Portugal Junkies Podcast

Like many people around the world this week, we are grieving the results of the 2024 election. This is a quick message from us in lieu of a full episode as we process like many of you are as well.

If the results of this election are making you ask yourself what your next action steps are - and if those steps may include a move abroad or to Portugal, we have some great resources for you on our Stan Store.

https://stan.store/portugaljunkies

Take care of yourselves and we will be back next week.

Our local tax advisor, Rui Borges, joins us again on the podcast this week to provide updates on the latest and greatest about Portugal's NHR (Non Habitual Residence) tax benefit. The program has changed a lot recently with the implementation of a new government + Rui provides us with details about what's happening right now with NHR and what is on the horizon for those who may move from the US to Portugal in 2025.

Rui has graciously offered our listeners a FREE consultation call AND a 20% discount - so if you are looking for a trusted CPA to help you with your move to Portugal before, during or after, we highly recommend Rui.

Download Rui’s list of services for FREE + schedule your FREE call + get 20% off:

https://stan.store/portugaljunkies

For more information on NHR updates, check out Rui's blog: https://goalseek.pt/blog

Meet our friends Taylor + Mike, who moved to Portugal from the US on the D8 Digital Nomad Visa this past year. We chat with them about why they chose Portugal, their immigration experience, their biggest struggles so far + what kind of advice they have for others around successful assimilation into the Portuguese culture.

Find them here:

Roam Away From Home Website

Live Music Threads

Episode Transcript

We've been so social here in Tavira compared to our time in Porto. We talk about why that may be + what it takes to make meaningful friendships in mid life and also as immigrants to another country.

Episode Transcript

In this episode, we do some fielding of listener questions about our recent move to Tavira, including how we like our new apartment in the Algarve, if Tavira could be our "final stop," + more reflections on the devastation at home from Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

To donate to Hurricane Helene relief, please visit:

⁠www.helenehelp.org

Episode Transcription

We bring you our first episode from our new home in the Algarve in Tavira, Portugal - home of some of the most beautiful beaches in the world! This starts another new journey for us in our Portugal adventure and we're excited to share with you about our move + some cool things we've learned already about our new city.

To donate to Hurricane Helene relief, please visit:

www.helenehelp.org

In our last podcast from Porto before we move to Tavira, Mark + I talk about the most important lessons that Porto has taught us and what we will take with us on our next stop of our Portuguese adventure.

As our final days in Porto arrive before we move to Tavira in the Algarve, Mark + I take the time to reflect on the highs and lows (or peaks and pits) of our 10 months here in Porto, Portugal.

In our last couple of weeks in Porto before we move to Tavira, Mark + I reflect on the ways we have adapted in the 10 months we've been in Portugal.

If you're worried about change, don't be. YOU WILL ADAPT TO THINGS YOU NEVER IMAGINED YOU WOULD.

We talk about some of these situations that seemed so hard to overcome in the beginning that now are like second nature to us.

In this episode, we address the following listener questions...⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

Helpful Links

Local Grocery Store Continente: https://www.continente.pt/

Restaurant Recommendations

Gazela: https://www.cervejariagazela.pt/

Bolhao Market: https://mercadobolhao.pt/

Oficina dos Rissois: http://oficinadosrissois.com/

Amelia: http://oficinadosrissois.com/

Guindalense: https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/693659575/guindalense-futebol-clube/?hl=en

Callajero: https://www.callejero-tacos.com/

Online Portuguese Language Course:

https://www.portuguesewithanita.com/

Search Property Listings:

https://idealista.pt

Monthly Travel Pass: https://en.metrodoporto.pt/pages/397

Want to move to Portugal but hesitant to leave your adult children in the USA?

In this episode, we chat with our friend Heather about her move to Portugal from Florida - and how she and her husband navigated this huge life change with adult children in college back in the US.

You can find her on Tiktok as @mindfulmigrant - follow for more about her journey to Portugal!

Mark + I talk through why we are leaving Porto and moving to Tavira in a few short weeks, hoping that others who have aspirations of living in or moving to Portugal will get insight about Porto as a city in comparison to the small fishing village of Tavira in the Algarve.

Join the waitlist for Portugal Junkies Community:

https://www.portugaljunkiescommunity.com

Need help building an itinerary for Portugal travel or a scouting trip?

https://www.stan.store/portugaljunkies

Learn More About Tavira:

https://algarve-south-portugal.com/tavira-portugal-algarve.html

In Part 2 of this big topic for all of us who are parents to furbabies, Mark + I talk more about the LOGISTICS of getting your pet to Portugal. We outline some of the top options for you to begin to explore based on your situation with your pets, like:

Key Links:

USDA Website

Pet Carrier We Used With United Airlines

Free Download of Portugal Junkies Pet Timeline

K9 Jets Website

Cunard Website

Pet Transportation Companies

In this first episode of a two-part series, we dive into the three main requirements in order to get your dog or cat to Portugal - microchip, rabies vaccination + USDA certified health exam.

Key Resources:

USDA Website

Find a USDA Certified Vet

Portugal Junkies FREE Pet Timeline

There’s a Portuguese word I adore… SAUDADE.

There’s not a true + equal translation in English but the closest is what we call LONGING.

A state of longing for something that is missing.

So are you SAUDADE?

Have you been considering moving abroad but just keep going back and forth, excited but scared to do it, wanting to jump + live out this dream but worried about details that you can’t even comprehend yet, desperately wanting a change but so overwhelmed with all the steps it would take to actually make it happen?

Yep, we were you.

We remember very clearly all of those emotions and now that we are here and so, so happy with our decision, we’ve decided to create a solution for people just like you.

We are happy to announce Portugal Junkies Community - launching in September 2024.

Our goal in the community is simple - help you decide if moving abroad is really for you + if so, if PORTUGAL is the right place for you.

We’re going to do this with weekly live meetups, with key topics driven by Mark + me, and then always opening it up for Q+A from you. You’ll be able to network within the private community and gain access to key experts and contacts that we will connect you with along the way.

If you’re saying HELL YES as I’m describing this, go to www.portugaljunkiescommunity.com to hop on the waitlist to be notified when we are ready to go!

Cheers, y’all!

Website

Our personal tax advisor, Rui Borges, joins us for the first in a series of podcasts we will dedicate to the exciting topic of...TAXES.

Rui is a Portuguese CPA with 20 years of experience, and the CEO and founder of GoalSeek, a young and dynamic tax firm. He has a background in Economics and holds a master's degree in Business Administration. GoalSeek conducted approximately 250 consulting sessions and filed taxes for over 320 clients last year!

As our guest, Rui answers the following listener questions:

- Will I pay taxes in Portugal if I already pay them in the USA?

- I’ve heard they’ve discontinued the NHR tax benefit recently. How will that affect me if I decide to retire in Portugal? Is this even worth exploring anymore now that it is eliminated?

- Can you provide a high level example (in real numbers!) for a retiree getting social security in the US and then moves to Portugal that shows the tax implications?

- On a D8 visa, if I am doing contract remote work for a US company, what are the tax liabilities in Portugal?

- How does social security tax (if it exists) work in Portugal? If you pay social security to both countries, can you get social security benefits from both when retired?

- What is the process for filing tax returns as a US citizen who has moved to Portugal? Online self file? Recommend a tax accountant? What are the deadlines? Can your visa be affected if you don’t stay current on taxes?

Check out more about Rui + what his team at Goal Seek can do for your tax planning for Portugal here:

www.goalseek.pt

Mark + I field questions from YOU ⬇️

✔️Are there work opportunities there in Portugal and what do those look like?

✔️What has been your experience with healthcare + health insurance so far? ✔️ Are the locals really welcoming to you? Key Resources:

Find out what visa is most appropriate for your situation by starting at VFS Global

https://www.vfsglobal.com/en/individuals/index.html

After the recent events at Trump's rally in Pennsylvania, Mark + I discuss the impact of the American political turmoil on us after we have moved abroad to Portugal.

So you think you may want to move to or retire in Portugal? The next question is likely.... BUT WHERE?!

In this episode, Mark + I walk through our top criteria to consider when researching where is best for you to land in Portugal.

Helpful Resources:

Cost of Living Comparisons, city to city: NUMBEO

www.numbeo.com

Research current apartment listings: Idealista

www.idealista.pt

It's becoming our mission to help our Portugal Junkies community figure out two things.... Are you ready to move abroad? And if so, is Portugal the right place for you?

We talk through our top reasons we were ready to move from the USA to Portugal - and also the top reasons why moving abroad may not be your thing.

We experience our first loss while abroad and needed a great therapy session via this episode. The truth is, moving abroad comes with certain sacrifices, like not being near your family or friends when you (or they) experience loss.

Loss is inevitable, but ironically, the very reason WHY we decided to quit our jobs, move to Portugal + focus on living for RIGHT NOW. Because y'all, we aren't guaranteed tomorrow.

If you're looking to move to Portugal + need to know more about how to get here on the D7 retirement (or passive income) visa, look no further.

As a follow up to our last episode overview, Mark + I go in depth on the actual application requirements one-by-one and give you some big picture perspective about WHY they are asking you for this stuff + how to best position yourself for an approval on your visa application.

Please note:  This was our personal experience in Fall 2023-February 2024.  We are not providing legal advice but merely sharing our own experience.

Key Resources:

⁠⁠Portugal Junkies Resources⁠⁠ (1:1 Calls, Free Templates, Referrals for NIF, Bank Account + Lease Reviews)

⁠⁠VFS Global Website⁠⁠

D7 Documentation Checklist

D7 Application

⁠⁠AmericansandFriends PT Facebook Group⁠⁠

⁠⁠Idealista Website⁠

⁠FREE D7 Personal Statement Template

If you're looking to move to Portugal + need to know more about how to get here on the D7 retirement (or passive income) visa, look no further.

As a follow up to our last episode overview, Mark + I go in depth on the actual application requirements one-by-one and give you some big picture perspective about WHY they are asking you for this stuff + how to best position yourself for an approval on your visa application.

Please note:  This was our personal experience in Fall 2023-February 2024.  We are not providing legal advice but merely sharing our own experience.

Key Resources:

⁠Portugal Junkies Resources⁠ (1:1 Calls, Free Templates, Referrals for NIF, Bank Account + Lease Reviews)

⁠VFS Global Website⁠

⁠AmericansandFriends PT Facebook Group⁠

⁠Idealista Website

FREE D7 Personal Statement Template

If you're looking to move to Portugal + need to know more about how to get here on the D7 retirement (or passive income) visa, look no further.

Mark + I give a high level overview of the process, timelines and how to prepare to put your best self forward in your application.

Stay tuned for the next two episodes where we go in depth on the actual application requirements one-by-one and give you some big picture perspective about WHY they are asking you for this stuff!

Please note:  This was our personal experience in Fall 2023-February 2024.  We are not providing legal advice but merely sharing our own experience.

Key Resources:

Portugal Junkies Resources (1:1 Calls, Free Templates, Referrals for NIF, Bank Account + Lease Reviews)

VFS Global Website

AmericansandFriends PT Facebook Group

Idealista Website

It's our first Q+A episode - where we answer questions crowd-sourced from our listeners! In this episode we touch on our biggest highs and lows, the biggest cultural differences we've experienced so far + how remote work and income opportunities are playing out for us as expats who left great jobs and businesses to build something for ourselves.

It took us almost an entire year to REALLY decide to move abroad from Charlotte, NC to Porto, Portugal. In this episode, we talk through what that year really looked like, the emotional ups + downs of trying to decide if we could really do it, and what factors we considered when choosing to move to Portugal.

In Portugal Junkies Podcast's inaugural episode, Mark + Meredith have a candid conversation about their move from Charlotte, NC to Porto, Portugal in late 2023 and how they are adjusting today. As relatively new expats from the USA, they look back and talk about all the things - good, bad and ugly - and talk about their goals for starting Portugal Junkies to help others experience life abroad and hopefully learn from their mistakes!

Book a 1:1 Consultation with Portugal Junkies about your potential move to Portugal: www.stan.store/portugaljunkies

Follow Portugal Junkies on Instagram, YouTube + Tiktok @portugaljunkies

Hi! We are Meredith + Mark and we just said goodbye to the traditional “American dream” in Charlotte, NC to instead experience a life of adventure RIGHT NOW in Porto, Portugal.

We rented our house, packed up some suitcases and our furbaby Charlotte - and created a new life for ourselves. It’s been a wild and glorious ride - full of ups + downs + change + discomfort - but man are we glad we did it and are excited to share ALL of it right here.

If you’ve ever considered moving abroad, we hope hearing about our journey will help you too. And if you’re considering moving or retiring in Portugal, well - we KNOW you’re in the right place. Listen up future expats - for more content about our move, the visa process, Portuguese culture + destinations, and tons of support resources for your own decisions and potential move abroad. Welcome to Portugal Junkies Podcast. Adventure is a verb, y’all!!