Considering BA as an early retirement option

[EL_TIGRE_de_Tigre]

The problem with USA-issue credit cards is that they exchange dollars at the official rate: $70.07 pesos per dollar, while he blue rate for actual dollar bills last Friday was $124 pesos per dollar. That's a 76.97% spread. So, a thousand peso lunch is $8.06 if paid in blue dollars, but $14.27 if charged to an American credit card.

So, bring as many hundred dollar bills as you possibly can. Only clean, unmarked, blue-striped new hundred dollar bills are accepted at the blue rate.

It's not a problem if you have plenty of money - Greed will get a person into trouble. It's more important to not attract attention and be free.

 

[Alby]

An alternative to that may be this:

And this assumes you have the means (I do.) to live this way ... Simply live 3 months at a time in a few different places you enjoy. It can be chasing the weather or events etc ... but it is foolproof and within the scope of the law for not being considered a tax evader.

Fo example ... live in Argentina for December, January & February ... Spend the next three months (March, April & May) in Europe. Live in Columbia or Mexico during June, July and August (Who wants to be cold in Argentina???) Back to Argentina for September & October ... With the month of November in EE UU for Thanks Giving ... The single best holiday in The US from my opinion ... DO a little Black Friday Shopping and start the cycle all over again.

As far as funding yourself goes ...

Bring the amount of cash you can lawfully bring. (No more.) Simply use your credit cards for as many purchases as you can and make your payments on line as per your usual routine. If for some reason you need more cash ... simply make an arrangement with a trusted friend or family member to do their shopping on your credit card in exchange for pesos you intend to spend in the near term.

I have thought about this for a while ... can anyone see a hole in this?

Yes, there is at least hole in the idea. It assumes that air travel, and easy entry to the states mentioned will both continue to be possible in the future. Hopefully they will be. But they may not. The lifestyle described is based on the world we knew before coronavirus. Nothing is coming back exactly the way it was before. Many things will come back at all.

 

[Redpossum]

No offense to OP, but I read the title of this thread, and the first post, and the thought that popped into my head was, "RUSM?"

Why in the name of Dante's nine circles of Hell would you come here?

Bali, Veracruz, south Thailand, The Seychelles, Katmandu even, but why here?

 

[on the brink]

It's not a problem if you have plenty of money - Greed will get a person into trouble. It's more important to not attract attention and be free.

Thanks for your evaluation. Nice to now someone on this board is wealthy enough to disregard such trivial exchange rate discrepancies.

 

[jbeas176]

An alternative to that may be this:

And this assumes you have the means (I do.) to live this way ... Simply live 3 months at a time in a few different places you enjoy. It can be chasing the weather or events etc ... but it is foolproof and within the scope of the law for not being considered a tax evader.

Fo example ... live in Argentina for December, January & February ... Spend the next three months (March, April & May) in Europe. Live in Columbia or Mexico during June, July and August (Who wants to be cold in Argentina???) Back to Argentina for September & October ... With the month of November in EE UU for Thanks Giving ... The single best holiday in The US from my opinion ... DO a little Black Friday Shopping and start the cycle all over again.

As far as funding yourself goes ...

Bring the amount of cash you can lawfully bring. (No more.) Simply use your credit cards for as many purchases as you can and make your payments on line as per your usual routine. If for some reason you need more cash ... simply make an arrangement with a trusted friend or family member to do their shopping on your credit card in exchange for pesos you intend to spend in the near term.

I have thought about this for a while ... can anyone see a hole in this?

thats my plan and living it now. US colombia, argentina. hanging out in the US until the pandemic passes. did not see this coming. ugh

 

[mc kenna]

Considering argentina...... here's my advice, NO! anywhere but here, unless......... no no no the answer still a big fat NO

 

[on the brink]

thats my plan and living it now. US colombia, argentina. hanging out in the US until the pandemic passes. did not see this coming. ugh

More power to you - splitting the year like that is not easy. I had to do the same for a while, but keeping house in three countries and living out of suitcases was more than I could handle.

 

[jeff1234]

An alternative to that may be this:

And this assumes you have the means (I do.) to live this way ... Simply live 3 months at a time in a few different places you enjoy. It can be chasing the weather or events etc ... but it is foolproof and within the scope of the law for not being considered a tax evader.

Fo example ... live in Argentina for December, January & February ... Spend the next three months (March, April & May) in Europe. Live in Columbia or Mexico during June, July and August (Who wants to be cold in Argentina???) Back to Argentina for September & October ... With the month of November in EE UU for Thanks Giving ... The single best holiday in The US from my opinion ... DO a little Black Friday Shopping and start the cycle all over again.

As far as funding yourself goes ...

Bring the amount of cash you can lawfully bring. (No more.) Simply use your credit cards for as many purchases as you can and make your payments on line as per your usual routine. If for some reason you need more cash ... simply make an arrangement with a trusted friend or family member to do their shopping on your credit card in exchange for pesos you intend to spend in the near term.

I have thought about this for a while ... can anyone see a hole in this?

What about having a

thats my plan and living it now. US colombia, argentina. hanging out in the US until the pandemic passes. did not see this coming. ugh

Any problem with immigration seeing your pattern?

 

[EL_TIGRE_de_Tigre]

What about having a


Any problem with immigration seeing your pattern?

Regardless of any pattern, there should be no problem with a person who occupies time in the same three months of a country every year followed by another non consecutive 2 month stay. It's within the scope of the law.

 

[EL_TIGRE_de_Tigre]

Thanks for your evaluation. Nice to now someone on this board is wealthy enough to disregard such trivial exchange rate discrepancies.

OTB,

Believe me, it's money and I recognize it, but it's simply the cost of living your life. If a person looks at the overall picture, the exchange rate cost can be offset by savings across the board in other areas of living a life. And another trivial little fact: When a person doesn't want it all (ie laden down with possessions that are like boat anchors to a life and drain capital that can be used to live ... ) it becomes much easier to allocate capital to living expenses even if it involves higher costs through less favorable exchange rates.