Living in the Philippines - #1 Best Way For a Foreigner to Supplement a Pension

By Will Irwin

Once you understand the rules of how to navigate through the bureaucratic maze to get a business started, the Philippines offers tremendous investment opportunities for those with a minimum amount of investment capital. The banking system in the Philippines is not geared to provide business start up funding to its own citizens, let alone to entrepreneurial foreigners. Consequently, cash is king, and investment capital gets a lot of attention and opens the doors to many business opportunities.

The downside of this is that with this exposure to so many opportunities, one may tend to "jump" into the wrong investment, either out of new born excitement to have one's own business, or out of necessity to provide for one's Filipina spouse or girlfriend and their extended family. Yet, most foreigners retiring to the Philippines have no history of business experience.

I have witnessed too many foreigners who retire in the Philippines with a substantial nest egg, put it into a business requiring day to day oversight and involvement, to include managing Filipino workers, only to quickly find out they are in over their head with stress and negative cash flow.

If you do not have business experience, especially in the business you wish to start, I recommend you wait at least one year and get to know the "lay of the land". Take your time, and you may find what I have found so many find out, that the best business is a Passive investment.

WHAT IS THE #1 BEST PASSIVE INVESTMENT FOR A FOREIGNER?

It is in agriculture, if the investment is properly structured and you are specializing in export oriented crops. The best of all of these is the Pili nut, which is now getting increased government attention and support. Unlike a condo or condotel, where you only own the space between the walls, with agriculture you own the land. Condos and condotels are in a bubble market in Manila, Makati, Ortigas and Fort Bonafacio areas, and they require tremendous increased valuations in the future to realize any kind of reasonable return on your investment.

An agriculture investment is not based on future valuation increases. It can be valued on its annual cash yield. It does not have to rely on future land valuations to generate a great return on investment. Yet, the key with an agricultural investment is to know what land, where, what crops, who is going to manage it, and how, as a foreigner, could you possible own land in the Philippines.

These questions are being addressed by a group of experienced foreign businessmen who are about to launch such investments in Romblon Province, nearby Boracay.

About the author

Do you want to learn more about agricultural investments in the Philippines? I have just completed my new book on "Making Money In The Philippines", which has a chapter devoted to passive income opportunities - to include agriculture. Download it at http://www.FilipinoParadise.com

Will Irwin is a powerful entrepreneur, and business and life coach. He has started many online and offline businesses both in the USA and in the Philippines, residing in both Hawaii and the Philippines.

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