Hong Kong - Asia's Word City 1) Zero tax for personal investments, 2) Great infrastructure & access to international news & markets, 3) Very central to most of East Asia making a lot of fantastic getaways just a few hours (air)bus ride away Of course there are lots of good alternatives in the region also & many have decent internet on / near the beach these days.
Somewhere in the Carribean.. Saint Marrten / Saint Lucia ... a villa on the island and a nice luxury yacht.. not too big tho one i could operate myself ..... and spanish women around me . somethin like this.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zp1TbLFPp8
It would depend upon if you have a family or not and if your idea of a good time is spending it by yourself. An island is just that...an island with limited people and resources. If you go to any 3rd world country like Jamaica then you expose yourself to the usual scam artists and drudgery of the third world. I would not pick anywhere in the Caribbean because once you get past the "all inclusive" resorts then you have to deal with the real world Caribbean which is not pleasant. Ever walked through downtown Montego Bay? You will find out what I mean once you have done so. Montego Bay is nice if you stay inside the resort, but take one foot out and the realities of the third world become apparent. I was happy to leave that place. In the United States, San Francisco, New York City, and Washington DC are the ideal places because they are big cities with a lot of things to do, people to meet and you can have an actual life at the end of the day. I guess we could argue other locations as well like Austin. Austin has no state taxes, a booming economy and is a college town. It has an awesome nightlife and you will not get bored at night, but by day is a different story. Los Angeles isnt a bad place, but there is no way to get around without a car. You can get around without a car in SF, NYC and DC easily as long as you know the trains and right buses to take. Los Angeles also seems less people oriented. Florida is cool, but it doesnt seem to be either culturally or career oriented. Its like a cool place but without a purpose or reason. I hated Seattle because it rained all the time and didnt seem to have a nightlife. Portland was nice if you like to relax and it wasnt hard finding the ladies. Pattaya City in Thailand is a beach-community with lots of things to do. If you are a single guy, there is no issue in hooking up in Thailand or having fun. Lots of places to rent on the cheap. Cancun is a lot of fun, but again, once you get past the resorts then all you have left is Mexico. I think you will find that once you get beyond the vacation-oriented activities of the various islands and other such spots that there is nothing more to do. You should just stick with the large well known cities in America like New York and San Francisco. Hong Kong was mentioned earlier in this thread. I like Hong Kong, but there is a great amount of pollution all over China. It looks like the worst days in Los Angeles when the smog was really out of control. Its a nice city and you should go there at least once in your life.
I tend to think the same as you above, but the drawback with places like NYC, San Fran, et al is that you are probably going to need to clear 500k per year to have a reasonable life. Obviously that is a pretty big nut to cover as an independent trader. I am interested in places that would have a lower structural cost -- lower RE prices, lower tax rate, etc, while still affording a really good quality of life. Unfortunately, i don't have much of a list yet...but, there have got to be options. Obviously, being location independent should afford some opportunities to live in places that are very desirable, but maybe not very expensive due to lack of great employment opportunities. Just need to figure out what they are!
An important prospective is taxes... In no particular order these countries are quite popular: 1) The UK. People coming from abroad pay no tax on the part of their income from abroad they don't bring to the country. After 7 years they can opt to pay year £30,000 "bailout" fee to keep it this way. The capital London is very csmopolitan city. Nearly half of Londoners were born abroad and there are restaurants with cuisine from every part of the world. The place of choice for the super-rich from Lakshmi Mittal to Roman Abramovich 2) Switzerland. Foreign nationals can negotiate a fixed tax based on the price of their residence. This counts against all foreign icome. Zurich has vibrant night life and (mostly) German cuisine. Income tax varies depending on the canton and can be as low is 21%. Switzerland is a country of choice for many professional sportspeople frrom Fernando Alonso to Sedale Threatt 3) Belgium. The attraction is zero capital gains tax. One may appreciate the variety of unique Belgian beer and seafood. Brussels is a home to Europen Commision and European parliament. The city is very friendly to families with Children. Belgium has some of the strictest laws protecting privacy. 4) Monaco. No taxes on foreign nationals as long as they don't engage in busines in Monaco. The capital Monte-Carlo is popular among gamblers and wealthy retirees. One may appreciate warm climate and a massive yacht fleet.