Ecuador is one of the most affordable places in the world to retire and
to buy or rent a home. It‘s very accessible from the U.S.—you can fly
direct from both Quito and Guayaquil to Miami, Atlanta, Houston, New
York, and Atlanta.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Most Efficient Healthcare Countries - Canada #17 - Ecuador #20 - Greece # 30 - USA #46 - Serbia #47 - Brazil #48
Bloomberg Best (and Worst)
| Rank | Country | Efficiency score | Life expectancy | Health-care cost as a percentage of GDP per capita | Health-care cost per capita |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hong Kong t | 92.6 | 83.4 | 3.8% | $1,409 |
| 2 | Singapore t | 81.9 | 81.9 | 4.4 | 2,286 |
| 3 | Japan t | 74.1 | 82.6 | 8.5 | 3,958 |
| 4 | Israel t | 68.7 | 81.8 | 7.8 | 2,426 |
| 5 | Spain t | 68.3 | 82.3 | 10.4 | 3,027 |
| 6 | Italy t | 66.1 | 82.1 | 10.4 | 3,436 |
| 7 | Australia t | 66.0 | 81.8 | 8.9 | 5,939 |
| 8 | South Korea t | 65.1 | 80.9 | 7.2 | 1,616 |
| 9 | Switzerland t | 63.1 | 82.7 | 11.5 | 9,121 |
| 10 | Sweden t | 62.6 | 81.8 | 9.6 | 5,331 |
| 11 | Libya t | 56.8 | 75.0 | 3.8 | 398 |
| 12 | United Arab E… t | 56.6 | 76.7 | 4.1 | 1,640 |
| 13 | Chile t | 56.2 | 79.0 | 7.0 | 1,075 |
| 14 | United Kingdom t | 55.7 | 80.8 | 9.4 | 3,609 |
| 15 | Mexico t | 54.9 | 76.9 | 6.4 | 620 |
| 16 | Austria t | 54.4 | 81.0 | 11.2 | 5,280 |
| 17 | Canada t | 53.4 | 80.9 | 10.8 | 5,630 |
| 18 | Malaysia t | 52.8 | 74.3 | 3.3 | 346 |
| 19 | France t | 52.3 | 81.7 | 12.5 | 4,952 |
| 20 | Ecuador t | 51.7 | 75.6 | 6.1 | 332 |
| 21 | Poland t | 50.6 | 76.7 | 7.1 | 899 |
| 22 | Thailand t | 50.2 | 74.1 | 3.7 | 202 |
| 23 | Finland t | 49.5 | 80.5 | 9.4 | 4,325 |
| 24 | Czech Republic t | 48.9 | 77.9 | 8.1 | 1,507 |
| 25 | Netherlands t | 48.5 | 81.2 | 13.0 | 5,995 |
| 26 | Venezuela t | 48.3 | 74.3 | 4.3 | 555 |
| 27 | Portugal t | 47.2 | 80.7 | 11.4 | 2,311 |
| 28 | Cuba t | 46.8 | 79.1 | 11.3 | 606 |
| 29 | Saudi Arabia t | 46.0 | 74.1 | 3.6 | 758 |
| 30 | Germany t | 45.5 | 80.7 | 11.7 | 4,875 |
| 30 | Greece t | 45.5 | 80.7 | 13.0 | 2,864 |
| 32 | Argentina t | 45.1 | 75.8 | 7.7 | 892 |
| 33 | Romania t | 44.9 | 74.5 | 6.3 | 500 |
| 34 | Belgium t | 44.5 | 80.5 | 11.4 | 4,962 |
| 35 | Peru t | 43.2 | 74.0 | 4.4 | 289 |
| 36 | Slovakia t | 41.1 | 76.0 | 9.1 | 1,534 |
| 37 | China t | 38.3 | 73.5 | 4.6 | 278 |
| 38 | Denmark t | 38.1 | 79.8 | 11.8 | 6,648 |
| 38 | Hungary t | 38.1 | 74.9 | 8.6 | 1,085 |
| 40 | Algeria t | 37.2 | 73.1 | 4.2 | 225 |
| 41 | Bulgaria t | 37.0 | 74.2 | 7.5 | 522 |
| 42 | Colombia t | 36.2 | 73.6 | 5.6 | 432 |
| 43 | Dominican Rep… t | 35.3 | 73.4 | 5.2 | 296 |
| 44 | Turkey t | 33.4 | 73.9 | 6.5 | 696 |
| 45 | Iran t | 31.5 | 73.0 | 5.1 | 346 |
| 46 | United States t | 30.8 | 78.6 | 17.2 | 8,608 |
| 47 | Serbia t | 27.2 | 74.6 | 12.0 | 622 |
| 48 | Brazil t | 17.4 | 73.4 | 9.9 | 1,121 |
Expatriate or Revolution? - How to Take Your Money Out of....
There
is one undeniable fact that is emerging from the world of international
finance, if you want to retain the money that you have earned, you are
going to have to leave the country or you are going to have to overthrow
the bankers that have hijacked your government....
Your Bank Account Has No Protection
The FDIC has only about $25 billion in its deposit insurance fund, which is mandated by law to keep a balance equivalent to only 1.15% of insured deposits. If a banking collapse were to be on the near horizon, the banksters are not going to notify you because they would not want to incite a bank run. With only 1.15% of all deposits being insured by the FDIC, your money would be left vulnerable and only the elite would be warned as they quietly transfer their money to a safer haven. How do I know this? Because this is exactly what my research discovered on the money movements preceding the Gulf oil spill, as it ws revealed that on the morning of the explosion, Goldman Sachs issued a “put option for preferred insiders” in Transocean (the owner of the Deep Water Horizon oil rig) and the elite had their stock profit margin guaranteed while everyone else took a financial bath! This is the undeniable pattern of the global elite.
A Message to All Police State Surveillance Grid Employees
Hey NSA, while you are watching us, the IMF is watching your pensions and bank accounts.
To
all of you in the NSA who are spying on Americans to determine who has
been naughty or nice, your banks accounts and pensions will soon be gone
as well. To all military and police, the same is true for you too. It
does not make sense for any American to go along with this tyranny. Why
would you people fight on the side of those who would rob you blind at
the end of the day? Expatriate or Fight? The options are narrowing very
quickly.
Tick, tick tick…..It is 5 seconds to midnight...read more: http://thecommonsenseshow.com/2013/10/22/expatriate-or-revolution/
How to Take Your Money Out of the Bank Without Going to Prison- Dave Hodges The Common Sense Show October 23, 2013-
The banking industry is absolute chaos as their criminality is being exposed for the entire world to see.
It
is now widely known that the derivatives debt is over $1 quadrillion
dollars and some of the rank and file in this country are concerned that
their bank accounts, 401K’s, IRA’s and pensions will be confiscated by
desperate, tier two bankers, who are forestalling the inevitable
currency collapse by stealing your money.
You could find yourself in this crowd, if you do not act soon.
The time to have taken your money out of the bank was yesterday. There is very little time before the IMF’s plan to steal 10%, for starters, of all bank accounts in Europe.JP Morgan Chase is banning wire transfers
from their bank to foreign banks to prevent American capital flight
which will surely happen as America wakes up to the desperate situation
that the banks are in. The bank is also prohibiting any cash withdrawals
of $50,000 or more. This past Friday, HSBC (America) followed suit. It
is highly likely that all 5 megabanks will enact the same policies in
the near future.
Although,
most Americans are free to leave the country, it is becoming
exceedingly difficult for Americans to take their money with them.
Preparing for expatriation is a daunting task and I do not believe that
most of us have the time or the ability to get our assets out of the
country as well as make detailed plans and implement those plans in
advance of the coming crash as we attempt to leave the country.
Therefore, most of us are going to be forced to adopt an adaptation
strategy....
...As you move to withdraw the bulk of your money, there are three federal banking laws that you should be cognizant of, namely, Cash Transaction Report (CTR), a Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) and structuring.
CTR’s
Federal
law requires that the bank file a report based upon any withdrawal or
deposit of $10,000 or more on any single given day.The law was designed
to put a damper on money laundering, sophisticated counterfeiting and
other federal crimes.
To
remain in compliance with the law, financial institutions must obtain
personal identification, information about the transaction and the
social security number of the person conducting the transaction.
Technically,
there is no federal law prohibiting the use of large amounts of cash.
However, a CTR must be filed in ALL cases of cash transaction regardless
of the reason underlying the transaction.
Before
proceeding with the planed withdrawal of your money, I would strongly
suggest that you read the following federal guidelines as it relates to
CTR’s as produced by the The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). All the federal regulations contained in this article are elucidated in this series of federal reports. ...read more: http://thecommonsenseshow.com/2013/10/23/how-to-take-your-money-out-of-the-bank-without-going-to-prison/Your Life Depends on Literally Taking Your Money Out of the Bank- Dave Hodges The Common Sense Show October 24, 2013-
The Common Sense Show
Your
life depends on whether you begin to take your assets out the bank and
begin to purchase life sustaining supplies.You need to start this
process, today, in accordance with the principles I laid out in a previous article.
The Death of the American Economy
There
was an obscure story which ran two years ago which is receiving scant
attention and yet, it is the banking story of the decade. It is the
number one banking story in human history. It is the story which will
destroy America’s banking accounts. It is the story that spells the
beginning of the end of America’s financial empire. This is the end of
the America’s financial empire and NOBODY is talking about it. What is
that story? First, the prerequisite background....
...In
the meantime, get your money out of the bank while you will can and
purchase essentials for your survival, and begin taking your money out
today. Buy the essential supplies with your existing bank account. If
you delay, your ability to feed, water and protect yourself and your
family will disappear as the banksters make off with all of it.
You cannot stop what is coming, you can only prepare to try and survive for as long as you can....read more: http://thecommonsenseshow.com/2013/10/24/your-life-depends-on-literally-taking-your-money-out-of-the-bank/
Dave Hodges
October 29, 2013
Special Report for The Common Sense Show-
Most people of the world are good, loving people. To move up the ladder in the government power structure requires a ruthless, psychopathic approach. This is why we see such inhumane decisions emanating from governments around the world. The people who aspire to this level of power are generally mentally ill psychopaths. Consequently, I want the citizens in 39 countries who will hear my story to identify with the fact that we, as the people of the world, have a lot in common with each other, regardless of national origin.
I want foreign citizens, as well as American citizens to come to realize that the enemy of humanity are the ruthless bankers who control the governments of the world. I want people to know that we are all God’s children and, as such, we should never allow ourselves to be manipulated to take up arms against each other. I am on a mission to convey these ideals and that is why I spoke with the Russians media...http://thecommonsenseshow.com/2013/10/29/what-i-told-the-voice-of-russia-radio-network-about-impending-us-martial-law/
Dave Hodges
October 29, 2013
Special Report for The Common Sense Show-
Most people of the world are good, loving people. To move up the ladder in the government power structure requires a ruthless, psychopathic approach. This is why we see such inhumane decisions emanating from governments around the world. The people who aspire to this level of power are generally mentally ill psychopaths. Consequently, I want the citizens in 39 countries who will hear my story to identify with the fact that we, as the people of the world, have a lot in common with each other, regardless of national origin.
I want foreign citizens, as well as American citizens to come to realize that the enemy of humanity are the ruthless bankers who control the governments of the world. I want people to know that we are all God’s children and, as such, we should never allow ourselves to be manipulated to take up arms against each other. I am on a mission to convey these ideals and that is why I spoke with the Russians media...http://thecommonsenseshow.com/2013/10/29/what-i-told-the-voice-of-russia-radio-network-about-impending-us-martial-law/
Ecuador Seeks Alternatives for Possible US Economic Crisis - Quito, Oct 26 (Prensa Latina)
 Up to now, the traditional financing sources of Ecuador, whose economy has been dollarized for 13 years, have been the Andean Development Corporation, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the World Bank, the newspaper reports. According to Herrera, during the 16 days of the U.S. government shutdown due to disagreements of Republicans and Democrats over the debt ceiling, Ecuador had to use some liquidity provisions and speed up the outlays of some projects already budgeted. The United States is Ecuador's main trade partner, so if the U.S. economy is affected, Ecuador would receive a direct impact in our income abroad, warned economist Fidel Marquez. | |
| Modificado el ( sábado, 26 de octubre de 2013 )- http://www.plenglish.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1991791&Itemid=1 |
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Germany, Brazil enlist 19 more countries for anti-NSA UN resolution- October 26, 2013
Germany, Brazil enlist 19 more countries for anti-NSA UN resolution
Published time: October 26, 2013 19:05
Edited time: October 26, 2013 20:12
Edited time: October 26, 2013 20:12
The news was reported by Foreign Policy magazine, which has also obtained a copy of the draft text.
The resolution was proposed earlier this week by Germany and Brazil, whose leaders have been some of the most vocal critics of the comprehensive spying methods of the US National Security Agency....
...One of those is likely German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Earlier this week the White House failed to deny that her personal cell phone had been tapped in the past, though it claims that it no longer listens in on Merkel’s private conversations.
See photo: FRI 25 OCT 2013- El Telegrafo (Newspaper) - Quito, Ecuador
Other countries involved in the talks reportedly include Argentina, Austria, Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Guyana, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Liechtenstein, Norway, Paraguay, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Uruguay and Venezuela....read more: http://nsa.rsspump.com/?key=2013102619066a.germany-brazil-enlist-19-countries
Ecuador – Peru border crossing in Amazon Region – video - Latin America Current Events
via Nicholas Crowder: Latin America Current Events & News: http://latinamericacurrentevents.com/ecuador-peru-border-crossing-in-amazon-region-video/29888/
Published on Oct 15, 2012
Self Shot footage from my 8 day
journey down the Rio Napo from Coca, Ecuador to Iquitos Peru! Visit www.BoundlessTraveler.com for details on how you can do it too.
Video - here is a border crossing not many of have taken from Ecuador into Peru: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rYy9QY9X0w
An American Military Veteran in Ecuador: I Think it's Time
An American Military Veteran in Ecuador: I Think it's Time:
I think it's time to share a few of the "different" things about Ecuador that I think every potential expat needs to know befor...
Most of my articles have a happy go lucky flair to them. A lot of folks have accused me of having rose covered glasses on and not seeing the "seedy underbelly" of Ecuador. I know what is out there, but, just like in the US I try not to focus on the negative. If I am somewhere I shouldn't be, I get myself out of there most ricky tick!
Some of you have read my piece on driving here in Ecuador, what I failed to mention is, if there is an accident, EVERYONE goes to jail until guilt can be assigned. If that is a fact you can not handle, maybe driving here is not for you. Every time I get behind the wheel (or my caretaker gets behind the wheel) there is potential for me to end up in an Ecuadorian prison. Every time. Thought provoking, no?
Bribes are alive and well down here. Again, these are not necessarily a bad thing, nor are they necessarily high. An example would be buying a police man a coke, because he stopped you and you are driving on your US license over 30 days. Maybe $5 and you are home free. Does this work every time? Probably not. Have I had to try it? Not as of yet. Do I keep $5 in my wallet just in case? You betcha!
"Gringo pricing". Another thing that is alive and well! I was a victim of it first hand! My caretakers took us to a mercado (market) in Salinas and we did some shopping with them. Then, about a week later, my wife and I went to the same mercado and shopped at the same stalls our caretakers had taken us too. We got 5 bananas for $1. We thought we did really well, until my caretaker went and got 15 bananas for $1. Literally! 15! We also got 4, very fatty, pork chops for $4.
Thinking we had done well, we did not realize how badly we had been had. For $4 in my caretakers got 8 very large, very unfatty (?) pork chops. Am I mad at the folks who took advantage? Not in the least. I did not prepare myself for shopping as I should have. It is at least partially my fault for not being informed, or paying attention. We have decided that unless we need something from the actual grocery store or walmart type store, we either go with our caretakers, or send them with a list. We made the necessary changes and now, we do not worry.
Medical care may not be readily available. For folks mine and my wife's age (38 and....... respectively) that is not such a big thing. We are currently at least 2 hours from a major medical center (in Guyaquil). We do have an emergency room here in Salinas as well as at least 1 private hospital I have seen in our outings.
The public hospitals are often ill equipped, or they do have the equipment but it is broken. Often times the technician that runs a particular machine (ie xray, ct scan, mri) has "just gone home for the day".
The waiting rooms are more regularly than not full of people waiting to use the "Ecuador funded health care". The private hospitals are for cash paying customers. These still don't always have the necessary life saving equipment, or are hours away. Keep this in mind when you finally decide to settle.
Personal space. I know many of my friends who have to have their "personal space" with no one "on top of" them (I myself really dislike crowds). Personal space in Ecuador is virtually non-existent. Lines are merely a place to race to the front, and just because you are in the front doesn't necessarily mean you are next. I have to tell myself quite frequently that I am retired and I have the time to wait. If someone HAS TO GET IN FRONT OF ME, I let them. It doesn't hurt and it can help to make you not seem like a Gringo ass-hat. Which brings me to my next and final point of this piece.
You are being watched. All the time, by good and bad people. People that are truly interested in and curious about who you are as a person, an expat, or an American, Brit, Canuck, etc. Then there are other folks watching you. Waiting for you to make a "stupid gringo" mistake.
Setting your smart phone on the table after you take a photo or a call with it. Placing your purse on the floor by your feet. Anything that can assist them in making you a target. Is it because Ecuadorians "hate" us? Not at all. Believe it or not, in your own home countries you were being watched as well. There, you just blended in a bit better than we do here.
It can be scary, it can be wonderful, it can be perfect, and it can be painful. The key is, what are you willing to accept, and what are you not? Only you can decide that for yourselves. As we sit on our veranda and look out at the ocean in front of us that goes on forever, I think we can handle these things just fine.
Look deep inside, can you?
I think it's time to share a few of the "different" things about Ecuador that I think every potential expat needs to know befor...
Most of my articles have a happy go lucky flair to them. A lot of folks have accused me of having rose covered glasses on and not seeing the "seedy underbelly" of Ecuador. I know what is out there, but, just like in the US I try not to focus on the negative. If I am somewhere I shouldn't be, I get myself out of there most ricky tick!
Some of you have read my piece on driving here in Ecuador, what I failed to mention is, if there is an accident, EVERYONE goes to jail until guilt can be assigned. If that is a fact you can not handle, maybe driving here is not for you. Every time I get behind the wheel (or my caretaker gets behind the wheel) there is potential for me to end up in an Ecuadorian prison. Every time. Thought provoking, no?
Bribes are alive and well down here. Again, these are not necessarily a bad thing, nor are they necessarily high. An example would be buying a police man a coke, because he stopped you and you are driving on your US license over 30 days. Maybe $5 and you are home free. Does this work every time? Probably not. Have I had to try it? Not as of yet. Do I keep $5 in my wallet just in case? You betcha!
"Gringo pricing". Another thing that is alive and well! I was a victim of it first hand! My caretakers took us to a mercado (market) in Salinas and we did some shopping with them. Then, about a week later, my wife and I went to the same mercado and shopped at the same stalls our caretakers had taken us too. We got 5 bananas for $1. We thought we did really well, until my caretaker went and got 15 bananas for $1. Literally! 15! We also got 4, very fatty, pork chops for $4.
Thinking we had done well, we did not realize how badly we had been had. For $4 in my caretakers got 8 very large, very unfatty (?) pork chops. Am I mad at the folks who took advantage? Not in the least. I did not prepare myself for shopping as I should have. It is at least partially my fault for not being informed, or paying attention. We have decided that unless we need something from the actual grocery store or walmart type store, we either go with our caretakers, or send them with a list. We made the necessary changes and now, we do not worry.
Medical care may not be readily available. For folks mine and my wife's age (38 and....... respectively) that is not such a big thing. We are currently at least 2 hours from a major medical center (in Guyaquil). We do have an emergency room here in Salinas as well as at least 1 private hospital I have seen in our outings.
The public hospitals are often ill equipped, or they do have the equipment but it is broken. Often times the technician that runs a particular machine (ie xray, ct scan, mri) has "just gone home for the day".
The waiting rooms are more regularly than not full of people waiting to use the "Ecuador funded health care". The private hospitals are for cash paying customers. These still don't always have the necessary life saving equipment, or are hours away. Keep this in mind when you finally decide to settle.
Personal space. I know many of my friends who have to have their "personal space" with no one "on top of" them (I myself really dislike crowds). Personal space in Ecuador is virtually non-existent. Lines are merely a place to race to the front, and just because you are in the front doesn't necessarily mean you are next. I have to tell myself quite frequently that I am retired and I have the time to wait. If someone HAS TO GET IN FRONT OF ME, I let them. It doesn't hurt and it can help to make you not seem like a Gringo ass-hat. Which brings me to my next and final point of this piece.
You are being watched. All the time, by good and bad people. People that are truly interested in and curious about who you are as a person, an expat, or an American, Brit, Canuck, etc. Then there are other folks watching you. Waiting for you to make a "stupid gringo" mistake.
Setting your smart phone on the table after you take a photo or a call with it. Placing your purse on the floor by your feet. Anything that can assist them in making you a target. Is it because Ecuadorians "hate" us? Not at all. Believe it or not, in your own home countries you were being watched as well. There, you just blended in a bit better than we do here.
It can be scary, it can be wonderful, it can be perfect, and it can be painful. The key is, what are you willing to accept, and what are you not? Only you can decide that for yourselves. As we sit on our veranda and look out at the ocean in front of us that goes on forever, I think we can handle these things just fine.
Look deep inside, can you?
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