It is Easy to Compete but Hard to Practice

Asia is getting serious about competing for the global retiree's business.

As Philippines Correspondent Chris Bech reported this week, "With the new tourism bill, passed last month, the Philippine government is working hard to encourage foreigners to come and invest and settle in this country. They've made it their goal to develop the Philippines as Asia's tourist hub.

"Now under consideration is a bill that would allow for direct foreign ownership of land in this country, so foreigners would no longer have to set up a corporation to hold property.

"If this law passes, the Philippines will be the most liberal country in Southeast Asia for overseas investment. It's already the most appealing choice for expats in this part of the world, in my opinion."

Correspondent Wendy Justice, on the other hand, points out that, when it comes to full-time permanent residence for foreigners…Malaysia comes out the winner, with its "My Second Home" program for foreign retirees.

"Many countries, frankly, sound great at first blush. The trouble can start when you begin to look closely at the foreign immigration requirements or restrictions. The red tape involved with organizing residency many places, certainly permanent legal residency, can be intimidating and even, sometimes, impossible to navigate successfully.

"This is where Malaysia really shines. Unlike many of its Asian neighbors, Malaysia makes immigration easy. Most nationalities can enter Malaysia with a 'social visit' stamp that you get from immigration at the airport. For more permanent immigration status, there's the Malaysia My Second Home, or MM2H, program…"

Both these countries deserve a close look right now. Watch this space for more and more in-depth coverage.

Meantime, I've got to run. We're finalizing presentations and events for attendees joining us here in Panama City this week for our How To Retire Overseas and Live & Invest in Panama conferences. Speakers and correspondents arrive starting this afternoon. We're looking forward to a crazy busy week of new ideas, new opportunities, and new friends.

If you're not able to join us, don't worry. I'll do my best to keep you connected in real time to events and discoveries as they unfold throughout the week.

Hasta luego!

Kathleen Peddicord

Kathleen Peddicord has covered the live, retire, and do business overseas beat for more than 30 years and is considered the world's foremost authority on these subjects. She has traveled to more than 75 countries, invested in real estate in 21, established businesses in 7, renovated historic properties in 6, and educated her children in 4.

Kathleen has moved children, staff, enterprises, household goods, and pets across three continents, from the East Coast of the United States to Waterford, Ireland... then to Paris, France... next to Panama City, where she has based her Live and Invest Overseas business. Most recently, Kathleen and her husband Lief Simon are dividing their time between Panama and Paris.

Kathleen was a partner with Agora Publishing's International Living group for 23 years. In that capacity, she opened her first office overseas, in Waterford, Ireland, where she managed a staff of up to 30 employees for more than 10 years. Kathleen also opened, staffed, and operated International Living publishing and real estate marketing offices in Panama City, Panama; Granada, Nicaragua; Roatan, Honduras; San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; Quito, Ecuador; and Paris, France.

Kathleen moved on from her role with Agora in 2007 and launched her Live and Invest Overseas group in 2008. In the years since, she has built Live and Invest Overseas into a successful, recognized, and respected multi-million-dollar business that employs a staff of 35 in Panama City and dozens of writers and other resources around the world.

Kathleen has been quoted by The New York Times, Money magazine, MSNBC, Yahoo Finance, the AARP, and beyond. She has appeared often on radio and television (including Bloomberg and CNBC) and speaks regularly on topics to do with living, retiring, investing, and doing business around the world.

In addition to her own daily e-letter, the Overseas Opportunity Letter, with a circulation of more than 300,000 readers, Kathleen writes regularly for U.S. News & World Report and Forbes.

Her newest book, "How to Retire Overseas: Everything You Need to Know to Live Well (for Less) Abroad," published by Penguin Random House, is the culmination of decades of personal experience living and investing around the world.

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Source: https://www.liveandinvestoverseas.com/countries/malaysia-countries/asia-is-competing-hard-for-your-business/

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