Episode Summary
In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller dives into the cost of living in Latin America, highlighting the difference between Latin prices and gringo prices. He explains that gringo prices often occur during one-on-one negotiations, especially when gringos don't speak Spanish. Johnny shares personal anecdotes, such as being overcharged for avocados by a vendor who had a history of dealing with gringos, and discusses the availability of inexpensive and high-quality floor tile in Latin America. He emphasizes that while gringo prices can be a disadvantage, the overall cost of living is still relatively low compared to the United States.
Johnny also discusses the challenges of finding and dealing with tile work and other home improvements in Latin America. He mentions that while it's possible to find installers through platforms like OLX or Craigslist, the quality of work can vary. He highlights that in high-end gated communities, there are often noticeable issues with tile work, color schemes, and overall design, suggesting that Latin people with money often have the same issues as gringos with money, believing that money equals taste. He also points out that traditional Spanish colonial designs are more reliable, while modern styles often lead to problems like leaks, poor drainage, and other defects. Johnny shares an anecdote about his friend Oscar, who moved to a modern townhouse with many defects, and suggests that buying an existing property and making improvements is a better option than building new.
In another segment, Johnny discusses the significant price differences between tile and installation costs in Latin America versus the United States. He highlights that in Latin America, high-quality tile can be purchased for as low as $1 per square foot, with installation costs ranging from 50 cents to $1 per square foot. In contrast, in the U.S., the same quality tile can cost between $3 to $7 per square foot, with installation adding another 25 to 50% to the total cost. Johnny also mentions that gringos (expats) often pay higher prices for labor due to perceived higher value and the lack of bargaining power, but he advises expats to negotiate and get multiple bids to avoid overpaying.
Johnny then discusses the challenges of hiring contractors in Latin America, emphasizing the importance of negotiating labor costs and the potential for overruns when paying by the job. He highlights the cultural differences in haggling, the tendency for contractors to make excuses for additional costs, and the importance of maintaining cleanliness on job sites. Johnny shares personal anecdotes about dealing with contractors and the need for expats to be prepared for the mess and lack of professionalism often associated with local labor. He concludes by addressing an email from a listener about a seminar in Guatemala amid a constitutional crisis, downplaying the significance of the political situation.
In the final segment, Johnny critiques the political landscape in Latin America, highlighting widespread corruption among politicians and the common occurrence of constitutional crises. He points out that many former and current leaders are under investigation or in jail for corruption, including in Guatemala. He also discusses how constitutional crises are often used as a tool to rewrite laws and avoid accountability, with examples from countries like Haiti, Ecuador, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic. Mueller contrasts this with the perceived stability and freedom in the United States, suggesting that expats should be cautious about the political climate in their host countries and emphasizes the importance of having a plan B. He concludes by promoting his seminars and courses aimed at helping expats prepare for potential political instability.
Topics
Cost of living in Latin America, Gringo vs. Latin prices, Personal anecdotes about expat experiences, Floor tile and construction in Latin America, Home improvements in Latin America, Tile work and design issues, Cultural and economic perspectives on home decoration, Tile and Installation Costs, Price Differences Between Latin America and the United States, Negotiation Strategies for Expats, Labor Costs for Gringos, Negotiating labor costs
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:01:36 Gringo Prices in Negotiations 00:02:36 Overcharging for Avocados 00:03:41 Inexpensive Floor Tile in Latin America 00:06:19 Finding Tile Installers and Observing Work Quality in Gated Communities 00:06:34 The Common Issues with Tile Work and Design in High-End Communities 00:07:03 The Reliability of Traditional Spanish Colonial Designs 00:08:58 Anecdote About Oscar's Townhouse and Its Defects 00:10:29 Recommendations for Improving Existing Properties 00:12:08 The Cost of Tile in Latin America 00:12:50 The Price Difference Between Latin America and the U.S. 00:15:23 Labor Costs for Gringos 00:17:24 Negotiating Labor Costs and Being the Boss 00:18:29 Choosing Between Hourly or Job-Based Payment 00:19:14 Expecting Additional Costs with Contractors 00:20:22 The Risk of Leaving Your Car Unattended 00:22:41 Addressing the Political Situation in Guatemala 00:22:59 Comparing Political Corruption in Latin America and the US 00:23:11 The Scale of Corruption in Latin America 00:23:36 Guatemala's Political Crisis 00:24:33 Constitutional Crises as a Common Tool 00:25:24 Expats' Concerns and Plan B
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 wander Hello there all you expat 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 Just want to give you some quick information here You know you always hear me talking about how cheap it is to live here in Latin America on occasion I give you some real boots on the ground examples, too We also talk about the difference between Latin prices and gringo prices most of the time
[00:47] You'll see the difference when you're on the gringo tourist trail rarely off the trail why well because when you're off the gringo tourist trail You're a rare commodity and local vendors and such don't see gringos all that often In fact most of the time They're just so amazed that a gringo would come up and talk to them the idea of gouging you would be the last thing on their Minds however when gringos have invaded for example in Panama Costa Rica and especially now Ecuador of course That's international living number one gringo retirement destination So expect to be occasionally hit up for gringo prices, especially if you don't speak much Spanish However, it is true even in those very gringo iced places if you walk into a Walmart Costco or a hardware store You're gonna pay the sticker price. What's on the label? So then when do you get hit up for gringo prices?
[01:36] Well, it's when you're doing a deal a one-on-one negotiation. For example, you just rolled into town You're looking for a hotel you walk in you see the hotel rack rate framed up on the wall It says let's say thirty seven dollars a night for a single yet the receptionist says that'll be 57 bucks if that happens in most cases you've been called out as a gringo Because I know this for sure if you were a Latin person and walking in and negotiating room rate in Spanish You'd get that thirty seven dollar deal maybe even less and the fact is most gringos won't even argue the price they figure Well, it's fairly cheap Anyway, and they rarely ever argue the point or test the waters to see if the guy will go any lower So then what can you do? Hmm? Well, how's this for throwing a wrench into the gringo pricing setup? Now you long-time listeners know that I'm almost never on the gringo tourist trail
[02:26] So gringo prices man that almost never happens to me. In fact in the last couple years I think I've only been nailed for gringo prices two times once in one of those big markets when I was trying to buy some Avocados as it turned out a lady vendor who spoke way too much streetwise English to me, which was a tip-off She tried to sell me one avocado for two bucks. At first. I couldn't believe it I knew the price of avocados and I thought she was making a joke then she repeated seriously two bucks And I said really two bucks. Are they gold plated or something in your dreams lady? Entus when yo's then I walked about a half block down and bought five Avocados for a buck and a half the usual price in one of those big marcados at this time of the year
[03:12] Depends on the season. Sometimes you get three for a buck and a half and sometimes you get ten for a buck and a half So why'd that happen? Well, the story on her is I'm sure she hasn't seen a gringo in months Nope, not since she was caught and deported from I would guess maybe East LA Yep, she definitely knew what gringos were willing to pay for an avocado up in the States That would be two bucks. All right getting back to the real cost of living here in Latin America How about this one for some dramatic proof the other day? I was in a pretty big hardware store It's a Latin chain and they have at least 20 big stores and of course Everything's in Spanish guys, you know have a soft spot for hardware stores as do women for shoe stores
[03:58] It rarely works the other way around except maybe in cases like Bruce Jenner now They also have a very big ceramic and floor tile section with some of the most beautiful and unbelievably inexpensive tile you've ever seen that Unfortunately along with the latest and greatest prefab plastic fake wood flooring, too Yuck, you know that crap fake wood flooring they put in all those cookie-cutter track homes in the States Well, it's made it down here too and people are buying it like crazy Why because it's from the first world imported from the US or so they think and get this the marketing pamphlets and the sign above this stuff even has an American flag and it says in big letters at you and Estados Unidos made in the USA and actually I think that's BS
[04:44] It's certainly made in China then shipped to the States then stamped and sent down here to Latin America It's what you might call the gringo disadvantage for the buyer, of course, but not the seller Yep, fake wood products are strictly from the white trash trailer court school of design Fact is down here in Latin America You can get some of the most fantastic floor tile you've ever seen from rustic to colonial to slick berry modern styles and Rainforest hardwood floors to for around a dollar a square foot or less and a good tile installer You can hire one of those guys for around 20 to 25 dollars a day Not per hour per day. Oh and about tile installers They do absolutely fantastic work plus they do some of the crappiest work I've ever seen too
[05:31] It's all about you being there and when you're not cracking the whip on them I'll do things Latin style not first-world style though They're capable of doing an absolutely perfect job If you don't get them started on the right track right away when the job's done and you're gone if the odd crooked tile Jagged edge or sloppy grout work bothers you well, you're stuck looking at that stuff every day as long as you live in that place So how do you find a tile installer? Well every hardware store or place that sells tile has a list of guys that do that kind of work Or you can hunt out an installer in the classified new sections or olx.com You know the Craigslist of Latin America, but more often than not There'll be some neighbors in your gated guarded community or wherever you live that had some nice tile work done
[06:19] And you'll notice beautifully detailed tile work right away then hook up with their installer Oh and do notice when you're in a high-end gated guarded community how much bad tile work there is I mean not only badly installed but bad color schemes, too Turns out Latin people with a little money have the same problems as gringos with a little money They think money equals taste That doesn't happen too often Which is why in high-end Latin neighborhoods houses look very nice from the outside and once you get in You'd swear most of them were colorblind or that they'd hired the decorator from the furniture department at Walmart But of course some Latin people have great taste and the ones that succeed are the ones that stick to the traditional Colonial Spanish designs you can't hardly screw that formula up down here in Latin America. That's a 500 year tradition
[07:09] I'll tell you when Latin people with money really screw up in the decorating apartment is when they go modern That means lofts open spaces glass granite marble chrome and leather You know the Spartan look yep that gringo trend is starting to penetrate down here, too But as usual Latin's just can't quite get it right the faxes I've been in lots and lots of new developments meaning high-end modern style developments and unfortunately These structures are just loaded with tiny and not so tiny defects I'm talking about brand new places to in fact I could sit in a living room dining room kitchen bedroom for just a couple of minutes and see any number of annoying Defects that a Latin person would never even pick up on however Maybe just the fact that Latins don't notice that stuff they live happier and more peaceful lives
[07:59] They're not bothered by the little things then again big defects don't seem to bother them either Hmm for example a warp door or crooked doorframe a piece of trimmer molding that doesn't quite match the others Leaks mold and water stains expensive light fixtures with a little paint splashed on them Bathroom fixtures tubs and showers that are just loaded with rock hard scale worse yet floor drains that are pitched the wrong way Yep, that's something that would really piss you off I've been in plenty high-end Latin houses where you turn on the shower Sure, most of the water goes down the drain. That's what it's for But many times they'll be a low spot with standing water far away from the drain Duh, do you notice those things? Well Latin's down and water leaks man Let me tell you that's a pet peeve of mine in so many gringos
[08:46] Latins have had 500 years to figure out the rainy season and they still don't get it They just love squared off flat roofs with no overhangs to divert the water. That's a recipe for disaster In fact just the other day I was visiting my gringo friend Oscar Came to one of my very first expat insider seminars and moved down here for good so far He's lived in a couple of different places and just moved in to a townhouse in an upper middle class gated guarded community It would be upper middle class to Latin's middle class to us and the place he's in is rather nice But it's got defects all over the place, and it's only two or three years old It's about 2,000 square feet flat roof of course modern design And though we're in the land of that tremendous rainforest hardwood the place has synthetic
[09:34] Parquet wood flooring, but why when they're both about the same price well I can only think that it's because the builders anticipate water damage First off Oscar pointed out that in one of the bathrooms the water does not flow toward the drain nice, huh? Then we went on the balcony, and he pointed out a couple of places that always leaked when it rained And along with a typical Latin not so well thought-out floor plan They never installed a dryer vent hole for the exhaust even though the dryer was on an outside wall But like I said when you're outside looking at the development from the road looks rather nice and first world all around But in the words of Billy Shakespeare Sorry, bub. It ain't However, if you were to buy one of the units in this condo complex
[10:22] And there were a few for sale starting at around hundred grand We figured it would take way under five grand to make it a show place So the key to getting a first world place without all the defects is to build it yourself and be around a lot Or buy an existing place with all the usual Latin defects and put a few grand into it Remember materials and labor are dirt cheap here in Latin America even the best quality materials You could never afford up in the States like real granite marble and rainforest hardwoods But of course if there's constant leaks then that hardwoods gonna get ruined right which is why in the last few years There's been a boom in that crappy synthetic hardwood flooring typical ass backwards third world thinking, huh? Let's not go after the water problems
[11:09] Let's just have waterproof floors even their sales promos pamphlets and ads say that's the advantage. It's waterproof I'll tell you what that says. It's an admission by architects and contractors that their buildings will leak They're saying it's a given the what about being able to afford construction materials You can never afford up in the States. How about this? I walked into the floor tile section of that big hardware store and there was a nice big marble and granite display I mean real marble real granite cut into one foot sections about three-eighths of an inch thick highly polished Beautifully cut and trim. They must have had ten different colors from jet black all the way to white Remember this stuffs cut quarried and polished here in Latin America. It's a local item That means dirt cheap labor and minimal shipping charges. Anyway, this was very very high quality grade
[12:01] A stuff for countertops floors, whatever and the pricing Well, you're not gonna believe this and I think I'm gonna take a photo and put it up on my YouTube Would you believe four dollars a square foot and they're not just selling it in square foot tile size pieces either They got big slabs of the stuff in all sizes and the building supply guy told me it costs around the same to have it installed So four bucks a square foot plus four bucks square foot to install whereas up in the states I'm looking at a tile contractors page here It says for real granite or marble installations the costs of the granite or marble ranges from 50 to a hundred dollars a foot the flavor or installation costs being from 25 to 50 percent of the cost of the tile So you're looking at on the low end around 75 bucks a square foot installed
[12:50] That works out to be around ten times the price of having it done down here in Latin America Ten times and as far as installing ceramic tile up in the states The cost is around four to five dollars a square foot and you supply the tile Whereas here in Latin America off the gringo tours trail anyway It runs anywhere from fifty cents to a dollar or a square foot to install So down here you could buy really nice tile all day long for about a buck a square foot Whereas up in the states to get decent tile of the same quality It'll cost you from three to seven bucks a square foot Again about seven to ten times as much as it costs to do the same thing here in Latin America And we're not even talking about how up in the states You have to often reinforce the sub floor because they have wooden joists and floor studs
[13:38] Not an issue down here because all floors are concrete So there's the really low end ceramic tile which you could get for 50 cents a square foot anywhere and believe me that crap's Extremely popular here in Latin America Nothing wrong with that if you don't mind your house looking like the bathroom in a bowling alley No offense if bowling's your sport. It's the sport of Kings in Milwaukee and Cleveland, right? Which brings us full circle back to gringo prices So then how might you get nailed for gringo prices? Let's say you're having some tile installed or granite or marble Well, you know when you're in the building supplier hardware store whether you're a Latino or a gringo You'll pay the same price for the material You generally can't barter or bargain with the sales clerk. You're stuck with the sticker price though
[14:25] Believe it or not doesn't hurt to try Sometimes you will get them to cut the price down, especially if you say those magic words. Do I get a discount for cash? Ayun dis cuento por effectivo. I can't tell you how many times I've got five ten or fifteen percent off by using that phrase So remember that phrase I you in dis cuento por effectivo In fact many times I've been with expat Eddie and he'll say to the clerk yo in tendo I own dis cuento por effectivo, which puts even a little more pressure on the sales guy What he's saying is I understand in this store you get a discount for cash kind of putting the clerk on the spot And oftentimes he'll go back to the boss and mention it and you will get the discount Yep, all those little tricks you learn once you've been down here a while
[15:10] But only I'm sure you've noticed if you've got a little Spanish down So I repeat whether you're on or off the gringo tourist trail if you walk into a building supply store or hardware store You'll pay the same price as everyone else unless you force the cash issue Though where you'll possibly get hit up for gringo prices is on the labor costs The negotiable costs that are not listed on a ticket So as mentioned when you're well off tourist trail You might pay 50 cents a square foot to have tile installed and maybe four bucks a square foot for granted or marble That's because they've got some special cutting tools and such however when you're on the trail The guy you're dealing with a look at you see you're a gringo No You've got extra money and resources and he knows that other gringos have paid his price So he could very well double that labor figure to you it seems so dirt cheap anyway
[16:00] You'll probably agree then and there and won't put up a fuss at all How would you know anyway unless you spoke Spanish or checked around quite a bit and the more gringos agree to those prices And it happens all the time on the tourist trail the faster the general cost of living creeps up then up and up So here's my advice on the subject Anytime you're having some construction or repair work done when you're getting an estimate or two or three ask the guy first How long it's gonna take if he says for example two guys two days Then you know it's gonna take maybe 30 man hours or so then ask him to give you a price on the whole job And if he says for example a hundred bucks that works out to about three bucks an hour, right? Which is a pretty tempting price you could never get a first-world contractor a Specialist like a tile worker to come in for anything under probably 20 bucks an hour
[16:47] But what you really should do is have the installer a contractor bid it two ways as a whole job and have him bid it By the hour to now suppose he says three bucks an hour Well that works out to about the same cost either way by the hour by the job right well Not so fast what I found out and I've been involved in a lot of projects down here when a guy's working by the hour Oh, he'll work all right, but he won't work quite as hard and fast as if he's working by the job Logically you pay the guy by the hour He'll want to work as many hours as he can right however if you make the deal so that he's working by the job He's gonna want to get in and out of there as fast as you can to move on to the next job So what's best? What's it gonna be by the hour or by the job well remember you're the boss you got the dough and the truth Is when you're negotiating labor on a job let's for example talk about it being a tile job
[17:38] You'll be buying the supplies the tile the grout grout is called Sisa down here by the way Sisa up in the states they call the cement for the tiles thin set down here They call that cement pega mix pega mix by the way pega or pegar means to stick or sticky Make sense a sticky mix anyway on most jobs here in Latin America. You'll be buying the supplies, which is good You'll pay what everyone else pays no gringle price is there however do note that there's an excess labor pool here in Latin America So whatever they quote you for a job where it's by the hour by the job you can haggle with them there, too They're used to that Latins always haggle when it comes to labor whereas for a screen goes being from up in the first world
[18:24] We almost never haggle we accept a price as it's stated because we're used to that So what about it better buy the job or by the hour as for me? I almost always prefer by the job problem is though most every time I've made a deal that way turns out kind of like a US government contract. There's always overruns I can't begin to tell you how many times I've heard a contractor say Don Johnny necessary Tom was a blower Meaning Don Johnny we got to talk and then come the excuses I had to put on an extra guy so it's gonna cost a little more the wires were frayed we hit tree roots Broken pipe who knew we'd have to dig so deep or that the ground was so hard Million excuses and sometimes along the way the less for more money and give you no reason whatsoever It's just he ran out of money to pay his boys or maybe it has nothing to do with the job at all
[19:14] He's just a gambler or drinker or maybe he has to buy a present for his kid wife mistress or all three Who knows if you're paid him by the job, they'll ask you for more money somewhere along the way You can bet on that of course that won't happen with a small job that takes a day or less But if they're there for a long time, that's gonna happen matter of fact not so long ago I had a contractor building a storage unit for me total labor cost around 275 bucks and towards the end he said Don Johnny we got to talk He wanted an additional 25 bucks. I gave it to him Why not but I said under one condition have your guys clean up the job site exactly as you found it Because you know, that's one of the biggest problems you'll ever have with contractors doing work for you Not only that they slob up the whole job site leave food bottles and junk food wrappers everywhere
[20:03] They're terribly careless with paint cement sealers and caulk, etc Where's yet since they're touching all that stuff their hands are constantly filthy and they're touching everything doors walls ceilings trim Even your car. Well, that's a big mistake leaving your cars in your garage when contractors have to come in and out of your house Do some work man, that's asking for trouble better Yet if your contractors are working around nice or even halfway decent stuff get some of those plastic tarps and keep them covered Remember probably every one of these guys except the foreman and the head contractor are living in tin shack cold water flats For example expat Eddie had some landscaping done in the gazebo built in his backyard and the contractors had to come through his main Garage door with all their equipment including the cement tools wheelbarrows, etc, etc
[20:51] Oh, they did a good job with the landscaping the gazebo looks great But when they left Eddie had to have his maintenance guy sand and repaint that garage door not to mention There's a brand new fine little line of paint drippings down the center of his garage door slab Lucky parked his cars out on the street for the duration or it would have been a lot worse Anyway, expect that kind of stuff with your own construction projects. You've been warned Oh that reminds me look out when you take your car to the local little garage Mechanic in your neighborhood expect that he will be very dirty and grimed up with oil and grease and he'll sit in the front Seat of your car because you'll have to test it once he's done working on it Right now, of course if you go to a regular car dealership for maintenance work they'll do like they do in the States and put plastic covers on the seats and paper mats on the floor because they are
[21:42] Franchise first world dealerships and they follow the first world routines of the franchise and they're not about to scum up the interior of your car Or they've got to make it right but chances are you won't be going to a dealership for car maintenance work Unless you're under warranty. Why because those little hole-in-the-wall mechanics There are a few in every neighborhood can do pretty much all of that at a quarter of the cost Why give your door to those big corporate jerks when you can help out a little hard-working guy in the neighborhood But unless you plan ahead, he will scum up your upholstery not intentionally, of course, but he doesn't know better Remember he most probably lives in a cold water tin shack himself So have an old beach towel or tool in the trunk of your car Maybe some newspapers and a couple of big plastic garbage bags You'll save yourself a lot of grief in the end or skip it like the other Latin customers do and take your chances
[22:32] Nuff said about that. All right. How about an email says Johnny? I am planning on coming to your seminar in January 2018 You say it's in and around Guatemala, right? But I understand there's some kind of constitutional crisis going on in Guatemala right now At least that's what they're saying in some of the news reports. So what's that about? Will that change things for you? See you soon signed Phil Well Phil if you live down here for a while, you know, it's not even worth talking about in fact I have to laugh, you know Latin politicians are thieving puss bags just like American politicians, but these Latin politicians aren't very smart The only thing they were really good at is stealing which is why by the way at this very moment There are no less than 27 Latin American former presidents and vice presidents either in jail
[23:18] Under indictment or being investigated for surprise surprise What else taking bribes and looting their treasuries and you know, there are only 20 Latin American countries and with 27 top-end Politicians either in or going to the slammer. Well, that does give you an idea. What kind of talent they've got running these countries, right? Well, as far as Guatemala, you know The former president and vice president are in jail for massive corruption and the new guy Jimmy Morales Who everybody left at because he was a former TV clown Well, there's a UN Commission on graft impunity and corruption in Guatemala investigating politicians and surprise surprise They just indicted the president's son for graft and along the way They found the presidential clown took a half million dollar campaign contribution from a bunch of narcos
[24:05] Yep business as usual here in Latin America So the new clown president looking at impeachment and jail time himself Tried just a week ago to kick the UN Commission out of the country to save his and his kids neck Now personally, I think the UN is Rancid conglomeration of corrupt syphilitic piss ant morons And of course, I mean that in the kindest spirit of Christian brotherhood and goodwill, but I digress However in Guatemala, they say it's another Constitutional crisis and that's the same story like a broken record in practically every Latin country turns out in Latin America Whenever a national leader gets caught with his hand in the till and gets backed into a corner He's got immunity, you know and they call it a constitutional crisis and Congress gets together
[24:51] And they do constitutional rewrites or press the reset button. For example, Haiti has had 24 completely new constitutions Ecuador has had 20 last one in 2008 and Venezuela is on its 26th Constitution and the DR the Dominican Republic has had 32 constitutional rewrites So when Latin politicians talk about a constitutional crisis or rewriting the Constitution, well, that's so common down here No one gives a rip and who feels the change when one Constitution flips over to another? No one really least of all gringos and expats. So then who does care? Well, there must be someone Well, sure all those useless fat-ass political pundits analysts and journalists who feed on that stuff
[25:36] One thing you can count on is that Constitutions will be adjusted and changed according to the prevailing chaos and government You know all nations have a Supreme Court and those courts only handle constitutional issues Well get this Brazil's Supreme Court handles around 70,000 Constitutional cases a year talk about a government in chaos and crisis So when us gringos and expats hear about that kind of stuff should we be worried? Well me and most every other expat I know all agree We've got loads and loads of freedom down here up in the States is where it's terminal for you guys The clock is ticking because your politicians have tremendous power to screw with your lives What about your drooling lying congressional puss bags?
[26:23] Every dumbass move they make affects you or as down here No matter what happens in politics things go on as usual pretty much like you were living back in the 1970s or 80s except for the over regulated banking system Which the US FATCA and GATCA laws have forced on every country. So what's it gonna be for you? Are you gonna go down with the Titanic or have you got some kind of plan B in motion? Of course, that's what my expat insiders seminars are all about The boots on the ground fast-track way to get you up to speed with your plan B And my next seminar starts January 6 2018 by next week I'll have the sign-up sheet at the new expat comm have a look and especially check out those early bird discounts However, if you just can't get down to the seminar The next best thing to do is to sign up for my 9-hour expat essentials course
[27:11] Just go to www.expatplanb.com and check out the free video that tells all about it And if you're stuck anywhere along the line in your own plan B You can always do one-on-one phone or Skype consult with me Just go to the new expat.com download my consult questionnaire and we'll take it from there South of the border This is the expat files living in Latin America If you want me to help you out with your own plan B Just schedule a one-on-one consult send me an email the expat files at gmail.com And if you want to learn how to move forward with your own plan B from right up there in the States Go to www.expatplanb.com and check out my three videos. See ya nos vemos