Advertise on podcast: The Expat Files: Living in Latin America

Johnny announces his week-long Latin American Insider seminar in Guatemala and El Salvador (November 13–20, 2026).Go toExpatplanb.com for signup details: NOTE the early-bird discount deadline for the  seminar has been moved up to September 20. Earlybird signups get $1,000 off the regular price (plus another $1,000 for repeat attendees). Early Spanish learners usually master nouns first but struggle with verbs, making real sentences difficult. The advice is not to fear “murdering” the language—Latinos are generally very tolerant of foreigners’ clumsy attempts. Many expats hit a language plateau where their Spanish works well with a Latino partner (who adapts to their particular errors) but is still hard for outsiders to fully understand. A 2025 Latino Barómetro poll showed very high percentages of people in several Latin American countries view immigration to their own countries as dangerous and harmful (Peru 80.4%, Ecuador 80.2%, Panama 76.7%, Colombia 76.3%). Argentina was the most accepting of immigrants at only 27% of people polled having negative feelings toward immigrants. The strong general negative views are largely driven by the huge Venezuelan migrant wave that began around 2017. A 12 year Yale study of thousands of adults over 50 yrs found that reading books for 30+ minutes a day was linked to living about two years longer than non book readers (the benefit did not apply to reading newspapers, magazines, or online articles). According to trans-national corporation Siemens, the Latin American countries with the worst power grids (25–35% transmission losses, frequent outages and  brownouts) are Venezuela, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Brazil. Chile has the strongest grid, largely due to its foreign maintained and financed mining industry. Nicaraguan president/dictator Daniel Ortega recently stated there will be no more elections and that he and his wife will continue to rule. The top IMF world debtors include Argentina (#1 at ~$42.5 billion), Ukraine, Pakistan, and surprisingly Ecuador (#4), a popular retirement destination for expats.  Be sure to pick up my newly updated, "2026 - LATIN AMERICAN HEALTHCARE REPORT": The new edition for 2026 (and beyond) is available now, including the latest "Stem Cell Clinic" info and data and my top picks for the best treatment centers for expats and gringos. Just go to www.ExpatPlanB.com

Johnny announces his next one-week Latin American Insider seminar in Guatemala and El Salvador (November 14–20, 2026). Go to Expatplanb.com for signup details: The difference betweenkilowatts (power rate) and kilowatt-hours (energy used or stored), a common source of confusion for people considering solar systems. A Panama listener mixed up the terms (calling a 5 kW inverter “5 kWh” and a 40 kWh battery “40 kW”); the real issue was an underpowered inverter that couldn’t handle three mini-split ACs at night. Advice for solar shoppers: Ask the salesperson to explain the difference between kilowatts and kilowatt-hours — if they can’t, walk away. A modern 1-ton AC unit typically draws about 800–1,000 watts; look for a SEER rating of 20+ for much better efficiency than older units. Brazilian president Lula’s Bolsa Família program is mentioned critically for tying cash payments to children’s vaccinations. A Mexican national living in the U.S. was arrested in Colombia for defrauding U.S. COVID relief programs of more than $1 million. A new retirement-cost study shows a middle-class American needs roughlya $738,000 nestegg to retire comfortably in the U.S.; most Latin American countries require less than half that amount (Costa Rica and Uruguay are the most expensive in the region). Practical warnings about renting in Latin America: verbal promises from landlords often don’t match the written Spanish contract, tenants are usually responsible for appliance repairs, and full security deposits are rarely returned. Strong recommendation to use WhatsApp for all landlord communications (for a permanent record) and to run any Spanish rental or purchase contract through Grok or ChatGPT before signing. The first unmistakable sign you’re getting old issomewhat gross and not much discussed …  Be sure to pick up my newly updated, "2026 - LATIN AMERICAN HEALTHCARE REPORT": The new edition for 2026 (and beyond) is available now, including the latest "Stem Cell Clinic" info and data and my top picks for the best treatment centers for expats and gringos. Just go to www.ExpatPlanB.com

Johnny’supcoming week-long “Latin American Insider Seminar” will be in Guatemala and El Salvador (November 13–20, 2026).  For details go to Expatplanb.com or click on: https://www.expatplanb.com/expat-insider-seminar-nov-2026/ Only a handful of Latin American countries (Chile, Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, Costa Rica) actively enforce mandatory yearly vehicle technical inspections; most others have the laws but rarely enforce them. Annual vehicle registration stickers (“marbetes”) are required everywhere and are usually obtained at banks after paying taxes and any outstanding tickets. Many expats avoid sticking the ugly yearly marbete on the windshield and simply keep it in the glove compartment; police rarely care as long as you can show proof of payment. Traffic tickets in Latin America are cheap compared with the U.S.; fighting them is possible but often wastes more time than the fine is worth. A listener email from Panama contrasts the high cost and entitlement culture of U.S. dating/weddings with the much lower cost and more appreciative attitude of a Latina spouse in Panama. One of the biggest attractions of living in Latin America (especially off the tourist trail) is a slower, less stressful, more manageable lifestyle. Johnny criticizes expats who constantly complain and try to force Latin culture to match their home-country expectations instead of adapting. Listeners praise Grok AI for giving more direct, less politically correct answers than ChatGPT. A warning about recent data breaches involving Ledger and Trezor hardware-wallet customer mailing lists, leading to phishing emails and fake official-looking letters.  Be sure to pick up my newly updated, "2026 - LATIN AMERICAN HEALTHCARE REPORT": The new edition for 2026 (and beyond) is available now, including the latest "Stem Cell Clinic" info and data and my top picks for the best treatment centers for expats and gringos. Just go to www.ExpatPlanB.com

Johnny announces his next one-week Latin American Insider seminar in Guatemala and El Salvador (November 14–20, 2026). He observes that most small tiendas, mini-marts, and wholesale businesses across Latin America are owned by Chinese and Koreans. Large chain stores like La Torre, Costco, and Walmart are owned by wealthy Latino families, while smaller scruffier shops are Asian-owned. Hardware stores (ferreterías) are a rare exception rarely owned by Asians due to the specialized product knowledge required. Asians are described as highly industrious, frugal, and work long hours, rarely spending on restaurants, bars, or vacations except for nice cars. Latinos generally do not resent Asian business dominance and would not trade places with them because of cultural differences in spending and lifestyle. Johnny strongly recommends using the “hidden wallet” feature with an extra passphrase on Ledger or Trezor cold wallets for better security after recent hacks. He reviews median fixed broadband speeds in Latin America, with Chile leading at 335 Mbps and Cuba at the bottom with only 4 Mbps. Prescription drugs (including Viagra, pain meds, opioids, and now GLP-1s) are widely available without a prescription at many mom-and-pop pharmacies despite official rules. Ecuadorian authorities have seized over 20,000 motorcycles since 2021 for lack of plates, registration, or licenses, which Johnny celebrates.  Be sure to pick up my newly updated, "2026 - LATIN AMERICAN HEALTHCARE REPORT": The new edition for 2026 (and beyond) is available now, including the latest "Stem Cell Clinic" info and data and my top picks for the best treatment centers for expats and gringos. Just go to www.ExpatPlanB.com

·  Avoid Facebook expat groups — they create a dependency bubble full of know-it-alls, sellers, and political ranting. ·  WhatsApp is essential in Latin America; without it you’re basically cut off from daily life. ·  Machetes are common and rarely used for crime except crimes of passion. ·  Cleaning staff often salvage useful items from your trash and may open their purses for inspection when leaving. ·  Most toilets are cemented rather than properly bolted to the floor to save time and money. ·  Cheap steel screws rust rapidly in the tropics; stainless steel is rarely used by local contractors. ·  Peruvian flute bands mysteriously appear in every tourist-heavy park around the world selling CDs no one will ever play. ·  Boa constrictors almost never kill people, but venomous snakes still cause several hundred deaths a year in Latin America, especially in rural areas.  Be sure to pick up my newly updated, “2026 – LATIN AMERICAN HEALTHCARE REPORT”: The new edition for 2026 (and beyond) is available now, including the latest “Stem Cell Clinic” info and data and my top picks for the best treatment centers for expats and gringos. Just go to www.ExpatPlanB.com

#1- More on that crazy Guatemalan Jade mining story:   #2- Proof why Latin American governments can never be trusted:  Oh, and the US govt is even worse….   #3- The problem with Miami mailbox forwarding services:   #4- What you never knew about your Latin American electric bill:   #5- Why buying a hybrid car is NEVER recommended:   #6- How newbee green gringos are easily misled by woke Fakebook gringo expats sites:   #7- More proof that only corrupt people need run for Latin American political office: The question is… are the candidates just a little corrupt or a lot corrupt?   #8- Be sure to pick up my newly updated, "2026 - LATIN AMERICAN HEALTHCARE REPORT": The new edition for 2026 (and beyond) is available now, including the latest "Stem Cell Clinic" info and data and my top picks for the best treatment centers for expats and gringos. Just go to www.ExpatPlanB.com

#1- DYK that severe Air B&B restrictions are in the works in most all Latin American countries? So, as govts. crack down, Gringos and expats must be aware that owning an Airbnb is NOT a long term good or sure investment anymore...     #2- DYK Costa Rica has double the minimum wage of most all other Latin American countries, and they enforce it: That means in the rest of Latin America you can get 2 cleaning ladies for the price of a single Costa Rican maid…     #3- What laws do Latin American cops actually crack down on or seem to enforce?   #4- Homeowner’s insurance policies in Latin America:   #5- Emotional support animals and their whimpy owners in Argentina:   #6- About that rat's nest of wires you're seeing on the nearest power pole:   #7- My Book Review of a brand new must read called, “ THE GRINGO ADVANTAGE” Finally… there is an actual no BS step by step guide to getting out of dodge... #8- Be sure to pick up my newly updated, "2026 - LATIN AMERICAN HEALTHCARE REPORT": The new edition for 2026 (and beyond) is available now, including the latest "Stem Cell Clinic" info and data and my top picks for the best treatment centers for expats and gringos. Just go to www.ExpatPlanB.com

#1- Dumb and dumber in Latin America:   #2- A word about physical books and bookstores in Latin America:   #3- What you really need to know about phone and internet plans in Latin America:   #4- What the Narcoculture influence has done to women in Mexico:   #5- Emotional support animals and their wimpy owners in Argentina:   #6- The downsides of having a Latina GF:   #7- Latino male complaints about American Gringas: #8- Be sure to pick up my newly updated, "2026 - LATIN AMERICAN HEALTHCARE REPORT": The new edition for 2026 (and beyond) is available now, including the latest "Stem Cell Clinic" info and data and my top picks for the best treatment centers for expats and gringos. Just go to www.ExpatPlanB.com

#1- To be fat or obese in Latin America:   #2- Ozempic and GLP-1’s have arrived in Latin America: Is that a good or bad thing? Do the locals even understand it?   #3- Brownouts, blackouts and power outages in Latin America AND the USA: Are you prepared to suffer or will you just put up with it?   #4- Why its absolutely time to go solar and off-grid no matter where you live: Why the payback time period is worth the initial cost…   #5- Be sure to pick up my newly updated, "2026 - LATIN AMERICAN HEALTHCARE REPORT": The new edition for 2026 (and beyond) is available now, including the latest "Stem Cell Clinic" info and data and my top picks for the best treatment centers for expats and gringos. Just go to www.ExpatPlanB.com

Descriptions -    #1- When your rudimentary Spanish suddenly allows you to hear things you are not supposed to hear:   #2- Living super cheap in the Latin American boonies:   #3- The govt in Ecuador is more corrupt than you can imagine:   #4- So many little daily irritations have such simple solutions that are never addressed:   #5- The #1 crime (by far) committed against individuals in Latin America is.....   #6- What do most American women who fly down to Latin America for plastic surgery (BBL’s, etc) have in common- besides wanting an improved butt and a thinner waist    #7- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he’s been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at: [email protected]  #8- Be sure to pick up my newly updated, "2026 - LATIN AMERICAN HEALTHCARE REPORT": The new edition for 2026 (and beyond) is available now, including the latest "Stem Cell Clinic" info and data and my top picks for the best treatment centers for expats and gringos. Just go to www.ExpatPlanB.com

#1- The preponderance of hacks and data breaches in Latin America and how they affect gringos and Expats:   #2- Scammers impersonating me trying to sell crap in my name:   #3- The Latin American / Miami real estate connection is real:   #4- Envy, jealosy and snobbery in Latin America:   #5- The simple thing that most all successful Expats have in common:   #6- You don’t ever want a Latino, or especially a Latina, to refer to you as a “papa sin sal”       #7- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he’s been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at: [email protected]  #8- Be sure to pick up my newly updated, "2026- LATIN AMERICAN HEALTHCARE REPORT": The new edition for 2026 (and beyond) is available now, including the latest "Stem Cell Clinic" info and data and my top picks for the best treatment centers for expats and gringos. Just go to www.ExpatPlanB.com

#1- What do Expat Files listeners have in common?   #2- When legal Latinos living in the USA throw in the towel, get out of dodge, and move back to their home country:   #3- Latin American “sweatshop” realities;   #4- Lotteries in Latin America:  Who wins?   #5- DYK that Ecuador is on its 7th round of curfew lockdowns, all of that in just the last two and half years? Meanwhile, Ecuador is forever touted by so-called USA retirement experts as a top choice for retiring expats… how do you square that?   #6- Why does every scumbag Latin American politician say he loves El Salvador’s Bukele and his measures yet none of these other shit-bag politicians has yet to implement any Bukele’s ideas:   #7- The rapidly accelerating sad fate of Latin America’s 2.5 million call center workers:   #8- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he’s been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at: [email protected]    #9- Be sure to pick up my newly updated, "LATIN AMERICAN HEALTHCARE REPORT": The new edition for 2026 (and beyond) is available now, including the latest "Stem Cell Clinic" info and data and my top picks for the best treatment centers for expats and gringos. Just go to www.ExpatPlanB.com and click on the "Latin American Healthcare Report”.

#1- What about becoming an Expat in Portugal? Yes, if you've noticed, in the last few years expat rags and social media have been promoting Portugal as a great Plan B. Well, sorry to say, unless you have a nice fat nest- egg or great pension above and beyond social security you will never make ends meet.   #2- The truth about modern-day backpackers: You might be surprised to hear that in today's world it’s not like the backpacking days of old…   #3- 1st World American women neuroticisms versus 3rd World Latina neuroticisms: They're on a totally different scale...   #4- How will you react when your Latina girlfriend asks to scroll through and inspect YOUR smart phone?   #5- How Expats and gringos are handling the continuing power outages in Ecuador (or not):   #6- Why suddenly, many of those expensive private bilingual helicopter schools are in trouble and closing:   #7- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he’s been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at: [email protected]    #8- Be sure to pick up my newly updated, "LATIN AMERICAN HEALTHCARE REPORT": The new edition for 2026 (and beyond) is available now, including the latest "Stem Cell Clinic" info and data and my top picks for the best treatment centers for expats and gringos. Just go to www.ExpatPlanB.com and click on the "Latin American Healthcare Report”.

#1- When Gringo Expats in Latin America exhibit stupid and asinine behavior:   #2- TDS- Trump Derangement Syndrome in Latin America: Funny how Latinos don’t seem to exhibit it, but a certain percentage of Gringo Expats and tourists certainly do…   #3- How to instantly confirm that you have been stupid about your tattoos:   #4- The huge, recent 16-million-person data and credit card hack in Ecuador:   #5- More on the frequent electrical power outages in Latin America:   #6- The problem with Jade stones in Guatemala:   #7- Meanwhile, as we lucky expats watch the USA train derail from a nice, safe distance….   #8- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he’s been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at: [email protected]    #9- Be sure to pick up my newly updated, "LATIN AMERICAN HEALTHCARE REPORT": The new edition for 2026 (and beyond) is available now, including the latest "Stem Cell Clinic" info and data and my top picks for the best treatment centers for expats and gringos. Just go to www.ExpatPlanB.com and click on the "Latin American Healthcare Report”.

Hey Guys, use this audio attached please, the one I sent earlier today was missing the intro and exit bit.. but this one is complete.. sorry about that but I'm on vacation in the Mediterranean and the connections and circumstances are a bit crude......................    Descriptions - THE EXPAT FILES SHOW #1509, FRI, MAY 29 (05-29-26):    #1- A word about “influencers” and other internet beggars:   #2- DYK the hantavirus that’s been all over the news lately actually was first detected in Argentina a half century ago? Even in that country of 40 million people it's been around a long time and only kills a handful of super old and immune compromised people each year- so Argentines think the rest of the world is completely nuts for worrying about it. So much for another big pharma false start on the next Plandemic.   #3- Do Chinese solar products spy on you? Since 95% of panels, inverters and batteries come from China, should you worry?   #4- Poisoned and enabled by “Remissas”; How certain Latinos back home start viewing their so-called “wealthy” relatives up in the states as human  ATM machines. It was only a matter of time… and human nature...   #5- Some hints and tips on what type of maid or cleaning lady you should NEVER consider hiring!!   #6- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he’s been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at: [email protected]    #7- Be sure to pick up my newly updated, "LATIN AMERICAN HEALTHCARE REPORT": The new edition for 2026 (and beyond) is available now, including the latest "Stem Cell Clinic" info and data and my top picks for the best treatment centers for expats and gringos. Just go to www.ExpatPlanB.com and click on the "Latin American Healthcare Report”.