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3:07 pm
August 25, 2010
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This is a guest Article written by my good friend, CapnRick. Rick is an American expat living in Argentina, he also does Consulting ricdele@gmail.com
Thanks Rick and take care!
FerFAL
THE EXPAT LIFE AND HOW TO SURVIVE IT
10 Ways to G.O.O.D Without Losing Your Shirt
by Ricardo de Leon
As an expat US native, I get asked about my reasons for the relocation outside my birth country and my experiences in doing so. I am developing this article to aid in answering the more common questions for people who inquire. I love my life in Argentina… but, the expat life is not for everyone. The information herein is original and does not commit me to any liability for, nor rights to the information herein. You may freely copy this and reproduce it in any form you wish without attribution.
Most of my expat friends do NOT live in their expat home year round, but spend 6 – 8 months each year at their country of origin home, with a condo they have purchased or a rental they use for their time here in Argentina. Some of them will eventually reverse the process and spend most of their time here, but many will never fully expatriate. I also spend 2 – 4 months each 18 – 24 months in the US. I have permanent residence in Argentina, where many expats just come in on a tourist visa, renew once after the initial 3 month visa period, then leave before the 6 month tour runs out. Please do not convince yourself that it will always be OK to abuse your host nation's hospitality forever by abusing the tourist visa renewal policy… it makes things unnecessarily more difficult for other tourists. Many expats in BsAs (Buenos Aires) have made themselves unwelcome by abusing this policy for years, via constant renewals or illegally overstaying their tourist visa limits. Some have even bought property here, and can not visit when they wish due to host country wrath at the expat's disrespect for sovereign law of the host country.
WHO SHOULD REASONABLY BE ABLE TO EXPECT TO EXPATRIATE THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILY WITHOUT LOSING THEIR SHIRTS
People who are relatively young and relatively healthy with easily transferable job market skills, good sense of personal integrity, good forgivers and hardy adapters, fluent in the host country language or willing to walk barefoot over glowing coals (figuratively speaking) to learn it. Other things that aid in assimilating massive changes to one's lifestyle include having sources of income outside the host country. In many cases, one's ability to enjoy life without a lot of modern conveniences and media options (or even universally acceptable cell phone reception) is crucial to the success of a good expatriation plan.
There are some folks who should never consider expatriation. If one is uproot themselves from their known habitat and support infrastructure, one must be prepared to do without those comforts while building new ones in the new home. The relocation process is a very destructive one even within ones' own country. Especially consider…
o those who have no easily transferable job skills for the international marketplace. Doctors can easily find earnings at a lesser skill level job in the medical profession while getting re certified as physicians in the new country, whereas lawyers have a more difficult time due to a different legal system (example… differences between the English justice system and Napoleonic law). The people who earn their living over the internet can live anywhere they have a good, dependable high-speed internet connection. Many professions would have a difficult time transferring their skill sets to an often hostile workplace as an expat. People in most countries resent foreigners coming in and taking their jobs… including those in the US, Australia, Canada and the UK. Language barriers should also be considered.
o those who have serious chronic ailments that require lots of medical attention. While the level of care is generally good to excellent in many places, insurance becomes a problem. For example, I have Blue Cross/Blue Shield coverage as part of my retirement package. At age 65, the primary care entity became MediCare, thanks to the 2003 federal law that let BC/BS off the hook as primary care provider. Before I turned 65, I was able to send claim forms back to BC/BS and get refunds for costs expended outside the US. The entire cost for a procedure was often less than the copay for that same procedure in the US, so I got very little benefit from BC/BS. Since MediCare… not usable for costs incurred outside the USA… took over as primary provider, the benefits have dropped to zero, except during my short visits to the US. Since I never signed up for MediCare Part B due to the fact it is worthless outside the US, I have a complicated scenario on benefits if I need medical coverage even while inside the US. At my advanced age with pre-existing conditions, I have no chance of buying insurance that makes sense for me. Your experience may be different.
Even if you are young and healthy, one cannot foresee events. Sooner or later, everyone needs medical care. Children with medical conditions certainly are a serious complication.
o persons who heavily depend upon others for emotional support should not consider expatriation. Even if the support provider is moving with you, one cannot depend upon their being able to adapt to conditions in the new country.
o people who depend heavily on financial services (banks, etc) while avoiding the use of technology to access those services and their money. You will soon realize most people need bank accounts in more than one country, and access is often ONLY via internet for those services. ATMs alone are not sufficient for many of us.
o people who often indulge in alcohol or other stimulants on the street or in public. These folks put themselves and others at enhanced risk… and enhanced chance of severe consequences. These non-US justice systems tend to be less lenient than US justice systems, up to and including the death penalty for illegal narcotic possession in a few countries. I am not aware of too many countries where this sort of behavior can be exercised with impunity… or personal safety.
o people who lack the capital with which to live for at least 6 months while starting to seek new employment. A lot of work can be done establishing relationships with future employer prospects via internet before actually cutting ties with your support base in your home country. But, even if you have a job lined up before moving, you need 6 months living expense in your pocket when you move. Things don't always go as planned. Optimism is a very dangerous drug if you overdose.
o the need to get access to your money back in your home country. This took me almost 4 years to arrange money access to the current liveable state. One can never assume that opening a bank account or accessing any other financial services of any kind beyond ATM access is possible in a different country. Some of the procedures I tried include…
oo …having my attorney set up a company for a local citizen who wanted to have a US bank account for security's sake (banks here are toys of the government). With that company set up, my attorney could then apply for a tax id in the company name and open the bank account in the client's name with that tax id. As it happened, the client traveled to Miami and set up the bank account himself, using the company tax id as planned. Then, he could hand me relatively modest amounts of local currency in cash in exchange for my bank transfer of US dollars to his account in Miami… anytime it was mutually convenient to do so. Recent government activity has changed things to the point that this procedure is of uncertain legality, so BE CAREFUL if you try something like this and beware the consequences of accidentally running afoul of anyone's money laundering laws.
oo … using my wife's account. Not having any local income has a downside… I cannot qualify for a local credit card. There is no such thing as a prepaid credit card here. Debit cards, tied to a checking account, are not legal to use to buy things over the internet or phone… you can only use them in person and showing government picture ID. There is no easy credit. There are very few mortgages… cars and houses are paid for in CASH! Most expats with a permanent residency and even a local job have a tough time getting a bank to agree to allow you to open a bank account here. Expat sites here seethe with expressions of frustration at money handling problems no one could anticipate. This is not an opportunity for the easily frustrated. I can ONLY qualify as co-signer on my citizen wife's checking account, where we make deposits each month to handle the debit card transactions we need to perform each month. I probably will never qualify for an account on my own, which suits me fine. I need the joint account to be able to access other bank services beyond the scope of this article. NOTE: THE LACK OF a local credit card means I cannot have a local PayPal account, and must use my US PayPal account, which I had hoped to combine to transfer money. Sorry… won't work.
oo using our attorney to collect all our income and deposit monthly all those funds not able to be set up on automatic direct deposit. We handle most of our other transactions over the internet. Our attorney also receives our mail, scans important items to email to us, etc… services most expats suddenly finding themselves in need of paying someone to do for them.
oo used JonesTur to transfer a large sum in US dollars to complete a cash real estate purchase. Other such money exchanges offer this service. Fees for these services range from 1% to 5% depending on how well they know you at that branch office and the size of the transaction.
PLAN
The most important part of any international move is the Plan, which should reasonably consist of several elements:
o Make up a list of the countries you are interested in considering for a home. Begin to acquire and collate information on each site. Expat blog sites and user group sites are easy to find… just type the name of the country you wish to research into a search engine search subject box and get started.
o Research the requirements to obtain permanent residency. I used the Miami consulate of Argentina's website to get most of my information, determined that permanent residency was a reasonable expectation for me, and set up an interview to establish the requirements for a temporary residency. The paperwork for moving two vehicles and a lot of household effects for me and my wife would be possible only once my temporary residence was approved.
o Once you have a short list of candidate countries in which you are interested, it is time to start lurking and corresponding all the expat sites. I spent years of the Colombia site before I felt I was going about things incorrectly. You should go back several years on the expat commentaries and read as much as you can about the members' questions and experiences. This information is useful in eliminating some countries.
I would still consider Colombia, but I would now give precedence to Panama and Ecuador. For my particular needs, Ecuador is great. Panama is not my favorite, but makes the most sense for those who cannot tolerate such disruption in their lives as other countries require. The US dollar is the local currency, many US health insurance firms have networks set up there, and the banking, real estate and job situations are a dream there compared to the rest of the world. The only place I can stand the climate is at the higher altitudes, which really limits access to the civilized goodies of Panama City. I visited these countries many times over 40 years in business, but got most of my information from the expats.
I am really fortunate to be well situated with a marvelous lifestyle in a top-notch climate. We walk everywhere and recently sold the vehicles because we don't really need them. I wish all of you the same.
o CHECK EXPAT WRITERS' BLOGS so you can get some good ideas before making a final decision. My favorites are Simon Black … http://www.sovereignman.com/simon-black/ and Fernando Aquirre… http://www.themodernsurvivalis……com/about
EXECUTE THE PLAN
The final decisions made, it is a good idea to plan to …
o rent for the first year or two. One must be severely overly optimistic to try to buy real estate in a foreign country without a couple of years of research or throwing an amazing amount of money away. Neither course is likely to end well. The best chances for optimum results only come after tedious and astute research and getting good local assistance from local friends and expats.
Being able to walk away from a series of decisions that didn't work out is always easier if the legal entanglements are not too severe. You will be glad you were careful.
o consider trying to do without a car… at least for the first year or so. The advice may seem radical if, like me, you have driven for over 50 years and had a car since teen years. It is important to realize that the majority of people in most countries do NOT drive on a daily basis and car ownership is not as prevalent outside the first world countries. The paperwork is incredibly complicated, there are many items that can go wrong with seriously bad outcome. We came close to losing our car to confiscation and sale by customs, all because of an intramural row with a different government agency over whether or not a certain law was in force. If we had not had several thousand dollars available to cover the problem… bye-bye Ford Focus. Your results could be better or worse.
The good news is that the bus/train/taxi facilities are fabulous… we are very comfortable using public transport, at very economical rates. If we ever need our own transport, I may pick up a good deal on one of the thousands of scooter that crowd the streets here.
o request a copy of my free TRAVEL SECURITY article to see some personal safety issues that may come up as you move around the world and your new home, and how to deal with them. Send a request email to ricdele at gmail dot com. To get you started thinking about personal security, try to consider that you are safer leasing an apartment above ground level than one would be in a freestanding home with a yard. Be aware of your surroundings, especially when approaching your front door from the street. Many home invasions can be avoided by carefully considering your surroundings and perhaps walking away from your front door, delaying opening the door, etc if the scene seems unsafe. Once the invaders are free from view from the street, the situation is about as bad as possible.
o try to build good relationships with the local merchants and government officials. The sense of community is a marvelous asset if there are emergencies of some kind. Having the local beat cops watching out for you is always a good idea. Fernado “FerFAL” Aguirre taught me that one. I have applied it in my new home, and my wife is amazed at how successful my community Public Relations has been. Thanks, Fer.
o plan to become active in expat social activities. I consider it part of my duties as an expat to stay in touch with other expat and their issues. Consider joining expat clubs and participate in group activities. There is a wealth of experience, information and advice available through these activities. Most importantly… IT'S FUN!
o once you have picked out your new host country, join LinkedIn for free and start investigating groups to join. There are over 2,000 LinkedIn groups that show up on a site search for “Argentina”, and many more for “Latin America”, as examples. I have met some very helpful people and gotten lots of good ideas from my reading there. Who knows? You may be able to find that new job to finance your expatriation on LinkedIn.
o some may be surprised that I do not recommend home schooling your children unless the security concerns are otherwise unworkable, or you were already home schooling prior to expatriating. Private schools are expensive, but, a necessary expense to insure that your children are not subject to undue potential for violence against them. I believe that the best solution for most families may be the private school approach as kids acclimatize to a new environment in a foreign country better when attending school, religious services and community activities with their peers. Besides, IT'S FUN!!!!
o volunteering for service to charitable organizations is a good way to aid in assimilation into the community. Another FUN way to adapt to your new home.
12:09 am
October 18, 2011
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Thanks for the great post CapnRick!
For the last year and a half I have been looking at expat options. I do most of my work online, so I am in a pretty good situation work wise.
You certainly don't have to answer, but if you're not against it, I'm wondering:
1) did you actually become a citizen of Argentina?
2) did you renounce U.S. Citizenship?
3) Why or why not to the above 2?
Thanks guys!
9:26 pm
June 7, 2011
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1) The Economist news magazine had a recent article on the attractions of
Ecuador for American retirees:
http://www.economist.com/node/21543491
Thanks very much for the info, Rick.
12:44 am
August 25, 2010
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Ecuadro? Really? Man are these guys overlooking or underestimating how dangerous some of these places can be.Especially for a loaded American.
FerFAL
1:25 am
July 7, 2011
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I find it odd someone recommended Argentina giving FerFal pulled out. Think about what that says about a place; The man who literally wrote the book on dealing with bad times packed up his family and moved across an ocean to get out of a place someone recommended others move too.
Recommending Colombia is also puzzling. Colombia of today isn't the Colombia I worked in during the 80's & 90's. However, they still have problems and my son in law is working there now. I think it's a pretty good general rule of thumb to not live where men like us work.
1:59 pm
June 7, 2011
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1) No place is a monolith –the wealthy western suburbs of Philadelphia have very low homicide rates but go 15 miles over to Chester, PA or Camden New Jersey and you have some of the highest homicide rates on the planet.
2) As I recall, Captain Rick lives in a quiet small coastal city of Argentina and is married to a local –which I would imagine helps a lot in gaining the support and protection of the local community.
3) One of the things that hasn't been mentioned is the degree of anonymity and privacy provided by various countries. In another decade, I suspect the Dept of Homeland Security here in the USA will be tattooing Social Security Id numbers on the foreheads of infants at birth. Which means they can shut off your life support –bank accounts, jobs, credit cards,etc — at will and track you down instantly. Plus you are probably videotaped countless times without your knowledge if you walk nowdays through the downtown section of a major US city.
Some of the poorer countries are better because they do not have the resources for intensive surveillance.
3:33 am
March 13, 2011
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This is an important topic, since many of us will leave our countries of origin as FerFAL did, or have done so already. As an expat who divides his time between Thailand and Japan, I've thought about a lot of these things. Some of my observations will seem obvious — I'm supplying them anyway because I meet so many expats who are clueless about even basic things.
First, learn the language! This is a pretty smart group and you probably know this already. But English speakers tend to think they don't have to because "English is understood everywhere." Well, yes, but there's no better way of showing respect to your hosts than speaking their language. The fact that you didn't have to only gets you more appreciation for it. It will save your bacon countless times, win you acceptance, maybe even get you a break on prices. Everything gets easier if people like you, and your chances of being liked go up if you address a Thai in Thai, a Japanese in Japanese, and so on.
Second, if you are relocating to a country less fortunate than your own, get down with the fact that folks gotta earn a living. You will be viewed as a 'walking wallet' — it can't be helped so don't get excited about it. If you don't want that leather wallet, T-shirt or pirate DVD, politely refuse. Haggle by all means, but don't resent that you will end up paying more than locals do. Get your wife or girlfriend to shop for you to save money.
Of course there will be people trying to rip you off — that's different, they don't deserve your good nature. Which brings me to:
Other expats. In some countries these are the people you have to watch out for. In Thailand, I have found the Thai people to be on the whole courteous, honest and well mannered. Of course there are exceptions. But the foreigners — well, I have some good friends here, but most of the long-term expats in Thailand have a checkered past and an uncertain future. Most of the scams I've heard of have come from other foreigners. Real friends emerge only after many years. Obvious, I know, but every day a new expat gets skinned by an old one.
Be an ambassador of your country. Little kindnesses like opening the door for someone will help the locals to feel positive about you and people like you. It can't hurt anyway.
Be generous while avoiding displays of wealth. Walking into a bar and ringing the bell — appreciated, but it impresses the wrong people. Quietly tipping well in a restaurant — better.
10:02 pm
July 7, 2011
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I'm pert sure the man who wrote the book on surviving bad times in Argentina is aware of all types of small out of the way towns in the nation of his birth.And has local family, yet he chose to leave. I enjoyed my limited time in BA, and always wanted to go back, till I started reading FerFal's blog. IIRC, his 1st choice was the USA. I know its a simplistic argument but FerFals actions speaks volumes to me.
I’m always surprised when people think they will experience more liberty outside of the USA. Liberty and lawlessness are not the same thing; and liberty means different things to different people. Here in the USA, I'm free by default because I live on a farm. Not that the rules don't apply to me, but who's around to enforce them or rat me out? And it seems much easier to in-pat than go ex-pat. You know what's 15 miles from me? Small Southron towns, and more rural, God fearing, gun owning, Southron men.
Which doesn't mean we're problem/ crime free
There are nations that will fine or jail you for criticizing homosexuals or moslems; limit the amount or kinds of property you can own as a foreigner, tax you into compliance on a host of issues without you realizing it etc etc
Many of the places people recommended folks ex-pat to had problems in the recent past. I remember when the Brazilian authorities were basically ethnically cleansing their ghettos. Who knows when those problems will start up again? The local middle class and upper middle class are fleeing many of the places men talk about ex-pating to.
As for me, the USA isn’t perfect but legally I can own as much land and as many houses as I can afford; cars with 600 rear wheel horse power aren’t gas-taxed out of a middle class mans ability to afford; I can own the type of dogs I want; own machine guns, .50 sniper riffles, build destructive devices, carry a firearm damn near any where I want; criticize who I want; travel any where I want inside a nation damn near bigger than some continents without a passport and without language barriers to visit some of the worlds greatest cities, ski resorts, and beaches; do the same and see some of the greatest wonders in the natural world; hunt pigs, deer, moose, turkey, bears; fish for bass or marlin; chase after the widest selection of women I’ve seen in one nation etc etc etc.
There are decent places to live out side of America and the West, but what you will be doing is exchanging one set of difficulties for another. A lot of the ex-pats I’ve meet over the years are as unhappy in their new local as they were in their old local. My guess is because they don’t really know how to make themselves happy. And Sirius Black's warning about ex-pats is good advice. A number of ex-pats I've meet are doing it strictly to drink and whore and with that comes a host of unpleasant personality traits. A few ex-pats are wanted for a variety of minor yet unsavory behavior issues in their home nation
I think everyone should have plans to ex-pat. NI was on the bottom of my short list before FerFal made his case for it. That he went there speaks well of the places peace and stability. Plus I have family there. I really like Thailand and Japan. I found the Japaneses to be a lot friendlier and more fun to be around than the stereo type. I'd never live there long term but you'd be safe there. The people in Thailand are just what Sirius said and then some. I've seen poor old ladies there run their old lady asses off to catch up to a tourist and return the foreigners belongings. Personally, my plans are for eastern Europe. Some have ok gun laws; a few places seem to really want Western ex-pats; I have friends there already; the women are outrageously fine looking and relatively free of feminism
9:25 pm
August 25, 2010
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I couldnt agree with you more about USA Stonelifter, its the place to be if you can. Careful of Eastern Europe women, they are very good looking but also VERY difficult to deal with, completely different culture in some cases that westerners may find just intolerable.
FerFAL
1:54 am
July 7, 2011
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Going ex-pat seems to be the topic of the day. Currently it's a popular topic on the forums I visit; pro-White forums, mens' rights forums and this place. I think it has to do with the grass is always greener effect. I've live a good portion of my life outside the USA and know a number of ex-pats. And my time outside the US is generally not the nice safe tourist areas of the same nations others visit. I think that gives me a different, perhaps more realistic perceptive.
I seem to be better liked by Eastern European women than American/ Western women. I know part of that is money, and I don't mind the "walking wallet" effect Sirius mentioned. The ladies there seem to like men. It's kind of hard to explain, and it might be hard for someone from South America to understand. Women in the USA don't seem to like or respect traditionally masculine men anymore, and they seem to prefer the illusion of things vs reality. Chicks in the USA look at bodybuilders as the strongest/ best built. The ladies in Poland, for example, seemed more impressed with my size, strength and scars than "6-pack abs"; more impressed with my "understated" wealth, than 7 series BMW's. I don't know. Maybe. Social commentary isn't my thing and I understand most of the world but women…………..
I'd probably stay in Alaska permanently before I ex-pat, but I'm a man who believes in having back up plans to his back up plans. One way or the other, I've decided to give it another 10 years
8:34 pm
August 25, 2010
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oh we have walking wallets in Argentina. In fact we have a saying "billetera mata galan". I'll let you figure that one on your own! ;-)
FerFAL
10:20 pm
July 7, 2011
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pretty sure it has something to do with women liking money; wallet beats love maybe? almost sounds like a song title
My Spanish sucks these days, and I was never very good at reading or writing Spanish even when I was "good" with it
5:56 am
August 25, 2010
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Its wallet beats stud. ;)
FerFAL
11:19 am
July 7, 2011
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wallet beats stud everywhere; jokes about women and money are funny everywhere. The USA, Columbia, Japan, here in hajji land
it's best to be a stud with a wallet
6:45 am
March 19, 2011
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Careful of Eastern Europe women, they are very good looking but also VERY difficult to deal with, completely different culture in some cases that westerners may find just intolerable.
FerFAL
I say be careful of Russian and and Ukranian women, other countries less so. Russian women are notorious for being mercenary.
I live in Poland and the women here are perfect marrying material. Well, I married one so I must be right.
:)
7:55 am
March 18, 2011
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Now, now, there are exceptions to every rule. I know two very nice Russian sisters who have absolute hearts of gold ;-)
9:13 am
February 8, 2011
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There is an old saying my grandmother used to quote whenever the subject of moving to another place came up:
"If you liked the last place you lived, you will probably like the next place you live".
Her point was that you will take yourself with you, along with whatever discontents and resentments you might have.
It may not apply to those escaping social chaos to move to a more peaceful place but there is a large enough grain of truth in it to be worth mentioning here.
Cordially,
TwoHoot
9:54 am
March 13, 2011
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Here's an object lesson in the problem of other expats:
http://www.andrew-drummond.com…..hp?sid=535
Be especially careful when buying real estate. It's hard to survive SHTF after someone's stolen your life savings.
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