How to Retire Comfortably for Under $1,500 a Month

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Kathleen Peddicord, On Tuesday August 10, 2010, 2:41 pm EDT

Jason and Elizabeth Pearce moved from Canada to Belize three years ago. They bought a piece of property on the sea. A year later, they built a house. Today, they live in a beautiful Santa Fe adobe-style home with gardens all around.

[See 10 Places to Reinvent Your Life in Retirement .]

The pair lives very comfortably, without wants or financial worries. They've had no trouble making friends in their new community because the folks in Belize speak English. They eat out three or four times a week. They barbecue lobster and filet mignon at home. They have reliable Internet to keep them connected to the outside world. By choice, they do not have a television. "I used to think that the news was important," Jason explains. "But not anymore." The retired couple has a maid and a gardener, each of whom visit once a week.

And here's the best part. Jason and his wife are living on their Social Security income alone. In fact, they're living on Jason's Social Security income alone. Elizabeth's Social Security check goes into savings each month.

[See 7 Affordable Places to Retire Abroad.]

Everyone's spending habits are different, but here's a sample monthly budget for a couple living a comfortable expatriate lifestyle in Belize:

--Rent: $300

--Utilities, telephone, and Internet: $500 (Your biggest expense in this country.)

--Groceries: $150

--Health insurance: $50

--Entertainment: $100

--Car expenses: $300

One of the most appealing things about Belize as an overseas retirement choice is that it can make sense even if you're nowhere near conventional retirement age. Through Belize's Qualified Retired Persons program you can establish foreign residency as young as age 40.

Belize is a beautiful little country. It's a peaceful, eco-tourist retreat home to more than 540 species of birds, 4,000 species of flowering plants, and 700 kinds of trees. Nearly 40 percent of the country is protected as parkland and natural preserves. Belize boasts the second-largest barrier reef in the world. This incredible underwater resource teems with colorful fish, coral, and unusual marine life, making the waters off this country's coast a fisherman's and diver's paradise.

[See 6 Reasons to Retire Overseas.]

Despite all these natural attractions, Belize has managed to remain largely off the world's radar. It's a small country of about 350,000 people. It's also a young country, having gained independence from Great Britain in 1981. There are a lot of market niches waiting to be filled. Living here, you'll discover that life can be not only super affordable, comfortable, and adventure-filled, but also full of potential.

Retirees in Belize are finding many interesting and sometimes lucrative ways to fill their days. Lara Lennon moved to Belize from Philadelphia in 2006 and developed a luxury swimwear line, Lemon Crush Belize. "Sitting on a friend's porch in San Pedro chatting about this and that in our tropical lives, I realized something: There existed nowhere in Belize a place to shop for dress bathing suits, the kind glamorous enough for a beach wedding or special enough for a honeymoon," Lennon says.

Lara's swimwear is now featured in luxury boutiques in Belize and internationally. Starting a business takes drive and determination, Lara admits, but she has found the experience in Belize rewarding. "Best of all, I'm right where I want to be--with my friends on a Caribbean island, enjoying life," Lennon says. "Only now in better bathing suits."

Kathleen Peddicord is the founder of the Live and Invest Overseas publishing group. With more than 25 years experience covering this beat, Kathleen reports daily on current opportunities for living, retiring, and investing overseas in her free e-letter. Her book, How To Retire Overseas--Everything You Need To Know To Live Well Abroad For Less, was recently released by Penguin Books.

I turn 40 next year...I think I should check into Belize. I like that part of the world, as well as want to see what the cost to retire in the Phillipines would be too. And the food, life, wine, has to be good in Belize too!

Musician Makes over $18k in 5 Days with Social Media

By Janet Meiners Thaeler on February 7, 2010

Social Media

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Social Media

February 7, 2010

By Janet Meiners Thaeler

I’ve always loved jingles. I’ve always wanted one for my web site. I found one that I thought was perfect for Ancestry.com once. I sung it to myself every time I heard their name.

So I was inspired by a small business that started over the holidays. People like case studies about how small businesses succeed with social media. Here is an example of a business that was started with social media. It was started, get this: over this Christmas and New Year’s, by a musician in Sweden who has never had a business online.

This was originally posted back in February. I wonder now how much his "jingles" are going for now!

It's pretty ingenius how people are being creative to do individual advertising and marketing opportunities. Is there a term such as Consumer to Consumer marketing? Or corporate sponsored CtoC? Hmm, sounds like an opportunity at a site similar to the "bid on a logo design" or "bid on a t-shirt ad" sites I've seen popping up over the last 18 months.

I should research and register a few domains now, LOL...

What’s Working for Social Media Marketers?

JANUARY 5, 2010

A look at effectiveness

A September 2009 MarketingProfs survey of business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) marketers found that the marketing tactics most often used on social sites are not necessarily the best ones.

The most common marketing tactic used on Facebook was attempting to drive traffic to corporate materials through status updates, followed by friending customers.

But the most effective tactic for consumer-oriented companies was creating a Facebook application, which was done by less than one-quarter of total respondents. Both B2B and B2C companies also reported surveys of their fans as effective; fan surveys were the third-most-common tactic attempted.

Unsurprisingly, buying ads—even targeted ones—was the least effective type of social media marketing overall.

Like those on Facebook, marketers using Twitter were also most interested in increasing traffic. Driving traffic by linking to marketing Webpages was the most common activity on the microblogging site, followed by driving sales by linking to promotional pages. But again, the most effective tactics were different.

B2C marketers had the most success with monitoring Twitter for PR problems (done by one-half of all respondents) and contacting users who posted negative comments about their brand (done by only 22.4% of total respondents). B2B companies also succeeded with brand monitoring, as well as with using Twitter invites for in-person events (the least common tactic of all).

Though some firms, such as Dell, have reported success in the area, the study found that driving sales was the least effective marketing tactic attempted by companies using Twitter.

Keep up on the latest digital trends. Learn more about an eMarketer Total Access subscription, today.

Check out today’s other article, “Online Coupon Usage Climbs.”

After running a few campaign initiatives for clients, I have to agree with much of the data. Driving traffic and maximizing links/viewership with a timed Twitter tweet and Facebook posts strategy, is a key part of our overall tasks on any event. Using Facebook Applications is another key strategy and best practice that we always consult clients to use and promote to prospects as well.

Are you using a Facebook application now to drive engagement and traffic?

Twitter Launching Official Tweet Buttons This Week [EXCLUSIVE]

 1544), which powers most of the retweet buttons you see on websites and blogs across the web, including Mashable.

Twitter could be directly competing with Tweetmeme, but we think it’s unlikely that Twitter would just spring this product on the world without talking to Tweetmeme first. We believe it’s likely the two companies have a deal, but don’t know what it would look like as of yet.

We have reached out to Twitter for comment. In the meantime though, we have included the documents and the code for embedding Tweet Buttons below.

This could be what "Like" was for Facebook on external sites...look forward to seeing a Wordpress Plugin soon!

There's this concept of what the lifetime value of a customer is and it's also being applied to friends, fans and followers. Just what is the value of a follower?

Below is a great article from the blog over at Tweetup, sharing just what they might be worth, according to a recent study. What is a fan/follower worth to you?

How much is a follower worth?

Ever wonder what your followers are worth? After all, with each follower you gain, you get a targeted, engaged consumer eager to hear what you have to say. Everything you tweet is delivered directly to them, they can respond directly back to you, and you can reap enormous benefits by exchanging information with your followers in real time. If you’re a brand or a business, then your followers are a self-selected group made up of customers and potential customers. So, to ask our original question another way: How much is it worth to you to be in constant contact and communication with your customers?

eMarketer reported on a new study on Monday measuring the value of a Facebook Fan at $136.38.  The study found that “fans” of a business spend substantially more money with that business over time than non-fans. The study looked at a diverse group of brands, ranging from Nokia to Nutella, and regardless of their market segment, they were all able to see markedly greater value in their fan customers, including larger and more frequent purchases, greater propensity to recommend the brand and increased brand loyalty.

What does this mean for you, a tweeter trying to grow your following and increase the reach of your message? This study demonstrates the value of communicating with your customers in a high-engagement forum. Twitter and Facebook provide unique opportunities for you to build a dynamic relationship with your customers in which you can speak directly to them and they can answer you right back.  The result of these relationships is that your customer “fans” spend more money than their non-fan counter parts. Whatever social media platform you use to interact with your customers, it is crucial that you foster engagement with the fans most relevant to your business. It is those targeted fans who will track your communications day after day, and who will appreciate the true value of your brand.

What differences have you noticed in your follower-customer base compared to your non-follower customer?

This is the Don't Quit famous poem which was written many years ago. The author of this poem is unknown. Sadly, in recent years a number of people have claimed ownership of the poem and some have even claimed to have written it themselves!

Here is the original poem in it's entirety:

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

- Author unknown

This is by far my favorite poem and I've read this many, many times and still refer to it, when I need a bit of inspiration through tough or difficult times.

I hope you enjoy it to...

Ed Bisquera
http://bondsocialmedia.com

From what I see this is a great tool to add to your plugins on your blog. You can help you readers stay engaged with your blog and it's free, easy to install.