The Expat Files - 05/18/12

-Be sure to follow me on www.expatwisdom.com and get more new audios, blogs, stories and the big personal report “17 Undiscovered Latin American Paradises”.

-Now you can follow the link on the main page at www.expatwisdom.com to schedule a consultation with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, now you and I can talk about your situation one on one.

-A bit about expat wanabees that never get off the couch; the ones that know deep down that they will never take that step and become true expats.

-Labor unions in Latin America; why they aren’t making much progress at all but do exist. They occasionally stage walkouts and go on strike (called “huegas”) but they really don't improve the labor situation much. And in places where unions actually have a foothold, they are pretty much a joke compared to their first world counterparts(even though up North most unions have been weakened too).

-The very high cost of electricity in Latin America, and a truly amazing irony about that fact. DYK that so called “progressive” little Costa Rica has switched over to completely renewable hydro and geothermal electric power for the whole country? They are 100% self sufficient! And guess what? Prices not only DID NOT drop as you would logically expect, but they actually doubled! Whats up with that?

-Here’s another terrific, simple, extremely low startup cost business idea for expats and wanabees that’ll make you wonder why you didn’t think of it first!

-Latin American governments always subsidize cheap electric power rates for the poor (a traditional vote-getting measure aimed at the unwashed masses). But it’s a stupid regressive idea that always backfires and here’s why…