The Expat Files: Living in Latin America

- Is there anti-Semitism in Latin America? What’s the story on the Latin orthodox Jewish Community? -Latin America has its own terrific rhythm. In every little town and village there are unbelievably talented musicians that would be stars in Cleveland, yet they’re playing in dives just for drinks in Peru. Consequently, 99.99% have day jobs, live at home with mom and dad or are starving. -Can first world doctors who are sick of the red tape, the insurance companies, the frivolous lawsuits and oppressive Big Brother government, chuck it in and set up a medical practice in Latin America? How easy or hard is it to do/ -The ins and outs of getting permanent residency in Latin countries. When you have it, you can work any job in that country without a permit. But the fact is, most expats own their own businesses- and you DO NOT need residency at all to do that. You only need residency if you want to work for a company (er, legally and on the books that is) -Many expats are down here to be free from certain unpleasant entities like court judgments, and the IRS for example. But once you’ve attained the free and easy life down here, should you worry about running afoul of their 77,000 pages of mind-numbing IRS double-speak (and just how long are those tentacles if you do)? Speaking of running afoul of the IRS… what about extradition? -Now you can follow the link on the main page at www.expatwisdom.com to schedule a 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.

-Expat Eddie talks shares some new business ideas for expats -Mistakes Green expats often make when starting their first businesses in Latin America -Examples of expat businesses that failed because they landed just a bit before their time, and some lessons on how not to fall in that same trap. -When it comes to business, let first world movies and cable TV do your product marketing for you. Don’t reinvent the wheel. -Latin American medium and large cities do have their animal activist groups, but their goals are much different their first world counterparts -Don’t trust pet pedigrees. After all- Latin America is the land of forgeries and pirating they’re experts at it! -The reasons why frivolous lawsuits are almost nonexistent in Latin America in L.A. -Having exotic animals as pets is fairly common down in Latin America. They may be exotic to YOU- but right now there are a few right outside my door! -Now you can follow the link on the main page at www.expatwisdom.com to schedule a 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

-What if you want to bring Fido with you down to LA? What kind of obstacles will you encounter along the way. Is it an easy or hard thing to do? And what does it cost? Are the rules pretty much the same in every LA country? Here’s the dirt on that stuff. -What about that pet quarantine business? How can they do that when all my papers are in order? What’s up with that? How much is it going to cost and how long does Fido have to stay locked up in solitary? -Airline carriers have their own very detailed restrictions and rules about shipping pets to foreign lands. Here is a breakdown of some of the main airline regs. -What about exotic animals? Can I bring Cristo, my Jesus Lizard, down to Peru? -Some advice and comments for expat wanabees who are thinking about coming down to LA as a couple. -Now you can follow the link on the main page at www.expatwisdom.com to schedule a 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

-When you’re an expat in LA, you will surely have some household help. They really love working for expats but there are some things that go on between the boss (you) and the help (them) that will really surprise you. -How to hire a Latin gardener, maid or handyman. What to look for in the candidates and the pitfalls to avoid. -Sometimes if you have very dependable good long term help, they’ll know they’ve got your confidence and work a subtle scheme to get their whole family into the act. Generally, there’s nothing wrong with that- they sort of become your extended family anyway and you feel more than a bit responsible for them and their family, even though you’ll never visit their neighborhood-and often wouldn’t want to either! (does that sound classist or what?) -When you find a very good gardener or maid you sometimes have to bite your tongue and put up with a lot of petty (or not so petty) annoyances -Now you can follow the link on the main page at www.expatwisdom.com to schedule a 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

-Living in Argentina is just about first world expensive and is about to get about 14% more costly. On July first a new 14% tax goes into effect covering all imports from non-South American (Mercosur) countries. It a protectionist measure that they think will foil cheap Chinese and South Korean imports which have flooded the markets (sound familiar?) But it’s really just a desperate revenue measure from a boated, corrupt govt. -And did you know that Santiago Chile is now about 20% more expensive the Buenos Aires? That’s what you get when third world govts try hard to follow the first world example (i.e. tax, spend and grow like cancer) -Why do a tiny handful of backpackers never get sick? Do they have an iron stomach, an alien immune system, or do they have a secret we’d all like to know about?  Well here it is from the horse’s mouth, from certain immune travelers in Latin America on the cheap who should be regular victims; people who have never had Montezuma’s revenge, ever! -When you think of machetes and Latin America, you automatically think working class gardeners and farmers. The machete is the ago-old outdoor working man’s basic tool. But guess what? Rural women are surprisingly adept at using them too! (Ouch) -The truth about eggs, chickens and fertilizer in Latin America -Now you can follow the link on the main page at www.expatwisdom.com to schedule a 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

-Some disturbing info about those Latin American Spanish immersion programs. If you’re the sensitive type, have a weak stomach or a case of bashful kidneys, those family immersion programs can be an unpleasant experience in more ways than one (but you’ll sure learn your Spanish!) -More proof that most Latin men will fail a basic third grade cleanliness, hygiene and smell test. In fact, women of all classes routinely refer to their men as “cerdos” which means pigs, (and it’s no term of endearment) -Great advice on eating out healthy and happy. How to pick a good clean restaurant and how to avoid Montezuma’s revenge even when everyone around you seems to be stricken by it -News about cheap bottled (actually plastic bagged) water for the masses. Something that you’ve probably never heard of before- but when you see it don’t try it! -Expat Eddie gets a doggie bag - adventures in a Latin American Chinese restaurant - A warning to ceviche and shrimp lovers -One new spot may have opened up in my Latin Insider’s seminar (in late June). If you want to attend please email me ASAP at theexpatfiles@gmail.comput the word “Seminar” in the subject line to ask about that space

-After getting another slew of emails asking me why I don’t recommend Mexico, here are 20 more reasons not to live or invest there. And actually, I feel sorry for anyone who has a lot of their nest egg invested there because its only going to get worse. However the south western Yucatan area from Cancun down to Belize (called the Mexican Riviera, or the Mayan trail) has much less crime than any of the north border towns or Mexico City itself and its not so congested or overpopulated. -A word about the kidnapping and extortion business in Latin America -Expat Eddie on the road- and he gets pulled over by the Mexican cops (nothing is ever simple with Eddie) -Now you can follow the link on the main page at www.expatwisdom.com to schedule a 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.