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A guide to moving to Latin America, finding work, and settling in.
Episodes
Friday Aug 25, 2017
Friday Aug 25, 2017
#1- Gringos with too much time on their hands often try to mold their Latin American paradise into a synthetic 1st world replica. The results are often not pretty. That’s one reason why we don’t recommend Costa Rica, Panama, and most of Gringoized Mexico. Why leave the states and turn your paradise into a lush tropical Cleveland with nice weather. Makes you wonder why people like that leave the states when they could just move to Florida .
#2- Gringos often arrive on the scene a bit frazzled. Many are addicted to stress and are mentally chained to their own private treadmill (thought it’s slowly killing them). That’s why some new expats just can’t relax and need a bit of pressure or a goal or two (at least in small doses) to feel comfortable in paradise. If not, they remain antsy or worse. Today’s “boots on the ground” story deals with the subject..
#3- Bullfights in Latin America (especially Mexico) have a long and gory history. Yes, they still have them but they are fast losing popularity. The younger generation is now more obsessed with gadgets and social media- not to mention that in most countries the spectacle has been softened since you can’t kill the bull anymore, only torture him.
#4-More on Bitcoin Mining in Latin America
#5- Sign up for Johnny Mueller’s Latin American “Expat Insider” Seminar. The next one will take place on Sat, January 6th through Thurs, January 11th 2018. Get on the earlybird list and get the info signup details by emailing Johnny at: theexpatfiles@gmail.com
#6- Johnny’s new “Expat Essentials Course” is a blueprint for your “Plan B” and the best way kick-start your plan before getting boots on the ground in Latin America. See the three video intros to the course now at www.ExpatPlanB.com
#7- Check out my “The Expat Files” You Tube channel. See all the fun slides and photos that go along with each show. There are now more than 150 shows posted on my YouTube channel so have a look.
#8- Set up a one-on-one personal Phone/SKYPE consult with Johnny by first downloading the “Plan B” consult/questionnaire at www.TheNewExpat.com
Sunday Aug 20, 2017
Sunday Aug 20, 2017
#1- Ten Business tips for gringos and expats who are thinking about doing business in Latin America
#2- Smart gringos and expats often buy existing Latin business that are up for sale: Often such a Latin business may be failing or just getting by and treading water. Consequently, many Latin businesses are dirt cheap diamonds in the rough available at fire sale prices. When in the right location, astute gringos can often spiff up, reorganize and make such a Latin business profitable in no time. Though there are some definite pitfalls…
#3- Unrestored classic American and European cars can be spotted tooling around all over Latin America.
Could restoring a few old cars and shipping them back to the states be a good gringo business? Many many gringos have had that same idea. Its today’s “boots on the ground” story featuring Expat Eddie
#4-Cell phone registration laws: how to maintain a very low profile when purchasing a cell phone in Latin America, even though new laws say you must register with your personal dats when buying a phone.
#5- Sign up for Johnny Mueller’s Latin American “Expat Insider” Seminar. The next one will take place on Sat, January 6th through Thurs, January 11th 2018. Get on the earlybird list and get the info signup details by emailing Johnny at: theexpatfiles@gmail.com
#6- Johnny’s new “Expat Essentials Course” is a blueprint for your “Plan B” and the best way kick-start your plan before getting boots on the ground in Latin America. See the three video intros to the course now at www.ExpatPlanB.com
#7- Check out my “The Expat Files” You Tube channel. See all the fun slides and photos that go along with each show. There are now more than 150 shows posted on my YouTube channel so have a look.
#8- Set up a one-on-one personal Phone/SKYPE consult with Johnny by first downloading the “Plan B” consult/questionnaire at www.TheNewExpat.com
Friday Aug 18, 2017
Friday Aug 18, 2017
#1- Corn Tortillas: the unusual truth about the 3000 year old food that fed a good number of mighty civilizations.
However good they taste and smell, gringos and expats should watch carefully how they are made and handled. Every little tortilla stand has a different set of hygienic standards ranging from good to ugly. Unfortunately the cleanliness factor can be all over the place. Yes, backpackers know all about the after effects, so today we offer up some tips.
#2- Latin public restrooms: five things things you should know before attempting to using them.
#3- The Bitcoin community in Latin America.
Today’s “boots on the ground” story concerns an “Expat Insider” seminar attendee who turned $2000 in Bitcoin to $300,000. Oh that is fantastic alright, but the fact is that at today’s Bitcoin price at $4000+ our hero would have been sitting on a 40 million dollar jackpot had he waited it out. Yes, a bittersweet victory at best and here’s how it went down…
#4-How Latin women really take care of their men. Tales from the trenches.
#5- Sign up for Johnny Mueller’s Latin American “Expat Insider” Seminar. The next one will take place on Sat, January 6th through Thurs, January 11th 2018. Get on the earlybird list and get the info and signup details by emailing Johnny at: theexpatfiles@gmail.com
#6- Johnny’s new “Expat Essentials Course” is a blueprint for your “Plan B” and the best way kick-start your plan before getting boots on the ground in Latin America. See the three video intros to the course now at www.ExpatPlanB.com
#7- Check out my “The Expat Files” You Tube channel. See all the fun slides and photos that go along with each show. There are now more than 150 shows posted on my YouTube channel so have a look.
#8- Set up a one-on-one personal Phone/SKYPE consult with Johnny by downloading the “Plan B” consult/questionnaire at www.TheNewExpat.com
Sunday Aug 13, 2017
Sunday Aug 13, 2017
#1- Venezuelan refugees and illegals are becoming a problem for adjacent Latin countries. A few years ago, before the present crisis, Venezuelans traveled about freely, trickled into other countries and were absorbed easily and even welcomed. Nearby countries like Colombia, Peru and Ecuador were easy destinations to get to. However these days in places like Colombia, etc., Venezuelans are looked upon with suspicion especially since they will work cheap, off the books and do hard grunt work for cash (sound familiar?)
#2-And here we thought Costa Rica was first-world expensive and Ecuador third world cheap? Wait till you hear this;
The latest reports now indicate that hotels, restaurants and tourist agencies in Ecuador are much more expensive than their counterparts in both Colombia and Costa Rica. Wow…how’d that happen? (should we thank International Living?) Here’s the scoop...
#3- DYK: Latin America is full of Bitcoin miners?
The odd thing is they are all pretty much located in a place you’d never expect. Its all possible because it’s a place where the electricity so subsidized that its virtually free. However govt pus-bags are cracking down hard so it may not last.
#4- Johnny’s new “Expat Essentials Course” is a blueprint for your “Plan B” and the best way kick-start your plan before getting boots on the ground in Latin America. See the three video intros to the course now at www.ExpatPlanB.com
#5- Check out my “The Expat Files” You Tube channel. See all the fun slides and photos that go along with each show. There are now more than 150 shows posted on my YouTube channel so have a look.
#6- Set up a one-on-one personal Phone/SKYPE consult with Johnny by downloading the “Plan B” consult/questionnaire at www.TheNewExpat.com
Friday Aug 11, 2017
Friday Aug 11, 2017
#1- “Castiga Maya or Mayan Punishment” is the label given to a punishment vetted out by indigenous people in Central America when they feel its time to take the law into their own hands and physically punish someone. This is done only after the locals have repeatedly called the local police on some bad guy/gal in the pueblo but to no effect. These incidents are reported in the Latin news and first-world media as “lynchings” though are NOT real mob lynchings as depicted in John Wayne movies. In Latin America “lynchings” are painful but rarely fatal and altogether different than one might imagine. Here's the scoop.
#2- Latins, even the so called “educated classes”, are very poorly educated in the heath, nutrition and healthcare sciences. More likely they just don’t have the curiosity to care much about it. That’s probably why a Latin person (unless he’s an entitled child of the wealthy and been to university in the states) has most probably never heard of GMO’s, glyphosate, high fructose corn syrup, or even the vaccine/autism link. Previously it would not have mattered much when theor diets were quite natural and organic but now that cheap fast food has arrived in a big way Latins are becoming addicted just like most are in the USA.
#3-Have you heard of the Tortilla Wars?
There’s a subtle ongoing battle waging between the traditional, natural corn (maiz) tortilla product- made 3 times a day in tiny mom and pop shops - versus the more modern, convenient and corporately processed, preservative laden, wheat (harina) tortillas that have a proven shelf life of weeks (just like Wonder-bread). Here’s the scoop on how all of this started and why we must keep a close eye on how it plays out.
#4- Johnny Mueller’s next Latin American “Expat Insider Seminar” will take place Saturday, January 6th through Thursday, January 11th 2018. Get on the earlybird list and get the info and signup details by sending an email to theexpatfiles@gmail.com
#5- Johnny’s new “Expat Essentials Course” is a blueprint for your “Plan B” and the best way kick-start your plan before getting boots on the ground in Latin America. See the three video intros to the course now at www.ExpatPlanB.com
#6- Check out my “The Expat Files” You Tube channel. See all the fun slides and photos that go along with each show. There are now more than 150 shows posted on my YouTube channel so have a look.
#7- Set up a one-on-one personal Phone/SKYPE consult with Johnny by downloading the “Plan B” consult/questionnaire at www.TheNewExpat.com
Sunday Aug 06, 2017
Sunday Aug 06, 2017
#1- Driving and/or shipping your car down to Latin America. How much will it cost? How long will it take? What can possibly go wrong? Today's boots on the ground story explains how one expat drove his car from the USA to Honduras and what he paid to have it properly registered and licensed. The do’s the don'ts, the good, bad and the ugly.
#2- Getting Car Insurance in Latin America Part 1:
Johnny’s top ten tips for gringos and expats owning or planning to own a car in Latin America. What kind of coverage and minimum limits should you get on your car policy? Today we have a primer on how not to get ripped off and/or gouged by English speaking insurance brokers. Pay attention: this advice could save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars.
#3-Some unbelievably strange facts about coconuts that could save your life (or kill you in the process)
#4- Johnny Mueller’s next Latin American “Expat Insider Seminar” will take place Saturday, January 6th through Thursday, January 11th 2018. Get on the earlybird list and get the info and signup details by sending an email to theexpatfiles@gmail.com
#5- Johnny’s new “Expat Essentials Course” is a blueprint for your “Plan B” and the best way kick-start your plan before getting boots on the ground in Latin America. See the three video intros to the course now at www.ExpatPlanB.com
#6- Check out my “The Expat Files” You Tube channel. See all the fun slides and photos that go along with each show. There are now more than 150 shows posted on my YouTube channel so have a look.
#7- Set up a one-on-one personal Phone/SKYPE consult with Johnny by first downloading the “Plan B” consult/questionnaire at www.TheNewExpat.com
Friday Aug 04, 2017
Friday Aug 04, 2017
#1- Tips on buying and selling items in Latin America: If you buy or sell an item using Latin classifieds, newspaper ads, internet sites like www.olx.com or any sort of Latin Craigslist clone or whatever method, don’t be surprised if you find most of the sales will take place in a Walmart, MacDonald's or some other “borrowed” parking lot. It’s an odd but common practice in Latin America and here’s why…
#2- Latin Banks loosen their once very strict credit practices and help inflate the already very overblown real estate bubble. Beyond that, for the first time there is an ever-inflating credit bubble too. In the financial and credit sectors there seems to be a “lag time effect” about 15-20 years behind the USA and no historic memory of what causes bubbles. Newly loaned up and credit card maxed-out Latins seem totally unaware of the dire problems that await them. In addition, for the first time car dealers and banks are offering “no money down” financing for new cars like Volvo, VW and many others. Crazier yet is the fact that families can now finance or get a second mortgage to fund things like their daughter’s all important quince anos (15 year old) party. In that regard many Latin families will spare no expense since these events represent competitive one upmanship between families and neighbors, even within the poorer classes.
#3- Listeners are reporting daily that new US travel regulations and restrictions are making travel a very trying/tiring ordeal
#4- Johnny Mueller’s next Latin American “Expat Insider Seminar” will take place Saturday, January 6th through Thursday, January 11th 2018. Get on the early-bird list and get the info and signup details by sending an email to theexpatfiles@gmail.com
#5- Johnny’s new “Expat Essentials Course” is a blueprint for your “Plan B” and the best way kick-start your plan before getting boots on the ground in Latin America. See the three video intros to the course now at www.ExpatPlanB.com
#6- Check out my “The Expat Files” You Tube channel. See all the fun slides and photos that go along with each show. There are now more than 150 shows posted on my YouTube channel so have a look.
#7- Set up a one-on-one personal Phone/SKYPE consult with Johnny by downloading the “Plan B” consult/questionnaire at www.TheNewExpat.com
Sunday Jul 30, 2017
Sunday Jul 30, 2017
#1- Land border crossing chaos. Land border bathroom blues. Johnny’s latest “boots on the ground” story
#2- More examples of Latin upper-class racism/classism among upscale gringo copycats and first-world wannabees.
#3- When so called type “A” Gringos and Expats come down (the shakers and movers) they often need to be the big fish in a small pond once again. Many overconfident gringos take on too much at first, they roll too fast especially when they know a bit of Spanish. They tend to follow their own lead and don’t listen to good advice, sometimes getting taken in by scammers and schemers in the process.
#4- Today a few nasty words about the massive Latin America credit card bubble
#5- Latin Banks and employers (that is the employers on the books) are pushing hard to get the population to switch from cash to credit and plastic. In some Latin countries half of the population already have credit or debit cards. Yet the vast majority of low and middle-class workers don’t use their plastic to purchase things (as the banks would love them to do) , instead they prefer to use them to just take their dough out of the ATMs and spend the cash. “Viva America Latina!”
#6- Johnny’s next Latin American “Expat Insider Seminar” will likely take place in early January 2018. If you are interested in attending the week-long event just send an email to theexpatfiles@gmail.com for more info and details.
#7- Johnny’s new “Expat Essentials Course” is a blueprint for your “Plan B” and the best way kick-start your plan before getting boots on the ground in Latin America. See the three video intros to the course now at www.ExpatPlanB.com
#8- Check out my “The Expat Files” You Tube channel. See all the fun slides and photos that go along with each show. There are now more than 150 shows posted on my YouTube channel so have a look.
#9- Set up a one-on-one personal Phone/SKYPE consult with Johnny by downloading the “Plan B” consult/questionnaire at www.TheNewExpat.com
Friday Jul 28, 2017
Friday Jul 28, 2017
#1- Pollution in Latin Cities. How bad is it and what are governments and locals people doing about it, if anything.
#2- More good reasons why its not a good idea to live in a medium to large sized Latin city (or in any big US city for that matter).
#3-Latin America has a continuous baby boom that’s mostly confined to the poor and lower income classes.
So then where do all of these under-educated babies go when they come of age? A large portion sneak in to the US as illegals to chase down the “Sueno Americano” and the riches of the US minimum wage and generous welfare benefits they have heard about. Another large portion of the young people migrate to the big Latin cities to escape the drudgery and low pay of agricultural work(they want McDonald's and cell phones too)
#4- Latin men the worst litterbugs in the world. Latin women seem to know better, but what the hell is wrong with their men?
#5- New “Amigo” beer is a hit and making a huge splash in Mexico. Why?because Donald trump is the sombrero-wearing mascot on the label.
#6 -Breaking traffic laws in Latin America is a national sport. Still, most Latins don’t even know they are breaking laws since they see cops and govt slugs run red lights, pass on curves and do tricky street maneuvers with regularity
#7- Johnny’s next Latin American “Expat Insider Seminar” will likely take place in early January 2018. If you are interested in attending the week-long event just send an email to theexpatfiles@gmail.com for more info and details.
#8- Johnny’s new “Expat Essentials Course” is a blueprint for your “Plan B” and the best way kick-start your plan before getting boots on the ground in Latin America. See the three video intros to the course now atwww.ExpatPlanB.com
#9- Check out my “The Expat Files” You Tube channel. See all the fun slides and photos that go along with each show. There are now more than 150 shows posted on my YouTube channel so have a look.
#10- Set up a one-on-one personal Phone/SKYPE consult with Johnny by downloading the “Plan B” consult/questionnaire at www.TheNewExpat.com
Sunday Jul 23, 2017
Sunday Jul 23, 2017
#1- A frequent question from listeners: “Johnny, where would you live if you had to settle down and have your “Plan B” in Mexico?” Today you’ll get the full, unabridged answer.
#2- In Mexico the prices are going up, up, up. You might be surprised at the reasons why. That’s all bad news for the hundreds of thousands of Gringo and Expat pensioners living on SS checks and low-end fixed pensions.
#3-With tattoos, face piercings and ink displays all the rage in the states and Europe, what about here in Latin America?Naturally there’s the usual lag time, with most of that stuff seen regularly in gringo tourist areas. Of course Latin gangstas have always been into body mutilation, though now its also spreading to certain rebellious Latin college kids too.. the ones who somehow think they are being gringo-like and edgy.
#4- For many reasons I don’t recommend that newbee gringos and Expats live in big Latin cities. There are so many better, safer, cleaner, more wide open and beautiful alternatives down here. That said, what if you are a big city person and prefer that hectic city style of living? If that’s your thing, we have some tips and suggestions for Latin American big city living.
#5- Johnny’s next Latin American “Expat Insider Seminar” will likely take place in early January 2018. If you are interested in attending the upcoming week-long event just send an email to theexpatfiles@gmail.com for more info and details.
#6- Johnny’s new “Expat Essentials Course” is a blueprint for your “Plan B” and the best way kick-start your own plan before (or after) getting boots on the ground in Latin America. See the three video intros to the course now atwww.ExpatPlanB.com
#7- Check out my “The Expat Files” You Tube channel. See all the fun slides and photos that go along with each show. There are now more than 150 shows posted on my YouTube channel so have a look.
#8- Set up a one-on-one personal Phone/SKYPE consult with Johnny by downloading the “Plan B” consult/questionnaire atwww.TheNewExpat.com