in Panama, I have been…
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June 3, 2019
The Amador Causeway Preparing For Change
The causeway snakes from the bustling urban streets of Panama City, into the Pacific Ocean where it guards the southern entrance of the Panama Canal. Along the…
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February 19, 2019
Breaking Ground In Costa del Este
There are a lot of moving parts, which is why I was a little surprised when I heard two very large and very different projects broke ground last month In Costa del…
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October 5, 2018
What A Fourth Bridge Will Mean to Panama
There are three bridges which connect our bisected country, but the Americas is the most used. We were traveling east leaving Panama City on our way to view some…
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June 15, 2018
What Would Panama Be Without The Panama Canal?
She looked over at her passenger and smiled. The two were easy together, but older than I had imagined. She was slight in her navy slacks and navy and white striped…
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May 29, 2018
Panama As A Golf Destination
I was recently asked this question. I wanted to respond, “I don’t know, do you know how to play golf now?” but I didn’t. I did wonder, however, if the gentleman had…
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January 23, 2018
Rapid Infrastructure Making a Big Difference in Panama
Panama has been talking about building a fourth bridge for some time. Recently, it was announced that awarding the final contract for the next bridge, was being…
