The FI Show Podcast Appearance – Geoarbitrage

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I first met Justin and Cody from The FI Show at a FinCon conference a couple of years ago. These might be two of the nicest guys I’ve ever meet.

I believe that they were just starting their podcast at the time and they had asked me to be a guest at some point. I was game to do it but our paths didn’t really cross much for a while after that.

Well, a few months ago, Justin and I were catching up on Facebook and we decided to make the appearance on The FI Show happen.

Unfortunately, I was having some internet issues around that time (more info on that debacle here) so it got delayed longer than any of us wanted.

But we finally made it happen and I think it was worth the wait. We had a great time talking about:

• How and why we sought financial independence
• Leveraging geoarbitrage in our quest for financial independence
• Why Panama? And why Boquete up in the mountains versus living on the beach?
• What are our expenses like in Panama, particularly the big 3 (housing, transportation, and food)?
• A couple of the popular Visa options available and why we decided not to go after residency thus far
• What’s healthcare like here and what kind of costs are involved?
• The Faith factor – the good and bad of our daughter’s time here
• Our plans for the future – stay in Panama or move back to the U.S.?

Justin and Cody were great hosts and it was a lot of fun to be a part of the appearance.

You can find The FI Show in your favorite podcast player or you can check out and listen to the episode right here:

The FI Show: Selling Everything and Moving to Panama | Jim White

I did notice two mistakes in the appearance. The first was that they said that we moved to Panama in 2018. In reality, I retired at the end of 2018 and we moved to Panama in the summer of 2019 – no biggie.

The second was that I had a brain freeze and couldn’t remember the name of the discount benefits program for retirees. I called it the “Jubalo” program but it’s actually the “Jubilado” program (pronounced “hoo-bee-lah-doh), which simply means “retired” in Spanish.

You can read more about that here: Panama Pensionado Discounts – One Way You Can Live for Less in Panama. If I could qualify for the program, you know I wouldn’t have had that brain freeze – it’s a super valuable program!

If Panama’s on your radar as a possible place to retire to, check out Retire in Panama Tours. It’s a first-rate way to see different parts of the country, learn about the pros and the cons of living here, meet other ex-pats living here, and gain a lot of the right resources to make the transition easier (immigration attorneys, for example).

Oscar, Rod, and Megan are great people, too. They have the knowledge to guide you through Panama, answer your questions, and ensure that Panama’s the right place for you. Check out Retire in Panama Tours for more info!

I hope you enjoy the podcast and I also hope you have the happiest of holidays!

Thanks for reading!!

— Jim