What Happens to Family Holidays When You Live in Mexico?

What Happens to Family Holidays When You Live in Mexico?

Unfortunately, my daughter so believes what the MSM says about Mexico she won't set foot there once I my wife and I move.  

Constraints Facing the Next Mexican President

Constraints Facing the Next Mexican President

5 Places to Retire On Social Security Alone

Kathleen Peddicord of U.S.News & World Report has an article about 5 Places to Retire On Social Security Alone. The average social security check is about $1,200, so you could live in these five places comfortably

• Boquete, Panama
• Granada, Nicaragua
• Hangzou, China
• Morelia, Mexico - You could retire on a budget of about $1,100 per month in this colonial city full of charm and history. A friend calls Morelia the "coolest Mexican city you've never heard of."
• Cuenca, Ecuador

Not in favor of Hangzou, China, thank you!

Capital Controls Coming On January 1st!

One of my predictions for 2012 was this:

We are heading for economic Tyranny and Capital Controls and Restricted exits and failed currency.

Now, Attorney-entrepreneur-investor Joel M. Nagel, who is a frequent writer and speaker on asset protection concepts, has written that January 1, 2013 may be the start of capital controls. A law was passed in 2010 that goes into effect on January 1st, that requires foreign banks withhold 30% of any deposit from the U.S. and send it to the IRS.

Under Section 1474 of the bill, the law makes banks, as a third party, responsible for the enforcement of government tax policy. The banks are liable for the customer’s tax obligation on transferred funds, if they don’t withhold the required 30 percent to cover any possible tax liability. The banks essentially become the tax police, working for the government as hammers to bring about individual compliance.

Nagal writes that if you were to purchase a home in Panama for $100,000, you would need to send $142,000. Less 30% would net you $100,000. That my friends is an effective way to limit capital from leaving the country. One more freedom gone!

Book Review: Mañana Doesn't Mean Tomorrow By David Kindopp

We’ve all had lovers who just didn’t love us back as we wanted. David Kindopp describes his love affair with Mazatlan, Mexico in “Mañana Doesn't Mean Tomorrow, An unbelievably, ridiculously, painfully, delightfully true adventure in Mexico.” David gave up his real estate career in San Diego, settled up with his two ex-wives and sailed to Mexico on a 50-foot ketch.  All he wanted to do was start a charter business, taking tourists for sunset sails at $35 apiece.  He would provide the cervezas and food in a first-class manner and tourists would fall in love with the city as he had.

David is 40 and loves sailing and is good at his job.  He isn’t afraid of hard work and his mind overflows with the music of Jimmy Buffet. Working with tourists can pay well, but the ups and downs of the economy and the seasons can savage your endurance.  I’ve seen “Davids” in Mexico and Hawaii.  Sharing living quarters with other “Davids” enjoying the life in paradise. David is good with people and the lady tourists, looking for adventure, find it on the sea and in David’s bed, all in vivid detail.

Mexico is another story.  He loves the culture.  He feels alive.  Here he is not an American sheep with predictable futures, always paying for the new house, new car, education, healthcare. However, the corruption and inefficiency just beats him down.  He needs to get a permit to take tourists sailing, but is told by his business partners that the permit will be here Mañana! Those expats who live in Mexico know the most maddening part of living there is the lack of concern about time.  If it doesn’t get down today at 11:00am, there will be another 11:00am tomorrow or next week. He doesn’t understand why officials make it so hard to be an entrepreneur promoting tourism.

I loved the book. David Kindopp had me from the opening pages and I felt his love and hope for Mexico and also his pain and disappointment.  He says he has much more to tell and he plans on going back, so look for a sequel.

Visit Pinterest For Mexico Scenes

The new thing in social media is Pinterest where you start boards devoted to pictures on a specific topic. For example, I have a Mexico board and I pin pictures of places I want to visit or stay at in Mexico. You can see my board by clicking the link here. G9V3R3T7NCGX

Heed The Call!

I had a conversation recently in which I wondered if there is a diaspora in which people from the cold countries, countries with harsh winters, are selling their stuff and moving south to warmer climates. Maybe, what I'm seeing is too much House Hunters International, just anecdotal. 

I was reminded that the first push to warmer climates came after air conditioning was invented and installed.  Now people could live comfortably in Florida, and Palm Springs and Arizona and San Diego.  Then people could move to Mexico and Central America, but they were isolated.  Most of the phones were hit and miss.

Now we have the internet and you are now able to work in air conditioned comfort anywhere you can connect online. If I could convince my wife to sell everything, I could post to this blog from the white sands in PV or Mazatlan or Merida or Cancun. I could earn an incme while getting a tan.

Now there's a new company that puts employers in touch with expats named Teleworking Expats For Hire. 

As they say on their website:

"...you can now continue your successful career while living overseas and doing virtual work for companies in the US or Canada. Millions of qualified North Americans choose to live in Mexico  - from sales people to financial specialists, receptionists to lawyers. TeleworkingExpatsForHire.com is the first and only company to link these expats with businesses in Canada and the US, meaning expats can now further their careers and earn above average local wages – all from a beach in Acapulco!"

I expect more people in cold climates will answer the call.