Who's still working?

I am not but I would like to be. I sold my business in 2013 and moved to Panama in 2014.

I am looking for opportunities here in Panama but I live in the countryside 6 hours from Panama City by car or less than an hour flight.

If I want to remain in the countryside which I do, then I will likely have to engage in Agriculture or an internet business.

I would seriously consider getting involved with a partner that has experience in the import export business as there is a long list of US products that would sell well here and probably a few items here that could do well in the US. By using a US based corporation we would gain access to all of the resources at trade.gov many of which are free. This would likely require a move to Panama City so I could access the Colon Free Trade Zone but I would invest and make the move with the right person.

There are some logistical hurdles and Panama is not a carnet country but people are willing to pay a premium for luxury items and often do. Items of necessity are extremely cheap in the countryside and farm land can be rented for a song and workers hired for $20-40 for a days labor. You need to have a Panamanian foreman who gets paid more governing the other workers because nice people get taken advantage of by the locals here and you need to hire a tough Panamanian boss who understands the culture.

A friend of mine does a 2 MLN a year business exporting flowers and is the largest employer in Volcan. Minimum wage here is low and the average worker makes $3 per hour. Many gringos do real estate here but the luxury home sales are slow since the housing crisis in the states. Yes it stopped whole developments in Alto Boquete and that well know retirement town has had a stagnant market since.

Volcan however has the most construction this side of Panama. We just completed building a 2 bedroom 1/2 bath affordable but modern house with a beautiful view of the dormant Volcano, Baru, which we would consider selling but will likely rent out for just $600 per month, but I am itching to do something on a grander scale.

So if you get a disability check this would be a great place to live cheaply and you could be my neighbor. The downside is they dont speak Lyme, mostly just Spanish.

There are opportunities in healing plants and herbs such as mimosa pudica and graviola. Proper distribution is the key to success.

I hate to focus on any of the negatives out here because I really like it and the Panamanians are friendly, but they can be unreliable and a courtesy call to say they cannot make it to work is not in their vocabulary and you have to deal with this.

I am considering writing a book on the advantages and challenges of living in Panama.

As long as my health continues to improve the sky is the limit. You have to be cautious here as there are scam artists and unfortunately that includes the expats. The search continues....