Recent content by jimdepalermo

After trying for a few weeks, I just successfully transferred funds via WU from my US bank account. I've recently been wiring funds from Citi/NY to Santander/BA, withdrawing dollars, taking them to my change guy next door to the bank, and then returning to the bank to deposit pesos. When I first...

The credit card companies do have a way to classify purchases by store. In my year-end summaries, they tell me how much was spent at clothing stores vs restaurants vs airlines, for example. The truth is that I was expecting some sort of knee-jerk control on foreign purchases. We have had a...

This is more imitation of Chavez, who does it all the time for 8-hour speeches. Even the poorest Venezuelans find a way to hook up to cable or satellite TV so they don't have to watch to him. According to Cristina's latest media-control law from 2009, the government has the right to preempt...

It's big at Santa Fe and Scalabrini right now, and everyone who's not in the street is on the balcony with an olla.

I have heard the same thing since before I bought my first apartment here. Maybe I'm just lucky, but their are no morosos in the buildings where I have apartments. All are in Palermo, so maybe other neighborhoods have worse problems with morosos. Admittedly, every now and then someone gets...

Not true. Here are the rules: It must be a GSM phone (i.e. T-Mobile or AT&T are in, Verizon is out). The GSM phone must operate on the 850 and/or (preferably AND) 1900 frequencies. (These are also the frequencies used in the US.) It must be unlocked (i.e. not tied to the US carrier from...

I don't think there would be a problem with pre-existing conditions here, but you'll never know until you ask. The insurance companies here are nothing like you're accustomed to dealing with in the US, and they tend to have few or no restrictions on coverage. My suggestion is that you go to...

sleslie23 is probably right about this. On the other hand, tax reform is overdue in Argentina. As AFIP gets more efficient at collecting taxes due, the argument that "taxes are officially very high because everyone evades them" no longer holds.

I don't find this believable. New laws were passed about 2 years ago that require administrators in CABA to obtain a bond to cover their use of a consorcio's funds, which protects owners from unscrupulous administrators who occasionally absconded with the working capital. As I understand it...

Ostramar is my usual place - it's a couple blocks from where I live. And it's pretty good for Buenos Aires. Anyone know a market that leaves the fish intact so you can see how fresh it is? Every market I know, including Ostramar, sells mostly filets and pre-cut sections. I'm more comfortable...

I've never heard of a prepaid debit card here. Anecdote - I went to Carrefout for my bi-weekly stockup on Tuesday, which is discount day for Citi cardholders. I noticed "20% discount with credit card" signs on several items throughout the store, but I didn't pay attention, thinking these were...

Call More Money. First to confirm that they received the order from Xoom - my first transfer got lost and I had to call Xoom back to get it sent to MMT. If More confirms that they have it, ask them what documents they need and email them to them.

The issue with income taxes is that they are steeply progressive (i.e. rates increase as income increases), but I don't think the brackets have been reset in 15 years. So a bracket that originally affected only the top 10% now hits something like 50%. The top bracket is 35% for earnings over...

50% the time the don't give you the form. 99% they don't ask for it. For the 1% when someone wants it, look surprised and don't understand them. Huh?

Xoom customer service is indeed terrible. Try calling their compliance folks at 1-877-748-6444 to try to get an explanation or correction. Their limit is U$ 6000 per month, so that's not the problem. Did you send them your ID and a copy of a recent bank statement for the donor account? They...