International Living Community

@TUULARAMPONT-0, follow up question for you. I have the same criteria. In terms of weather, I've read that most of the towns along the Med are hit with furious winds in the winter -- Mistral, Tramontane, and others. Are there places where the wind isn't so bad, or do residents just stay indoors during the winter???

Tuula, merci for your reply and for the link to your video. I'm sure I'll be contacting you again :-).

Bonjour Tuula (if I've learned anything well, it's to ALWAYS begin any conversation in France with Bonjour and to close with Au Revoir when in person!) I hope you can help me or point me to someone who can.
I was planning to apply for a retirement visa, until I learned from Allison Lounes' book that that visa is not a path to naturalization (info left out on all other resources I've consulted) because US citizens do not pay taxes on retirement income so have not paid into the French system (other than for health care). It's rare for anyone to be approved for that reason.
I sent email to her company to ask whether I could apply for an entrepreneur visa as a freelancer but use my retirement income to meet the minimum income requirements. The reply was that the income requirements for the entrepreneur visa was for income earned on that visa.
Do you know if that's true? If so, is there any way to contribute enough to the French system as a retiree without working in France?
IL's "Moving to France" article says: "Although there is a lot of information to collect, the French visa is not difficult to obtain, and expats and retirees should apply for this visa. There is a freelance visa if you intend to offer a service in France, but you can also work remotely on the long-stay visa as long as you work for a company outside of France." From what I've read, working remotely requires a work visa and can't be done on a retiree visa.
Can you or someone else help with the ins and outs of these two specific visas?
Merci, ~lynn

I'm planning a move to France this year. How do I find and consult with a financial expert who can advise on the best way to set up or modify my current US investments and who knows both the US and French tax system?