Running an Offshore Business. Retire and Earn Money with the Internet, whether you are a local citizen or foreign resident, working or retired and maybe living in a country other than your own.

A relaxing lifestyle in Southeast Asia, living among friendly people, low cost of living; a warm, tropical climate, great food everywhere, and access to modern facilities and services. For younger generations of Asians living in cities like Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Manila, Mumbai, Shanghai and many more, that's life today! It can be available to foreign residents too, but cost of living and facilities vary greatly depending on where they choose to live. Even in a 'late starter' like the Lao PDR, cheap living and good internet connections are available in the main centres.

Investment in the stock and forex markets
This is quite easy to do, but to making money requires some study. Trading can be considered as a part-time business. While some people think that the financial markets are only for professional traders and wealthy investors with large amounts of cash looking to increase their fortune, they would be wrong.

You don't need a lot of money (even a few hundred dollars will be enough to start), but whatever you do set aside for market investment carries risk; you need to be able to lose part or even all of it without compromising your lifestyle. That said, learning how to trade wisely and safely in stocks, ETFs and shares or foreign currencies (forex) can provide extra regular income.and many retirees as well as much younger people are doing it.

If you have no real knowledge of how to begin, first 'invest' a few dollars in an introductory course in either stock or forex trading.

International banking, offshore finance and taxes
Foreigners wishing to work or earn money in a foreign country need to be aware of and comply with visa, work and income tax regulations at home and abroad. Most countries, even outside Asia, do not allow foreign residents to earn money locally on visitor or retirement visas. Some are stricter than others in enforcing the law. In many places, provided one is discreet, internet business is possible if transactions are conducted in a different country. Working from home or an internet shop it's possible to operate web sites which can be hosted in a different country.

Nationals of the USA especially, Canada, UK and Europe, Australia and other countries can operate bank accounts with fewer restrictions more easily using internet banking. Payments and receipts can be managed from outside their country of current residence. They can also transfer funds from home to local bank accounts in various ways; cash can also be withdrawn locally from millions of ATMs all over the world.

However, those who do not have US$ bank accounts lose money when their internet business earns dollars rather than their local currency. A significant portion of profits can be lost through bad exchange rates, commission and other charges and fees involved in depositing foreign cheques, transferring cash or PayPal US$ balances into non US$ bank accounts. One solution is offshore banking accounts, where there may be no taxes either.

Nationals and foreign residents of countries with stricter currency and banking regulations are at an even greater disadvantage when trying to manage income from an internet business or making foreign payments. They need to be able to receive funds from other countries, make foreign purchases and would certainly benefit from having an international credit or debit (ATM) card to make purchases or withdraw cash anywhere. Otherwise the money they make over the internet is 'locked' in a PayPal account, to be spent only on internet purchases. Free services like PayPal are useful and necessary if there is no alternative, but they can be expensive and there are some better options.

The solution to getting full access to your money is to open an account in a bank in a more flexible country. The best place is the USA, especially if the account includes online access and an international Visa or Mastercard credit or debit card which can be used in ATMs all over the world. However it is almost impossible to open this type of account without being a US resident or at least being in the USA when applying. Fortunately we are aware of solutions to problems of money access or income tax avoidance that do not involve paying high fees to open and operate a US bank account with check book, Visa card and PayPal transfer which is by far the easiest way to get international and internet banking facilities.

Also see our Banking page for more details about financial management for overseas residents or other ways to manage your finances to keep them private and out of sight of your government's prying eyes, by having them offshore.

An Internet-based Sales Business and other options
New income opportunities are available for all ages, allowing partial or full early retirement, wherever you may be living (maybe in more than one location). Apart from the internet, there are conventional occupations like teaching English to both students and business people. The internet has also opened up a whole 'New World' of ways to earn income using a computer, working either from the comfort of home, an internet cafe – or even while relaxing by a pool or at the beach! You can live and earn in a better environment.

There's no doubt that an ever-increasing number of computer users, working, unemployed, semi- or even fully retired, are becoming intrigued by the possibilities of using a personal computer to start their own internet business. According to a recent BBC report, there are over one billion internet users already – some 15% of the whole world's population – and like all things involving computer technology, the numbers keep rising faster and faster. That means more opportunities for more people.

Nationals and Citizens of South East Asia – or anywhere!
'Retirement' (for that is after all our main topic) should be seen not as the ability to sit around doing nothing (boredom will set in for sure) but being able to pick and choose exactly what you want to do, when and where you want to do it, and how much time you want to spend at it. The internet is absolutely ideal for this. You have the choice of 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and in over 200 different countries!

People are starting to realise that with the right knowledge and some effort, they can 'retire' from conventional full time work as young as they like, by consolidating their current resources and moving to a cheaper location, with better climate and social life. Several SE Asian countries are popular: Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Laos are examples.

Wherever you make your home now, in the West or abroad, a PC with an internet connection is virtually all you need for a completely self-operated home-based business. You can sit around all day in your underwear if you like! And overseas, few popular holiday and retirement locations are without some sort of connection to the internet now. You can even do it without your own computer, from airport terminals, hotel rooms, guest houses, villas, cafes or internet shops. And now, even from your mobile phone. You've probably seen a picture of someone in a swimsuit doing business (making money of course!) using their mobile phone, a notebook computer with wireless internet link, while relaxing under an umbrella by the pool, or at the beach under a coconut palm, sipping on an exotic cocktail, in some idyllic tropical paradise. It's not fantasy any more. People really are doing it!

There are so many different ideas and opportunities to choose from, though, where does one possibly begin? Well, we draw on considerable experience of both the world wide web and ten years of living in several countries in Asia. We feel at least a little qualified to offer some suggestions as to which opportunities are real and which are exaggerated, imaginary, or worse, rip offs, scams and fraud. Even the real opportunities must not always be taken at face value. When people become enthused about something or a juicy carrot is dangled in front them, they often take it without thinking. Most of us tend to believe that what we want to be true, is. Too often this is not the case. "All that glitters is not gold" – that old saying is especially true of the internet! So we will discuss some opportunities which are real, but caution is always recommended.

As you are reading this, you already know enough about the internet to search and find yourself on this page! A lot of information, including free programs and tutorials about the internet is available, of course, but it can be difficult finding just a simple explanation of how it works, and how you can join the thousands of others benefiting from it.

Go to the next page for information on having your own web site and more...

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