is the American life the best life?

[piglett]

  Need to step up your law firm's marketing . . .

how does that class action thing work? is that only for larger firms?
if they weren't making money they wouldn't be doing it so there has to be cash in it.....rite?
how about car accidents? you have to wait for your money but it's doesn't seem like that much work for the 33% that you get in the end.


pig

[jm21-2]

  Need to step up your law firm's marketing . . .

Need to step it down. I got in a contract with the phone book that has given me almost no business and is sucking up the cash. Anyways, median household income in my area is $40k and I'm in my second year of practice so don't feel too bad at where I'm at.

[piglett]

Need to step it down. I got in a contract with the phone book that has given me almost no business and is sucking up the cash. Anyways, median household income in my area is $40k and I'm in my second year of practice so don't feel too bad at where I'm at.

hell no when you start by making ZERO $ & you take that up to 60k a year
those are really good #'s
i would say you should be able to bump that up to between 80k & 100k once you get all the kinks worked out.
if the phone book sucks then what do others in other areas of the country do?
direct mailings?? billboards??
would adding a 2nd lawyer help or hurt you in the long run?
it would give you more time with ur sweetie but would that be it ?

keep at it
pig  

[ignorante]

Need to step it down. I got in a contract with the phone book that has given me almost no business and is sucking up the cash. Anyways, median household income in my area is $40k and I'm in my second year of practice so don't feel too bad at where I'm at.

  Understood.  Tough time to start a law practice . . .   By the way, I am an attorney in Georgia.

[JimD]

When did Colombia get that expensive?

According to Colombia´s Banco De La Republica prices have increased 55% in the last decade compared to around 24% in the US.

[whitey]

jm21-2 I don´t know what country you´re referring to but in Colombia that 15k would be (almost miserably) bare bones for most gringos. More acceptable of course for Europeans. A more realistic number for the average gringo would be 40-60k.

40-60k might be necessary for living really well in Bogota or Medellin ... seems a lot for the average gringo, but who am I to argue?

I could live quite well in Barranquilla on $15,000 (net) per year.  That would be about $COP 2,500,000 per month.  A VERY nice home can be had for $1,000,000 per month, let's say $500,000 for a car, $150.000 for a maid twice per week, which leaves more than $400,000 per week for food and entertainment. 

A movie for 2 with popcorn and a drink costs about $20.000.  A decent dinner for 2 with a couple beers each for $40.000.  My favourite ice cream sundae at Crepes and Waffles goes for $8.000.  Bottle of rum for $36,000, beer for $1,500.  I'm all set baby!

Of course, that doesn't leave anything for vacations out of the country.

On $US25,000 I could live VERY VERY well.  In another 3 years, if I could find a way to make that kind of money, I'd move in a heartbeat.

[thekfc]

I would say it depends on your lifestyle - where you want to live, how you want to live, where you shop, what you shop for & what you want. Some could live comfortable on 10K a year while others will need at least 50k a year to get by.

There is a woman who comes to our store often to shop. She is a very cool lady, talk to all the staff & have even given some of us gifts on birthdays/holidays. She once told us that she cannot live on 100K a month. She would spend that kind of money on one shopping trip - I have seen her do it.
She could have people bring stuff to her home & she could just pick what she want but she prefer to go to the stores. She is not a big extravagant person that you would read about her or her parties in the news. She is very low key. That is her lifestyle & how she lives.

We are all different, live different lives, have different needs / want different things & have different factors influencing our lives, so I  would say it all comes down to your individual lifestyle & what you make of it. But, at the same time,  you will need a "minimum" amount of $$ to live comfortable in your chosen place of residency.

[piglett]

I would say it depends on your lifestyle - where you want to live, how you want to live, where you shop, what you shop for & what you want. Some could live comfortable on 10K a year while others will need at least 50k a year to get by.

There is a woman who comes to our store often to shop. She is a very cool lady, talk to all the staff & have even given some of us gifts on birthdays/holidays. She once told us that she cannot live on 100K a month.

OK I'll translate .....DOES NOT WISH TO LIVE ON 100K A MONTH
no one has to spend 100k on shopping but some choose to.
hey it's there money, spend it all i don't care.

however i do see your point K.
most of us wouldn't choose to live in a bamboo nipa hut & raise a family there CORRECT !! I think i'll pass on that (atleast for now)

pig

[JimD]

I could live quite well in Barranquilla on $15,000 (net) per year.  That would be about $COP 2,500,000 per month.  A VERY nice home can be had for $1,000,000 per month, let's say $500,000 for a car, $150.000 for a maid twice per week, which leaves more than $400,000 per week for food and entertainment.  

You left out services. Direct TV $90.000, Internet  $50.000, electric, water and trash  $125.000, phone $50.000, cel phone minutes (two, one for each)  another hundred thousand?  If you live in a house, not an apartment building add another $60.000 for the vigilante. And what about health insurance? About $75.000 in EPS (required gov. insurance) for one person plus $215.000 (one person) for private plan.  If both are young and healthy and you don´t mind waiting in lines an hour or more long in order to make an appointment then a two or three months wait before you actually have the appointment you can skip the latter. Dental coverage would be additional and doesn´t cover much. Are you accustomed to having home insurence or maybe life insurance for your wife? Those are both very expensive in Colombia and though available I´ve never met anyone who has either.

Then that car  you mentioned. Lets take a 2008 model pickup. Insurance (theft and repair to your car) $1´600.000. SOAT (covers pedestrians you hit) $300.000. Personal property tax $950.000. Inspection $110.000. Those are yearly costs plus oil changes at $90.000 and regular gas at over four dollars a gallon. Original purchase not included nor all the rest of typical car maintenance.

And one last little detail. Lets not forget IVA the 16% tax added on to just about everything you pay for in Colombia including goods and services.

[jm21-2]

It all depends on people's styles and where they're headed. I would be fine in a nipa hut but my fiance wouldn't. But as long as it has indoor plumbing she's probably fine. We wouldn't have cable, directv or a landline. Cell phones are very cheap but minutes are more expensive than Boost it seems (hence a ton of text messaging). Would have a scooter or two instead of a car. Basic liability insurance appears to be very cheap and they take almost no fuel. Maintenance is dirt cheap. Health care seems pretty good and affordable in several countries in SE Asia. Not sure what a vigilante is (a guard? mobster? protection racket?). Dental insurance is a waste if you don't have kids for the most part, even here in the US. Internet connection would be a must but they don't seem too expensive. Maybe $30-50.

[michaelb]

Not sure what a vigilante is (a guard? mobster? protection racket?).

Private security guard, works for an apartment complex or group of houses, or perhaps a group of small businesses clustered together.   

[JimD]

No. In the upper strata barrios, estrata four to six of Colombian cities such as Cali there is a vigilante assigned to every couple or three blocks. He´s simply a watchman and carries nothing more than a nightstick but it´s his job to observe the goings on such as if there are suspicious people or cars. In fact if you wanted to keep n eye on some girl in an upper strata barrio he´d be the guy to pay off.a

[whitey]

You left out services. Direct TV $90.000, Internet  $50.000, electric, water and trash  $125.000, phone $50.000, cel phone minutes (two, one for each)  another hundred thousand?  If you live in a house, not an apartment building add another $60.000 for the vigilante. And what about health insurance? About $75.000 in EPS (required gov. insurance) for one person plus $215.000 (one person) for private plan.  If both are young and healthy and you don´t mind waiting in lines an hour or more long in order to make an appointment then a two or three months wait before you actually have the appointment you can skip the latter. Dental coverage would be additional and doesn´t cover much. Are you accustomed to having home insurence or maybe life insurance for your wife? Those are both very expensive in Colombia and though available I´ve never met anyone who has either.

Then that car  you mentioned. Lets take a 2008 model pickup. Insurance (theft and repair to your car) $1´600.000. SOAT (covers pedestrians you hit) $300.000. Personal property tax $950.000. Inspection $110.000. Those are yearly costs plus oil changes at $90.000 and regular gas at over four dollars a gallon. Original purchase not included nor all the rest of typical car maintenance.

And one last little detail. Lets not forget IVA the 16% tax added on to just about everything you pay for in Colombia including goods and services.

Good points all, Jim ... I did kind of gloss over a number of things and left some things out.

In my head, the $1.000.000 housing expense (for me would be estrato 4) included utilities and services.  Nazly charges less than $450.000 rent per month for her pretty spacious house in estrato 4, so I figured $1.000.000 would go a long way.

Hmmm ... maybe I'll have to cut the muchacha down to 1 day per week.   

[michaelb]

JimD, true, I don't think the lower strata barrios have them, but are they hired on a contract basis by the residents and/or whatever the Colombian equivalent to an HOA is, or are they appointed by the police or some similar civil authority? I'll have to ask my wife how that works. 

[Jeff S]

Geez, as expensive as the US plus you need a private security guard for the crime, and according to many here, mediocre food? I get it if your wife's family is there and you have an instant in with the locals, but if I were to pick out a retirement paradise, it wouldn't be in the top 25 that's for sure.

[JimD]

Hmmm ... maybe I'll have to cut the muchacha down to 1 day per week.   

Whitey the term you´re looking for is "mosa". Mention that to you´re wife and watch the s h t f and if you wanted to rub it in you could hum " Esposa y mosa, vida hermosa" (just kidding, don´t do it!)

michaelb they are hired by the residents of the barrio. If you move in you sort of negotiate with them their monthly fee but first you check with a Colombian neighbor to see what they pay. They may or may not give you an honest answer...you are a gringo no?

[utopiacowboy]

Geez, as expensive as the US plus you need a private security guard for the crime, and according to many here, mediocre food? I get it if your wife's family is there and you have an instant in with the locals, but if I were to pick out a retirement paradise, it wouldn't be in the top 25 that's for sure.

It's not in my top 25 either.

[piglett]

Geez, as expensive as the US plus you need a private security guard for the crime, and according to many here, mediocre food? I get it if your wife's family is there and you have an instant in with the locals, but if I were to pick out a retirement paradise, it wouldn't be in the top 25 that's for sure.

why in the hell would anyone from another country want to move to a place that requires a "gangster" to keep watch??? maybe if i had received a serious head injury i would be interested
sh*t where my in-laws live many people don't even have doors on their house (I guess they don't feel the need for them) i think I'll take that kind of place any dam time over one where i have to employ a gangster. sorry guys but what in gods name are you thinking


P I G

[jm21-2]

Well, having to live in better neighborhoods in a city makes a big difference in the cost of retirement. I wouldn't feel uncomfortable living in the less wealthy areas in any Asian country I've been to. If you had to live in a good neighborhood in Bangkok it would cost an arm and a leg too.

[piglett]

Well, having to live in better neighborhoods in a city makes a big difference in the cost of retirement. I wouldn't feel uncomfortable living in the less wealthy areas in any Asian country I've been to. If you had to live in a good neighborhood in Bangkok it would cost an arm and a leg too.

i am sure you are correct there so why live rite in the city?
how about 1/2 hour outside the city & make friends with the local police chief/mayor. something as small as a good bottle of JD when you move in & then maybe invite them to your house from time to time. nothing wrong with having friends in high places. hell i would try to rent/buy rite next to a local officials house & make a point of offering them a cold beer on a hot day.
if they take a liking to you i would think you would be in good shape.


pig

PS: if a new couple (foreign) moved in rite next to where you live & did the same wouldn't you start to think "wow they seem like nice people"

[JimD]

Well, having to live in better neighborhoods in a city makes a big difference in the cost of retirement. I wouldn't feel uncomfortable living in the less wealthy areas in any Asian country I've been to. If you had to live in a good neighborhood in Bangkok it would cost an arm and a leg too.

And so it is in Cali, Colombia. You can rent a two or three bedroom house in barrio Floralia in the north end of Cali for $450.000 or around $225 US. The upper end of the barrio, near La 14 Calima shopping center is reasonably safe because it is a barrio popular and there are almost always tons of people in the streets day or night.  It is strata 2 out of six so services are very low. I´ve spent a few nights there and I wouldn´t rule it out if I were going to live in Cali. What you have to deal with is a hot dusty environment packed with people and loud noise and music all the time. However there are many more strata 2 barrios like Alfonzo Lopez that are decidely unsafe for Colombians and worse for us. Most gringos I know prefer the greater safety and comfort of a strata 5 or 6 apartment building with secure entry, swimming pool and elevator...in which case you´re talking a lot more money.