Books From Kathleen Peddicord

If you could live anywhere, where would you go? And, once you get wherever you decide to go, what could your new life look like? “At Home Abroad” is your guide to finding the answers to these questions. Using firsthand stories from folks who have already made new lives for themselves in the world’s best places to call home, “At Home Abroad” demystifies the idea of starting over in a new country while giving a glimpse of the delightful range of directions this big idea can take. You really could live anywhere that strikes your fancy, and your life in that place could take whatever form you find most appealing. The life you want is out there. You need only imagine it. When you do, don’t let borders get in the way.

“I’ve always had a passion for living beyond the familiar. My journey started in my 20s when I moved from Baltimore to Ireland, a decision that opened my eyes to the endless possibilities the world has to offer. From there, I made my way to Paris, and eventually settled in Panama. Each place wasn’t just a new address but a new chapter of learning and growth, teaching me more about the world and myself than I ever expected.”

“For me, retirement has never meant slowing down. It’s about embracing new adventures and the chance to live life on my own terms. The idea of retiring overseas resonates so deeply with me because it’s not just about finding a more affordable lifestyle or better weather. It’s about stepping into a life that is richer in experiences, culture, and connections.”

“Choosing to retire abroad is choosing to live fully, to embrace change, and to discover something new about yourself and the world every day. It’s a path to a more meaningful life, one where every day is an opportunity for exploration and growth. That’s why I’m so passionate about helping others discover the possibilities of an overseas retirement—it’s not just a change of scenery, it’s a whole new way of living.”

“If you’re ready to explore this exciting journey for yourself, dive deeper into my experiences and insights in my book, At Home Abroad-Retire Big on Little. It’s your guide to making the dream of an international retirement a reality.”

“It was my third machete.

“My first was in Santiago where I watched a man use one to shave his chest.

“He sat in a wooden rocking chair on his front porch at about 10:00 o’clock in the morning, his red checkered shirt unbuttoned and open as he scraped the blade across his belly.

“My second machete was at Panama Jack’s, the tiki bar on our property at Los Islotes. My husband, Lief, used one to cut the head off a snake.

“It was late and most of the staff of our publishing business we’d invited to enjoy themselves at our beach were good and drunk. We were sunburned and tired and the evening was winding down when Valentine, our marketing director, pulled a cooler over to a table to sit on. Underneath was a long black snake coiled around itself. Exposed, it stretched out and darted across the floor.

“Everyone screamed.

“We were all in swimsuits and barefoot. We jumped up on chairs, onto the bar. Lief ran to the Prado and returned with the machete he keeps in the back. In a stroke, he decapitated the intruder.

“He picked up the severed head with his blade and flung it as far as he could into the darkness. He knew better than to leave it where it lay. Even separated from its body, the head can still bite.

“Now our neighbor Roberta was swinging machete number three above her head while shouting in Spanish I couldn’t follow.

“From the cab of our project manager Dalys’ pick-up truck, Lief, Dalys, and I watched as five guys from our construction crew huddled together a meter away.

“They stood rigid and straight, whispering to each other but never taking their eyes off Roberta. Every one of them had a good three inches and fifty pounds on the woman losing her mind in the middle of our dirt road, but they were clearly afraid.

“‘What is she saying?’ I asked Dalys.

“I’ve been spending time in Latin America for four decades and have lived in Panama for fifteen years. I should speak better Spanish than I do. Dalys is a local. I’ve let her become a crutch.

“‘She’s yelling at them to get off her land, Señora Kathleen. She’s saying that if they don’t stop work on this fence, they will regret it.’

“We’ve been feuding with Roberta over this fence for two years. We believe it’s our right to build it on land we own. She disagrees. I knew the situation was coming to a head, but I never imagined it would escalate to physical violence.

“What could the woman be thinking?”

So begins my latest book, “At Home At Los Islotes,” the behind-the-scenes story of Lief and my experiences in Panama these past two-and-a-half decades.

It’s the ultimate insider’s guide to the real Panama—the good, the bad, and the maddening.”

“I was an inadvertent immigrant to the Emerald Isle in the age of the Celtic Tiger, a time when great amounts of wealth were being generated, more money than this island had ever known. Since I’d arrived with my new husband, my 8-year-old daughter, and my business plan, the Irish had been busy covering their ancient green land with suburban track homes, shopping malls, and fast-food franchises. Local pubs were being replaced by multi-story dance clubs, and discount mortgage brokers were opening offices in every town and village across the land.

“Ireland, like me, had a deep yearning for acknowledgement. She, like me, ached to compete in the global business arena. Over the seven years I lived in this country, I watched it race enthusiastically in the direction of its own demise, speeding toward an economic cliff.

“But I’m getting ahead of my story.

“How did I end up in Ireland in the first place? As is too often the case, the answer to that question had to do with a man…”

Kathleen Peddicord was pulling herself up the corporate ladder when given the opportunity to chase a dream she’d had since girlhood. She’d been editor and publisher of a magazine focused on options for Americans interested in living and investing overseas and finally had the chance to take her own advice. Kathleen charged headlong into her move from Baltimore to Ireland only to run headfirst into the Irish way of life. Ireland forced her to dismantle and doubt every belief she’d held as she struggled to start a business and open herself up to new romance while restoring an Irish Georgian country ruin.

Kathleen Peddicord has covered the live, retire, invest, and do business overseas beat for more than 35 years and is considered the world’s foremost authority on these subjects. She has traveled to more than 70+ countries, established businesses in 7, and invested in property in 24. Kathleen has moved children, staff, enterprises, household goods, and pets across three continents. Her Live And Invest Overseas business is based in Panama City, and she and her husband Lief Simon now divide their time between Panama and Paris, with regular return visits to Ireland.

In Buying Real Estate Overseas For Cash Flow (And A Better Life): Get Started With As Little As $50,000, Kathleen Peddicord and Lief Simon explain how to incorporate an investment in foreign real estate into your portfolio for as little as $50,000. With a lifetime of experience on the subjects of living, retiring, and investing overseas, the Kathleen and Lief delve deep into the complex topic of investing in Real Estate. Simply put, this book is a practical guide to buying property overseas as a strategy for earning cash to fund your dream retirement. 

In the book, the Kathleen and Lief cover topics as wide-ranging as: 

• How to build the cash flow you need to fund the retirement you want 
• 8 markets offering the best current cash-flow opportunities 
• How to move money across borders in today’s post-FATCA world 

• Plus: How to run the numbers to evaluate a potential cash-flow investment 

Buying Real Estate Overseas includes a breadth and depth of information on the world’s best markets for investing in real estate for cash flow. Its up-to-date information about this investment category puts to bed much of the outdated advice and guidance currently available in published materials. 

Kathleen and Lief identify several hot, new markets where currency valuations and market conditions make the purchase of real estate an extremely wise investment decision in today’s volatile investment climate. 

It’s not just Florida anymore! This definitive step-by-step guide helps anyone to find, relocate, and save on a home away from home…

The effects of the economic downturn on IRAs, 401(k)s, and other retirement savings plans have forced thousands of people to rethink their plans for retirement. But Kathleen Peddicord offers a cheaper option with all the benefits of a stateside retirement: liv­ing overseas.

Retiring abroad has never been more accessible or appealing. In addition to a sense of adventure, the allure of an idyllic locale, and the excitement of learning a new culture, Peddicord shows readers how living in an unconventional retirement destination can cost less than a traditional home in Arizona. This prescriptive guide answers every essential question potential ex-pats have, from instructions on setting up bank accounts to tips on locating great restaurants.

Peddicord has more than twenty-five years of experience helping thousands of people successfully and happily relocate to the retirement of their dreams. From remote and relatively unknown havens like Nicaragua to well-traveled areas in Italy, How to Retire Overseas is the ultimate guide to retiring abroad.

Practical advice on how to enjoy the unique benefits and avoid the pitfalls of investing in real estate abroad..

In the current uncertain investment climate, foreign real estate represents a more important opportunity than ever before, for both the investor who wants to move a portion of their wealth abroad and the retiree looking for affordable living options. How to Buy Real Estate Overseas explains one of the best options available today for diversification, asset protection, and a safe haven for wealth. Foreign property is a hard asset that, unlike stocks, for example, can’t go bankrupt and collapse to zero.

This book is an expert guide to the advantages and the challenges of investing in real estate overseas.

Author Kathleen Peddicord, an American currently based in Panama, is considered the world’s foremost authority on overseas retirement and foreign property investment. She has traveled to more than 50 countries, invested in real estate in 18, established businesses in 7, renovated historic properties in 6, and educated her children in 4. She knows from personal experience how foreign real estate can appreciate significantly over time, throw off an annual cash flow, and provide personal enjoyment for you and your family.

An investment in a piece of real estate in a foreign country is a chance for both profit and fun. How to Buy Real Estate Overseas offers practical advice on how to find great deals, buy and manage property profitably in unfamiliar and potentially volatile foreign markets.

The definitive guide for anyone dreaming of a move to paradise: Portugal’s Algarve region…

Welcome to the Algarve, the best of the Old World plus the most beautiful beaches in Europe—at a bargain price.

Whether motivated by a desire for adventure, discomfort with the current political climate, or the need to make the most of a diminished nest egg, more and more Americans are considering an overseas move. Drawing on more than three decades of experience helping people relocate happily and successfully, Kathleen Peddicord shows how finding a new home in Portugal can improve your quality of life—and help you save money. She addresses all of the essential issues, including: finding a home to own or rent, researching and understanding your tax liability, obtaining health insurance and medical care, avoiding common mistakes and pitfalls, and opening a bank account.

Whether you’re most interested in its great weather; safe and stable infrastructure; top-notch, inexpensive healthcare; low cost of living; undervalued property market; or easy access to the rest of Europe and North Africa, Your New Life Overseas: Portugal (The Algarve) is the ultimate guide to making your dreams of a life abroad come true.

The definitive guide for anyone dreaming of a move to paradise: Belize…

Welcome to Belize, one of the quirkiest countries you’ll ever know—a nation of freedom seekers, white sand beaches, and Mayan ruins, at a bargain price.

Whether motivated by a desire for adventure, discomfort with the current political climate, or the need to make the most of a diminished nest egg, more and more Americans are considering an overseas move. Drawing on more than three decades of experience helping people relocate happily and successfully, Kathleen Peddicord shows how finding a new home in Belize can improve your quality of life—and help you save money. She addresses all of the essential issues, including: finding a home to own or rent, researching and understanding your tax liability, obtaining health insurance and medical care, avoiding common mistakes and pitfalls, and opening a bank account.

Whether you’re most interested in its virgin rainforest, barrier reef, and gorgeous beaches; status as a tax haven and reputation as a place to start over; or easy access to the rest of the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America, Your New Life Overseas: Belize is the ultimate guide to making your dreams of a life abroad come true.

The definitive guide for anyone dreaming of a move to paradise: Mexico’s Mazatlán region…

Welcome to Mazatlán, one of the few places in the world where you can walk for miles on an uncrowded beach within city limits.

Whether motivated by a desire for adventure, discomfort with the current political climate, or the need to make the most of a diminished nest egg, more and more Americans are considering an overseas move. Drawing on more than three decades of experience helping people relocate happily and successfully, Kathleen Peddicord shows how finding a new home in Mexico can improve your quality of life—at a bargain price. She addresses all of the essential issues, including: finding a home to own or rent, researching and understanding your tax liability, obtaining health insurance and medical care, avoiding common mistakes and pitfalls, and opening a bank account.

Whether you’re most interested in its walkable colonial center; beautiful beaches with some of the world’s best fishing; thriving expat community; or access to the rest of Mexico and ease of travel to and from the U.S., Your New Life Overseas: Mexico (Mazatlán) is the ultimate guide to making your dreams of a life abroad come true.