Welcome, I will post weekly videos related to Travel around Europe and the United States. Travel News like public transportation strikes, deals from travel companies, and general news about places like Athens Greece, Rome Italy, Paris France, Barcelona and Madrid Spain, London England, New York, Los Angeles, and much more cities and countries!
If you want to reach out to me, please email me at mcleanjoric@gmail.com
my advice is always the same, buy health insurance, doesn't have to be the best, go to private hospitals for routine anything, using that insurance, and go to public hospitals for any emergencies or anything major, the bigger the hospital the better. also use insurance for dentists. as for a stroke, call 112, the doctor will come to you with the necessary equipment.
Major "Con": If you are over age 64 and have, or have had, a chronic health condition (diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, etc.) and are moving to Portugal as an ExPat, there is only one provider of private health insurance, MGEN, who is very poorly rated online. Much like pre-Obama Care in the U.S., in Portugal, any previous or current chronic health condition is considered a reason for denial. So over age 64 and any pre-existing condition, only one poorly-rated provider. No one ever discusses this fact. So much for great healthcare in Portugal.
We just got back from California and the sticker shock was jaw dropping...Restaurants super expensive and wine minimum 13-15 dollars/glass! Groceries I found super expensive. I don't find the inflation here in Portugal nearly as bad...I find groceries, utilities, etc basically the same. We locked into a fixed mortgage so on housing we are set! I do agree things are not the same and prices overall have gone up, but in Lisbon and Porto...We are 30km outside of Lisbon so we still find things reasonable. Travel and hotels have definitely gone up. We are good here, but I'd hate to be looking for housing now...Gone way up!!
Thank you for your straight to forward video. It is much appreciated. I'm planning on a trip to Portugal in the next 6 months. I've done a huge amount of research and have met a lot of Portuguese and Spanish people here in Vancouver. I love the Portuguese people's relaxed attitude and will be concentrating on checking out the silver coast. Cheaper accommodation and slower pace with moderate temperatures. Thank you for your great videos!
Inflation here has been bad. No doubt. Delta instant coffee (large) best price I got in 2021 Euro 2.49, Best price I can get now in 2024 Euro 4.99. Chocolate (Milka) 2021 Euro 1.00. 2024 Euro 1.89. There are many other examples. However, in Portugal, if you shop in a planned way, it can still be cheap. For instance the Pingo Doce spend 100 get 20 BP + 20 Pingo promo that they run at least twice a month allows you to significantly claw back some of the increased cost. I do not drive much and that promo basically provides all the gasoline I need every month. Another negative is that "diversity" is rapidly increasing here. I am in the countryside and thus somewhat insulated, but you will know what I mean living in Lisbon. I went there last week and looking at the people around me, you could easily have thought that you were in South Africa.
It's summer time in Portugal, which means heat and fires across the country. Please be cautious when biking, hiking or backpacking in rural areas, and make sure to hydrate.
I hate to always brag, but boy did we get lucky! One year in Lisbon, Avenidas Novas, and it was a great little neighborhood and apartment building...Pretty quiet and no bad neighbors or construction and we had it all in walking distance! Pretty central, but not touristy or super busy. As to your final point, we hit the jackpot...House 30km or so from Lisbon and beaches, quiet as can be, city 2 minutes away with EVERYTHING including a bus depot with buses to Lisbon, beautiful view, etc...Just incredible! We ruled out early on across the river where a lot of people go, Lisbon center due to prices and size and like I said hit the jackpot! I hear only birds right now...
Thanks for that info Joric. Isn't the tax filing extension good until October 15? Just wondering why you are being rushed to give the exact Portuguese tax returns numbers to your U.S filing person/company.
The Market have been suffering over the past month, with all the three indexes recording losses in recent weeks. My $400,000 portfolio is down by approximately 20%, any recommendations to scale up my returns before retirement will be highly appreciated.
Investing without proper guidance can lead to mistakes and losses. I've learned this from my own experience.If you're new to investing or don't have much time, it's best to get advice from an expert
A lot of folks downplay the role of advlsors until being burnt by their own emotions. I remember couple summers back, after my lengthy divorce, I needed a good boost to help my business stay afloat, hence I researched for licensed advisors and came across someone of utmost qualifications. She's helped grow my reserve notwithstanding inflation, from $275k to $850k.
How can one find a verifiable financial planner? I would not mind looking up the professional that helped you. I will be retiring in two years and I might need some management on my much larger portfolio. Don't want to take any chances.
Deborah Lynn Dilling is the licensed fiduciary I use. Just research the name. You’d find necessary details to work with a correspondence to set up an appointment..
Thank you for this tip. it was easy to find your coach. Did my due diligence on her before scheduling a phone call with her. She seems proficient considering her résumé.
It seems like Portugal was the flavor of the month (well, actually 3 years) and now people are "moving on." For the others reading this, smaller cities and towns such as Beziers in southern France has much cheaper property.
I agree 100%. I remember being offered drugsseveral times when I was there. I would like to congratulate you again for always being honest. Lots of expats try to make Portugal out as being a crime free, perfect heaven on earth. Of course just like every country, Portugal has its problems as well.
Thank You. I've tried to be honest, without being controversial, if that makes sense. We moved here due to work transfers, not for retirement. I try to show the mundane, the day to day life people deal with when the honeymoon "everything is rainbows and unicorns" ends.
We are going to be leaving sooner. Not due to politics, but work. We are here on work visas, and contracts were not renewed, so we will be going back to the US. A video will be coming out soon.
@@traveltidbitsrus Sorry that you are leaving. I have enjoyed your frank opinions concerning Portugal. Unfortunately too many are blindly hyping the country
A disturbing trend is what is happening on a global scale with real estate. The governments of China, Russia as well as some middle eastern nations, through shell companies that they have set up, have been buying up real estate in the US and many European countries. The effect of this new form of warfare is to drive up the cost of living for the people in those countries basically destroying the economies from the inside out. Another disturbing fact is that the governments those countries affected are simply dong nothing about it.
Thanks for sharing the good news Joric! The NIF is needed for the initial Visa application right? You have to wait for the Residency Card before applying for the SNS? Is the Social Security number needed for filing taxes just like in the U.S? Thanks
Yes, everything account or application I can think of for us, we needed the NIF. We did apply for SNS before we received our cards. They give you a document at the residency visa appointment which you can use to get your SNS, as well as your Soc. Sec. #. You need the Social for working in Portugal, but not necessarily for paying taxes.
@@traveltidbitsrus Thanks for clarifying. So when you file your income tax in Portugal, you use your NIF (versus the social security number in the U.S)? Thanks
I was starting to get interested in Spain and then came across an article about the problem of squatters in Spain. People can just break into your property if you're away for a while and the police cannot do anything about it if it's been over 48 hours. WTH???!!!
There is no doubt. There are dozens of apartments for sale around us that have been for sale since we moved in 2019. Many are 200-300k more than what comparable properties sell for.
8:15 Why would you owe taxes both in Portugal and the US? Even if there weren't the tax treaty preventing double taxation based on US citizenship, the US IRS allows you to take a US tax credit for any foreign taxes paid. Granted, there is a tax year offset to getting refunded.
We are still planning on moving and understand the tax implications are great, however, we should pay our fair share. Also, we will still have a better quality of life - we love the history and the access to travel to other countries in Europe. We did a scouting trip and have chosen Northern Portugal - we will rent first to make sure it is where we can see ourselves long-term.
If you keep chasing the best place to live based on economics, you will likely need to keep moving every few years. The real concern should be the eventual invasion of Europe and the USA by Russia and the Islamists. Another real concern for anyone retiring should be who will they be able to rely on in there old age. A neighbor in a foreign country? Their family in another country?
what bothers me, is the amount of people who don't feel any responsibility to pay into a system they greatly benefit from. i'm glad they likely won't be our neighbors, but feel bad for the next country they abuse by shifting their burden. nobody is perfect, & i do hope people change, but self-growth & being open to nuance/perspective just isn't a common thread lately around the world. our plans reamain, as we put so many other factors ahead, then consider if/how we can easily afford to make it work. simple; if we can't be a net-positive, we won't live there, and that's why we're still stuck in the US (facing a possible loss of all our hard work, yet guilt-free).
In doing these vids, I have come across plenty of people who want the cheapest (less taxes, cost of living, etc.) option, versus maybe the best option. I think when everyone chips in, the city, state, country, all benefits. It does seem that more people who really want to move to Portugal, are still doing so, and those who wanted the tax deal, are planning a move elsewhere.
No one seems to mention the rising temperatures in southern European countries, just recently last summer there were days in southern Spain in the mid 40's, it's only going to get worse.
Typical, well thought out, and most-appreciated words of wisdom from Joric-as always. Reason for being a subscriber in the first place. 🥇 👏🏻 My two suggestions: (1) If you know nothing (or almost nothing) about a specific topic, YT videos are a wonderful resource. However, if you know more than the average bear, take what a YT creator indicates with a grain of salt. In other words, check and recheck (more than twice) what someone tells you or doesn’t tell you. At times, I found YT videos to be somewhat misleading or lacking. (2) For taxes, check with an international firm/person that knows your situation in your home county AND the country you’re considering (PT, France, Italy, wherever) so you can compare apples-to-apples. I would not rely solely on a tax advisor (say) that’s based in the US and knows nothing about tax treaties or tax incentives offered by other countries.
Just an observation about real estate. We purchased in central Portugal a year ago for the rural small town atmosphere and great value for money. One year later I'm amazed at how the prices have shot up in the area and it's not the bargain that it was. Now can't find anything comparable for close to what we paid. How is the sale of your apartment going? It sure seems to be priced very well for the location and condition.
@@wallywal6139 only 3 showings in 3 months so not great. We are underpriced for our neighborhood, but I think it will take months if not a year or two to sell.
Stumbled in here, as I was searching around, as some friends are considering Portugal (retirement) asked for help. I have some experience as we decided to not live in the US full time about 15 years ago. We now live between Malaysia, Morocco, and the US. ... for the most part. I had heard about the Portugal golden Visa/NHR being discontinued, and just reviewed the details. (Interestingly I happen to have US, Brazilian, and Portuguese citizenships from childhood). The same thing happened to us in Malaysia just a couple of years ago. We have a Malaysian MM2H Visa (long term residency) from 2014. But Malaysia changed the terms on their MM2H. And over the past 2 years have flip-flopped multiple times on what the ongoing policy will be. The problem with the change in Malaysian MM2H, Portuguese NHR, and many more of these global "residency deals" of other Countries is that they are not written in stone. We _Expected_ to easily be able to renew our MM2H after its 10-year limit. We Purchased a condo in Southern Malaysia (Johor), then 7 years into it all - and having a great time ...pre-pandemic - Malaysia no longer honored the "promises" of the original MM2H. We have property there, now they may want us to pay much more ongoing? We almost relocated to Vietnam, but our area came under a special waiver for residency...at least for now. My take: Bottom line is none of these "residency" programs can be trusted. Which leaves 2 real choices; A. Use the "Visa run" strategy, where one lives in a Country for the temporary term of their TOURIST Visa. Example: U.S. citizens may enter Portugal for up to 90 days within a 180 day period, meaning one can live in Portugal for 3 Months, then hop over to some other Country for 3 months, then come back to Portugal - effectively living in Portugal for 6 Months out of the year without being taxed. For us (even if I didn't hold Portuguese citizenship), we can do this blindfolded jumping between Morocco and Portugal (A Ryanair flight from Tangier to Lisbon is $29). This is effectively what we have been doing anyway, as for us, it makes no sense to just live in one place in today's modern world - when it doesn't cost any more to do so. That's ancient mindset thinking. B. Get a 2nd _Citizenship!_ (while you still can). The number of Americans I know, that don't realize that they can qualify for Citizenship by descent from some EU nation is amazing. As once you have an EU citizenship, the EU opens up. But I have no idea how taxes would be worked out. Also citizenship by Naturalization is almost always overlooked; Live in France for as little as 4 years. Portugal? *_just FIVE Years..._* Only actually being there 183 days of a year. Or do Mexico, or Argentina, etc even faster. Thanks for your video. It helped me provide some answers for my friends. (There are many ways to solve a problem.)
France is always an option for me because my oldest nephews, who are adults were bore and raised in France. They want me to move to France. I’m interested in the character of the Portuguese people. I enjoy the diversity, and as an African-multi American, people just assumed I was Portuguese, when I was in Portugal. In France, people usually assume I’m from England. Regardless, Portugal has a lot of inconsistencies. It’s making adjustments due to growing pains. It’s a new government system on top of an ancient land. So far, it’s not a deal breaker, but I haven’t made a final decision yet. But, getting residency in Portugal is still easier than France. But, France doesn’t tax retirement at all. I also prefer the French cuisine, especially from the South. I’m an omnivorous who loves fresh vegetables. Portuguese plates are lacking in that department. Right now, I can see myself having Portugal as my base, and then when I start to slow down, move to France with my Portuguese residency.
Joric...Keepin' it real! No one, especially Americans, should move anywhere because of sugar coated vlogs!! I love Portugal and consider it my forever home, but previously lived in France and already understand the differences in culture and how things operate...Not the US!! That said, I am never going back except to visit!! My situation is different due to my EU husband, but people are really ignorant moving to another country without understanding the differences...Travel is not the same experience as living!!!
