Digicel Has Arrived In Panama
For a number of years Panama only offered two options for cellular phone service. The two companies were Movistar and Mas Movil. Finally, there is some new competition for the hundreds of thousands of cell phone users in Panama.

Filed under: Business, News on December 3rd, 2008 | No Comments »

For those of us who live in Panama, getting even the simplest tasks completed can be difficult. Whether it be in government offices, the bank, or even the grocery store, we are often faced with under-trained employees and a lot of hoops to jump through. I recently had an incredible experience with a company in [...]

Filed under: Business, News on October 29th, 2008 | 2 Comments »

Panama Needs More Developers Willing To Preserve Nature
It seems all too often in Panama developers care little about the environment or preserving the natural beauty of this country. Trees get destroyed, land is razed and animals are forced out of their natural habitat. Luckily there are some builders in Panama that take their responsibility to [...]

Filed under: Business, Living & Retirement, News, Real Estate on October 20th, 2008 | No Comments »

From Wall St. to Hong Kong, the markets are reeling
Sir Isaac Newton said, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”
With the global financial markets in turmoil, Panama could very well benefit. For many years Panama has been touted as an offshore haven. Grey area business types, tax planners and multinational [...]

Filed under: Business on October 10th, 2008 | 7 Comments »

Do Your Research Before Hiring
Anyone who has tried to build a home or business in Panama will tell you that skilled help is hard to find, especially once you get outside of Panama City. Because there are more people in the city, there are more skilled employees to draw from. In Panama’s interior, good [...]

Filed under: Business, News on October 1st, 2008 | 2 Comments »

How Much Freedom Of The Press Exists In Panama?
Panama is a country that has so much potential, yet once in a while someone in the government makes a decision that gives Panama a true “Banana Republic” image. Last week a Panamanian civil court ordered the seizure of assets belonging to a weekly newspaper, in response [...]

Filed under: Business, Culture, News on September 9th, 2008 | 3 Comments »

Panama and Dubai…Long Lost Cousins?
It’s true, I like to make absurd comparisons and outlandish statements.  For several years now, I’ve been calling Panama “The Dubai of Latin America”.  This usually results in assorted chortles and eyeball rolls from whomever is within earshot of my rants.
But seriously, the more time I spend in Panama and the [...]

Filed under: Business on September 3rd, 2008 | 3 Comments »

Casita Margarita in Pedasi, Panama
“The house is PERFECT! 6 months, 40 grand and we’ll be open.” — Idiot (me)
These are famous last words that may rank up there with General Custer’s, “We’ll be home by dinner.”
It’s been twelve months now since I sold my retired parents on the idea of going into business with me. [...]

Filed under: Business, Living & Retirement on August 21st, 2008 | 11 Comments »

Should Foreign And Local Retirees Be Eligible For The Same Discounts in Panama?
Panamanians and foreigners who have pensionado status in Panama are entitled to numerous discounts on everything from entertainment to medications. This visa option has lured thousands of retirees to Panama from countries around the world. This program is great for those taking advantage of the discounts, but [...]

Filed under: Business, Living & Retirement, News on August 1st, 2008 | 7 Comments »

Can Foreign Investors Continue to Support Panama City’s Real Estate Boom?
Panama’s economy is continuing to grow. Panama’s growing economy can only mean good things for foreign investors, right? The country’s Gross Domestic Product increased by eight and a half to nine percent from 2006 to 2007. Much of this growth can be attributed to some major undertakings in Panama [...]

Filed under: Business, News, Real Estate on June 23rd, 2008 | 1 Comment »

Actor, Singer, Composer, Politico Ruben Blades
I went in to my meeting with sitting IPAT Tourism Minister Ruben Blades not quite sure what to expect. After his response to a blog I’d written and my retort, did Mr. Blades bring me in to continue the debate? To convince me that his Tourism Master Plan would allay [...]

Filed under: Business, Politics on June 18th, 2008 | 3 Comments »

With the $8B canal expansion come 8 billion new opportunities
As an entrepreneur and business startup-a-holic, I often wistfully ask myself, “Why couldn’t I have $20M to incubate all my zany biz ideas?” Of course, if I DID have a rich uncle or some other benefactor, I’d probably just be another one of those brooding, [...]

Filed under: Business on June 16th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

Panama’s Minister of Tourism, Ruben Blades

Actor/Singer and Politician Ruben Blades recently replied to an article I wrote on Panama’s tourism industry. To anyone familiar with my writing, public speeches and opinions, these ideas are not new. Apparently however, both my ideas and persona are unfamiliar to Mr. Blades. Puzzling, given that he has met me on [...]

Filed under: Business, Politics, Real Estate on June 5th, 2008 | 7 Comments »

Note to readers: I originally wrote this letter back in September of 2006. It was my reaction after attending two successive AMCHAM tourism conferences. I was invited as a speaker at last year’s event, due in no small part to this letter circulating and some local friends who felt I might make an [...]

Filed under: Business, Politics on June 4th, 2008 | 7 Comments »

Lawmakers in Panama scramble to catch up to the tourism boom
Be forewarned, I invented all of these laws myself. I am not sure that the lawmakers of Panama have any intention of implementing such policies. But in my perfect world, were I king of the land, these are laws I would pass to [...]

Filed under: Business, Politics on June 4th, 2008 | 3 Comments »