Moving to the Philippines

Reader Thoughts on Retiring in the Philippines, Jan 2019

12/01/2019 by Dave Starr 4 Comments

Reader Thoughts on Retiring in the Philippines.

(Updated January 11, 2019)

Here’s a great comment I received from a reader. I wanted to make some additional comments and a couple of slight corrections, so I did, marked in blue.

Food is exempt of the 12% sales tax and many stores in the provinces don’t apply it to their sales or services at all. but at the big malls, it is applied, most surely.

Partially correct, but the way you have stated it could be a little misleading.

Food, in the raw, in its natural state is not taxed. Example, if you buy a kilo of rice, even though it may be milled and polished and cleaned, it is not taxed.

A head of cauliflower, as it comes from the field is not subject to taxation.

But something so simple as a basic can of beans is subject to the 12% VAT. When you go to the supermarket as I do at least once a week, you’ll soon see that the taxed items far exceed the tax-free items.

Moving to the Philippines to Retire

09/01/2019 by Dave Starr 2 Comments

Are you thinking of Moving to the Philippines to Retire?

(Updated 8 January 2019)

Are you one of those folks who is thinking about moving to the Philippines to retire?

Perhaps to stretch that ever-shrinking fixed retirement income.

Perhaps to get away from ice and snow and cold forever.

Perhaps just for a change of pace, escaping the treadmill and rat race of the USA to relax in your golden years.

There are many other potential reasons. But the big question in many people’s mind is,

Does Retiring in the Philippine Even Make Sense?

Well, the answer to that question is going to be different for almost everyone who asks it.

First of all, it is important to remember that there s almost never a definite, for sure and positive yes or no answer.

There are only pluses and minuses which will be different for almost everyone.

All an individual can do is to decide if the pluses or the minuses add up in favor of making the move or not … and specifically for that individual only.

Christmas Wishes and Your Gift From Me — Ask Me Anything

25/12/2018 by Dave Starr Leave a Comment

Ask Me Anything

(Updated 25 December 2018)

This post may contain affiliate links. See our affiliate disclaimer above.

Recently my blogging colleagues, Heath & Alyssa hosted an AMA on their website.

If you haven’t heard of it, AMA stands for Ask Me Anything and the trend started long ago on Reddit.

I’ve always wanted to do one, but I don’t use Reddit.

So it wasn’t until I saw Heath and Alyssa’s post that I realized it must be okay for bloggers to host AMAs too!

Ask Me Anything means you can ask me anything.

If you don’t know what to ask, here are a few things we love talking about here on PhilFAQS.com

Full-time Living in the Philippines
Part-time Living in the Philippines
Retiring in the Philippines (at any age)
Ditching the 9 to 5
Starting a business That Will Supplement Your Income
Blogging (for both fun and profit)
Travel
Binge watching Netflix shows

And anything else you can think of.

How To Ask:

Just leave a public comment below. I promise to answer every one.
Send me a spam-free email message using the Contact Form here:
Call me on my US number 1-719-966-4295. You’ll probably have to leave a message, as I don’t sit by the phone here. But if you leave a contact number and tell me what time zone you are in, I promise to call you back.

So Have a Great Christmas and an Even More Wonderful New Year

And ask me anything, the only stupid questions are the ones you don’t ask.

Another Article On Why I’m Staying In The Philippines

12/11/2018 by Dave Starr Leave a Comment

Why I’m Staying In The Philippines

(Updated 12 November 2018)

A few days back I published an article here where I made a huge error in the title. I never should have used the word “Final”. Never say “never” or “final” or “ultimate” unless you have an iron-clad assure that this will actually BE your final word.

Final USA Observations On The Way Out The Door

Also, I published this article (below) recently as well, detailing why (at this time) moving back to the USA was not the right decision for my wife and me.

Still Keeping Me Rudely Awake 2018

Well Here’s The Thing With “Final”

One of the major things I talked about in those two articles was the ridiculous costs for many things in the USA, compared with what I have to pay here in the Philippines.

Even though I paid all the charges on the three different US-based credit cards I used on the US trip, I found out I wasn’t quite done just yet

Final Charges are like Final Decisions.

They ain’t necessarily so.

Along came a charge on the US credit card I had used to rent a car in the Philippines. Even though I had a receipt from that company, issued when the car was turned in that said “Final Charges”, I now find I have to pay more than $122 USD for “Airport Taxes and Usage Fees”.

If anyone has read the first article on the is subject you’ll recall I pointed out this “wonderful” practice being carried out by many US cities to screw the visitor, after the fact. [Read more…] about Another Article On Why I’m Staying In The Philippines

Final USA Observations On The Way Out The Door

07/11/2018 by Dave Starr 2 Comments

Final USA Observations On The Way Out The Door.

(Updated 6 November 2018)

Regular readers will recall I just published an article recently detailing some of my thoughts on staying here in the Philippines or going back to the USA.

You can read it here, and I feel you ought to if you are anywhere near as conflicted as I am over the “move back/Don’t move back” question. Go ahead, I’ll wait for you here….

How long can you stay in the Philippines if you are a US citizen?

03/11/2018 by Dave Starr Leave a Comment

How long can you stay in the Philippines if you are a US citizen?

(Updated 3 November 2018)

I’m a US citizen and I want to know how long I can stay in the Philippines if I decide to retire there?

Simple Answer — A Long Time.

Now, how long is a “long time”? Well in contrast to the USA, where visitors (if they can even GET a tourist visa) are normally limited to a 90-day stay, with no extensions, the Philippines is a dream country for international nomads for overseas retirees.

Apply The KISS Principle

Let’s start with a US citizen (or a citizen of any of the many visa waiver countries listed here). The simple news is, you need only two things:

Your passport (valid for at least 6 months at the time you enter the Philippines).
Proof of Onward travel within 30 days of your arrival in the Philippines.

That’s all? Yep, that’s all you need to get in the door. From that point onward I’ll show you how to stay here in the Philippines legally for up to 36 months. There are other visas you can get which let you stay even longer (up to the end of your life), but this is the KISS section, so let’s just stay with the initially free to anyone tourist visa.

Still Keeping Me Rudely Awake 2018

02/11/2018 by Dave Starr 2 Comments

Still Keeping Me Rudely Awake.

(Last Updated 02 November 2018)

Three years ago I wrote about some current costs in Colorado and why the Cost of living Philippines is often 1/12 the cost of the USA. It’s summarized below.

Why bring up something three years old today?

Well, my wife and I are currently in Florida, getting ready to return to our home in the Philippines in just a few days.

Many of our experiences on this trip are about the same as our trip three years ago.

To Stay Or Move

A primary purpose of this trip (October 2018) was to “sniff the air” if you well, to see if we both might decide it was time to move back to the USA.

I was recently diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Not very happy news. But I’m taking steps to minimize the issues (like getting off those damn cigarettes (yet again)), losing weight and other health-promoting things.

One of the reasons I started thinking strongly about going back to the USA is …

There’s No US Medicare in the Philippines

Many of my readers, of course, know this, but every month I get contacted by people who want to know the answer to things like “What hospitals in the Philippines “accept” Medicare”? and similar queries.

The answer is short and simple (although harsh to some). None.

US Medicare does not pay at all for any procedures or care received outside the USA.
[Read more…] about Still Keeping Me Rudely Awake 2018

Blessed Are the Meek — Or Are They?

19/10/2018 by Dave Starr 2 Comments

Last updated 19 October 2018

Blessed Are the Meek.

First of all, let me throw in a little disclaimer here. This post isn’t really all that much about religion, but I do throw in some Bible teaching and no matter what your personal feelings about religion, you can’t learn much about the Philippines without recognizing the fact that it is one of the most religious countries on earth.

I am a private individual and I pretty much keep my own religious views private … but I also have the freedom of the press and if I want to speak of things with a religious tone, I will.

You folks who feel that people who mention God or Jesus Christ in public are doing something forbidden, can go ahead and start preparing your “He spoke about God” case against me … or just click on to read something else. Fair warning.

The Bible is Important in the Philippines

Some time back I think I lost a Filipino reader and a budding friend because he wrote me and told me how wonderful it was that Filipinos are “meek”, and he didn’t understand why I didn’t seem to see that as a great strength of the Philippine nation and people.

I responded to him that perhaps he and I weren’t seeing things exactly the same when it came to the true definition of “meek” … and the conversation died right there, aborning.
[Read more…] about Blessed Are the Meek — Or Are They?

Things To Think About Before You Retire To The Philippines

18/10/2018 by Dave Starr Leave a Comment

Things To Think About Before You Retire To The Philippines.

(Updated 18 October 2018)

Recently I read an interesting article about a USA couple who retired to Mexico. Part of the title had the phrase “what no one tells you about starting a new life abroad.”

What PhilFAQS Will Tell You About Starting A New Life Abroad.

A lot of this article offered some good advice, much of which I have been advising people about for years. (If you have questions or need help about moving overseas, email me, I’ll be glad to help.)

But sad to say a lot of this article presents a surprising degree of naivety and a lack of research, or basic understanding of how things work, both in the USA and in overseas locations.

So Here’s Your Homework Assignment Do it Now, Please.

Top 10 Art Schools – 2018

09/10/2018 by Dave Starr Leave a Comment

Top 10 Art Schools – 2017

Art Schools in the Philippines.

(Last updated 8 October 2018)

This was originally published many years ago, but it still gets traffic. Obviously some of you are still searching for answers in this subject. I’m trying to “clean house”. There are well over 1000 articles here on PhilFAQS and I want to “clear out the deadwood”. Should I keep this, update it or send it to the trash?

A lot of people search for and ask me direct questions on Art Schools in the Philippines. Most art school candidates in the US never think of the Philippines when it comes to school but there can be some real advantages to attending school here. The Philippines is a world center of artistic talent, especially in the performing arts area.

In particular, costs will be lower … a lot lower in many cases and, if you’re a US Military Veteran with educational benefits you can go to school at a VA approved Philippine school and come out way ahead cost of living-wise.

To find out about VA-Approved schools visit the site of the only overseas VA Office (located in the US Embassy, Manila)

The top 10 art schools in the Philippines shake out something like this:

There may be others who would argue for a different ranking among these schools or that a few different ones should be on the list, but these are top-notch schools and you can not go wrong investigating them for yourself, your spouse or your children.

Good luck in finding a quality education with an international flair and a very affordable (by US standards) tuition bill.

Don’t forget, if you are currently living outside the Philippines and want to get a visa to stay here as longs you remain in school you can apply for a 9(F) Student Visa to avoid paying tourist visa fees and continually renewing your tourist visa.

Let me know your thoughts on Top 10 Art Schools in the Philippines.