Yesterday’s message began our review of seven lifestyle foundations.
The last two messages at this site entitled Lifestyle Foundations and Ecuador Healthy Lifestyles outlined why we, at the beginning of this decade, are sharing seven key messages I have sent before… but have update. They reflect the fundamental values we share from the lessons we learn at this site.
This third lifestyle thought looks at why Merri and I have brought thousands of readers to Ecuador and been living and investing so much there for the past 15 years. This messages answers the question… Why is Ecuador a great place to be?
Ecuador has wonderful natural resources… in the mountains and…
and on the sea.
Ecuador is unique for many reasons. One huge benefit is that it has direct sunlight 365 days a year. Ecuador’s topography ranges from sea level to over 22,000 feet. Going from the coastal plain into the mountains of Ecuador offers the same bio diversity as from the equator to the Arctic Circle.
Ecuador offers incredible luxury at reasonable prices… heart warming sweetness… breath taking beauty… health benefits… and new horizons at every turn.
Ecuador is affordable for everything… such as affordable housing… even ultimate luxury. Here is a chef creating delights at the Relais and Chateaux Spa La Mirage in the Andes and…
the luxurious Casa Ceibo hotel on Ecuador’s Pacific.
Having lived, worked and played there now for fifteen years, we are just beginning to realize how really special and what enormous joys and pleasures this tiny country has.
Slightly smaller than the state of Nevada, Ecuador has four highly distinct zones, the Amazon jungle basin, the Andean central highlands, the Coastal Plain and the Galapagos. Not only do these four regions offer highly different lifestyles and opportunities distinct from each other, each also offers unique sights, sounds and thrills that you cannot obtain anywhere else in the world. Yet it is all so compact! Nothing is much more than an hour or two away.
In Ecuador you encounter cultures, knowledge, birds, plants, sights, scenes and sounds you will not find anywhere else in the world.
Yet there is even more that is hard to explain. A sweetness that lies just below the surface permeates all things and makes them somehow enjoyable in ways that are difficult to describe. Merri and I have taken over thousands of delegates to this country since we first began.
The…
people of Ecuador are…
warm and…
friendly…
naturally.
Again and again they say the same. “I don’t know what it is that I feel so good here, but I love it. I have to come back again.”
Perhaps it’s the random, jumbled, apparent lack of order in a society where things do work.
The airport is organized and gets better every time we arrive. The political system does move forward (Ecuador is South America’s oldest democracy), the legal system does work.
Perhaps it is the way things work differently there. Perhaps it is the incredibly low cost of fresh fruit, clean air and pure water.
Food, of every variety, is excellent, abundant and in expensive.
Whatever it is that makes Ecuador wonderful, many of those who have accompanied us have (like Merri and me), bought homes, moved there and bettered their lives in a multitude of ways.
Perhaps it is the slight differences because like good ice cream, the nuances often say more than the obvious. Cracks in a wall, its patina and peeling paint speak more loudly than color, architecture and design. So I’ll describe the current circumstances of the country below, but written words are never enough. I’m writing the logical reasons why you might love Ecuador here, but you need to visit. Ecuador is a place for the heart and it will be your heart that rules in Ecuador, never your mind.
Ecuador is at the dawn of its development and has wonderful dawns like this one over the sophisticated city of…
Quito… the Paris of South America.
Ecuador is at a crossroads. It stands in a position where it can really rise from its third world state or sink into an even deeper time of turmoil.
There are three driving forces at work, the first being economics. The country has oil… a lot of it. About 60% of the government’s revenue comes from oil. A new airport is being built to replace the one in Quito.
On the downside the country is in an economic mess… has defaulted on its bond debt which is a huge negative for participation in the global economy.
Another driving force is the nation’s dollarization. The idea of abandoning the sucre and using the U.S. dollar as the nation’s currency was that this will stop inflation because it limits the politicians’ ability to spend. This was a good idea and the long-term stability and much lower inflation has created will be good. The IMF loves this as do many of the other bright boys in top western economic posts…all who have never tried to run a country surrounded by other nations that do devalue their currencies. Dollarization has been good but there remain doubts that it can survive. If the dollar rises versus currencies in neighboring countries, then Ecuador’s exports will become uncompetitive.
Enter the third driving force, President Rafael Correa. He has gained great popularity especially be developing indigenous connections and has spent his first years in office on a reform campaign. Can he continue to spend and can he continue his reform are the big questions.
The man is probably sincere, but like Jimmy Carter may be overwhelmed by events. He has no political experience at all. He is inheriting an economic mess and has managed to get many people angry with him.
Ecuador’s President Correa is dynamic and aggressive… and accessible. Here is a photo I took of Correa when he visited our village.
Ecuador real estate prices are not as low as they were when Merri and I began investing a decade ago, but the values are still good… and the cost of maintenance and taxes etc. place are still low. The streets are not as safe as they were, but especially out of the city and away from the Colombian border, Ecuador is very safe… not a dangerous place.
There are enormous historic, economic, cultural obstacles to overcome. Three forces are clashing.
The first are the few very rich families, who have always been in economic and political control. Since there is no middle class, these business families have never used capital markets and have kept business ownership to themselves. Without capital markets they have depended on low cost labor rather than capital equipment. If they stick to this old paradigm, as real wages rise (especially in relation to the neighboring countries) they will become increasingly uncompetitive.
The second force is the huge number of very poor. They want change, better lives, etc., but do not understand global economics. They want change without changing and/ or evolving to fit into today’s modern industrial world. They want the goodies of the west but do not know what to do or how to integrate successfully into the global economy.
The third force is president Correa. He has promised to attack graft to help the poor and downtrodden. But can he do this with success?
My humble opinion is that education is the only real way to make the shifts required. The country must focus its newly found incoming cash flow on education. The poor must be helped to become more productive so they can rise. My guess is the funds will go instead to handouts to quell uprisings and to more graft. This has been the trend so far.
However the president has instituted free education to all in Ecuador… a good step.
This is hardly an optimistic opinion but regardless, there will be great opportunity in Ecuador. If the country moves the right way, they will enjoy increased stability, productivity and we who move there can participate in helping this wonderful nation join its place in the global economy.
The zero on the roulette wheel will be law and order. If the impoverished majority make enough fuss, law and order may decline. This is always the businessman’s risk. This risk is balanced by the peaceful nature of Ecuadorians and their strong family values.
Ecuador has strong spiritual and family values. Even our small village Cotacachi has two large cathedrals.
My feeling is that the unchangeable good parts will remain. Sweet people, more sight and sounds than you can find anywhere else, exquisite biodiversity of flora and fauna. There will be a rich, ancient culture full of wisdom to mystify you and bring you back again and again. The people have an inherent sweetness that has been ingrained for thousands of years. I do not believe that this will suddenly go away. A portion of the indigenous population (the Otavalans) are perhaps the most successful indigenous community in the world. Their influence is a stabilizing factor.
Plus there is more flora, fauna, some really great Indian markets, jungle lodges, incredible fishing, hiking, sightseeing and such. The many readers who have moved to Ecuador tell me they still love living in this place, as do Merri and I. Ecuador is a great place to visit, live in or do business. There are still some real estate deals but one has to search and work at this harder than in previous years… due in part to the large number of westerners who have moved to Ecuador.
Ecuador real estate potential is enhanced by increased inflation and this is why Ecuador real estate investing makes sense. Messages at this site monitor investments in Ecuador.
The collapse of the US economy made real estate in America more affordable… but reduced income, jobs and wealth also. This has forced the US government to stimulate the economy at the expense of the US dollar. This will cause inflation.
This is forcing many middle class Americans to move to less expensive areas in the US and abroad.
60 million baby boomers have begun to retire. Many of their pensions and social security will be severely squeezed by inflation, leaving these people with one of five options.
#1: Keep working
#2: Move to less expensive areas within the US
#3: Export their retirement
#4: Live in near poverty
#5: Die
This is one reason I believe in Ecuador. Imagine this. 60 million boomers will retire over the next 20 years. We boomers are the most spoiled group of consumers as a demographic class that has ever existed on earth. We were promised the world. We were given the world. Now the magic is about to disappear.
Assume that 10% of these boomers will decide to move to less expensive countries. That’s 6 million people. Where is the most likely place to go? Eastern Europe offers great potential but are long distances from the US.
Estimating the Number of Americans Who Move Abroad.
My estimates at 105 may also be low. An article in Barrons entitled, “A new life in Panama” by Bob Adams tells of a silent immigration of Americans retirees and more, seeking to work and live in other nations.
I have been writing and speaking and urging people to consider an international life for 40 years next May. Yet the scale of the immigration that is taking place now surprises even me. The author of this article did a survey with over 115,000 respondents.
They eliminated any relocating for less than two years or because of military, government or their jobs. They discovered that 1.6 million households have already made the decision to relocate. 1.8 million households are seriously considering relocating and 7.7 million households are somewhat seriously considering relocating. The survey suggests that in total, an astounding 10% of American households are considering relocating abroad and another 10% are considering owning a home to either vacation or live part time abroad or 20% of Americans are n the move!
More surprisingly the largest group who are making these plans are in households aged 25 to 34.
If this survey is anywhere near correct (I will assume that Barron’s vetted this at least a bit), then the wave of Americans headed abroad are larger than I believe.
So where will these Americans (Canadians, British, Australians, Kiwis and Continentals are leaving their homelands as well) go?
Canada is out…too expensive and too cold. Most people will head south.
Mexico stands to be #1, but prices there are rising quickly and there is a lot of anti-gringo sentiment. After all there have been numerous Mexican-American wars. The building of a fence across the border will not help either. There is a law and order crisis. Yet it’s still probably the place that will benefit the most due to location.
Cuba, when it opens, will be ripe and good as well. A great place to buy when you can assuming no negative political circumstances. The low end Caribbean is also good except for those darn hurricanes that will put lots of people off…plus many water and transportation problems and the fact that few of the islands have a real infrastructure.
Panama is good…lots of English spoken, many yanks already there, but weather is lousy if you want to be in town (hot and humid) and prices are no longer low. Ditto for Costa Rica. Central America lacks infrastructure though there are some nice gringo settlements though they are expensive. Yet we see many Americans now moving from Panama to Ecuador.
Colombia is the first nation with a progressive economy and full infrastructure after Panama and Mexico. This is a wonderful place but security will stop most from going there. If the security/drug/crime issues are resolved and image cleans up…go buy in Colombia. This will be a great opportunity.
Argentina, especially Buenos Aries should do well also. It’s further away but BA has a very European feel.
Ecuador, 3 hours and 45 minutes from the US will benefit as the first nation with a full infrastructure and really low cost of living.
If Ecuador gets just 10% of six million Americans who leave the US, imagine what this means to this nation of 11 million. First this is more than a 5% increase in population. However look at what it means in dollars!
According to the CIA World Fact Book, Ecuador has a Gross Domestic Income of $4,300 per annum per person. That makes a total GDP of $47,300,000,000.
Imagine what happens if the 600,000 gringos have an average income of $18,000 a year per person. That adds $10,800,000,000. This is an annual income that almost equals 20% of the entire national GDP! This is one reason why Merri and I include Latin equities in our investment portfolio and are buying more and more real estate in Ecuador.
Every cloud has a silver lining and two clouds casting shade on the greenback’s value are liberal money supply and political interference to support presidential elections. The silver lining comes in the form of profits made in places where fed up Americans and Canadians decide to go when they leave home.
This is why we have purchased a hotel, an office building, 6 condos and a house, a 900+ acre hacienda plus a beach apartment in Ecuador ourselves.
Our hacienda Rosaspamba.
Our house.
Our hotel Meson de las Flores.
Our Ecuador beach apartment.
In summary Ecuador’s real estate potential may depend more on how bad things become in North America rather than how good will be be in Ecuador.
Ecuador has it all… at affordable prices and is an great place to be. Ecuador is a wonderful option to investigate if you are not happy comfortable or certain of the fate of your existing home. Ecuador is an excellent second place, with growth potential and no matter what happens to the global economy… the sun always shines there… 365 days a year.
Gary
Join us this February in Florida and Ecuador. Feb. 11-14 for Quantum Wealth Florida -International Investing & Internet Business, Mt. Dora, Fl.
Enjoy a Split session and join us in Florida and Ecuador. After the Florida course, on Feb. 15-16 we’ll travel to and visit Quito.
Feb 17 Travel to Manta
Feb. 18-19 Coastal Real Estate Tour
Feb. 20 Travel to Cotacachi
Feb. 21-22 Imbabura Real Estate Tour
Feb. 23-24 Quito-Mindo Real Estate Tour
Feb. 26-27 Cuenca Real Estate Tour
Or meet us direct in Ecuador.
Cheap Ecuador air fares make it less expensive to get to Ecuador than ever before… plus there is still time to enjoy great Ecuador tour savings at a discount.
Monthly payments can now be made to attend our Ecuador tours. See below.
Join the International Club and start attending our seminars and tours in February.
Along with cheap Ecuador air fares there are really incredible Ecuador tour savings if you plan to attend six seminars or tours any time in all of 2010.
Our 2010 International Club membership allows you and a guest to attend as many of the 51 courses and tours we’ll sponsor and conduct in 2010 (fees would be $38,452 for all these courses individually).
The 2009 club fee was only $2,999. Because we have added four extra south Ecuador beach tours, the 2010, International Club fee rises from our 2009 enrollment to $3,500 on January 25th 2010.
Enroll in the International Club now at the original fee of $2,999. Save $501.
International Club 2010 monthly payments.
Attend our 52 investment, business, Spanish, real estate and export, courses and tours in 2010 with one small enrollment fee of $2,999.
Because holiday expenses often tighten the winter cash flow, you can enroll with three monthly payments… $1,025 in January… $1,025 in February and $1,025 in March 2010.
International Club 2010 Membership $2,999 Enroll here
International Club Three Monthly Payments of $1,025
Here are the 51 courses and tours you can attend free. Plus there is even one more savings you will see below.
Feb. 11-14 Quantum Wealth Florida -International Investing & Internet Business, Mt. Dora, Fl.
Feb. 15-16 Travel to and visit Quito
Feb 17 Travel to Manta
Feb. 18-19 Coastal Real Estate Tour
Feb. 20 Travel to Cotacachi
Feb. 21-22 Imbabura Real Estate Tour
Feb. 23-24 Quito-Mindo Real Estate Tour
Feb. 26-27 Cuenca Real Estate Tour
Mar. 11-14 Super Thinking + Spanish Course, Mt. Dora, Fl.
Mar. 15-16 Travel to Quito and Andes
Mar. 17-18 Imbabura Real Estate Tour
Mar. 19-20 Cotacachi Shamanic tour
Mar. 22-23 Coastal Real Estate Tour
Mar. 25-26 Cuenca Real Estate Tour
Mar. 28-29 South Coast Real Estate Tour
Apr. 12-15 Ecuador Export Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Apr. 17-18 Imbabura Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Apr. 20-21 Coastal Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Apr. 23-24 Quito-Mindo Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Apr. 26-27 Cuenca Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
May 13-14 Ecuador Shamanic Minga ($499 or couple $749)
May 16-17 Imbabura Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
May 19-20 Coastal Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
May 22-23 Quito-Mindo Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
May 25-26 Cuenca Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
May 28-29 South Coast real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
June 24 Quantum Wealth North Carolina
June 25-27 International Investing and Business North Carolina ( $749 or couple $999)
June 28-29 Travel to Ecuador and Andes
June 30-Jly 1 Imbabura Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
July 3-4 Coastal Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
July 6-7 Quito-Mindo Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
July 9-10 Cuenca Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Sept. 3-6 Ecuador Export Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Sept. 8-9 Imbabura Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Sept. 11-12 Coastal Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Sept. 14-15 Cuenca Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Sept. 17-18 Ecuador Shamanic Minga ($499 or couple $749)
Sept 20-21 South Coast Real Estate tour ($499 or couple $749)
Oct. 7 Quantum Wealth North Carolina
Oct. 8-10 International Investing & Business North Carolina ($749 or couple $999)
Oct. 11-12 Travel to Quito and Andes
Oct. 13-14 Imbabura Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Oct. 16-17 Coastal Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Oct. 19-20 Quito-Mindo Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Oct. 22-23 Cuenca Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Nov. 4-7 Super Thinking + Spanish Course Florida ($749 or couple $999)
Nov. 8-9 Travel to Quito and Andes
Nov. 10-11 Imbabura Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Nov. 13-14 Coastal Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Nov. 16-17 Quito-Mindo Real Estate ($499 or couple $749)
Nov. 19-20 Cuenca Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Nov 22-23 South Coast Real Estate Tour (($499 or couple $749)
Dec. 3-5 Ecuador Shamanic Mingo ($499 or couple $749)
Dec. 7-8 Imbabura Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Dec. 10-11 Coastal Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Dec. 13-14 Quito-Mindo Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Dec. 16-17 Cuenca Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
If you join the International Club, the entrance fee for 2010 is $2,999 (until January 2010). Your attendance fees at all courses will be waived. You and your guest can attend courses worth $40,947.
You can calculate the savings as our schedule of all 2010 courses is shown below.
Arrival dates are always one or two days earlier. Please double check with us before booking flights.
I invite you to be a member of the International Club which allows you and your guest of your choice to attend all of these courses which are valued at $38,452!
International Club 2010 Membership Enroll here
You may well wonder why I would make such an offer and ask why the cost is so low? Let me answer this question frankly and from the heart.
First, it helps us do a better job for you. We feel greatly enriched when we can really help our clients improve their lives. We have learned through years of experience the best way to do this is to meet with you regularly. We can best help you learn how to improve your health and wealth through continual expansion of knowledge.
Second, we gain enormous fulfillment from the many friendships we form through the years. Our friends have enriched our lives tremendously. Let me explain this in more detail.
As a member, you will be part of our international family that meets intensively over the next year to examine ways we can make our lives better. Our goal is beyond just having money. Our goal is to have quantum wealth… good health… wealth and fulfillment through service.
Though I give all course delegates my very best, I cannot help but to do a better job for those who come again and again. As we meet often; your particular wants, needs and desires become clear, and it is easier for me to point you in the right direction.
Another phenomenon is that repeat delegates help each other! They get to know one another, help each other learn, share their insights, make contacts and gain more wealth.
Out associates in Ecuador, are experienced business people who live or work and conduct our real estate and export courses. They can also act as your local backup for the business.
Lifestyle for Two. There is more! I have learned at my courses that many repeat delegates were couples.
We want couples! As a member of the program, you are entitled to bring another person to every single course or tour. The cost for that extra person will be ZERO! You can bring whomever you wish. Bring your spouse, a friend, son or daughter, partner, accountant, adviser. You can bring the same person each time or a different person, whomever you choose to accompany you. (Accommodations and air fares relating to the courses are not included for members, delegates or their guests.)
Won’t you join us in this exciting club and share Merri’s and my lifestyle for the next year? We look forward to seeing you at as many courses as possible and sharing this wonderful world of abundance and well being with you!
Gary
International Club 2010 Membership $2,999 Enroll here
International Club Three Monthly Payments of $1,025
