Wow. Think of it. No more Big Brother in your face. No more over regulation, excessive taxation, and meddlesome bureaucrats getting in the way of your unbridled enthusiasm and entrepreneurial spirit. Fantastic right? Mostly, yes, but watch out. Galt’s Gulch south of the border is a wonderful idea, but reality has a way of throwing some curve balls your way. Latin America is a left-handed pitcher with a 102 Mph fastball and a wicked curve. Forewarned is forearmed.

Dear Readers

As a Hemisphere’s Subscriber, you are cordially invited to attend our 14th President’s Week Forum for Asset Protection and Global Investment, March 10 – 14, 2011. This year’s meeting on wonderful Ambergris Caye, Belize will be better than ever before. With speakers and attendees from all over the world we will examine and discuss the best and most cutting edge methods to protect, preserve and grow your wealth.

“Wall Street would like us to believe that the stock markets are a logical extension of free market economics, and to a large degree they are. But they may be more than that too.”

Expectations and disappointment go hand in hand.

We’ve all experienced this, haven’t we? Whether it was a birthday, anniversary, job promotion, relationship, we’ve all been disappointed. But that doesn’t stop us from having expectations. They are a natural part of who we are. As humans we have hopes and dreams. But to the extent we rely on those outcomes for our happiness, we create expectations, and thus sometimes, disappointment. It’s a fact of life.

Sorry for the depressing title to the article. But seriously, I was disappointed recently when I saw a commercial for a major US brokerage firm. There sat a stately looking, white haired gentleman who looked like he could be the poster child for AARP. He was talking about his experiences with some other brokers who discussed things like enjoying a vineyard in retirement. As the picture fades, the tag line to the commercial is, “A vineyard? Get real.”

Being the head of a real estate development business in Latin America, I hear quite a few comments about the price of real estate abroad.  People frequently say to me, “I can buy a condo in Florida for less than what you are selling them for.”  And they are right.  The simple truth is that it is possible to buy a condo in Miami Beach for as little as $80 per sq.ft.  One such offer I located is a condo built in 1948 located at 1275 Marseille Dr. just about a mile from the beach. 

Part two of the 15 Critical “Must Ask” Questions when Buying Real Estate Overseas will focus on “Buying Community.”   While this seems like a no-brainer to most folks from North America, it really goes to the heart of what “big brother” does for us in North America and just how much we unconsciously depend on him.

Everyone buying property outside of North America needs to remember the famous words of Dorothy to Toto after being dropped into Oz, “I don’t think we are in Kansas anymore.”

When going offshore, especially to places that feel familiar, we must be very, very careful.  In fact, the more familiar it seems, the more caution we should apply.  But how do we do that?  

Take a look at a favorite saying of mine, “I don’t know what I don’t know.” 
Please stop and reread that....

Really!  How could we know what we don’t know?  We can’t, obviously, but we can be open to new possibilities and realities that vary greatly from our assumptions.

Risk and the perception of risk are two different things.  Many people think their decisions are based on reality, when actually they are based on false perceptions of risk.

For example, we have been led to believe that the traditional stock markets are safe, because they are large institutions ... run by really smart people ... regulated and overseen by various government agencies in charge of protecting us. 

As our plane descended through the low clouds into the southernmost town in the world, Ushuaia, Argentina, the view of the snow-capped mountains, the quaint town, and the harbor was fantastic.  I quickly noticed, however, that the 11-story cruise ship MS Veendam was not docked, and a bit of concern coursed through my veins.

Two days earlier I had departed Managua, Nicaragua with my 6-old-daughter, Emily, to meet the boat mid-trip and sail the second half of the cruise up the coast of Chile.  The prospect of missing the boat was serious for two reasons.  The first, I would miss my speaking engagement, and two, my daughter would be crushed.  I was here for work, but she was here to see the penguins. 

What’s the Number #1 most useful news item for businesses and investors in 2011?

The first members of the baby boom generation turn 65.

The first post-World War II babies started arriving in 1946, months after the soldiers got home.

Now, as the boomers prepare to retire, many of them will be tracing their fathers’ footsteps offshore.  Not to war this time, but to a retirement they can afford and enjoy.