#1443 – The Expat Files: Seminar Cancellation, U.S. Politics, Divorce in Latin America, and Rising Vet Costs

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-pad 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 All right, the show first goes out on June 6th, 2025 today We've got some good news and bad news now as you all know I'm scheduled to have another expat insider seminar in August I announced the agenda and the sign-up sheet about a month ago as I always do with my seminars

[00:49] Once I announced that I gave people a month to sign up and get an early bird discount of 500 bucks. So A month has gone by a little more than month and only a tiny group of people have signed on not enough to make it worth Well, so I'm gonna have to cancel the seminar. Now you're thinking wait a minute Johnny your seminar is until August Why would you cancel an August seminar when we're only in early June? Let me explain and throw some seminar facts at you now I've done 20 seminars and once you've done five or ten you'll learn a lot about people's methods of signing up and Their tendency to procrastinate and some even making empty promises You learn that only a small percentage of people who want you to put on a seminar even beg you to put on a seminar We'll actually sign up for it

[01:36] Another thing I learned along the way is that when you have an early bird discount 99% of the people who are going to sign up for your seminar will sign up during that period they want to get that discount. I believe in all the 20 seminars have had so far only in two seminars out of 20 Did I have anyone sign up after the early bird period in other words paying full price? What you learn from that is almost all the people that are gonna come to your seminar will sign up in that first month It's all about that early bird discount everyone wants in on it So now with this proposed August seminar that the early bird discounts are over and there's only a tiny few people that have actually signed on and a couple people who did sign on and then a week later wrote saying that they had to

[02:21] Back out because it conflicted with some other plans So this is how it plays out that early bird discount period is over only a tiny few people have signed up Not nearly enough to justify all the planning it takes to do a seminar. So we're just not gonna do one in August Oh and another thing I've also learned after doing like I said 20 seminars That I won't even announce that I'm gonna do a seminar until I've had enough people write to me saying Johnny When are you gonna do your next seminar? I can't wait till you announce the dates. I want to come count me in so as I get emails like that I compile a Perspective seminar attendee list. So normally I wait till I get about 40 or 50 people on that list Again, these are people who on their own have written me emails saying Johnny when are you gonna do your next seminar?

[03:11] I want to come please put me down Of course at that point no money or no deposits have been put down yet because we haven't even selected a date So anyway, I wait till there's 40 or 50 people on that list That's when I finally pick the dates for the next seminar then I send an email back to all those people giving them all the details and Usually a third to half of those people will sign up right away as soon as I announce the seminar They'll go to the web page put down a deposit Like I said about 98 or 99 percent of people will sign up during the early bird discount period Then at the end of that first month since that's when everybody signs up I have a really good headcount for the reservations hotels logistics, etc So anyway, I had my pre seminar sign-up list 40 or 50 people and believe me a lot of those people sent me repeated emails

[03:58] Now normally I like to keep the seminars very small and personal from 10 to maybe 25 people at most So basically I won't do a seminar till at least 10 people have signed up in the first month this time that didn't happen So then you might ask when am I gonna do another seminar? First we should ask ourselves why people aren't signing up like they're used to Even though the same numbers of people are interested enough to send me emails saying johnny When are you gonna have another seminar? Well, it could be for a few different reasons, you know before covid I did a seminar every six months like clockwork for about eight years running. We always had enough people plenty signing on Sometimes there were too many people kind of hard to handle like herding cats Then covid came and I didn't have a seminar for a year

[04:44] Because of all those idiotic vax cards and airport problems, etc Though I did have a seminar smack in the middle of the covid it crisis It was very well attended to with the mandatory masks and vax cards real and fake Remind me to tell you that story sometime that fake vax card story Funny thing right smack dab in the middle of the covid crap when everyone traveling had to be vexed and masked With no exceptions about half the people that came to my seminar reported to me that they had never been faxed Yet they somehow still got to the seminar aok So then how'd that happen? Hmm, so that's a story worth telling we'll get to it someday So anyway, the last seminar I had was about a year ago Since then there was a wild card trump got elected

[05:31] And with more than half the people in the states The mood had changed most everyone with half a brain had high hopes that he could turn things around up in the states You know put up a wall kick out the illegal aliens weed out the waste and fraud with elon musk and doge Streamline government fire the lardasses fraudsters and paper bushes try to balance the budget or die trying Well, we all had hope even us permanent gringo expats who've been living down here in latin america a long long time We had hope with trump and elon and doge sure we live down here in latin america But we don't want to see the us go down the tubes. We've got friends and relatives up there Well, we were wrong. Anyway, i'm thinking that since trump got elected a lot of people thought hell Why do I need a plan b trump canady elon? They're in power now. The united states is going to turn around

[06:21] I'm suspecting gunna bees and wannabes are thinking. I don't need to go down to johnny seminar anymore I don't need to learn how to live work play and or do business in latin america when the united states Is on the comeback trail Anyway, I talked to quite a few gringos and expats about this and some of the people on my expat insider team And they were all kind of thinking the same thing That with trump in there with high hopes of turning this ship of state around there's no big rush to get the hell out of dodge But man recent events have shown how wrong we were They just passed the budget with a couple of trillion of extra fat in it including more lard for the military Oh f**k And every time trump tries to fire some useless government slugs or cut an agency some district judge appointed by biden or obama

[07:09] Blocks it and permanently puts it on hold. We even have elon musk frustrated as hell throwing in the towel saying sorry It can't be done He found out that the tentacles of the entrenched deep state run so deep and are so powerful They're not only bulletproof but have dirt on everyone elon found out if you try to take them down They'll they'll come after you. So anyway, that's what my expat insider team is thinking I've had loads of people sending me emails begging me to pick seminar dates and I did over a month ago But they're just not signing on well folks. I can see your point I had high hopes too if anyone could save the u.s It'd be trump and his team Of course, another reason people might not be signing up is because of the cost Well, oddly enough in the last five or six years

[07:54] I've only raised the price of my seminar once even though inflation has been at least five to ten percent year over year during that time So I don't think prices is the reason people aren't signing up though I do know that covid thing wiped out a lot of businesses made people a little poorer And a lot of you listeners out there are not as flush as you used to be Which brings us back to the question of the next seminar. When will it be? Will I ever have another one? Oh and the other thing most people don't understand is that I don't really make any money off this seminar I don't lose money, but it's no big payday In other words, I do not need to do seminars to survive. Believe me I do these things because I like the experience of meeting all you diverse expat gunna bees and wannabes I like doing seminars because every attendee is above average or way above average and has a unique story to tell

[08:45] By the way when I started this podcast in late 2011 the thought of doing seminars never entered my mind Then after about two years into the show People from the states started emailing me asking me to do private boots on the ground off the gringo tours trail tours Finally, I got so many requests like that. I decided why not do a seminar so they can all get boots on the ground at once So I did the first seminar and from there it just took off which brings us back to that same question When will I have my next seminar? Well tossing that question around with our expat lawyer jose and the rest of the seminar team Well, the idea has been floated to ask people who seriously want to attend to put up a 500 deposit

[09:30] The idea is I put out the word that we're going to do a seminar But I haven't picked the dates yet when enough people have sent a 500 deposit Then i'll announce the dates which would be about two months in the future That way people can get their paperwork together if they're going for permanent residency Now for all you listeners down there who are dead set on having a plan b in guadamala or el solvador Or you're just keeping your options open for your plan b Well, my official expat files coordinator my super overqualified logistics coordinator for my seminars Her name is eva Lynn gomez. She's available to do expat relocation and lifestyle support In other words, if you've decided on a plan b in guadamala or parts there abouts She will hold your hand through it from start to finish

[10:16] So basically she's got a relocation service for expats who want to live in guadamala guadamala city or the surrounding areas She can handle everything she'll find your place to live sort through the options with you Make sure you're not paying gringo prices when you rent or buy a car, etc She'll hold your hand and walk you through utility set up like electric hookup and water hookup Remember how we said latin america runs on propane gas. Well, you'll need to work that out And she'll find you a maid and a maintenance guy if you need them hook you up with a spanish tutor Get your bank account show you how to pay your bills In other words since she is my seminar coordinator and logistics lady You'll get many of the practical benefits of the seminar if you contact evelyn for her expat relocation services

[11:03] She's 100 on the same page as we are knows exactly what expats want need and don't need Oh, and she'll help you get car and medical insurance, too So anyway, even if i'm not holding any seminars for a while If you got your plan b in motion, you won't be left out in the cold You could still come down here and get some really good quality boots on the ground hook up with our network and meet all the right people So anyway, if you're interested in those relocation services with my expat seminar coordinator evelyn I can't recommend her services highly enough. It's a great way to get things moving no matter where you are on your plan b All right moving on let's check the email pile Daryl writes johnny. I just went through a friendly divorce. I'm in minnesota. He says, you know in minnesota

[11:50] Divorce lawyers and the court always give you 15 minutes in a reconciliation room Alone with your soon to be x no sharp instruments allowed. He says I was wondering johnny in latin america Is it the same when you go through a divorce? Do they follow the same procedures as they do up here in the united states? Signed daryl getting the hell out of dodge. Hopefully by next year. Well, thanks for that daryl That divorce question is a good one now here in latin america. There are not a lot of divorces I was told by a lawyer down here The united states has 10 times as many divorces per capita as they do here in latin america generally Now is that because people get along better or just don't like getting divorced? Get this and this is a shocking statistic

[12:38] only one out of five latin american families that is you know husband and wife kids and all that are actually married legally So four out of five families you see with children when you see the husband and wife together They're not really married not by law even stranger though when you meet A guy in a gal with kids and dogs, etc They'll always introduce themselves as husband and wife whether they're legally married or not and they're most often not legally married But when they say this is my husband or this is my wife They're very very convincing about it, but most often it just ain't true Again, let me repeat that 80 percent of people living together with kids and dogs and all that Are not legally married and you know some years ago when I first discovered that it shocked me

[13:28] Knowing that you know latin america is so damn catholic 80 of the people down here claimed to be catholic and you know when the catholic faith a man and a woman living together Without being married is living in sin. It's a cardinal sin But down here in latin america that does not seem to bother anyone one bit nor Do non-married folks with a bunch of kids have any shame, you know that phrase sin verguenza no shame Oh, and by the way those latin couples that 80 percent that aren't married legally The lady still calls her living guy's mother mother-in-law and father father-in-law and his brothers and sisters Brother and sister-in-law and vice versa. In other words, they maintain all the rituals and formalities of a marriage That's legal using all the proper terms and such I didn't get it way back when when I first heard about it and I still don't get it now

[14:16] But that's the way it is by the way dale I truly believe one of the reasons 80 of people living together kids and dogs and all that aren't legally married Is because it's such a huge long and drawn-out process to get divorced Even a simple divorce with no kids could take five years For one thing both parties have to show up in court and sign papers And if it's a very contentious divorce, which is how most divorces go There's almost always one party that feels severely injured If that person doesn't show up in court or doesn't want to sign a paperwork that divorce will just remain in limbo Sometimes forever. Oh, and the other thing is during a divorce oftentimes one or the other will just simply disappear For example here in latin america, you know, there's a steady stream of people sneaking into the u.s illegally

[15:05] And when that person disappears, it's usually the guy by the way If he was married to the woman he left behind here in latin america She's gonna have a hell of a time getting a divorce once she finds out he's been cheating on her Latinos they know getting divorced is a terribly long and drawn-out process So you can hardly blame a couple especially if they're middle or lower middle class or living on the edge For not getting legally married because to legally untie that knot Which happens more than 50 percent of the time just like up in the states To go through the process is a huge headache By the way, as far as statistics go Upper middle class and wealthy latinos are most likely to get married legally throw the big wedding bashes and all that Basically because it is what every latin american woman wants. She wants to find a guy and get married legally though

[15:53] As mentioned it's unlikely to turn out that way Unless one of the families or both have money By the way, if you doubt what i'm saying you could prove it to yourself by just coming down here to latin america and Visiting some of your latino neighbor's houses What do most american families have in their living room or dining room on the coffee table or fireplace mantle wedding pictures, of course Well down here you'll find unless you're in a wealthy person's home a conspicuous absence of wedding photos Of course, there's common law marriages throughout latin america. They're the absolute norm down here You know, you don't get married not legally anyway But the story is if you have a kid with someone and immediately start living together or You don't have a kid but have been living together more than two years It's considered a common law merit

[16:39] Which in the end only means something when there are things to divide if the couple splits up the household Or if there's support payments to be made for the kid Then the woman could go to court It's almost always the woman that goes to court because she's stuck with a kid Then she could petition the judge for child support And or alimony even if there are no kids she's entitled to half the household She has a law in her favor and will win that stuff in court But here's the thing unless the guy's working for a company with an employment contract the judgment stands But there's no enforcement when he doesn't pay And believe me almost every latino guy I know who's split with his ex She gets no alimony when there is a kid or kids involved He's almost always behind on his support payment. Most latin guys, man are such deadbeat dads

[17:28] It's really sad to say but it's sadder to see Oh, and there's a huge percentage of latino fathers who decide to slip into the states illegally and then they start sending Remeses back because he's got a kid or a wife back home Which is a good thing right because he's supporting his kid and his wife. He sends money back That's the plan sadly though. That scenario usually starts out with a bang and ends with a whimper or tears Even at first remisses are sent like clockwork. Then they arrive less and less frequently To the wife and kid that is or grow back home However remisses often continue to come to a guy's mother I've been told this by many a latina here in latin america remisses will continue to come to the mother but not her

[18:14] Suddenly she gets a what's up message from one of her friends who relatives living up in the states reporting that her man the guy that was sending those remisses down has hooked up with another latina up in the states usually A latino who's a u.s. Citizen or one with a green card. So in other words, he's got another amante another girlfriend It's a business a negotiation Latinos and latinas up in the states who are citizens or have green card will marry an illegal guy or gal To become legal themselves because you see up in the states if an illegal alien marries legally married An american citizen or a person in the states with a green card They cannot be picked up and deported as mentioned. It's a business It's a negotiation and it usually costs that illegal alien five to fifteen thousand dollars to make that deal

[19:02] Of course, they don't have that kind of dough So they go to a loan shark and pay on the payment plan and there are just loads of latinos in every big city latinos and latinas who are legal or have a green card that are absolutely up for making five to fifteen grand By just going down to the courthouse and marrying someone they barely know all they have to do is sign a few papers In fact, it's a huge business and everybody here in latin america knows about it In fact, everyone's got a friend or family member or two Who is now legal in the states because they went that route? In fact, you could find eligible latinos and latinos in the states to marry you Right on what's up? In fact, i've been told that once you end up in the states Of course sneaking in illegally when you first hook up with your family or friends up there

[19:48] In whatever big city latino barrio you end up in i've been told before even the day is out that first day you get there Your own family and friends will have some of the usual suspects already lined up for you Turns out every latino in a big city barrio up in the states Has a single friend or relative that wants to make five to fifteen grand with a swipe of a pen By the way up in the states when a couple goes to the courthouse to get married No one asks if they're illegal or not. No one there will check your legal status But when you think about it, wouldn't that be the best place in the world to post an ICE officer? Right at the entrance to the door of the justice of peace Yeah, but that'll never happen. The illegal immigration battle was lost a long time ago You've got biden and oh vomit to thank for that. All right moving on let's take an email from kelly. He says johnny

[20:39] Very interesting take you had on latin american veterinarians and pet care He says i'm from california and I have to agree that veterinarians have lost their minds Vets play on the emotions of the owners because they know owners will pay through the nose to keep their pets a lot He says johnny i'm a cat owner You used to be able to take a cat in and get it fixed for less than a hundred bucks It was generally around 50 or so for a male and 75 for a female plus vaccines He says I had a cat for about 15 years it died So I just recently got another one brought him into the vet to have him fixed last year and it was 300 bucks up from 75 just 10 years ago And then they wanted me to bring him back again and have more shots and follow-ups. No, thanks

[21:26] It all seemed just so insane How could everything have changed so much in just 10 years? Prices triple three times as many vaccinations yet. None of it prolongs their lives. They don't live any longer Just recently johnny. I took my cat into the vet because he had a tumor on his head My vet said he was going to send a piece of the tumor to a pathologist to have it analyzed a biopsy Which would have cost an additional 300 dollars. I said just remove the tumor Then the vet suggested setting up a treatment plan of chemotherapy If it ended up being cancer now johnny i'm talking about a cat that I got for free at the shelter No, thanks I don't have a thousand dollars in my cat budget Then came the real craziness johnny. I have another cat who was having kidney problems

[22:14] I also got that cat for free at the shelter. My vet suggested he should have a kidney transplant No lie, and he said it would cost 20 000 dollars my cat would be on lifelong medicine On top of it all that would run at least 150 a month. No. Thanks johnny us veterinarians have just lost their minds By the way, he says i've been looking up cat medications on the web. I found out at my vet's office They are double the price of an internet pharmacy By the way when I did that little rant, I think it was two shows ago about pets and veterinary care here in latin I got more than a few email responses and a couple from veterinarians American veterinarians like for example, dr L he says johnny the reasons veterinary costs are so high in the states

[23:01] Is because in the last 10 years there have been private equity consolidations of the veterinary industry He says unlike in the past most veterinary clinics are not privately owned anymore It might be hard to believe but the largest owner of veterinary clinics in the united states is a german conglomerate He says private equity groups buy up veterinary practices consolidate the market and then jack up prices to bleed the us consumer base dry If you find this hard to believe go to planet money and check out their podcast on the subject I'm surprised no one mentions this I'm surprised there are no news articles about this He says i'm a vet and I can speak to why vet costs are so outrageous here in may in the usa Turns out rare breed a venture capital group has been buying up all the local vet practices

[23:51] They are forcing us to upgrade software rebrand and heavily put logos on everything and jack up all our prices He says those consolidators have nice executive offices in big cities and their vet partners get large salaries and bonuses The vet partners are not veterinarians themselves. They're mba finance administrators Who get large salaries and bonuses as they bury us vets in debt He says they also push us to pitch pet insurance on people and guess what those claims can be denied for pre-existing conditions Just like human health care insurance And when you're a vet and partner with these guys They proudly send quarterly reports And if you study those which almost no one ever does you'll see their profits have gone up

[24:38] 400 plus percent year over year How is that possible? Meanwhile the finance media claims. That's an amazing success story Johnny what us veterinarians talk about in private is that pets are becoming a luxury item that only rich people can enjoy There's something really evil about that besides that. He says veterinary schools are now becoming more costly than medical school with new vets walking out with two to three hundred thousand dollars in debt With almost none of them being able to go into private practice unless they're fathers or mothers head of vet practice Bottom line johnny the corporate takeover of veterinary medicine is killing the patient doctor relationship with almost everyone thinking prices are out of control

[25:24] All right, then comes this email from joey. He says johnny you're absolutely right about shots for pets It drives me crazy that no matter how long it has been between my visits Any five minute procedure like a twenty dollar vaccination also requires an eighty dollar consultation fee visit Along with the usual disposal fees and credit card charges But my neighbor who has a lab was in for three nights with no surgery that cost 4500 dollars same vet. I don't get it Another friend. He says a golfing buddy adopted a six-year-old husky a year ago He said when he got that dog he received no record of previous care He says johnny in my state washington To take your dog on a hike or in a woods or in a public park. You must carry proof of his rabies vaccination

[26:17] So my friend took him to the vet where he said he was judged and scolded because he only asked for the rabies vax The vet wanted to vex him with everything else under the sun Incredibly they charged a hundred and forty dollars for an office visit On top by the rabies shot which he was scolded for Anyway, that was a few months ago. It turns out the guy keeps getting emails about the shots his dog needs By the way, john My dog weighs 40 pounds and I went to get heartworm medication for him At the vet it cost over 400 ridiculous And when I questioned the receptionist about it, she said you're lucky They bill out heartworm medication by weight. All right, we're getting towards the end Let's leave on a little bit lighter note

[27:04] The other day I was at a hardware store and the lady behind the counter could not add or subtract Right when I was standing there the power went down on the cash register, which does all the calculations and tells the change, right? Well, she was flummoxed because she couldn't do a simple subtraction. So she took out her phone and used that calculator sound familiar Which reminded me of what one of my engineering professors once said he said there are three kinds of people in this world Those who know math and those who don't 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 insider seminar in central america

[27:51] 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