Episode Summary
In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller dives into the world of expat life in Latin America, covering a variety of topics that are essential for anyone considering or already living in the region. The episode begins with Johnny announcing an upcoming expat insider seminar in Guatemala and El Salvador, running from November 13th to November 20th, 2026. He explains the early bird discount of $1000 and emphasizes the importance of securing a head count for hotel and transportation bookings. He also shares his personal experiences with car ownership in Latin America, noting the lack of enforcement of mandatory car inspections and the annual registration process requiring a sticker on the windshield. Johnny provides tips on how to avoid the hassle of the stickers, such as keeping the sticker in the glove compartment and showing it to police if asked.
Next, Johnny discusses the process of handling traffic tickets and vehicle registration in Latin America, highlighting the cultural norms and practical challenges expats face. He explains that while it's possible to avoid some fines by letting tickets accumulate, there are still mandatory fees and deadlines to be aware of. He shares a personal anecdote about a traffic incident where he was unfairly ticketed and later faced a fine for it. Johnny contrasts this with the stricter enforcement and higher costs of traffic violations in the United States, suggesting that expats might be better off paying minor fines in Latin America rather than dealing with the hassle of legal battles. He also touches on the lack of enforcement of point systems in many Latin American countries, even though they have them in place.
The segment then shifts to Johnny's personal reflections on relationships and life in Panama. He discusses how his past relationship ended due to financial issues, including his girlfriend's credit card debt and expectations for a costly wedding, which he couldn't afford. Johnny now lives in Panama, where he married a Latina woman who he describes as grounded and practical. He highlights the cultural differences in how Latinas approach marriage and weddings, noting that they are more appreciative of smaller gestures and don't expect extravagant weddings. He also shares a story about an engagement ring that was too modest for his ex-girlfriend's expectations, leading to disappointment. Johnny reflects on how moving to Panama at 50 was a turning point in his life, allowing him to find a fulfilling relationship and a better quality of life.
In the final segment, Johnny discusses the cultural and lifestyle differences between living in Latin America and the United States. He describes how life in Latin America is more relaxed and community-oriented, with people greeting each other frequently and engaging in daily activities without the rigid structures of American life. However, he also acknowledges that some expats struggle to adapt due to their inflexibility and tendency to impose their own cultural norms on Latin culture. Johnny admits that he, too, has complaints about Latin America, particularly regarding traffic and garbage management, but he emphasizes that these are minor issues compared to the overall positive experience of living there. He also touches on the challenges expats face in navigating bureaucracy and the legal complexities of working in Latin America, using the example of a Peruvian street band that has managed to infiltrate various countries despite these obstacles.
Finally, Johnny briefly touches on AI models like Grok and Chat GPT, noting that Grok provides less biased responses. He also shares feedback from listeners, including a Middle Eastern wife who warns about the rising Muslim influence in the USA and a listener named Horacio who praises Johnny's recent book publications. Johnny reflects on the difficulty of writing a book, referencing a friend who wrote a book for his child, and mentions a recent cybersecurity issue involving cryptocurrency wallet hacks. The segment ends with a call to action for listeners to contact Johnny for help with their Plan B strategies.
Episode Notes
Johnny opens with an update on the November 13–20 Expat Insider Seminar, then digs into the realities of owning and driving a car in Latin America, including inspections, annual registration, traffic tickets, and inconsistent enforcement.
He also shares a listener’s story about dating and marriage in Panama, talks about why some expats adapt better than others, compares AI tools including Grok and ChatGPT, highlights an expat-authored book, and closes with a warning about phishing scams targeting Ledger and Trezor users.
More episodes, resources, and seminar information at ExpatPlanB.com.
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Related guides: Moving to Guatemala · Cost of Living in Latin America · Safety and Scams
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Topics
Expat Insider Seminar, Car Ownership in Latin America, Traffic tickets and fines in Latin America, Vehicle registration and renewal process, Cultural norms and expat experiences, Comparison of traffic enforcement between Latin America and the U.S., Relationships and financial issues, Cultural differences in marriage and weddings, Life in Panama, Personal reflections on aging and relationships, Cultural differences between Latin America and the United States, Expatriate experiences in Latin America
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:00:31 Announcing the Expat Insider Seminar 00:02:22 Owning Cars in Latin America 00:05:37 Understanding the Basics of Vehicle Registration and Taxes in Latin America 00:06:30 The Cultural Norm of Procrastination and Its Impact on Traffic Fines 00:08:28 The Fairness of Being Ticketed for Someone Else's Violation 00:11:02 The Financial Setback in a Relationship 00:11:40 Finding a New Life in Panama 00:12:33 Comparing Wedding Costs and Cultural Expectations 00:16:57 The Relaxed Lifestyle of Latin America 00:17:35 Expats' Struggles with Cultural Adaptation 00:18:40 Johnny's Personal Experience and Perspective 00:20:38 Legal and Bureaucratic Challenges for Expats 00:22:27 AI Model Comparison and Listener Feedback 00:22:55 Middle Eastern Wife's Warning on Muslim Influence 00:23:49 Listener Feedback and Book Publishing 00:26:42 Cybersecurity Threats and Wallet Hacks
Transcript
Automatically transcribed from the original recording; names and wording may contain errors.
[00:00] South of the border down Mexico way That's where I fell in love when the stars above came up to play and now as I wonder Hello there all you ex-pat wannabes. I'm Johnny Mueller and you're listening to the expat files living in Latin America The show that tells you just what it's like to live work play and or retire down here in Latin America It's a mix of the good the bad the ugly and the great and it's all right here. So let's get started Alright first things first. Let's talk about my upcoming expat insider seminar people have been asking for this one It's been a long time coming and we've got the dates firmed up. It's a week long Starts Friday November 13th and goes through Friday November 20th
[00:47] 2026 it'll be in Guatemala and El Salvador for full details and all the sign-up info Just go to expat plan B.com and click on the seminar link. That's Expat plan B.com click on the seminar link the links in the middle of the page Oh, and as usual, we always have repeat offenders and they get a thousand dollar discount Off of the early bird price by the way, the last day to sign up and get that early bird discount is October 15 So basically we're running that early bird discount, which is a thousand dollars off the regular price for a month So on October 15th, we're back to the normal price So why am I doing that why a big discount for signing up early and just for one month? Because everyone wants to save a thousand bucks and get in on the early bird discount and with all the seminars
[01:35] I've done in the past 95% of the people who sign up do so During the early bird discount period that gives me a pretty good head count to work with when I'm booking hotels Transportation and events because you see hotels like to book groups far out far in advance at least a month or two Because when you book close to the launch date oftentimes the hotels already full and we have to put people in two hotels We don't want to do that. We want a nice happy family in one hotel And yes in past seminars that has happened before we have had to put late signups in a different hotel So again, that's the main reason for those early bird discounts to get a close head count to put everyone in the same hotel So again to get all the sign up info and details go to expat plan B.com and click on the seminar link
[02:22] Alright, let's start out with a question about owning cars in Latin America Yeah, if you own a car down here All I've got to say is welcome to another expat adventure Because only a car down here is unlike owning a car up in the States for one thing Although some Latin American countries have mandatory periodic car inspections called by the way revision technica vehicular or inspection technical mechanical So assuming that you'd think yearly the government would be checking safety features the mechanical conditions and the mission But guess what only five out of twenty Latin American countries enforce those rules That'd be Chile Colombia Panama Ecuador and Costa Rica So the other three quarters of Latin American countries that's 15 countries have those laws on the books But no one enforces them and most all Latin American countries exempt new vehicles for the first one to five years
[03:11] Though after owning many cars here in Latin America, I think I've owned in total 15 or so I've never once had to go for an emission or mechanical check except one time many years ago in Costa Rica And that was when I bought a car to transfer the title having that vehicle inspected was mandatory and guess what it flunked the emissions Test so then did I get a fine? Did they hold back the title? Did I get a reprimand? No, I got a little paper that said I had 15 days to fix my exhaust emissions Which I never did and I asked my lawyer there Will that put me in jeopardy when I renew the license yearly? And he said nope, don't worry about it. No one cares or does anything about it That aside though every vehicle in Latin America has to go through an annual matriculation or vehicle
[03:56] Registration process to get a sticker. They call them a marbetes Marbetes, that's that ugly yearly sticker You see plastered to everyone's windshield and also a way to tell how old the car is too because year after year People plastered them one at a time in a line in a row Down the far right side of the windshield They've got a certain kind of glue on the back and when they're stuck on man They're stuck on and since there are lots and lots of older cars here in Latin America Those things really add up not to mention They're ugly and make your car kind of trashy looking and really you don't want to do that if you got a nice new car Right paste an ugly sticker on your windshield So here's what you can do even though when you get that sticker It says you must place this on the windshield of your car, which by the way in a first world country
[04:42] That's a violation. You can't put anything on your windshield because anything stuck there will impede the driver's vision somewhat But down here in the third world, no one seems to care also proving What kind of low IQ idiots are in charge of government now? Let's say you have a brand new car a nice car a Range Rover a forerunner a Tesla Some of us are thinking that's a really crass sort of trailer court thing to do with a brand new car Slap one of those terrible stickers on your windshield. They are permanent and permanently trashy and they stack up year after year Well, there's another rule that's heavily bent or mostly never enforced at all Even though when you get that Marvette day that matriculation stick It says it must be placed on the right side of your windshield Guess what? You don't have to pull off the sticky back at all Just stick it in your glove compartment
[05:28] If you ever get stopped in a cop asks you why that thing's not on your windshield Just pull it out of the glove compartment and show it to him and say I haven't stuck it on yet I'll get to it because you see just the fact that you have one means you bought it and paid the tax So that's all they really care about it's worked for me every time and the cops don't even bat an eye So bottom line if you don't want to uglify your car and windshield with that stuff Just let them stack up in your glove compartment By the way before you get that annual matriculation sticker or Marvette day Which by the way in almost every Latin American country you can get at a local bank So why at a bank because to get it you got to pay taxes fees and outstanding tickets You may have accumulated over the past year with more and more countries You could make those payments online
[06:13] But you'll still have to go to a bank with receipts and they'll print it out for you the circulation or license tax receipts That is oh and by the way each year There will be a deadline for your renewal of that thing and if you pass that deadline you'll pay a fine And Latin America is just full of procrastinators That's why the day of and the day before that deadline occurs You'll see massive lines in front of banks and the fact that people don't mind standing in line for an hour or two That's another strictly Latino and Latina thing Regarding that line thing there is sort of a running joke amongst gringos and expats Expats will joke that if a Latino is walking by and sees a line He'll just automatically get in it which reminds me of a traffic ticket I got down here in Latin America a couple of months ago
[07:00] I believe I've only had two traffic tickets and all the 30-plus years have been down here So it's worth mentioning and this one will get you once again This kind of stuff could only happen in the third world specifically Latin America a Couple of months ago. I was in a big Latin American city. I was coming up to some street lights They call them some off four rows here. There was a green light to keep driving straight ahead and a left turn arrow So naturally if you wanted to turn left you'd pull up and stop and wait for that arrow to turn green Well, there was a guy in front of me moving along in the left lane He obviously was going to turn left, but he didn't wait for the green arrow It was still red and he turned left. He ran the red light now I was about a half a block behind him and by the time I got to that left turn arrow
[07:48] It switched to green so I didn't stop I didn't have to I just took the left turn and when I Made that turn and got onto the next street about half black down There was a cop and I saw him walk out in the street wave the guy down who was in front of me the guy That ran the red arrow, but the guy who ran the light just swerved around him and kept going In fact, he sped up just ignoring him completely and giving him the finger and saying I'm not gonna stop for you Well, the cop was flustered and pissed off and guess what since that first guy stiffed him He jumped out in front of my car and I stopped he walked up to my window and started writing me a ticket In other words, since he couldn't actually tag the guy who really ran the red arrow He decided to get me as his second choice Well, the fact is he was pissed and had to take it out on someone and that was me
[08:34] And no matter what I said, I just couldn't talk my way out of it So I took that ticket crumpled it in a ball and threw it in my glove box and there it sat for some months Then the last time I tried to renew my cars my bet they at the bank when I tried to pay the fees There was an extra $18 charge and that was for that ticket now I understand you can fight traffic tickets here in Latin America There is a procedure and some people do it and guess what you usually win But you have to go down to the designated government building wait in a huge line until your case gets heard So basically you lose a half a day of your life just to save 18 bucks So I gritted my teeth and paid the fine to renew that circulation that my bad thing But here's the thing imagine if you had that kind of a violation in the States, let's say Miami
[09:20] Well, I looked it up and that kind of left turn or a right turn violation on a red arrow is 186 bucks and three points now if it would happen in New Jersey every state's different It's 86 bucks in three points plus a 30 percent late fee after 30 days And if you don't pay it up within the year a license suspension So look at it this way if you get a traffic ticket here in Latin America Even if you're completely innocent or feel you don't deserve it. You might as well pay it It's gonna be peanuts compared to a ticket like that up in the states besides that if you want to fight it Which you might win you'll for sure waste a half day or a life. It's not worth it By the way, most Latin American countries now have point systems like they do up in the states But guess what doesn't seem like in most countries people are keeping track of that either believe me
[10:08] I've talked to a lot of people even truck drivers and uber drivers and cab drivers Who are getting tickets all the time? They tell me they've had tickets and racked up massive points Way over the so-called suspension limits and nothing seems to happen In fact one uber driver told me that he'd racked up 13 tickets last year and right before he was supposed to get a circulation Renewed is my bet they he went to traffic court and got the whole works absolved But then again, he wasted four or five hours down there, but I guess if you've got 13 tickets That might make it worthwhile All right, let's move on to the love and romance email pile here people love that stuff This is from Steven who moved from New Jersey to Panama a couple years back. He says Johnny five years ago I broke up with my American girlfriend. We were going together three years up in New Jersey
[10:57] I wanted to marry her it would have been my second marriage. By the way I wanted to marry her until I found out how much credit card debt she had 40,000 bucks. It was a secret. She had kept from me until she'd missed so many payments. She started getting notices in the mail I'd see him around the house Turns out Johnny when he finally sat down and discussed it that was two years after we'd been going together I found out she had such a low credit score Not only would her bad credit prevent us from buying a house together But she was also expecting me to pay for a huge wedding well outside my financial abilities The wedding estimate 30 grand and that was the beginning of the end of our relationship I live in the city of Cologne Panama now
[11:43] I got lucky and now I'm married to a really great grounded and beautiful Latina a girl I met three years ago a teller in a bank where I have an account What a relief getting the hell out of judge and hooking up with a beautiful and practical Latina He says Johnny the trick is to marry a girl from outside of the US Where family unity is still considered one of the most important things. I found out with Latinas grounded Latinas that is With any kind of gift you give her even a $5 one is much appreciated even cherished Of course Latinas want a nice wedding too But they won't ask for one that breaks the bank by the way when my Panamanian wife made up her side of the wedding guest List she invited 30 people and I only had five people
[12:29] So the whole wedding only sent me back about three thousand three grand I just looked it up Johnny the average cost for a wedding in the United States with from 30 to 50 people is $17,000, you know Johnny I've been married before and as far as I'm concerned we could have done the courthouse thing But it was her first marriage in for a woman. That's a big deal I'm not saying it was the best three grand I ever spent but it sure made my wife happy Anyway to see the look on her face every time she brings it up. It was worth it Of course, no one's perfect. It's certainly not me but the girl I married she did have some baggage a ten-year-old kid It's true Johnny as you've alluded to many times on your show trying to find a Latina over 25 That doesn't have a kid is sort of a miracle. Oh, Johnny I forgot to mention as far as the girl I almost married in the States
[13:17] I paid more for her engagement ring than I paid for my whole wedding in Panama when I was engaged my ex I paid $4,000 for her engagement ring And I thought she would be ecstatic about it. But in reality, she was disappointed because apparently there's this thing called the one-third rule Have you heard about it? It was invented by de beers the diamond guys I had never heard about it I had no idea but all of her American girlfriends sure knew about it. You see at the time I was making about 60 grand a year. So one-third of that is 20k She imagined that's what I should spend on an engagement ring 20k man. That's a decent car The punchline is that $4,000 engagement ring. She lost it on our Cancun vacation
[14:03] And since we were out of the country no insurance coverage, of course, she felt bad for a minute Then just a day or two later. She started talking about a replacement Perfect timing for that one-third rule to kick in right? Fat chance don't laugh Johnny, but I bought my Latina wipe up $500 engagement ring She was overjoyed and even cried a little Looking back now Steve says I see clearly that all of my past three or four serious American girlfriends Compared to Latinas were absurdly entitled But how's a guy to know that unless he has something to compare them to I? Had no other scale of comparison until I moved to Panama That's why before moving to Panama at 50 years old
[14:50] I thought all the exciting parts of my life were behind me I thought for a while when I hit 50 my life was almost over just sort of waiting to grow old Gracefully if possible, but chapter number two in my life in Panama is turning out to be the best thing of all Almost like you say Johnny winning the lottery. So why did I wait till 50 they get out of Dodge? Well two kids from my first marriage when I was young and stupid at 22 That's water under the bridge But I tried to be a decent father and waited until they were off and on their own before I made the move to Panama So why Panama I was deployed there in my much younger days in the service and I loved everything about it except the heat By the way, John if you're wondering how I can support my Panama move at 50
[15:39] I'm a retired firefighter 20 years and out with a three thousand dollar a month pension Plenty good enough to live like a king since 3k a month's about ten times the minimum wage here Signed longtime listener first-time writer Steve S in Panama. All right, Steven. Thanks for that You know when you American guys write me about your own personal love and romance stories up in the States Honestly, it always sort of shocks me Nobody seems to ever write me with a happy ending, you know I knew the mating dating thing was getting more complicated After all, I've got brothers and sisters up there who report that stuff back to me, too Every last one of them has a sad story or two as well Now if I ever had to go back to the States, they'd probably have to ship me back in a coffin
[16:26] But seriously if I really had to go back to the States for some crazy reason after all the crazy stories people have told Me about living up there. I'd probably end up being a hermit Which brings us back to what this show is actually all about Living in Latin America, especially off the gringo tourist trail I'd say perhaps the greatest attraction to living down here is less to do with the climate the colonial architecture Even the cost of living then with the simple fact that life here is much less stressful much more manageable Once you get down here, especially when you're off the tourist trail You're back in the world you used to live in 20 or 30 years ago a world That's much more manageable. It's a more leisurely life in all respects You can leave your house or apartment in the morning and within a half hour
[17:12] Hit a coffee shop a bakery a pharmacy sit in a park feed the pigeons catch a tuk-tuk and greet a dozen Smiling familiar faces. Meanwhile a half a dozen people you don't even know will say buenos dias or buenos tardes Really you guys and gals living up in the States. When's the last time someone you don't even know said good morning or good afternoon I mean sincerely not just a forced thing But then again, there are many expats coming down here who have a hard time adapting due to their own severe inflexibility And a constant need to bend Latin culture to fit their agendas And yet they talk about legal and illegal aliens up in the States not wanting to assimilate Well, most gringos and expats down here don't want to assimilate either They want to bend Latin culture to fit their style. Those are the people sitting in expat bars and coffee shops
[18:04] Complaining about things other expats just tolerate and get used to like the traffic and the lines Manana time bureaucracy the rainy season gringos and expats are always finding something to complain about now You might be thinking Johnny. You're such a hypocrite. You complain about Latin American things all the time Well, you know, I'd say if we were to hang out for a day You might not hear me complain about anything except maybe the traffic That's a never-ending sore spot with gringos and expats no matter how long you've been down here But the thing is this shows about living in Latin America So you're gonna hear all the complaints the good bad the ugly and the great but as for me personally I don't necessarily complain about Latin America at all living down here is the best thing that ever happened to me And if it sounds like I'm complaining I'm explaining what you will encounter once you get down here
[18:49] I certainly wouldn't want to change Latin America except maybe traffic and Garbage part. I mean the way they handle garbage Like we did back in the 60s 70s and 80s back when they didn't yet find you for being a litter bug You know if Latin America changed and got more and more like the first world For example if the cops suddenly became alert and strict the potholes and infrastructure got fixed the bureaucracies less stagnant and lard-assed if Latina ladies like American ladies started blaming men for all the evils in the world and mañana time were suddenly to evaporate I'd have never moved at all at a state in Chicago you get the point no doubt about it though There is a big contingent of gringo and expat complainers
[19:34] I try to avoid them myself they're downers and bummers and party poopers who needs them though There are certainly a big part of expat culture especially on the tourist trail. I'm not talking about tourists now They love it down here But expats who have settled mostly on the tourist trail the ones that are always trying to create their own little version of Milwaukee or Cleveland Or Minnesota come on you dumbasses. What's wrong with you? You can go back home and be miserable Enough said about that Remember a few shows back I was talking about those little Peruvian guys that are in every Central Park in the world blowing their flutes Got a lot of feedback on that one like this one from Ben from down under he says Johnny Yes, we do have those talentless Peruvian flute bands in Melbourne Australia, too
[20:20] Not sure why but their newfound natural habitat is the Queen Victoria market Cheers Ben from down under Yeah, Ben. It's a mystery to me too. Nope I still don't get it how those little guys have infiltrated every country in the world how they get the visas and plane fare It's beyond me And there's the fact that in every first world country like Australia the US Canada and every country in Europe you have to have a legit work permit to make money like playing in a street band even and for a Foreigner to get a work permit. You got to jump through massive hoops In fact, I was just talking to an entertainment lawyer down here in Latin America He's trying to put together a Caribbean and South American tour for that famous Latin crooner Ricardo Arrona you might never have heard of him, but every single Latina and Latino knows that name
[21:09] Oh, and he's got a kid a daughter who's engaged to that Aquaman guy What's his name Jason? Momoa? Anyway, this entertainment lawyer guy He told me he's been trying to get this tour together for over two years and it's still not coming together He says he can get the star this Ricardo Arrona a special work permit to travel different Latin American countries because he's sort of a superstar But he can't get some of his roadies and crew guys who are Mexicans He can't get him legit work permits because they don't qualify They can't jump the hoops necessary for countries like Argentina Chile and the DR yet These little Peruvian guys are working in Central Parks everywhere. I just don't get it. All right. Here's an email from mr. Pf he says Johnny. I'm listening to your show and dreaming of a change sooner than later south of the border
[21:54] He says I've become an avid AI user and I've come to use grok almost exclusively I like the personality of the AI engine It seems to give me hard facts versus massaged facts like chat GPT In other words less politically correct In fact, I did a comparison between grok and chat GPT on a topic of transgender women in biological women's sports Grok felt it was wrong because transgender woman He says have a physical advantage over biological women even if they do the full conversion while chat GPT waffled around the topic and summarized it as just being Complicated with no firm answer. I wanted a yes or no answer and grok gave me one chat GPT did not
[22:42] Anyway, he says Johnny keep up the great work you do and we hope to make it down not to this following seminar of yours But the one after I think more gringos will be looking south of the border as things continue to deteriorate here in the USA Now here's the part I want you to pay attention to my Middle Eastern wife warns of the Muslim influence rising in the USA and says the same thing happened to her country and Pushed the rights of women back 200 years Europe is already full bar in many countries, which means effed up beyond well, you know he says I saw the change coming when I first went to Europe in 2011 to live and Much worse on my recent trip a year ago with best regards. Johnny. Mr. Pf. All right. Thanks for that. Mr. Pf. Yep
[23:29] Mr. Pf. I was in Europe too for the whole month of May and it seems to me It's unlivable and being overrun by just the kind of people you don't want in your country people who have no desire to assimilate People who want to shove their religion and their customs down your throat But to this AI thing you were talking about grok versus chat GPT You know, I have grok chat GPT and anthropic all set up on my computer And when I'm doing an inquiry, I plug it into all three AI engines and you're absolutely right grok has the least bias Only it seems that grok is so popular these days Oftentimes it'll just kind of lock up and say I'm too busy to answer right now too many users. Hold on Oh, and then comes this email from Horacio. He says hi Johnny. Hope all is well
[24:14] I just finished listening to show number 15 16. I never get tired of your episodes Thank you for all the material you've shared over the years Speaking of books you do speak of books once in a while Johnny He says you now have an expert listener who just published two titles on one topic One in English one in Spanish in English. It's called chasing summers on a 401k in Spanish Persi giendo veranos Both available on Amazon if you're a Kindle unlimited member He says you can read them now for free if not, and if you're interested, I'd be happy to send you the PDF files After all Johnny, you've given me so much information throughout the years. This is the least I can do You also gave me the idea to publish books in Argentina. I'll start working on that
[25:02] So enjoy the summer and keep up the great work signed Horatio Well, mr. H kudos and congrats for publishing a book You know what they say everyone's got a book in them But only one and maybe a thousand even five thousand people actually completes one In fact, one of my very good expat friends who sorrowfully passed away at a young age of about 64 Maybe he told me a few years before he died when he was still quite well That one of his great goals in life was to write a book and get it published Not for any personal glory or money. He was quite well off He said it was something he wanted to do for his kid So that his kid would have sort of an everlasting living memory of him and guess what he did it He wrote a book and before he published it. He sent it to me great storyline great theme
[25:51] Terrible writing terrible phrasing now, of course, that was way before AI and AI would have cleaned it up for him very nicely and you know, there was some push-and-pull going on in my brain when he asked me what I thought of it and Being good friends. I knew I had to be honest, but I didn't want to crush his spirits either So I told the truth in a diplomatic way. I said great storyline great plot But I think you ought to hire a professional editor to sort of tighten it up a bit and he said fine Would you like to take a shot at it? I'll pay it for it I said no, no, no, I'm way too busy, but I know someone who's very good at it So I hook him up with my buddy Eric who's a literary major and a former newspaper editor in New York But my buddy said he was too expensive. I think he wanted 2,000 bucks to edit the book So he self-published it on Amazon and I think maybe he sold 500 or so, you know, lots of friends and relatives
[26:42] All right Before we sign up one more thing concerning those hired a cryptocurrency wallet hacks Just want to mention that treasure and ledger have been hacked. No, not the wallets not the seeds Someone hacked the mailing addresses of people who bought treasures and leisure That means if you bought a ledger or treasure within the last couple of years your email and home mailing address are out there Footing around on the internet. So be on the lookout for fake emails from ledger and treasure trying to get you to download and click on shit It's not real treasure and ledger will never send you anything They claim they never will in fact, I'm on that list at least once a week I get some kind of scammer send me an email and I even got a pseudo official letter to my Miami mailbox So just be aware if you ever get an email from ledger or treasure or something in the mail that looks official
[27:29] It's not from them. It's a scammer. Ignore it. Don't bite You've been listening to the expat files living in Latin America If you need some help with your own plan B We can schedule a one-on-one phone or Skype consult Just send me an email the expat files at gmail.com And if you want to get on the waiting list for my next week long expat Insiders seminar in Central America where you're guaranteed to get a two to five year head start on your plan B Send me an email the expat files at gmail.com. No spamos