Mon 21 Oct 2013
Spain and offshore Assets
Property Focus Life in Spain Buying Property
Like most governments in such difficult economic times, the Spanish government is trying to increase tax revenues and has firmly set its sights on offshore assets. There is nothing wrong with owning assets outside Spain, but you need to ensure you de...
Mon 14 Oct 2013
Costa Blanca Walking
If your location for retirement is the Moraira area – look around you and you’ll see mountains. Many of them can be walked, but it needs to be stressed, in no uncertain terms, that a good level of fitness is needed. Additionally, if you’re new to thi...
Mon 7 Oct 2013
Do politicians know what a billion actually is
Our Chancellor of the Exchequer has just sold £3.3 billions of Lloyds Bank shares for us. You will recall in October 1998, we taxpayers were made to bail out Lloyds Bank to the tune of £20 billions. It seems this £3.3 billions windf...
Mon 30 Sep 2013
Eating Out in the Moraira area
Things to do Food and Drink Life in Spain
People are always asking for my restaurant recommendations, and that’s very difficult advice to give since there are so many options available. To my mind, it all depends on the purpose of the restaurant visit. Is it merely to satisfy hunger without ...
Fri 27 Sep 2013
What to do during retirement in Spain
Like me, you probably hurtled along motorways in the years prior to retirement, trying to reach appointments with important clients. Allowance had been made for high levels of traffic, but just one accident resulted in miles and miles of stationery v...
Tue 24 Sep 2013
Markets in Costa Blanca North
Things to do Life in Spain Shopping
There are markets to visit daily along the Costa Blanca North. They usually start trading around 9-10am and wind down around 2pm. Although people may tell you that stall holders will not barter, I can categorically state that if you offer a price tha...
Tue 17 Sep 2013
Getting from Alicante Airport to your Villa
Services Life in Spain Buying Property
Most people seem to hire a car for collection at the airport, and that makes sense if you need transport during your stay. On the other hand, lots of people have holiday homes on the Costa Blanca North, and may well have a vehicle awaiting them at th...
Thu 5 Sep 2013
Driving In Spain
There seems to be a perception that driving rules and attitudes to driving in Spain are much more lax than the UK. If you own a property in Spain and live here or are a regular visitor – and are an owner or regular car user here – then it’s impo...
Mon 2 Sep 2013
Get yourself a Spanish Will
Services Life in Spain Buying Property
"In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes”. Those wise and somewhat sad words were uttered by Benjamin Franklin in 1789, and of course, nothing has changed in the meantime. So, the firm recommendation is to get yo...
Wed 14 Aug 2013
Is the UK government stark raving mad
The UK is being praised for continuing to raise national output dedicated to aid, in line with international targets. UK’s annual aid budget is £10 billions. At the same time, Spain has cut overseas aid by 50%; Italy has made cuts of 34%;...