Expat Files - Bienvenidos! - 06/30/13

-Simple minded as I am, I would never have imagined that certain listeners would write me thinking

that I am somehow subtly discouraging them from coming down to Latin America - with my motive being to preserve my (and other expats) version of paradise- lest newbee interlopers come down and trample it. Well, I suspect the telling of some of my true expat tales is the source of that idea. Maybe some folks would rather face life’s  larger calamities on the horizon (up in Cleveland) other than deal with the minor though sometimes frustrating local habits and traditions we expats face when living in Latin America.

-For all you wannabes out there who subscribe to International Living and those other multiple  "Expat Retirement" rags... yes, they are often good sources of info. But know this, when they recommend some new unknown inexpensive, golden “Expat retirement haven”, I promise you that by the the time it hits the presses or your email box the so-called "well kept" hidden secret has been “well-picked-over” and there are certainly no great deals anymore. In other words- unless you just love being around hoards of gringos AND you have a healthy first world retirement package- I have to recommend you avoid highly touted places like the plague.

-Note that Latin America has an amazing amount of wildlife right outside your door. The trick is to try and keep it out there! So here are a few good pointers on how to keep the wild critters at bay, that is, on the outside not your bedside!

-Don't be surprised when I say that “first-world wanabee” upper-class Latins with money really do some foolish things... in their quest to appear first world hip and chic. And though the first-world stuff they buy may impress acquaintances and friends (and instill envy, which is also the point), their cluelessness can backfire in some surprising ways too… yet they still don’t learn their lessons!

-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