It's a special year of celebrations for us here at Ábaco. It's now 20 years since we welcomed our first clients, the Hutcheons, and to mark our Aniversary we are launching the ÁbacoClub. The aim is to take care of your lifestyle in Spain and, as such, we've been listening to what you've told us you would like the club to include.

We've got lots of plans! In November you can hear more about them at our official launch. Of course, if you can't come to this we will still keep you informed.

ÁbacoClub is free for the ÁbacoTaxes clients of Ábaco Advisers. Most of the events and activities will cost you nothing and are subsidised or provided by Ábaco. Some trips will require contributions but these will be at a reduced cost to that normally paid.

If you would like to apply for your ÁbacoClub card then click here.

You can also find out what's happening by visiting: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Don't forget to give us a like whilst you're there!

This is an exciting new development and we are very much looking forward to enjoying it with you.

What happens in Spain when a close family member dies? What should you expect and how will you cope? We advise you to take one step at a time and make sure that you have representation you can trust. In this article we outline four steps that you might take when the time comes:

Most people are aware of the precautions you need to take when buying a property in Spain, but what about when you’re selling? In this article we explain what to expect and how you need to ensure that you are represented during the selling process too. We share with you our ten tips for a smooth house sale:

The 1st of November is a national holiday in Spain. It’s All Saints Day (Todos Los Santos) and traditionally many Spanish families spend the bank holiday visiting the graves of their relatives in the local cemeteries. If you are in Spain at this time you might be confused by the sudden appearance of flower sellers and markets and some unusual congestion on the roads.

Spanish Fiestas explain the origins of the day and some of the current traditions surrounding it:

All Saints Days Spain

The Murcia Today weekly bulletin has a useful explanation as well as a list of different activities and events that you might want to take part in if you’re in the Murcia region:

Murcia Today weekly bulletin

Tripsavvy have also published an article about this annual event and suggest that you might like to visit Cadiz if you want to see it celebrated a little differently:

How to Commemorate All Saints' Day in Spain

Did you know that Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, was once stationed in Gibraltar and was given the task of sabotaging any alliance between Spain and Germany during the second world war?

In preparation for the possibility that an invasion of Spain might follow, new maps were drawn up with contributions from British holiday makers! In these days of google it seems hard to imagine the provision of correct maps as being such a key challenge in espionage. This is a fascinating article from El País in English which reminds us of the shared fortunes of our countries:

This BBC article provides a summary of some of the reasons behind the push for the region of Catalonia to be a separate state:

Catalonia's bid for independence from Spain explained

If you find the issue of Spain’s autonomous communities one that’s difficult to understand then you might be interested to watch this video:

Spain Is Not A Federation: Autonomous Communities of Spain Explained

Ábaco has also published information about the different autonomous regions on its Spain Explained web pages:

The autonomous regions of Spain

In order to try and keep town centre shopping alive, Torrevieja’s commercial department frequently hosts mini events from some of the shops in the town. One recent example is the activities offered in the streets and in the shops to celebrate Hallowe’en.

During the rest of the year you can also find special offers and attractions taking place to lure you back into the town centre. Like their page on Facebook and you will get regular bulletins of what’s on offer:

Whatever your feelings about bullfighting may be, this Guardian article provides insight into the tuition and preparation that goes into making a bullfighter. It tries to explain why the practice still attracts followers and children as young as six years old who choose this as their career:

We would welcome any suggestions for future themes you would like us to cover either in the newsletter or in an article on Spain Explained.

Please let us know by email at newsletter@abacoadvisers.com.

Thank you!