109 thoughts on “What You Need To Know Before You Consider Living In Another Country”

1. The foreign family law is a great point.
   Is there any knowledge around this forum about which countries/regions might actually attract the investment of a man looking to start a family?

   1. Check my comment above. There is a clear need that we can satisfy.

      1. I agree.
         Issues like these are the bottom line.

   2. Nothing official, but if you have enough to buy a store front with an upstairs apartment, then this is almost a universal strategy. I see it all the time here in China with hole-in-the-wall restaurants or other shops where the family lives upstairs. One of my best friends in Toronto ran this game and now he runs a furniture design shop out of the ground floor while having about 3000 square feet of luxury above it. His end game is to sell the place for a million dollars and then buy a villa in Tuscany. I think he will pull it off.

   3. Just curious: WTF do you want to “design”?

      1. Serious question?

         1. Absolutely. My buddy designs furniture and my brother designs interactive museum displays while I design board games. What do you want to do for the next 40 years?
            .
            You should also track down Mona Wang and Shana Wang (no relation), who are my former students now attending OCAD. Say “hi” for me.

         2. “What do you want to do for the next 40 years?”
            Tough question… Hopefully I can have a bit of variety. I don’t think I’d be able to do the same thing day in and day out. My aim with getting into the creative industries is to have that variety.
            Interactive digital media is likely the cornerstone of what I want to do. Similar to what your brother does. If I’m lucky I might have secured a contract for a joint project between OCAD and the city of Toronto to create a data visualization for economic development purposes. If you want more details send me an email, I don’t want to share too much on here.
            Information visualization, web and mobile development, game design, virtual reality, augmented reality, physical installation, I really like all of this kind of stuff to be honest. If I can cut across roles for these kinds of projects for the next 40 years, as of now that sounds like an appealing career path.
            Next time you’re in TO let me know I’ll show you some neat stuff.

         3. I’ll be in TO in August and maybe you can meet my fiancé before I pawn her off on my sister so we can do guy shit. In the meantime, I could drop a line to my brother in NYC (interactive displays at the Guggenheim) and my buddy in France (who was lead on turning my board game into a video game, but is also going into educational software and other projects). Perhaps you could pick their brains.

         4. Very cool. Educational software is an interesting topic as well.
            I should be in the city for summer so that sounds good man.

2. While this is not relevant to this article, it is perhaps one the most important postings I will be making here. I needed to write this post as I feel it is more timely now than ever to bring attention to the following.
   As I write this, we are living in very uncertain times. The shape of the economy in conjunction with everything else happening in our world, has led us, as a civilization to a point in which the remainder of our future is in a questionable state. The truth of the matter is I don’t know what exactly the future holds. However, with that being said, I can be certain of the fact that it does not look good but rather bleak.
   We all know and have heard about the conspiracy theories that we hear from time to time. But rather than delving into that realm entirely, I would rather pick out certain coins from the conspiracy well, which are unfortunately, coming to fruition and proving to be true. The gravity of the current circumstances in which we find ourselves in, is turning to a point of financial disaster. In fact, some of this is already happening and taking place in many different countries around the world:
   -Negative interest rates.
   -Bail ins.
   -Abolishing of cash.
   -Confiscation of gold, silver and precious metals.
   When reading all of this, without a shadow of a doubt it would make you angry and question the legality of these actions that will take place across the world. But I assure you that from studying all of the relevant legislation that have already been put in place and ready to be fully implemented when the time comes, you will have no choice but to cooperate. Remember Cyprus? Many countries such as Sweden, Denmark and Switzerland, have already put some of these measures into place and it will not be long before they come into full swing here in the Western developed nations such as America, Canada and Great Britain. So as an individual, it makes you wonder, what is the point of living then? Why bother getting up from bed and even going to work, if all of my hard earned money, is simply going to be stolen by the banks? Whether or not this was all planned and engineered the real question is what can you do about it?
   And the answer is simple- nothing. You cannot change the outcome of the economy. But what you can do, is to change the outcome of your perspective on life. It is only natural that we as men, look towards building money as this provides us with a meaningful purpose in life. It has been the engine of our fundamental existence for a long time. But as I have said, the future is very uncertain. However, with that being said, I suggest that we as men change our focus. Rather than fixating our life’s purpose on acquiring capital, we should instead focus it on a more important commodity and one which is commonly overlooked. It is called time. Time is the most important commodity that we as human beings, have in this world. From the day that we are born, we have all been stamped with an expiry date. We do not know when this expiry date is going to occur but what we do know is that it is indeed going to happen.
   Therefore, rather than treating money as a form of commerce, one should learn to find an alternative form of currency and one which is out of the hands of any form of regulation. That form of commerce is time. When you come to this epiphany, this eventual realisation can be felt like a baptism on fire. It allows us to come to some form of rebirth while at the same time, allow us as individuals to feel reinvigorated and redefined with a better purpose in our life. Now, I’m not saying for you to go “YOLO” and waste all of your money. On the contrary. In fact, this is what the banks want us to do in a desperate attempt to stimulate our failing economy. No, what I am saying is to refocus your priorities in life and to come to the simple understanding that our lives will be coming to an end. Money should really be considered as a means to an end. Therefore, abandon all of the false lessons and principles about what it means to have a so called “fulfilling” life which you were inoculated and indoctrinated with throughout the education system, and instead, create your own end goals.
   What these goals may be, is entirely your prerogative. But make sure that they help to fulfil the remainder of your lifespan. For some, reading and acquiring new knowledge on different areas of life such as philosophy and science can be this goal. For others, it can be travelling the world, learning a skillset or spending more time with loved ones and friends. But whatever that goal maybe, it is definitely more fulfilling, more accomplishing and enriching than acquiring money ever was. Even as a misanthropist, I have made it my personal mission in life to ensure that I undertake some of these examples which I have given, as my life goals and to remind myself on an everyday basis, that this life will come to an end. Therefore, with all of this being said, I hope that readers will find some comfort and encouragement in what I have said because no matter how much bad news we are hearing on a regular basis, this should not stop you from living your life. The world has been burning down since the very inception and creation of it. But that should only help to serve you with a reminder that life is indeed short, which in turn, should encourage you to go out and live your life to the fullest.

   1. I am very up to date with what is going on in the economy/finance and you are 100% right. The S&P is going down back to 666 (funny isn’t it?) where it all started in ’09. The only thing I am watching if it goes that way in an orderly manner or not. If it starts collapsing, it’s bad. And I mean very bad. Either way the direction of everything is down, and you are right. Time to change focus.

      1. global debt is so extremely high, all central banks are printing, inflating their own markets to levels far above what their real value is to try and prop up their own markets. but it’s all fake
         we’re due for a real crash.

         1. It’s not necessarily the debt per se. It’s the derivatives (several hundred trillions) sitting on collateral that nobody knows what’s worth anymore due to the printing and the FED distorting the markets.

   2. You sir, win the internet. Your words are that to live by at this time.

   3. where is it that they’re confiscating gold and silver?

      1. Don’t forget the many countries that have “nationalized” all retirement funds, to be distributed equally of course.

   4. Gold has barely been a decent hedge against inflation or the collapse. Investing in the stock market will get you more money to buy more gold to protect yourself against that collapse. . .but timing is everything.

   5. Great post and way more than a casual internet surfer deserves. I’d like to add that, at the outset, money was simply a representation of time spent working anyway. Money was only intended to symbolize the time you’ve earned from someone else. You build their roof, but the snows came so they can’t work for you back. Money represented that time of theirs that you had coming to you. Spring comes and they help you dig your rows and the paper is handed back. Too bad people lost sight of;
      paper money=time
      So look at your free time as money (which it is) and you can be very quietly and unnoticeably rich.

   6. kinda too long for a comment, why not submit an article on this?

3. @Roosh, I honestly think that ROK should go forward and create a men-oriented global annual (collaborative) guide. We would give statistics and summaries about these topics: women quality, taxes, divorce laws, legislation aspects (common law marriage, visa, immigration,…) Like the credit agencies do: AAA, AAa, BBb, etc. The name could be like “2016 ROK masculine World guide” or similar and have a short summary for each country and region in which we have members. Let’s become a reference that all men will read. We could even create our own indicators DEFCOCK style.
   Blog articles are fine, but I think we are in a position to create a global guide useful for manhood. I will propose this in the meetup.
   PS: this idea would not be pickup oriented.

   1. rating world governments? i’m down.

   2. Roosh should have an interactive map updated with DEFCOCK levels

      1. Doable…

   3. I am glad people are getting excited about the Roosh meet up. The closest one for me is over 100 miles away. I may go but probably not. My town is pretty big and I am guessing there will be one in the future.

   4. Sounds great, but I suppose a benefit to having the information scattered and not in one place is that if you search hard enough you can find the info, while an enemy can easily see what you’re up to if it’s all in one source.
      Then again, would having all this information caught by the enemy be particularly dangerous to us? I mean, they already know we exist. It’s more so that I don’t want them to easily find out all our tactics.

      1. The information could still be decentralized. As you said, most of this information already exists, but it can be difficult ot find. The institutional enemy already knows where this information is, they are actually paid for this and they even make legislation about it.
         The manosphere is right now in a very early stage of expansion. Men need to know the dangers of marriage and of living in the west. Secondly, we are antifragile. Check Roosh’s post about it.

         1. Which post is it? Could you link me?

         2. http://www.rooshv.com/review-of-antifragility-by-nassim-taleb

   5. Something else interesting about this article is that like others it screams a warning at you. Do not own property!
      Unless you are in with the chosen people (i.e. aristocrats, government officials, top executives, women) you can never own property, only rent it before the government takes it off you (and likely gives it to your wife). Save and rent instead. Much safer.

      1. Excellent advice. This should figure in the guide.

      2. Usually true but see my entry on the Philippines, above. Also, in Thailand there is an Emnity Treaty that allows US citizens to own businesses in Thailand, in their own name.

         1. I read it but I’m not sure it changes my advice. The rules can be changed at any time and not usually in your favour.

   6. @Roosh
      Actually you should go one step further and set up a non-profit organization who’s sole purpose is to hosts an “annual conference”, in a manner similar to the many academic conferences (like the kind that tenured professors must attend). Make sure you book a big convention center like kind they have Las Vegas, etc. and change the location to a different major metropolitan area every year.
      Here is an example:
      https://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/september-2013/call-for-proposals-for-the-129th-annual-meeting-of-the-aha
      Before the conference’s start date, determine topic areas (which will change, year to year), make public a “call for papers” to be presented at the conference and then add a “showroom” floor, with appropriate vendors for the venue. You can set up the “fun parts”, like the exhibit hall and the broad topic, speaking sessions, in a way similar to the “Los Angeles Adventure Show”, so that way, people new to the subject, can get their feet wet, but at the same time, the smaller more focused topic sessions can be enjoyed by those that understand the subject matter in more depth.
      http://travelshows.com/shows/los-angeles/
      Also, don’t forget to have an “awards ceremony”, which can be based on a panel review that scores the various individual submissions. Do all the above correctly and the protestors will be out front, EVERY YEAR, IN DROVES, guaranteeing coverage on ALL media outlets and social media.

   7. I like the idea of a database. Let’s do it.

4. It should also be worth noting that one might think Germany is a possible entry point to expat when one considers their open gate policy that has become so extreme that the country is now the human toilet for the drudges of third world shit hole cultures; so wouldn’t it be easy for the average foreign western man to go there, right? But the reality is that if one is a white male the German authorities will most likely give you a hard time if you overstay your visit, like the guy pictured in the article. So do not assume that coming to an EU country via Germany will be the way to go, unless you are black, or very brown and you make it known that you are of islamic religion.
   The elites are attempting to destroy the EU and they despise the decent, crime free individual.

   1. Get a tan, grow a beard, fly there to ‘visit’, mail your passport back to a trusted friend, claim to be named “Khalid Abdul” — you’ll get housing, food and the cops won’t arrest you when you leer at the German women.

5. ” most countries take a dim view of foreigners scratching up their ladyfolk…”
   Unless one is a psychotic Muzzie in Germany and ramming a butcher knife in a native white German girl’s vagina; apparently that’s OK.

6. Best way to handle this stuff is don’t.
   Live abroad? Sure, but limit it to no more than five and a half months per year. All sorts of tax trouble arises if you’re out of the U.S. more than six months.
   Work? Find some online stuff that can be done from anywhere. Nobody needs to know where you physically are. Choose a country that has cheap cost of living. Bolivia, Ecuador, parts of Colombia, parts of Argentina all work well. Beautiful women in the last two.
   Home? Airbnb all the way. Flexible, all payment conducted through the U.S.-based website. No fleece-the-foreigner bullshit. After a while, if you get to trust the locals, you can trade for something on your own. Airbnb gives you flexibility.
   I know Roosh has been living this way for years. I did for a short while too and will hopefully be doing it again.
   It’s your life. Own it.

   1. Can you elaborate on the online stuff that can be done anywhere?
      And what kind of tax trouble can arise if you’re out of the country for more than 6 months? How would the IRS even know you’re making money in another country?

      1. Answer #1: Bare minimum, you work for content mills, churning out content online. Better option is to get into online marketing. My option is totally different, but I won’t reveal it for several reasons.
         Answer #2: You can get into trouble retroactively if you’re audited. There are other ways to know as well.

      2. Most foreign banks now refuse to open accounts for American citizens. They have passed a number of aggressive and illegal laws over the past 15 years aimed at financially threatening and confiscating monies overseas. Historically, currency controls have been one of the first things done in a collapsing society. Emigration controls are shortly thereafter.
         http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/sep/24/americans-chased-by-irs-give-up-citizenship-after-being-forced-out-of-bank-accounts

   2. “Bolivia, Ecuador, parts of Colombia, parts of Argentina all work well. Beautiful women in the last two.”
      Colombian women are fast becoming haughty and westernized. Roosh was already in Argentina a few years back and Argentine females are already fully stuck up. So go to south america for the other reasons, not for the women.

      1. Um, no. I lived there for four months last year. Colombian women are incredibly gorgeous — true, a few are stuck up, especially in Parque Lleras in Medellin, where they’re mostly prepagos anyways — and their gorgeousness is exactly THE reason to go there.

7. English teaching is a good way to go abroad. But a bad way to stay. After 30 or so, your SMV diminishes. When going abroad, think women. Fine. But equally, think self-improvement. Online degrees and foreign language. Even overseas campuses of the USA, or if your language skills are good, go native.
   But in Japan, I saw my own career was reaching a dead end. Came back to the USA be a bureacrat at age 34 but…………
   I am starting to look at the advantages of going overseas for retirement. Pension and social security from USA.
   With my Japanese wife, I can get back in easily. But I would do one thing differently. As an old man, even with pretty good Japanese, I would hang around mostly expats.
   I love the Japanese, but the expat community has lots of interesting folk.

   1. You were part of the JET program?

      1. No, I arrived in 1990 and found a job in 3 days at YMCA English school. But in 1995 upgraded to KATE program. A Kobe City alternative to JET that was a local initiative. Paid slightly less than JET but still pretty good.
         It was easy to find a teaching job there in the early 90’s in a conversation school. But the jobs higher up the food chain were disappearing for those without teaching degrees. The real gravy was in the 80’s when folks were getting university professorships with tenure with just a BA.
         So I spent my whole 8 years there trying to get credentials to land that high paying job. Only to find that by the time I finished each certificate or degree, the market had become more competitiive in the meantime. So I never got the gravy train job, but it was still a great 8 years.
         I learned Japanese, got an MA and USA teaching certificate during that time through American overseas classes and distance education in teaching English as a 2nd language.As I planned to stay there permanently.
         But in 1998, it turned out that ESL was emerging as a new field here. So I got in on that early coming home to the USA
         I still dream of returning with my Japanese wife to Japan. I like it better there than here except for a few big things like……..
         My garden, chickens, fruit trees and gun collection. Harder to have that there. I would have to go back to being more of a scholarly coffee and bookshop person like I was in my 20’s.
         But it is funny. I think there are a few aging KATE teachers left in Kobe even though they terminated it for new hires a few years back.I think YMCA English school is out of business or severly downsized to a shadow of its glorious past.

   2. If you are going to stay and teach, then you have to transition into substantive subjects like economics or STEM that you can teach in English but with your experience as an ESL teacher.
      .
      If you want the top broads you have to transition out of teaching because it is considered rather down society. To do that, you either have to get the language under your belt or find a foreign firm who will overlook fluency, and both of those are hard to come by.
      .
      Best score is if you are an MBA with stock market training and TA experience. You can make over $40k a year in cash plus free lodging, and food and travel subsidies while your cost of living is a quarter of that in the USA.

      1. What does TA mean ?

         1. “Teaching Assistant”, a graduate level student who delivers classes and tests and then marks the latter.

         2. Thanks – but I get the impression from your post that foreign women frown upon american men teaching english in their country. What is the kind of work that you mention one can make over $40k a year in cash plus free lodging?

   3. I’m long term Asia too. The thought of being full ingratiated and just hanging with my Asian ‘bros’ is laughably out of the question. I have no Asian bros and never will. That’s weird to come out and say that as I’m so used to it being like that. You get your woman and find other expats but going full native is something I would never do here. Expat life is extreme. You have to get used to a lot of things that would have shocked you to hear about before it all began.

      1. i HAD some good Japanese friends. But not many. But I needed some western friends too. Part of it is the culture gap, but only part. The other part is that Japanese dudes really are attached to hanging out with people they knew from youth.
         In Europe, I had no problem with dude frineds, but finding the girtl I wanted was harder. In Asia, I could find the woman but the dude friends were harder.
         Can’t have it all.

         1. I’ve never had Asian bros and never really wanted them anyway. The little stone of racial tension would never go away, it seems. Overpolite, overreacting in general. Plus they’re dull and predictable to a maddening extent. I will interact with them only if I’m paid (in class, not a male-whore).

      2. What country ?

         1. SK, but elsewhere before.

      3. I have two Chinese “bros” and a demi-bro but because I move around they are in other cities a thousand miles away. It is really painful for me right now because I am separated from my girl and have no bros here either. I will leave this city in a few months so I didn’t see the point of engaging with the ex-pat community.

8. >”Remember, being a foreigner means not having the same rights as a citizen.”
   Except in the US, of course, where our liberals will even try to give people here illegally the right to vote in our elections! :^)

   1. Americans in particular need to remember that, no, you don’t run things over here; yes, the rules do apply to you, and if you get caught there will be consequences. Mexicans in America and ‘Syrians’ in Germany are notable exceptions to this global norm.

      1. Do you have a Russian ancestry? Why “Nikolai Vladivostok”?

9. Don’t mess around with drugs and don’t become an unsuspecting mule especially with any new friends you meet, especially in South American countries. Also, the legal systems in many jurisdictions are the opposite to the Anglo-Saxon premise of assuming a person’s natural innocence in the first instance. The napoleonic code of guilty until proved innocent is the case in most non-Saxon countries which critically sets a considerably higher bar for getting an acquittal.
   Additionally, I would strongly recommend that you are thoroughly familiar with the local customs of the police force in the Nations you’re intending to live or travel through. In Russia and many South American countries (but not all) the police accept and indeed expect bribes or “pequenos regalos” for a whole host of services. You must aware of this fact, likewise in a country like Chile a policeman would be deeply insulted if you attempted to bribe him and you could end up being arrested, so always know the customs.

10. You’ll be surprised what you’ll miss about America living abroad. The only time you should leave for good is if you don’t have jack shit going on here. If not, stay and fight the good fight, you’ll be glad you did when it pans out.
    Most ex-pats I met aren’t winners and America needs good men more than ever. Hence, why I stayed.

    1. 200 trillion in unfunded liabilities is the problem. as the debt grows, so does their push to take away our guns hmmmm wonder why.
       You’ll have to buy a plot of farmland and/or work off the books, because the headwinds of taxes / fees are going to overwhelm even high earners.

       1. “buy a plot of farmland”
          Thats what the people of Russia thought they could do before the bolsheviks took power.

          1. I meant as a way to avoid or at least minimize the chaos of a city when SHTF

       2. You do realize that they can also take your ‘plot of farmland’ if SHTF?

          1. I meant as a way to avoid the chaos of a city if SHTF

          2. In truly extreme conditions they can just haul you out and shoot you, after a suitable time in a labor camp perhaps.

       3. I brought this up on a coin forum, discussing the survival thing. One guy said, “Why bother, just to live a couple months longer, and a rather brutish couple of months, at that.
          He had a point.
          I have family in the Philippines. A niece in the province recently lost electric to an earthquake, and it will take at least a month to restore it to that whole province.
          If it truly hits the fan here, it won’t be one province, or one month
          It’s likely to be Armageddon, the final curtain. There will be no aftermath. But even if it falls short of Armageddon, there is scant chance of reconstituting an equivalent society

    2. “You’ll be surprised what you’ll miss about America living abroad”
       Yeah I’m definitely missing out:
       
       http://www.returnofkings.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/usa.females.mont1_.jpg
       There are tons of articles about how a man’s life experience in other culture’s is enhanced greatly by living abroad. Nobody who has spent significant time outside wasteland USA would referr to expats as “not winners”. Some expats find more success than others, but it still takes guts to get out to other countries and make friends, assimilate and fit in to a culture whose first language is not English. Visiting another country is far different than living in another country.
       The whole stay-and-fight ideology is questionable. Whatever sacrifices a man makes to fight for the usa, the benefits will be enjoyed by the next generation. The same way where the baby boomers benefitted from the sacrifices of the WWII generation.
       Someone else already posted here, and he stated that life is too short, and one must live it on their own terms; I’m inclined to agree with that remark.

       1. To each his own.

11. Just want to bang foreign bitches

    1. Are you the real Roosh ? Ususally Roosh has his picture.

       1. Private account…poseur or mole.

       2. That wasn’t me. He’s banned.

          1. Sometimes folks just need a good ass-kicking

12. Any North Americans here who’ve been living in Latin America for a while? Im considering moving there a few years down the road. Would be nice to know some nuts and bolts of living on Latin American continent for a European (kinda – Im Russian) guy.

    1. I lived in Argentina and then Chile for about 2 years due to work I was undertaking. I have very fond memories of my years there. I lived in BA, in the Palermo (chico) district which was a really cool area with old style Argentinian restaurants and bars. I walked into the city most days, about 20 minutes. The rent for my apartment was reasonable with a mistress of sorts always on the front desk and a security dude during the nights.
       It’s important to know Spanish as the level of English is surprisingly limited there. Chile is great too, although they’re a bit more reserved than their neighbors in Argentina and the food and customs are not as polished either. Outside the big cities, most places are largely unspoiled and events move along at a pleasant and relaxed pace. The women, especially in Argentina are very independent, but traditional, meaning they intent to marry at some point and are more attractive than most European girls (I think).
       Areas of Argentina also have large enclaves of pure European communities going back generations like Trelew in Patagonia that’s predominately Welsh and around Rossario where there’s a large Irish community. In Chile around Punta Arenas in the far south there’s a thriving Croatian and Greek community, while other parts of Chile like Valdivia have a deeply rooted German community going back to the 18th century.

       1. I envy you. Hopefully in the future I get to go to both Buenos Aires and Vina del Mar. I’m a fan of Argentine rock and can’t wait to go down there to catch some shows along with a Boca Juniors game.

          1. Ah, La Boca, that’s what I loved about BA, you can walk around the city suburbs (barrios) on the summer evenings and they all have their distinctive vibe (San Telmo, La Boca, Palmero, Belgrano)…I usedt to follow with a mate of mine the La Boca team, so I know the area well. Vina Del Mar is very plush and affluent, but, for sheer character and charm I much preferred old Valparaiso down the coast, much beloved city of Neruda, sailors, with the characteristic rough and tumble of a former great port city.

       2. Thanks for the insights. It looks like you had great experiences in Latin America. I bet Chile or Argentina felt more European than many parts of the USA. Im planning on going to S. America sometime this summer to get an idea of what its like.

          1. No problem, make sure you head out into the Pampas and Andes. A great trip is traveling from Boliva or Chile over the Andes down into Salta (beautiful city) in Northwestern Argentina…the red rocked mountains and the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia put you literally almost on another planet…it blows you away…

          2. Blanquemento was a great policy. Argentina/Chile are on my list of countries to ride out the coming dark ages.

          3. Those and Uruguay would be my favorite destinations. My since my GF is from Colombia, thats where Im considering going.

          4. Im sure the nature is breathtaking down there. Im working on my Spanish now.

          5. Hate to break the news, but Argentina has been woefully mismanaged for a century. Economists even say there are four times of countries: Developed, developing, Argentina, and Japan. You’d be a fool to invest any money at all there. Now that Lady Kirchner’s on her way out, things may change, but don’t bet on it.
             Uruguay, on the other hand, is the dark horse of the continent. It is remarkably stable, protects the people’s assets/investments, and rates #1 in standard of living and a bunch of other metrics. Do your research; you’ll see.

          6. It’s an easy enough language to learn too. It’s great when you can converse (even a bit) with the locals, makes a world of difference.

       3. I’ve read that Argentina has very high divorce rate, comparable to U.S. So, no, thank you. I d rather go to Poland.

          1. The women in argentina are completely fucked in the head, and the only reason the divorce rate is so high is because the argentine men are all too stupid enough to wife up their females.

          2. ” the divorce rate is so high is because the argentine men are all too stupid enough to wife up their females” err, what?

          3. The winters can be long and hard in Poland, the Poles are “alright” a bit too taciturn on occasions, but, probably this changes once you get to know them…I can’t say anymore as it’s a country I’ve never lived in (although I lived next door, Ukraine).

          4. True, and don’t forget the Argentine men’s shortcoming — AMOG, every single one of them. Hard to deal with the bluster and arrogance. Travel throughout S.A. and you’ll learn of this reputation.

    2. Big advice, learn the slang. Because it’s not just about convenience, in some situations, it can mean the difference between life and death. An example is the word coger. In some countries it just means to pick up, in others it means fucking. You don’t want to tell a lad you’re going to coger his girl without finding out first what exactly it means. If you have access to Spanish media, I suggest start watching, say, Argentine novelas and listening to Argentine rock so you get an idea.

       1. Im aware of the same words having different meanings in different Hispanic countries. Your example with the verb “cojer” is a great one.

       2. “You don’t want to tell a lad you’re going to coger his girl without finding out first what exactly it means”
          Absolutely true. The verb coger is a normal word in Spain, where in argentina its the vulgar “to fuck”. It would be nice if there were spanish classes that addressed such differences in semantics that would enable a non-native spanish speaker to avoid getting himself in a socially awkward moment.

          1. Instead kids get their Spanish from Dora the Explorer. Rapido Dora!

    3. A report on Costa Rica & Belize would be good.

13. be aware of that spouse visa when you want to import some eastern euro ass but get rid of it after six months- bing!

14. A reader tweeted a useful link to US International Social Security Agreements:
    https://www.ssa.gov/international/agreements_overview.html

15. The whole visa situation is one, big, messy, ball of wax with various pieces of fur sticking out of it. As a Canadian living in China with a fiancé in situ, I have to work these issues out. I have heard of the “5 year rule” where they don’t let foreigners stay in the country for the more than 5 years, but I have no idea if marriage or a long term contract can change that situation.
    .
    In terms of taxes: well you are fucked if you are American. The IRS will chase after you based on citizenship, not domicile. For Canadians, the test is something like “no return to Canada in the foreseeable future”. What does “foreseeable” mean? I will be here in China for the next 18 months at a minimum, probably for another 4 years, and then we will have to see about the rest of that: I might be here until I am 60 or 65 or until I die. Is any of this “foreseeable”. The worst part is that if I want to naturalize my wife it will take two years. Does that mean if I make the application it was “foreseeable” and when I get back on ground they will hit me with two years of back taxes at some point in the next 7 years after my return?
    .
    The more ground-level decisions are just day-to-day things like a stable internet connection that is not routinely censored, or just basic utilities like water, sewage, heat, AC, electricity and the like. Food is the other thing: can you handle it, do you like it, will you die of (inadvertent) poisoning? Then you have to come to terms with the language: go naked, achieve “survival level” fluency like I have, or shoot for conversational or full fluency of you are that industrious and committed.
    .
    As the last point – pensions – you will be on your own. I expect that I will live in China and if I ever return to Canada in my old age I will be entitled to a check that allows me to by a ham sandwich each week until I die. You will have to plan for yourself.

    1. I can speak on the 5 year rule. It applies *IF* you teach English and are not married. If you teach a STEM to University or High School kids then this rule magically goes away. I teach math and computer science to University kids wanting to study abroad. Your foreign expert certificate is different and is easier to get. Also it depends a lot on your school. If they like you and want to keep you its amazing how quickly the red envelope makes the problem vanish.
       If you are married though that is a pure get out of this free card even though you are on the Z visa and not the family, you don’t work you’re just here being married visa.

       1. I will probably get married next year and my background and preference is to teach economics and other business courses like accounting as well as critical thinking and western law, none of which are technically STEM but most of which they have few native teachers who can deliver them.

16. the 20T in debt and 200T in unfunded liabilities is the primary problem for the US.
    the government will inevitably confiscate more of whatever you have.
    in Europe they’re pushing to get rid of cash, so every transaction is controlled by banks.
    this is so government can do ‘bail-ins’ where they confiscate a portion of your bank like they already did in Cyprus.
    You’re better off planting your flag in a low-debt country. The only thing I’ll miss is the 2nd amendment and owning an assault rifle.
    But you can get small plots of farmland for <40k anywhere you wish

    1. You think like I do.

17. If I stay in the US I’m definitely getting a hide out spot in the country as a 2nd home, as well as joining a militia.
    You’d be surprised how cheaply you can get .5 – 2 acres of farmland.
    chickens, goats, water well…maybe some gold and cash.

    1. Very cool. A word of warning. Lots of these militias are inflitrated. So you have to worry about government. And some of these militia dudes really are crazy. They need to be watched ! A few years back, I went to an online preppers group for just one meeting. There was one dude who was talking about bartering marijuana seeds for self-sufficieincy. The dude jusst smelled like law enforcement. I am sure to this day.
       But maybe that group needed to be watched. The dude in charge told me he was trying to use a middle class prepper group as a front for his militia. Later I heard him talking about his legal problems for beating his girfriend.
       I never went back. Between the nut case running it and the law enforecement likely onto him and setting people up, it seemed like a bad place to be. That was over 10 years ago.) I avoid online meet-ups, but I could make an exception for the ROK thing. It does not have a survivalist or political agenda so it is probably safe.)
       So I just figured I would find me a couple of buddies who like to go to the range a couple of times a year. I tried to get a group of middle class preppers together. Normal people who can hold down a job. More like for monthly dinners and socializing. But that never worked out. All too busy. Only met once for chili and talked about Alex Jones stuff.
       I might recommend another way to start a prepper group that is safe. Attend some sort of gardening or chicken group and try to recruit there. An online militia or prepper group will likely have informers before you even get there.
       But in daily life, it is hard to hind like minded folks who are into prepping, shooting, similar politics, theology and compatible skill set and still close by to be useful. And are trustworty and reliable.
       I am happy with my shooting buddies, my garden, chickens etc. But I have never managed to get the sort of outreach or create any kind of prepper/survival network.
       If you approach neighbors or people you know, they will probably see you as crazy or dangerous. If you go online, they people you meet may very well be crazy and dangerous.
       So it is not easy to do it right. Good luck !

18. And outside of the Western world keep in mind a lot of those countries might appear to have a stable government now, but that does not guarantee one in the future. Civil wars are known to erupt with little to no warning. You as a foreigner are also a tasty target for revolutionaries. Not only do they think someone back home is going to pay a large ransom to finance their new war but it gets them all kinds of international press.
    It is a good reason to think twice about renouncing your home country citizenship. It at least gives you an “out” even though you might have to pay tax.
    If you want to explore the dual citizenship route look into “right of return” laws in Ireland, Italy, and Poland. These have been tightened in the last decade but it is still possible to acquire citizenship through ancestry. (Yes it is also possible to obtain forged documents to do so via Poland. Be extremely careful before doing this though. There are guides on how to do so on the internet and most are junk scams. Imagine that…the country that got rolled over five times in the 20th Century doesn’t have the best archival records….)

19. you don’t argue with the nightclub bouncer whose job is to keep out the riffraff.

    You should always argue with the nightclub bouncer. Those guys are full of shit.
    And it is a myth that Western countries are not discerning about who they let it. I would check your facts.

    Do you really want to lose your Medicare, pension,

    I really wouldn’t worry about Medicare, just make sure you are insured. As for pension, you don’t really have a 401K or Roth do you? Keep the government out of your money.

20. Thank you for this article. I am planning to move to Bali at some point over the next year or so.
    Regards,
    Dylan Madden

21. I am married to a Filipina and am planning on immigrating there soon. I have looked into these issues and can give some answers specific to the Philippines.
    First, if you are over 50 and have, IIRC, about $1,000 per month in income or about $20,000 in assets in the bank in the Philippines, you can get a retirement visa with annual renewal. You can buy a limited amount of real estate sufficient for your residence, in your own name. There is a bit of common wisdom which all the
    expats in the Philippines can tell you; if you are male and come there with a western wife, she will leave you within a year, if you arrive single, you will be married to a local girl within a year.
    YMMV, but I wouldn’t count on being the outlier on this. I know of a couple of exceptions but that just proves the rule.
    If you are, as in my case, married to a Philippines citizen, you can get a Green Card/Permanent Residency before you even go there. You have 6 months to immigrate after getting the card. You arrive already a permanent resident. This gives you the right to
    buy and own property including real estate in your own name, in any amount. There is the limit that any real estate you own must be either sold to a native Filipino, or if passes through your will after you die, it must go to a Filipino native. Since my wife is a native, she would get it anyway. And as far as selling to a Filipino, that is the bulk of the buyers anyway. You can work, or own a business, again in your own name. The only right of citizenship you don’t have is voting; which is pretty much pointless even in the US anyway. Both the US and the Philippines recognize dual US/Filipino citizenship. The US does not usually allow this, but we have a special relationship with the Philippines as it is a former territory/ colony/ protectorate. For other countries the US doesn’t push the issue, but if there was an issue that forced it to light, you might have a problem.
    Taxes are not doubled. You pay Filipino taxes on money you earn entirely in the Philippines, but not on money earned elsewhere
    and transferred into the country. You pay taxes in the US on what you earn anywhere in the world, including pensions, Social Security, and investment earnings. However, the first $96,000 in income derived completely outside the US is excluded from US taxes (this number is indexed to inflation so it is constantly changing). I don’t know how rich you guys are, but I will never hit the exclusion limit.
    As far as I can tell after looking into it with my retirement advisor and tax accountant, the social security payment is secure.
    The only impact of living outside the US while drawing SS is that you are ineligible for Supplemental SSI. This only kicks in if your benefits are extremely low. That is not my case, so no worries. You
    are still eligible for Medicare, but you have to go back to the US to utilize it. If you are retired military you can get Tricare in the Philippines (or in Mexico), but those retired military friends of mine who retired in the Philippines generally go to the Air Force hospital on Guam for anything serious. You can join the Filipino national healthcare system as a permanent resident and pay $14 per
    quarter. You can supplement this with a catastrophic health care plan for about $100 to $150 per year.
    Divorce law in the Philippines is the epitome of simplicity; divorce is not legal in any way shape or form. You can look on this as a positive or a negative. Since my wife is a little sweetie,
    5’ 100# after almost 8 years of marriage, I look on it as to my advantage that she is stuck with me.

22. Be aware that the US has the most onerous tax system in the world, and is one of only 2 countries (the other is an African dictatorship) that taxes your income if you live abroad. There are recent regulations passed that have severe reporting requirements for any overseas American citizen and if you fail to file reports annually or quarterly (even if you owe no tax) your overseas accounts can be confiscated. If you want evidence google “fatca horror stories”

    1. Ball & chain …
       http://www.armstrongeconomics.com/archives/27305
       http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/foreign-policy/313775-fatca-simple-premise-gone-terribly-wrong

       1. Yup. However, did you know that if you are a *foreigner* investing in the US, then we are the world’s biggest tax haven? They can invest here and earn tax free profits. An American makes the same investment, and he is taxed at up to 50% (state, local, federal, and payroll taxes)
          http://www.nestmann.com/the-us-is-about-to-become-an-even-bigger-tax-haven

          1. That is a very interesting article indeed. I heard about Delaware but this is an eye-opener.

23. IF you have plans leaving your home country this is for you. Read it, think about it and if you think its bullshit restart with step 1 until you get it. No bullshit.
    All rules do apply. The first rule is the most important and so on.
    First rule: If you leave your home country with enough money or income without the need to work you are an ex-pat. If this is NOT the case you are a refugee. No joke.
    Second rule: Life in country A, earn your income in country B and invest the bulk of your money (80%+) in country C.
    If you follow this basic advice, you will avoid 90% of any potential problems with things like visa, immigration laws, work permits or divorce laws. If you are smart you can set this up in way that you can simply ignore most laws you dont like.

24. Pretty sure Ireland WANTS people to emigrate there if you intend to start a business.
    Beautiful country. I’ve thought about Ecuador for a long time, but the government and society are so unstable that it’s not such a good bet anymore. Even my plan of having a cinder block house in the woods off the beach and getting by selling fish and car rides to tourists is out of the question. HOWEVER. . .When considering a country to emigrate to, be sure to research how easy it is to jump to a third country. Consider that Ireland and Ecuador have an agreement where Irish can go to Ecuador as a cultural exchange and live really well for a time on government grants. Those provisions exist between a lot of countries.

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