The Expat Files: Living in Latin America

#1- I know for a fact that you guys and gals concerned about retirement (the over 45 crowd) have gone at one time or anther to one of those minimum retirement earnings calculator websites and plugged in your age, yearly income, etc,. You all want to to know the magical lump sum savings needed to retire-without taking a lifestyle cut. The news is pretty depressing, huh? And worse yet, did you know there are dire projections that only 10% or less of all Americans will have accumulated that magical calculated amount when they hit retirement age? Not to mention fully 60% of Americans will be living on NO SAVINGS and just Social Security alone? As a result, most working people approaching retirement are either in denial or scared stiff. Well just know that if you prefer stay in NYC or Cleveland the day of retirement reckoning will come. However, if you’re in Latin America you can just laugh at those ridiculous first-world retirement calculators and let everyone up north stress out and do the worrying.#2- Here are some of the most important do’s and dont’s for any expat thinking of buying farmland and/or undeveloped acreage in the Latin American outback. Outside of the cites and urban areas its can be a game of who’s really got the legal title to the land you want to buy. Why? Because occasionally someone (usually a bad neighbor or pissed off-relative) might pop out of the woodwork to dispute a claim with his own handful of ancient worm-holed paperwork. And remember on certain big plots of land there are sometimes age-old unwritten deals for grazing and water rights that have been granted in perpetuity for neighbors, friends and their cows. That kind of stuff might never show up in any deed or contract. And you might not find it out about it for days or months…when suddenly a heard of cows mozey up to your driveway and fertilize it.#3- Things you need to know about Latin lawyers, courts, judges, bribes and how a crooked system works. What happens if you, an expat, end up in court?#4- My January 2014 “Expat Wisdom” seminar is all set to go so. To check out the agenda and the signup details just click on the Latin American Seminar link on the top of the www.ExpatWisdom.com main page.#5- “AN EXPAT’S GUIDE TO FIRST-WORLDHEALTHCARE IN LATIN AMERICA”,That’s the name of my long awaited free report. It’s finally finished and will be available for a time at www.ExpatWisdom.com. Grab a copy and than compare how 21st century Latin American healthcare stacks up to your Heathcare in the states. Read it and weep! And remember the report is free(at least for now).#6- Follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to schedule a private consultation with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, now you and I can talk about your situation one on one. 

- On the last show it was mentioned thatLatin Americans are much more superstitious than first world folks. Here are a few more strange and odd things Latins will do to gain the upper hand with the supernatural. Some of this weird stuff is sure to make expats shake their heads in disbelief.-Latin Rock Music and Latin stand-up comedy are some of the latest popular phenomenons that have been lifted lock, stock and barrel from first-world innovators. On close observation astute expats do see that Latin music and comedy acts are stealing material mercilessly from first-world sources. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) when Latins put their spin on the material and translate punch lines or lyrics they usually come out well... third-worldish.-For all of you single first-world lady expat wanabees and lady expat gonnabees; here are some tips and cautions from a seasonedgringaexpat concerning mating and dating Latin men. Our gringa source gives a heads up on some of the common tricks that married Latin men use to fool newly arrived gringas who just might be looking for love and romance..-Here are some odd Spanish words you’ll hear on occasion that have no real English counterparts, and thus are sure to throw you the first time around.-An update on the contaminated water issue in Latin America and what you should be doing about it.-My January 2014 “Expat Wisdom” seminar is all set to go so. To check out the agenda and the signup details just click on the Latin American Seminar link on the top of theExpatWisdom.com mainpage.“AN EXPAT’S GUIDE TO FIRST-WORLDHEALTHCARE IN LATIN AMERICA”,That’s the name of my long awaited free report. It’s finally finished and will be available for a time at www.ExpatWisdom.com. Grab a copy and than compare how 21st century Latin American healthcare stacks up to your Heathcare in the states. Read it and weep! And remember the report is free(at least for now).-Follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to schedule a private consultation with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, now you and I can talk about your situation one on one. 

-You probably know that gringos up north have a life expectancy of more than five beyond Latin Americans in general. That said, you’d be amazed at how many really old even ancient old men and women in their 80’s and 90’s are still out there in the fields working, chopping brush, hauling wood and shlepping water buckets on their backs, etc. By the way, Latins even have a common name for all these very old folks, “ancianos” meaning “ancient ones” in English. So how do these old ancient folks do it... put in a full days work like they were still 35 and without complaints? And what about the so-called first-world diseases of old age like arthritis, hear aliments, cancer and Alzheimer's? Here are some some surprising facts about those spry old Latin “ancianos”…-Expat Eddie just bought a used Jeep from a pretentious, lard-ass, despicable Latin government type. But it’s not just any Jeep as you’ll soon hear. Yet another true Expat Eddie story you'll have to try to swallow....-When driving your vehicle in the Latin countryside, beware of landslides, tree trunks and the occasional gigantic boulders… especially in the rainy season. Just know that you can expect to get held up by some kind of natural or unnatural road impediment at any time and get delayed in a traffic bottleneck or two on almost every extended road trip. Sure the local road crews eventually get around to fixing things but usually they do it half-ass. Get this, they often go home after clearing only one lane… allowing the traffic to inch through and thus creating another kind of bottleneck (remember that the street workers themselves can’t afford cars so they don’t have much sympathy for drivers stuck in tough spots... not to mention, they're government workers).-Latin Americans are very very superstitious. The longer you’re down here the more you realize that there seems to be no limit to the odd things Latins will do to ward off spirits, bad luck, get rich, have beautiful babies, find love and such. And at Halloween it's time to highlight a few of the odder things that make us expats laugh to ourselves. Its never nice to laugh aloud when the locals are involved (and never forget we gringos have a few odd , even irrational, habits of our own)-My January 2014 “Expat Wisdom” seminar is all set to go so. To check out the agenda and the signup details just click on the Latin American Seminar link on the top of theExpatWisdom.com mainpage.-“AN EXPAT’S GUIDE TO FIRST-WORLDHEALTHCARE IN LATIN AMERICA”,That’s the name of my long awaited free report. It’s finally finished and will be available for a time at www.ExpatWisdom.com. Grab a copy and than compare how 21st century Latin American healthcare stacks up to your Heathcare in the states. Read it and weep! And remember the report is free(at least for now).-Follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to schedule a private consultation with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, now you and I can talk about your situation one on one

-Lets trying to straighten out some common confusing Spanish language terms that just seem to fly right over our expat heads. No matter how long we’ve been down here it seems some of us have a few mental language blocks that won’t go away.- How expats make disinformation work for them! Down in Latin America, every so often when one visits a first-world like guarded community, office tower, hotel, government building, etc., you must hand over an ID or get it scanned to get a visitor’s pass. Well it turns out many expats (having already felt the strong, odoriferous presence of Big Brother up north) just don't use their REAL ID’s much unless absolutely necessary(like for boarder crossings and banking). Expats have found in most cases it pays to use a fake or altered ID. Why not? Well just realize that you do get a fresh start here and for once you can easily avoid getting on computers and lists by just smiling and handing over a nicely done fake ID. And note that even if you must show a REAL ONE, few Latin organizations (except some govt agencies) have any sort of shared computer networks and data systems are in no way connected like they are in the first world. Again I'm clueing you in to something you won't hear on any other Expat site or program ... the fact that many expats use altered or fake ID’s all the time and no one here cares. Sure it might not be quite legal (or maybe it is since you're showing an imperfect “COPY” and have NOT altered your AUTHENTIC docs in any way) and I’m not suggesting you do it either way but again. it’s just a fact, and a way to stay way off the radar…-Latins love to celebrate loud, and I mean when they bring out the massive fireworks and bombs things do get very, very, very loud! And yes, I did say BOMBS!-More unbelievably stupid examples of your corrupt, broke first-world government donating useless expensive stuff to corrupt, broke third-world governments (on your tax dollar and dime of course)“AN EXPAT’S GUIDE TO FIRST-WORLDHEALTHCARE IN LATIN AMERICA”,That’s the name of my long awaited free report. It’s finally finished and will be available for a time at www.ExpatWisdom.com. Grab a copy and than compare how 21st century Latin American healthcare stacks up to your Healthcare in the states. Read it and weep! And remember the report is free(at least for now).-Follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to schedule a private consultation with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, now you and I can talk about your situation one on one. 

#1- My January 2014 “Expat Wisdom” seminar is all set to go so. To check out the agenda and the signup details just click on the Latin American Seminar link on the top of theExpatWisdom.com main page.#2- A few more comments and real life stories for those of you who might be thinking of repackaging an old seminar or lecture idea and going on the circuit in Latin America#3- Some advice for all expat wanabees and expat gonnabee first-world professionals (CPAs, chemists, X-ray techs, industrial engineers, etc.) hoping to land jobs at Latin American subsidies of first-world trans-national companies. Sure, these companies all want to hire qualified gringos and people with first-world training, and yes there are always job openings but….#4- A word about the very top level, very expensive(in Latin terms) private universities. The ones that cost an unbelievable $5000 to $6000 a year(ha ha!) You’ll find just one or two of these top notch, very limited enrollment, schools in almost every Latin country and they’re pretty much the only universities graduating students that are on par with kids from the better first-world universities. Whereas elsewhere in Latin America, the other dozen or so Universities you find in any given Latin country are really no more than glorified high schools or worse.You'll find, as in the USA, quality seems to generally correlate with price.#5 -Looking to hire a Latin trained professional for your new expat business? You need to listen to this….#6 -How certain unscrupulous first-world seminar companies are scamming gullible Latins while getting rich in the process (that’s the point right?). These guys have gouged people in the states (and are a huge part of the US government student loan debacle) and are being sued big time, and now they’re down here in Latin America where almost no one ever gets sued. Such a deal! Are these jerks smart or what?#7- “AN EXPAT’S GUIDE TO FIRST-WORLDHEALTHCARE IN LATIN AMERICA”,That’s the name of my long awaited free report. It’s finally finished and will be available for a time at www.ExpatWisdom.com. Grab a copy and than compare how 21st century Latin American healthcare stacks up to your Healthcare in the states. Read it and weep! And remember the report is free(at least for now).#8 -Follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to schedule a private consultation with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, now you and I can talk about your situation one on one. 

#1-Today marks my 300thExpat Files show!And as you might imagine I get many requests from folks asking if I can package all of them up and provide a detailed index so folks can quickly hone in on their topic of interest. If I did that you’d have about 150 straight hours of Expat Files audio! The good news is that a dedicated friend of the program living up in the UK is working on the hardest part;putting together a comprehensive cross reference and index.You already know that in any given half hour I might hit on ten or more convoluted topics so proper indexing will take real patience and determination. And hopefully, if our good man in the UK can plow through it without getting carpal tunnel or brain fatigue, the whole project could be available soon. As Brian Wilson once said, "wouldn't it be nice…"#2-Get ready for a big increase the general level of US harassment when you try to leave the states. US immigration will be treating you more and more like a criminal even if you’re on a simple vacation to Cancun. So, why is it getting more and more difficult and complicatedto leave the Big Brother paradise? Why its because the government is dead broke and must keep track of the middle-class cows to be milked, naturally. Don't you know its dangerous for dumb animals to get a taste of freedom?Bottom line- if you don’t get a “get out of dodge” plan together soon … within a year or so there's a good chance the door will get slammed in your face.#3-Here’s the “real” story (one the US media never reports) about Mexican cartels, drugs,and the escalating chaos and crime against expats and foreigners. A report on the present Mexico situation and why its a very bad place for expats to live and invest, why its broken it can’t be fixed and why it will only get worse.#4-A day in the life of a very happy and contented Latin middle-class family of five. How is it possible that they have almost all the usual first-world amenities including two cars (though used) all on only $1000 a month?#5-“AN EXPAT’S GUIDE TO FIRST-WORLDHEALTHCARE IN LATIN AMERICA”,That’s the name of my long awaited free report. It’s finally finished and will be available for a time at www.ExpatWisdom.com. Grab a copy and than compare how 21st century Latin American healthcare stacks up to your Heathcare in the states. Read it and weep! And remember the report is free(at least for now).#6-Follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to schedule a private consultation with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, now you and I can talk about your situation one on one. 

#1-Power outages are common in Latin America. But how frequent are they, how long do they last and how quickly do they get repaired. What happens if you’re the one making the complaint to the utility company? And what are the chances you even get through to the emergency line on a phone call? Here’s the scoop….#2-A few life saving tips on the care and feeding of your electronic gadgets and computers while here in Latin America. Often green gringos and new expats experience the premature death and/or failure of their laptops, notebooks and other devices. And theyusually chock it up to bad luck (or gremlins). The fact is, the climate down here can be very very hard on your prized toys, but it doesn’t have to take a toll …#3-More on Latin banking. This time we talk about foreigners with bank accounts and why banks in tourist areas like Costa Rica actually count on a high percentage of stupid gringos and Europeans not ever coming back…. thus abandoning their bank accounts and leaving them inactive. Then after some years the bank can by law confiscate the balances for that inactivity. Though this happens mostly with small passbook accounts, the numbers really add up... and the banks love it!#4-You’ve heard talk about gringos and expats living first-world style in Latin America on a measly Social Security check. Well how about a family of FIVE living first world style on just one measly SS check?Here’s that story…#5-“AN EXPAT’S GUIDE TO FIRST-WORLDHEALTHCARE IN LATIN AMERICA”,That’s the name of my long awaited free report. It’s finally finished and will be available for a time at www.ExpatWisdom.com. Grab a copy and than compare how 21st century Latin American healthcare stacks up to your Heathcare in the states. Read it and weep! And remember the report is free(at least for now).#6-For all of you curious about how our last Expat Wisdom seminar in June went down…two of our attendees, Deane and Heather, put together a great 10 min slideshow/audio clip with some very cool visuals. Now you can see what it was like (and what you missed) as we all trucked around with our “boots on the ground” Just go to ExpatWisdom.com and click on the “slideshow” link.#7-Follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to schedule a private consultation with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, now you and I can talk about your situation one on one. 

1-Ready for a few “cost of living” surprises? Well, today I’ve got some details that take “cost of living” facts and questions to a deeper level. Analysts are always throwing figures out comparing the so-called average north American person or family to some other country’s average citizen. So who is this average American and for the matter who is the average Latin person or expat?2-Expats eventually wean themselves off of first-world products like imported foods and junk food they were accustomed to (or addicted to) up in Cleveland. Here’s a little story of what happens with long-term expats who have pent-up uncontrollable first-world cravings.3-There was a time a few years back when little by little the local Latin store shelves started to carry previously rare and unobtainable (unavailable down here) stateside products. When that would happen it wasn’t unusual for gringos and expats to go a bit nuts and end up hoarding stuff and doing very un-gringolike things!4-Some facts of life regarding expiration dates, truth in advertizing and food product labeling down in Latin America. If you're a label scrutinizer, this little report might be a bit of a shocker!5-A few more excellent expat tips about those little known but very desirable “altiplano” regions of Latin America6-“AN EXPAT’S GUIDE TO FIRST-WORLDHEALTHCARE IN LATIN AMERICA”,That’s the name of my long awaited free report. It’s finally finished and will be available for a time at www.ExpatWisdom.com. Grab a copy and than compare how 21st century Latin American healthcare stacks up to your Heathcare in the states. Read it and weep! And remember the report is free(at least for now).7-For all of you curious about how our last Expat Wisdom seminar in June went down…two of our attendees, Deane and Heather, put together a great 10 min slideshow/audio clip with some very cool visuals. Now you can see what it was like (and what you missed) as we all trucked around with our “boots on the ground” Just go to ExpatWisdom.com and click on the “slideshow” link.8-Follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to schedule a private consultation with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, now you and I can talk about your situation one on one

1-As we step(er.. more like stumble) into different cultures, all of us gringos and expats commit our share of social gaffs never realizing it. And because Latins are generally more kind and forgiving than us infinitely more anal first worlder's, they almost never call us out on it. Latins avoid awkward moments and embarrassing incidents at all costs. And luckily our “gringo advantage” insures that the locals cut us even more slack. Thankfully, after a some months us foreigners finally do get the hang of many of odd Latin social norms but there are some very subtle social conventions most of us continue to violate and don’t know it. Here are some examples...2-We’ve all heard about those famously explosive Latina tempers, especially volatile regarding painfully sensitive topics like love, romance and jealousy. And speaking of jealousy; Latins really do have an extra jealousy jean with a capital “J”. That said, you might wonder what expats do when faced with an explosive emotional display like that in their relationships. Do they try to reason it out logically or lay low and stay well clear of the silverware, pots and pans?3-Today we have a very recent interview with a skeptical gringo who attended the latest Expat Wisdom seminar in June. Hear what he has to say about his own "boots on the ground"experience in Central America while with the Expart Wisdom crew.4 -Pencil in your calendar for this coming January. That’s when my nextExpat Wisdom Seminar event is scheduled, “off the gringo tourist trail” of course. This time we’ll be starting the adventure on Sunday Jan 19thand ending late Thursday night the 23rd. If you plan on attending please email me attheexpatfiles@gmail.comorJohnny@ExpatWisdom.comand I’ll be sure to send you the full details.5- “AN EXPAT’S GUIDE TO FIRST-WORLDHEALTHCARE IN LATIN AMERICA”,That’s the name of my long awaited free report. It’s finally finished and will be available for a time at www.ExpatWisdom.com. Grab a copy and than compare how 21st century Latin American healthcare stacks up to your Heathcare in the states. Read it and weep! And remember the report is free(at least for now).6-For all of you curious about how our last Expat Wisdom seminar in June went down…two of our attendees, Deane and Heather, put together a great 10 min slideshow/audio clip with some very cool visuals. Now you can see what it was like (and what you missed) as we all trucked around with our “boots on the ground” Just go to ExpatWisdom.com and click on the “slideshow” link.-Follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to schedule a private consultation with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, now you and I can talk about your situation one on one

-Of drugs, gringos and expats: you’d be surprised at the kinds of email questions I get from expat wanabees concerning drugs in Latin America… and here are some choice samples (no not of the drugs, the emails!)-Note that if the following wereJeopardyquestions I bet 95% of you would blow them:#1- What South American country leads all others in drug cultivation and processing?” (Nope, its not Colombia)#2- What Latin country is the number one transit or pass-through conduit for drug shipments worldwide? (Nope its not Mexico)The answers will surprise you…- Here's the plain truth about coca leaves and coca leave chewing in South America: In many countries possession and use of the coca leaf is totally legal. Users say its like a good, long shot of double espresso. And its not just the poor indigenous farmers chewing on the stuff. Its used by cab drivers, hamburger flippers, bank tellers and presidents. In fact Bolivian president Evo Morales chewed a wad on camera along with Oliver Stone and his video crew in a recent movie documentary! (whereas in the states they'd all get the slammer for a move like that!) - In Venezuela, smart Latins are making a slick 700 percent on their money by taking advantage of a recent round of truly idiot government currency control laws. A mile-wide loophole has opened that allows that kind of return on US dollars in just one weekend! Imagine a guaranteed return like that without being a crook, getting into the drug business or doing anything that’s technically illegal!I know some adventurous Expats who are on their way to Caracas right now to get a piece of the currency chaos!-A word about piranhas and other allegedtesticleeaters-Pencil in your calendar for this coming January. That’s when my nextExpat Wisdom Seminar event is scheduled, “off the gringo tourist trail” of course. Right now I’m still setting up the program and fine tuning the particulars. This time we’ll be starting the adventure on Sunday Jan 19thand ending late Thursday night the 23rd. If you plan on attending please email me attheexpatfiles@gmail.comorJohnny@ExpatWisdom.comand I’ll be sure to send you the full details.“AN EXPAT’S GUIDE TO FIRST-WORLDHEALTHCARE IN LATIN AMERICA”,That’s the name of my long awaited free report. It’s finally finished and will be available for a time at www.ExpatWisdom.com. Grab a copy and than compare how 21st century Latin American healthcare stacks up to your Heathcare in the states. Read it and weep! And remember the report is free(at least for now).-For all of you curious about how our last Expat Wisdom seminar in June went down…two of our attendees, Deane and Heather, put together a great 10 min slideshow/audio clip with some very cool visuals. Now you can see what it was like (and what you missed) as we all trucked around with our “boots on the ground” Just go to ExpatWisdom.com and click on the “slideshow” link.-Follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to schedule a private consultation with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, now you and I can talk about your situation one on one.-And while you’re at www.ExpatWisdom.com don’t forget to pick up your free reports! 

-Pencil in your calendar for this coming January. That’s when my nextExpat Wisdom Seminar event is scheduled, “off the gringo tourist trail” (naturally). Right now I’m still setting up the program and fine tuning the particulars and this time we’ll be starting the adventure on Sunday Jan 19thand ending late Thursday night the 23rd. If you plan on attending please email me attheexpatfiles@gmail.comorJohnny@ExpatWisdom.comand I’ll be sure to send you the full details.-Bolivia has always been a nice, cheap, laid-back off the tourist trail destination for expats... until it’s profile was lifted by the likes of Itl. Living and some of the other expat retirement rags. However, the country's populist president Evo Morales continues to have his trouble with strikes and protests from the masses whenever he makes a move and now he’s having trouble again after he rammed through a hard-handed mining law designed as a sort of land give-back to poor indigenous folks but instead has only resulted in scaring off potential foreign investors.-Wanabees, gonnabees and fresh green expats “off the tourist trail” always want to know how long it will take for their Spanish chops to kick-in in a meaningful way. You’ll be surprised when I mention how hard it is to predict something like that. Believe it or not, many of us expats never get beyond the 3rdor 4thgrade Spanish level, which seems to be just fine with some of us as long as we can make ourselves understood to the locals. The problem is, once we’re generally understood many of us hit a linguistic brick wall and never seem to improve. Latins are way too polite to correct us!-There are multiple complications associated with buying your wife or girlfriend a car… and it doesn’t matter if the lady is Latina or a gringa expat. Here’s why...“AN EXPAT’S GUIDE TO FIRST-WORLDHEALTHCARE IN LATIN AMERICA”,That’s the name of my long awaited free report and it’s finally finished and available for a time at www.ExpatWisdom.com. Grab a copy and than compare how 21st century Latin American healthcare stacks up to your Heathcare in the states. Read it and weep! And remember the report is free(at least for now).-For all of you curious about how our last Expat Wisdom seminar in June went down…two of our attendees, Deane and Heather, put together a great 10 min slideshow/audio clip with some very cool visuals. Now you can see what it was like (and what you missed) as we all trucked around with our “boots on the ground” Just go to ExpatWisdom.com and click on the “slideshow” link.-Follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to schedule a private consultation with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, now you and I can talk about your situation one on one.-And while you’re at www.ExpatWisdom.com don’t forget to pick up your free reports! 

-Part II of an expat chocoholic’s step by step journey into the world of cacao beans and the pursuit of quality chocolate candy in Latin America-Just a few words of warning. When you’re about to have workmen in your house for any kind of repair job you must take precautions before hand since they absolutely never clean up after themselves. You need to take some evasive maneuvers and be prepared for a major mess (and possibly some damage caused by sheer inattentive clumsiness)-The vast majority of us long term expats have maids and cleaning ladies. And the fact is that most all of them are quite closed-mouth and timid when they’re around us gringos (we can be intimidating). Unfortunately we rarely know what they’re really thinking. So wouldn’t you like to know, when these ladies get together privately, what are saying about their gringo and Latin bosses? Of course you’ll never know what they’re saying or thinking unless you speak decent Spanish and are a good stealthy eavesdropper….like ME!!-Occasionally when scanning one of the larger Latin newspapers you’ll see a deal on a product or service that seems too good to be true: like for example 50% off on everything in a certain appliance store. But the fact is, often what seems unbelievable is really true… but you absolutely must act on that deal the very day its offered because aday later that deal is often finished and won’t be back again for maybe a year or so (or never).-Here isPart Oneof an intimate discussion regarding the concessions expat men find they have to make when they have Latin wives or girlfriends. Turns out, due to our societal and social differences we occasionally have to force ourselves be sensitive to certain illogical Latin customs.Expats must bend a bit.In doing so, just remember that to the Latin way of thinking we first worlder’s have some pretty illogical social customs ourselves! (I concur)-If you’re interested in getting in the waiting list for an Expat Wisdom Seminar (probably in January) just send an email (theexpatfiles@gmail.com) and I’ll be sure to keep you in the loop“AN EXPAT’S GUIDE TO FIRST-WORLDHEALTHCARE IN LATIN AMERICA”,That’s the name of my long awaited free report. It’s finally finished and will be available for a time at www.ExpatWisdom.com. Grab a copy and than compare how 21st century Latin American healthcare stacks up to your Heathcare in the states. Read it and weep! And remember the report is free(at least for now).-For all of you curious about how our last Expat Wisdom seminar in June went down…two of our attendees, Deane and Heather, put together a great 10 min slideshow/audio clip with some very cool visuals. Now you can see what it was like (and what you missed) as we all trucked around with our “boots on the ground” Just go to ExpatWisdom.com and click on the “slideshow” link.-Follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to schedule a private consultation with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, now you and I can talk about your situation one on one.-And while you’re at www.ExpatWisdom.com don’t forget to pick up your free reports! 

-Part II of how new expats fare when jumping head-first into niche business start-ups.-Stumbling around south of the boarder with “boots on the ground”, many new expats create little niche businesses or two based on a definite need or shortage of a product or service that they notice. The funny thing is that many expats dive right into the game head first and do quite well in spite of the fact that they start out knowing next to nothing about the new venture.-And here’s Part II of the recent story of the expat in Nicaragua who started a successful organic coconut oil business by contracting local residents and creating a home-based co-op with them.- How PC are Latins? Are they as PC and sensitive about certain social themes as first world people? Do they get called out by others when they make a social faux pax? What are the socially sensitive PC issues for Latins if any? Well, you’d be surprised to know that being PC is just not on the radar yet with the Latin locals. Its that first-world lag time effect again…-A few choice words about the Latin use of the somewhat all-encompassing term “Gringo”.Here are some common rules about how Latins generally use that term “Gringo”. And note there are some surprising exceptions to their unwritten rules.-If you’re interested in getting in the waiting list for an Expat Wisdom Seminar (probably in January) just send an email (theexpatfiles@gmail.com) and I’ll be sure to keep you in the loop“AN EXPAT’S GUIDE TO FIRST-WORLDHEALTHCARE IN LATIN AMERICA”,That’s the name of my long awaited free report. It’s finally finished and will be available for a time at www.ExpatWisdom.com. Grab a copy and than compare how 21st century Latin American healthcare stacks up to your Heathcare in the states. Read it and weep! And remember the report is free(at least for now).-For all of you curious about how our last Expat Wisdom seminar in June went down…two of our attendees, Deane and Heather, put together a great 10 min slideshow/audio clip with some very cool visuals. Now you can see what it was like (and what you missed) as we all trucked around with our “boots on the ground” Just go to ExpatWisdom.com and click on the “slideshow” link.-Follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to schedule a private consultation with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, now you and I can talk about your situation one on one.-And while you’re at www.ExpatWisdom.com don’t forget to pick up your free reports

-More specifics on the trials an tribulations an expat might encounter when starting up a small business south of the boarder.-Next time you get invited to eat at your new friend Jesus or Jose’s house, remember that their wives and girlfriends (whether poor, lower, middle or upper class) as well as their cooks and maids preparing the food will cook exclusively with a mix of margarine, cheap hydrogenated vegetable oils (like palm oil), chicken fat (yuk!) and lard from bacon fat (double yuk!). And though Latins use the word “mantequilla” (which means butter) interchangeably for both margarine and butter, you can bet that 99% of the time when the lady of the house says, “pass the mantequilla, por favor”it will be cheap-ass artery-clogging margarine she’s gonna hand you!- Now for another strange expat success story: This time its about an expat in Nicaragua who is filling the growing local demand organic coconut oil.-Have you an idea for a business in Latin America? Well, if for whatever reason you think you’ll need a Latin as a business partner along the way, here are some of the do’s and dont’s and what to expect whenyou are considering such a tricky move. Do pay attention to this segment … because now you’re about to hear some very un-PC (but pointed) insights from expats in business who’ve taken on Latin partners and lived to regret it!-If you’re interested in getting in the waiting list for an Expat Wisdom Seminar (probably in January) just send an email (theexpatfiles@gmail.com) and I’ll be sure to keep you in the loop“AN EXPAT’S GUIDE TO FIRST-WORLDHEALTHCARE IN LATIN AMERICA”,That’s the name of my newly-revised free report. It’s finally finished and will be available for a time at www.ExpatWisdom.com. Grab a copy and than compare how 21st century Latin American healthcare stacks up to your Heathcare in the states. Read it and weep! And remember the report is free(at least for now).-For all of you curious about how our last Expat Wisdom seminar in June went down…two of our attendees, Deane and Heather, put together a great 10 min slideshow/audio clip with some very cool visuals. Now you can see what it was like (and what you missed) as we all trucked around with our “boots on the ground” Just go to ExpatWisdom.com and click on the “slideshow” link.-Follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to schedule a private consultation with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, now you and I can talk about your situation one on one.-And while you’re at www.ExpatWisdom.com don’t forget to pick up your free reports! 

-Back on the health and food topic again: Health conscious gringos and wannabees want to know about the state of organic or certified organic labeling “south of the border”. Most folks who listen to this show realize that there is basically no truth-in-advertizing here therefore no monitoring or enforcement of product claims or labeling. That means a farmer or seller can say anything’s organic and get away with it. Then who can you trust?-There are some US franchises you’d think wouldn’t have a chance in hell of succeeding in Latin America; for example GNC. But did you know that GNC now has hundreds of franchise stores both on and off the tourist trail in Latin America? Mexico alone has 400 and counting! And GNC product prices are even higher down here than the ridiculously high prices they charge back in Seattle and Cleveland (check alternative sources for vitamins and supplements on the internet, especially Amazon, and you’ll see what I mean). Now you might ask, if only 5% or less of the Latin population are health-conscious and educated enough to even know the proper mix of supplements to take (much less have the excess dough to be able to afford them on a regular basis), how then can the GNC business model possibly work down here? Any first-world analyst would predict that very low walk-in traffic and minimal product turnover would make GNC a loser. Hint: there are a handful of synergistic reasons for their huge success, not the least of which is that the good old “gringo advantage” rides again! Bottom line : when in Latin America you must constantly realign your premises. -People who know me well always ask me why I almost never get the stomach flu or any kind of even fleeting sickness from eating something that was either spoiled, unclean or just “off”. Well, over the years I have developed a set of hygiene habits and food sanitation rules and such that have served me well (while others occasionally suffer). So here now are some of my quick and easy food, cleaning and preparation tips. I do promise they’ll save you a lot of personal grief.-If you’re interested in getting in the waiting list for an Expat Wisdom Seminar (probably in January) just send an email (theexpatfiles@gmail.com) and I’ll be sure to keep you in the loop“AN EXPAT’S GUIDE TO FIRST-WORLDHEALTHCARE IN LATIN AMERICA”,That’s the name of my long awaited free report. It’s finally finished and will be available for a time at www.ExpatWisdom.com. Grab a copy and than compare how 21st century Latin American healthcare stacks up to your Heathcare in the states. Read it and weep! And remember the report is free(at least for now).-For all of you curious about how our last Expat Wisdom seminar in June went down…two of our attendees, Deane and Heather, put together a great 10 min slideshow/audio clip with some very cool visuals. Now you can see what it was like (and what you missed) as we all trucked around with our “boots on the ground” Just go to ExpatWisdom.com and click on the “slideshow” link.-Follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to schedule a private consultation with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, now you and I can talk about your situation one on one.-And while you’re at www.ExpatWisdom.com don’t forget to pick up your free reports!