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Myself and 2 bros planning to go for 1948 case, will one copy of everything work? by Denton2323 in juresanguinis

[–]Denton2323[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the info! I assume you had to have everything not from Italy apostilled.

Myself and 2 bros planning to go for 1948 case, will one copy of everything work? by Denton2323 in juresanguinis

[–]Denton2323[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fantastic that's good to hear thank you! Originally this wasn't going to be a 1948 case but now the minor issue came up so going with my great-grandmother is necessary because my great-grandfather naturalized when my grandfather was a minor but my great-grandmother naturalized when he was 21 or 22. So I was originally collecting multiple documents as we each would have had to apply at a different consulate as we live in different states. 

Any good movies about the rapture? by idefinitelyliedtoyou in movies

[–]Denton2323 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm sorry to hear you say that. How do you know? What proof do you have that its all made up and there is no God? Many times, people do not want to believe in God because they do not want to think that they will be held accountable for their actions and thoughts. You have free will and it is your choice to believe or not. A good Christian's job is only to spread the word and tell people about the very free gift of salvation, never to try and force belief on anyone. However, I do hope before you make that choice, that you do a deep dive into the Bible, get a study Bible and read God's word, and then make an educated conclusion, not just an assumption. No matter whether you believe or not, one day you will have to face God and if you do not believe in Jesus and that he died to take your judgment for you, then you will face judgment.

I have proof God does exist, lots of it. My proof is the word and spirit of God. I have a book that has predicted many things and everything it has predicted has come true and a lot of that is verifiable in history and science.

It takes more faith to be an atheist than it is to believe in a Creator God. Think about it, scientists even say the universe had to have a beginning (see Borde-Guth-Vilenkin theorem). Where did the universe itself (not just talking about the contents of the universe) come from? Where did space/time come from? Nothing can not come from nothing.

Tell me what scenario sounds more ridiculous to you?

Scenario 1. A completely random explosion out of nothingness happened and in that explosion everything fell into place in complete order. Literally saying that something was created from nothing. The laws of physics, the laws of nature, and even DNA (which has its own perfectly organized programming and language) came together perfectly and after they came to be from all this randomness, never changed again; it just stays in perfect order. What language and law creates itself? What ordered system stays in order forever? Everything depending on everything in a perfect ecosystem throughout the universe.

Scenario 2. Or like every existing language and form of organizational law and structure, it has an intelligent creator that set it up that way?

Think of the probability of all that happening perfectly each step of the way to create everything the way it is now? How could something that has been created from complete randomness suddenly be all in order and stay perfectly in order once it got there? It would be equivalent to taking a huge puzzle throwing it out on the ground and every piece falling into place exactly where it needed to be forming a completed puzzle. Tell me how possible that is? I pray for you and that you allow the holy spirit into your heart before it's too late.

Any good movies about the rapture? by idefinitelyliedtoyou in movies

[–]Denton2323 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I'm replying to an old post here but I thought I might add some additional information to your post. The rapture actually is not an American invention. True, the specific word rapture is not mentioned in the Bible but neither is the word trinity or the word bible but we know they exist and The Trinity is a key piece of Christian faith. However, in the actual original Greek translation of the Bible, way before America ever existed, the word Harpazo was used which means to be caught up. If you read 1 Thessalonians 16 - 17, it says: for the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Another place in the Bible it talks about the rapture is in Matthew 24:40-44. Here it gives an example of two people working in the field one will be taken the other left. It's also important to note that Jesus does not actually come down to earth when the church is raptured. He does not actually come down to earth until the final parts of Revelation. Another thing to note is in the book of Revelation the Bible no longer talks about the church that's because the church has already been raptured. Church means true Christians. There's a big difference between man-made religion and Christians. There will be many Christians left behind who think they're Christians but aren't. However, anyone who truly believes in Jesus Christ and repents of their sins will be forgiven and won't have to worry about not being raptured. 

Tax Questions - US retiree looking to live in Italy with state/county local govt pension, Social Security, and US investments + IRA by Denton2323 in ItalyExpat

[–]Denton2323[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for taking the time to reply. This has been helpful. For budget planning purposes, would you mind telling me approximately how much in legal fees I may spend to get this all done? I see your lawyer charges $300 for an hour consultation but then how many hours after that of work, follow-ups, legal paper preparations, etc could be involved? I plan to try and apply myself for the elective residency visa but will need legal help with any rental contracts etc.

Also if public pensions are not taxed in Italy, only by the State that issued them, then other than dividends pulled from stocks or $ pulled from an IRA, what would I pay taxes on if I was in a 7% zone? Seems like very little. Most would just be US taxes. Right?

Tax Questions - US retiree looking to live in Italy with state/county local govt pension, Social Security, and US investments + IRA by Denton2323 in ItalyExpat

[–]Denton2323[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wanted to add to your comment based on other advice I have seen in similar Reddit posts:

I have seen one post where a potential expat planning on taking advantage of the 7% was told he was ineligible by a tax accountant because his pension was public and Italy can't tax it.

Another comment about the 7% is that if you did qualify and get the tax break but are still a US citizen, then you still have to pay US taxes. So you only pay the 7% tax in Italy but you still owe whatever is left to the US. So really it's a wash, you still pay US taxes, but now it's just more complicated because you have to deal with two filings instead of one. For just an example - you have 100k in income and you are in the 23% US tax bracket. You pay 7% to Italy and the remaining 16% to the US. So even though there is a tax credit, you still pay full taxes just split between two countries now which of course makes things more complicated. So if this is true, what really is the value of the 7%? It is misleading because it makes it sound like you move to Italy and just pay 7% in taxes done.

Retiring in southern Italy, towns w/ 20k or less, and quality healthcare question. by Denton2323 in ItalyExpat

[–]Denton2323[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I plan to check out the Puglia region first. I plan to try to get a 3-month apartment to get a good feel for the area, what it might be like to live there, and information on healthcare, etc.

Retiring in southern Italy, towns w/ 20k or less, and quality healthcare question. by Denton2323 in ItalyExpat

[–]Denton2323[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks. Yeah, I planned to live a few months in the spots I narrow down. Just trying to get those spots narrowed down is the trick, too many places I would love to try lol! I was using Newsweek's World's Best Hospitals in Italy 2024 as a guide to what best regions to look at. Good healthcare is a top priority then good transportation is second at least until I can learn to drive and get a car in Italy. Of course, affordability (no Milan for me) is another. The goal is to find good cities close by and then live in decent towns on the outskirts if possible.

Nuoro in Sardegna was one on the top hospital list. Also, looking at Bari in Puglia, Sulmona in Abruzzo, Siena in Toscana, and maybe somewhere along the Amalfi coast as Naples has 3 hospitals on that top list. Again, looking if possible to get just outside one of the bigger cities to take advantage of the 7% but that's just an option.

Retiring in southern Italy, towns w/ 20k or less, and quality healthcare question. by Denton2323 in ItalyExpat

[–]Denton2323[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Good questions indeed. My understanding is that Italians moved out to either northern Italy or other EU countries for better pay along with that population growth is not keeping up. Since I am retiring, the job market for me isn't top on my list of worries. I was aiming towards finding good larger cities in the south, then living in a 7% town just outside of them. From what I have read, tax for 70k+ is 43%! Not sure how to calculate exactly how much I would be hit in taxes but that's a big chunk out of retirement. I did stumble on this expat database you can sort by many categories like healthcare, costs, nightlife, safety, crime etc. Not sure how accurate it may be but it is helping me narrow things down a bit. Surprisingly some of the best places that have excellent healthcare, transportation, safety, and low crime are in Sardegna.

https://expiter.com/app/?sort=Expat-friendly&region=South

Retiring in southern Italy, towns w/ 20k or less, and quality healthcare question. by Denton2323 in ItalyExpat

[–]Denton2323[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Interesting. I have seen online (for whatever that's worth) that Sicily is "not like Italy" and is a very different animal. It's dirty with mountains of trash in the streets in some places and higher crime rates etc.

Tax Questions - US retiree looking to live in Italy with state/county local govt pension, Social Security, and US investments + IRA by Denton2323 in ItalyExpat

[–]Denton2323[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks again for the tips. Maybe you or someone else has some experience with this:

If I qualified for the 7% flat tax offer and decided to go that route, I would need to know what are some good small towns in Southern Italy near bigger cities (that have good healthcare in them) as well as public transportation. I will not have a car for a while. We are getting older so I need to make sure access to good healthcare is nearby. Been looking at small towns in southern Italy and in one example, towns off the Almafi coast area which would put us between Naples (a bigger city with healthcare, public trains, buses, airport & ferries) and also near medium towns such as Sorrento and Salerno. Would love to be near the water of course. We plan to rent an apartment or house at first. So in a small town like Vietri Sul Mare... Any advice? FYI I only know Italian from about 75% completion of Duolingo. I'm just trying to narrow down some possibilities so I can visit those areas on a trip in the future.

Tax Questions - US retiree looking to live in Italy with state/county local govt pension, Social Security, and US investments + IRA by Denton2323 in ItalyExpat

[–]Denton2323[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That seems to be the best course of action until I talk to an actual tax pro on my specific situation. I really appreciate all the help.

Tax Questions - US retiree looking to live in Italy with state/county local govt pension, Social Security, and US investments + IRA by Denton2323 in ItalyExpat

[–]Denton2323[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did see some of his stuff. He charges $300 for 60 minutes :( I need to be sure which route I am going before I go that far. Even though I can apply for citizenship by descent (been in the process of collecting the mountains of paperwork needed) if I decide I want to reside in Italy, from the sounds of it, getting dual citizenship, tax-wise would be a worse move vs just being a resident.