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A guide to moving to Latin America, finding work, and settling in.
Episodes
Sunday Aug 09, 2015
Sunday Aug 09, 2015
-How to see Central America on the cheap (but not backpacker cheap):
Today we have a story of a lone gringo’s 10 week trip through most all of Central America. He did it by way of the Latin version of a private Greyhound Bus. Starting his trip in Panama, he travelled northward and explored most major cities and attractions in Central America- ending finally in Mexico. He explains how he did the trip on only $35 a day which included the bus tickets and three day stay at the all-inclusive Decameron resort in El Salvador. He gives great advice and tips spelling out how anyone can do much the same thing…
-Everyone loves shopping at those big Latin produce markets... that is, once they’ve actually experienced one up close and first hand. Gringos who never get the chance don’t know what they’re missing. Most never go because they are fearful of big crowds, the chaos and their lack of Spanish. That said, today we have some basic tips that will make any trip to the big market fun, cheap and painless…
-There are odd cases where your personal “gringo advantage” temporarily rubs off on the Latin person or persons you happen to be with.
-CONSULT WITH JOHNNY- SCHEDULE A CELL OR SKYPE CALL:
Follow the consult link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com and Johnny will help you sort out your Latin American
Friday Aug 07, 2015
Friday Aug 07, 2015
-What’s the story on childhood vaccinations in Latin America?
How many shots are required and at what intervals? Are all kids required to get them? Can parents opt their kids out or otherwise get around it? Is 3rd world lax about it or is there 1st world Nazi-style enforcement? Do Latins even understand the controversy around vaccines, their adjutants and toxic additives?
-A Latin American real estate update:
The real estate bubble seems to creeping all over Latin America. Its settling in while simultaneously straining and cracking around the edges. Meanwhile, since no one’s got the money or credit to buy (except certain gringos and Europeans) it’s turning into an unbelievable renter’s market. There are great deals for those with patience, a good eye and adequate “boots on the ground”. However, don’t expect to get any great deals surfing the net in Cleveland whist sitting on the sofa eating bon-bons. Note that what rents for $1000 a month on the net you can usually negotiate in person down to $600.
-Beware of glossy ads with happy gringo faces selling and promoting real estate projects and developments. When the gringos are in the sales and promo end you can predict just one thing- a top of the local Latin land and housing market is near.
-More solid proof that the gringo advantage is alive and well (when off the gringo tourist trail). Today we have more expat stories proving a 1st world type Big Brother state Latin style is far, far off in the future.
-CONSULT WITH JOHNNY- SCHEDULE A CELL OR SKYPE CALL:
Follow the consult link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com and Johnny will help you sort out your Latin American plans.
Tuesday Aug 04, 2015
Tuesday Aug 04, 2015
-When cars are stopped at Latin American traffic blockades the cops will only ask for 3 things: license, registration and proof of payment of the car’s yearly circulation sticker. Nothing else is important to them; not the broken windshields, lack of seat belts, burned out brake-lights, black smoke belching from tailpipes or even the 5 kids sitting up front on daddy’s lap.
-Any traffic violations you might accumulate will never account or appear against you personally, only against the owner of the car. Tickets for moving violations are rare and cheap so it doesn’t pay to fight them. You’re better off paying the 40 bucks than waste your time going to a court hearing that might be postponed/delayed any number of times and for any reason. BYW: those hearings almost always take place in a crappy part of town.
-Expats need a lawyer of course but as your Spanish improves you’ll start to use him less and less, especially for the small stuff. But note: however adept you become at the language there will be certain times to just let him take over or you’ll be forever wasting time and effort. Sometimes when you think you’ve got it under control, you don’t.
-Ask any long time gringo, one of the most persistent general problems they see with Latin American workers is their lack of an eye for detail. That said, most times when Latin governments try to “gringoize” (i.e., modernize) a government department or service- for example by “computerizing” a chronically inefficient system- a larger disaster often follows. Today we have a recent true story proving that very point.
-CONSULT WITH JOHNNY- SCHEDULE A CELL OR SKYPE CALL:
Follow the consult link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com and Johnny will help you sort out your Latin American plans.
Friday Jul 31, 2015
Friday Jul 31, 2015
-A few words about those strange and sometimes wonderful middle-class Latin yard parties and celebrations because you’ll be invited to attend these events now and again(maybe way too often).
-Prepare and get your earplugs ready for the rockets and fireworks when your neighbors have their weekend events and parties. Sometimes those things can get very loud and go well into night. Tip: lock your guns in the cabinet... unloaded.
-Today Expat Eddie graces us with another bizarre, "it can only happen in Latin America" story. This time he relates how when stuck at a party somewhere in El Salvador the subject at hand was Donald Trump. This time Eddie was in the spotlight. Everyone wanted to hear his take on Trump, who they see as the evil devil/destroyer of the "American dream".
-DYK: in so-called Latin “man on the street” interviews the top #3 America names that come up in the minds of the Latin public areObama, Trump and Kim Kardashian (and they say the US public is dumbed down!)
-First world “lag time effect” is alive and well. Even though 90% of the time that effect adds to our “Gringo advantage”, sometimes it can backfire badly when Latin "gringo wannabees" try to embrace it.
-Just like up in the states, some upscale Latin mothers are convinced their pre-school and grade school kids are gifted "geniuses" so they stupidly post every new word and burp on Facebook for posterity (sound familiar?)
-CONSULT WITH JOHNNY- SCHEDULE A CELL OR SKYPE CALL:
Follow the consult link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com and Johnny will help you sort out your Latin American plans.
Sunday Jul 26, 2015
Sunday Jul 26, 2015
-If you come down to Latin America with only a few suitcases and bags(highly recommended), you’ll eventually need a whole lot of stuff to fill up that house or apartment. So today we have some great tips on how to find the best deals and best selection of any and all new and used stuff you might need once you get down to Latin America.
-Some tips on advertising your specific “gringo” services and skills to the Latin public
-More breaking news on Latin rentista, pensionado and permanent residency programs
-Gringos and upscale Latins are beginning to use Amazon.com quite a lot. They need it for that odd 1% of items they can’t get when down here like for example certain vitamins and supplements. So far so good. You can order stuff online no problem but then how does it get down to Latin America and how cheap/expensive is the shipping? Here's the scoop on that.
-Ecuador has just passed some heavy import taxes hitting gringos and expats who order online and have things shipped things down from eBay or Amazon.com. But since this is Latin America there are always a few ways around it.
-Argentina now has 50% year over year real inflation. It's on the edge of another economic collapse. Here’s the latest news….
-CONSULT WITH JOHNNY- SCHEDULE A CELL OR SKYPE CALL:
Follow the consult link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com and Johnny will help you sort out your Latin American plans.
Friday Jul 24, 2015
Friday Jul 24, 2015
-Today we have a report on my recent Latin American “Expat Wisdom” seminar that ended just a few days ago. How did go? We'll discuss an email from a married couple to see what they made of it.
-Don't be hasty when seeking out short-term rentals. Due diligence is necessary and that takes some time. Its a renter's market and you must be prepared to low ball them and walk away. There are hundreds of rentals available and owners know it. So if you can pull it off, always have a local negociate without you present to avoid "gringo prices".
-More details on achieving temporary and permanent residency. The rules are always changing and are slightly different from country to country.
-The two simplest and least expensive Latin residency programs as of July 2015
-A discussion regarding gringos and expats who decide to skip out of the USA leaving a trail of unpaid debts. Sometimes that’s actually part of the plan. True, a good percentage of expats do occasionally leave some dirty laundry behind and on purpose - out of sight out of mind. But be careful. What happens if for some reason one has to return to the states if even for a funeral or a short business trip? Will that dirty laundary come back to haunt you? Depends. What about skipping out on federal debts like taxes and school loans?
-How the Uncle Sam can block your passport and get you deported back to Cleveland
-CONSULT WITH JOHNNY- SCHEDULE A CELL OR SKYPE CALL:
Follow the consult link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com and Johnny will help you sort out your Latin American plans.
Sunday Jul 19, 2015
Sunday Jul 19, 2015
-The so called “Lag Time” effect is alive and well here in Latin America.
Example: now for the first time there's an "all new" great gringo expat business idea that's flourishing. Only thing is, I spoke about this exact opportunity on a show over 4 years ago. Yes, it took 4 years to get here and looks like whoever’s doing it is set to make a killing. Which only proves once again that Expat wannabees and gonnabees can follow some simple formulas and do much the same thing.
-Panama just enacted price controls on 28 basic food items. Any pinhead knows price controls never ever work in the long run and only tend to distort the economy. Price controls are the best way to create black and grey markets and guaranteed shortages. Alas, who ever said govt decision makers rate any higher than pinheads.
-The truth about bugs, bats, wasps, snakes and other things that creep along in the night. Its true that rainforest creatures get cold and damp too. They're near, at hand, and forever trying to find a way to co-exist with us. Be prepared for the occasional/inevitable) encounter so ladies, now might be time to think about growing a thicker skin.
Friday Jul 17, 2015
Friday Jul 17, 2015
-Venezuela’s economy and currency, the Bolivar, are so out of control that the grey-market street exchange rate for dollars is now 50 times the official bank rate. With the “official” yearly inflation rate now pegged at 68%, the real number for basic goods is more like 500%. Meanwhile Chinese “saviors” have shown up. They are stealthily buying up everything they can (for dollars of course), picking up dying businesses, land and buildings at the ultra-fire sale of a lifetime.
- All Latin American countries have quite a diversity of foreign ethnic groups. That said, what are the numbers, demographics, economic and social status of minority immigrant groups like Muslims, Asians, and Jews? Do they assimilate or stick out? Do they get along? The facts will surprise you.
-Bitcoin is on the rise again. It seems every time a country’s economy takes a sudden dump like Greece just did, BC takes a jump. While every time a government tries to regulate or ban BC it predictably takes a dive. Nevertheless, BC still remains one of the few slick ways to move your money around anonymously… provided you take the right steps and plan ahead.
-We finish off today with some irate and wickedly clever emails
-CONSULT WITH JOHNNY- SCHEDULE A CELL OR SKYPE CALL: Follow the consult link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com and Johnny will help you sort out your Latin American plans
Sunday Jul 12, 2015
Sunday Jul 12, 2015
-More of the latest updates on certain Latin permanent residency programs for Expats. Note that very soon residency application requirements will be getting tougher. That means you’d better get on the stick and start making plans.
-Today we have another absolutely true, but very sad story, coming from a disjointed middle-class Latin American family with some members living up in the USA illegally. These situations non-Spanish speaking gringos rarely get a chance to see, much less experience or understand. Get ready for some weighty messages…
-Now some facts that single gringas looking for love and romance in Latin America should know, including a scathing morality tale or two…
-Lately Donald Trump seems to show up in every Latin news outlet on the hour. While Latins continuously dump on him, Latin media hacks are showing they are blatant hypocrites with one track minds. It’s not as much about Trump bruising the collective Mexican ego as much as the fact that Latins see Trump as a threat and a barrier to their easy and unrestricted entry into the US. They want an open border to grab their piece of the (non-existent) “American Dream” and are absolutely terrified what Trump will do if he gets into office (he hasn’t a chance anyhow)
Friday Jul 10, 2015
Friday Jul 10, 2015
-Gringos, gringas and new Expats beware. If you’re driving through Latin America and find the need to stop at a hotel for the night don’t get fooled when you see very inviting hotel signs saying ”Auto- Hotel”. Even if they look nice, new, safe and secure, these places are NOT the Latin equivalent of a Budgetel or a Motel 6. Here’s the scoop.....
-Looking in the Latin Yellow Pages, classifieds and on the internet, you’ll always see an ad or two promoting the services of a Latin P.I.- a so called Latin Private Investigator. Note these guys usually make their living doing two things; polygraph testing and chasing down upper middle-class male infidelities.
-In the past we’ve discussed mandated yellow fever vaccinations indicated for travelers to South America. We’ve seen that the written laws seem strict yet there seems to be very spotty enforcement. So today we have more on yellow fever vaccines from two clever Expats who just traveled through many of those questionable countries. We also have some very surprising and confounding yellow fever infection stats.
-Latin America and gun violence often seem to appear in the same sentence. Today we bring you some amazing statistics coming out of Latin police departments and hospital emergency rooms and show how wildly misleading they can be.