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I invite you all to take a look at this link from Best Places in the World to Retire:

https://bestplacesintheworldtoretire.com/stories?view=entry&id=328

This is a come-on article, advertising that health insurance for tourists is free. This hasn't been true for over two and a half years. Only at the end of the article is there an "editor's note" that this insurance  is no longer available.

If you were honestly trying to disseminate information helpful to persons thinking about visiting or retiring to Panama, as all these sites represent, why would you publish an article with out-of-date facts? Of what possible good, I ask, is this information inasmuch as it no longer applies?

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: what these folks do to make a buck is unconscionable.

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1 hour ago, JimAndNena said:

What is interesting is one of the people in the article experienced a home invasion where they were smacked in the head with a hammer! I got this info first hand from said person. It was over 6 years ago and not robbery related. Maybe they can be more forthcoming and provide the details. My conversation with this person was in person and over several minutes.

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  • 2 months later...

We learned that there is no replacement to actual boots on the ground and your own research.  I agree with Bonnie...what some of the known overseas retirement publications print is just false advertising at best and intentional fraud at worst. Or maybe just substandard reporting.  What we have concluded is that there is no perfect place to live regardless of what you read.  It all depends on what you are willing to deal with. 

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5 hours ago, Panawanna said:

We learned that there is no replacement to actual boots on the ground and your own research.  I agree with Bonnie...what some of the known overseas retirement publications print is just false advertising at best and intentional fraud at worst. Or maybe just substandard reporting.  What we have concluded is that there is no perfect place to live regardless of what you read.  It all depends on what you are willing to deal with. 

It is not just the publications, Panawanna. Everyone with a rental property to let or a used car to sell or a service to provide is dependent on new expats arriving for their revenues. More than a few blogs have reported being taken in by expats far more often than by the locals. Just because someone speaks your language you should still follow the advice, "trust but verify".

Foremost on the list of things to check is the reliability of the services that are taken for granted in the US. Power, water, sanitation, security, transportation can not be assumed to be available outside Panama City. Significant attention to back up plans will be needed to deal with the outages. Boquete has seen rapid growth in the last 20 years and the infrastructure is showing the strain.

jim

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Thanks for the reality check!  Yes, we saw all of this during our extended stays in the area and none of this was mentioned in any of the publications that tout the 'perfect' retirement in the area. It does not present a deal breaker for us at this point.  But I do wonder if things will improve over the years and become reliable when we are no longer physically able to fulfill our own needs.  It does appear that infrastructure is being improved around the country.

 

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