Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS) About How To Travel, Retire, Work or Start a Business and Live in the Philippines
Move to the Philippines Move to the Philippines? Hey, that’s what hundreds and thousands of folks come here looking to do almost every day. Sounds like an ideal thing to do, doesn’t it? Well “paradise” it ain’t, but compared to “working for the man” back in Colorado winters, my last gig before I moved to the Philippines, full time, myself, it sure is a lot closer to paradise and any other J*O*B situation I was ever in before. But, of course, the number one question on … [Read more...]
Is this really about your move to the Philippines? You decide. Another short reading assignment today, gentle readers. And then a much more important thinking assignment. Reading is easy, at least if it interests you. Thinking? Sometimes not so much. Go see what my blogging colleague Seth wrote: The taskmaster premium (go ahead, it’s very short and to the point, I’ll wait for you.) If you didn’t take the time, here’s the important message in a couple … [Read more...]
You may think at first this post has little to do with a move to the Philippines. But read it through, with a thoughtful mind, and perhaps you may just see a connection for yourself. Or not. As we say on the ‘Net, YMMV. One of my admittedly obscure heroes was a fellow who designed airplanes, and somewhat wacky flying cars and a great many other unique inventions. In his drafting room, he had a sign which said “SIMPLICATE AND ADD MORE LIGHTNESS.” His name was William Bushnell … [Read more...]
Could Tax Deductible Philippine Travel Even Be Legal? Tax Deductible Philippine Travel? Wow, isn't that one of those "link bait" style article titles, Dave? Everybody "knows" you can’t cheat on your taxes and get away with it ... "they" say you can't, don't "they"? Well, I'm sure "they" do, and let me say right now (and probably a few more times in the article), I do not advocate, advise or support in any way "cheating" on your US income taxes. I pay mine, honestly, every year, and I … [Read more...]
Retire in the Philippines Retire in the Philippines, with No Plan? Well, perhaps not exactly, "No Plan", but, then again, a lot less "Plan" than many of you are beating yourself up with. I really think everyone even thinking in passing about retiring in the Philippines should give this article a 'read' and come back for a little "Retire in the Philippines" discussion, if you are still in the mood … What on earth is that supposed to mean? It means expatriating without any plans is very … [Read more...]
Day after day they come ... and don't get me wrong, I'm glad they do ... people searching for information about Jobs For Americans in the Philippines. Often they ask me about finding a job in a call center here in the Philippines. After all: The market here is heavily, very heavily English-oriented. (and most of my readers are native English speakers) There's little technical or academic perquisites for the typical call agent's job. It's no secret there are thousands and thousands … [Read more...]
Medical care in the Philippines and medical insurance alternatives. Here’s an interesting comment from a long-time reader, Bob from New York. Quite insightful on several different levels. Medical Care in the Philippines I made a few comments, but Bob pretty much has said a lot that I have been saying for years … Americans tend to be slaves to what we “think” is the best medical care in the world … it’s actually the 37th best care in the world, superior to other countries only … [Read more...]
Does this story really have anything to do with Working in the Philippines, Dave? Well I think so. They say that people love stories, so here’s a good one. In 1996 I was working for the USAF as a communications officer/project manager and I was fortunate enough to be sent to an advanced training course centered around new techniques and new, “space age” equipment that was coming on line for America’s fighting forces. I have to say I was a bit intimidated at first, because there … [Read more...]
Retire in the Philippines --- Can You? So you want to Retire in the Philippines? Your homework assignment for today is to go and read this excellent article. Go ahead, I'll wait, but do come back, because I have some very specific Retire in the Philippines comments and clarification that you might find interesting. Finding Value in Disillusionment by: Billy and Akaisha Kaderli It’s a wakeup call. These days unpredictability is the theme of the marketplace, and hordes of would-be … [Read more...]
Philippine Retirement --- A Good Thing? Since I am an American retiree in the Philippines, it's not very surprising that I write a lot about Philippine Retirement. I have a number of online friends who are retired in the Philippines as well (and one who is a younger than retirement-age entrepreneur who will probably never 'retire' from earning a living here in the Philippines). There's an old saying about loving your work makes it not work at all ... and that's how I feel about all the … [Read more...]
From time to time I like looking at the keywords or questions about living in the Philippines that people type into Google that lead them to PhilFAQS, the site where I write about the frequently asked questions (FAQS) about living here in the Philippines. I try to put the more common questions on a dedicated FAQS page (it’s right up there on the top menu bar, if you haven’t had a chance to check it out). Here’s a few recent queries that landed people here, where Google ‘sent … [Read more...]
As many of you have already there was another large earthquake/after shock in the sea off Miyagi prefecture, Japan last night, Philippine/Japanese time. This one was much smaller and no significant injuries/damage has been reported. So the work these guys are doing will, I believe, go on unhindered. Sendai airport was not fully open until 28 March following the tsunami on 11 March. The first C-17s, however, were going into Sendai on 20 March after the USAF's 320th special tactics … [Read more...]
