Here are some thoughts on how to survive & prosper in anarchy.

You can profit from a groundswell change in the world’s socio-economic system that creates enormous opportunity for small self publishers and exporters now.

Here are delegates on one of our recent Ecuador tours.  See below how these tours help delegates learn how to earn through authenticity and cohesion.

More importantly see why authenticity and cohesion create this opportunity and why so many Americans and Canadians are moving to Ecuador… because of anarchy.

The internet and broadband are helping lead the world into a state of  anarchy… but in a very positive way.

Those who see the upside of this shift will prosper from the change that is coming.

Anarchy has been given a negative connotation, but…  in its truer… deeper meanings, anarchy describes a Utopian State.

One definition of anarchy is:  “A social state in which there is no governing person or group of people, but each individual has absolute liberty (without the implication of disorder).”

Anarchy is pure libertarianism.  In the real world… this state of pure freedom… has rarely worked for long because individuals with absolute authority have not been willing to also accept complete responsibility.  During times of anarchy… self interest groups try to impose their wishes on others by becoming top dog.  Everyone starts stepping on everyone else’s toes.

Traditionally anarchy turns into chaos and disorder.

This seems to be the nature of our universe… shifting from order to anarchy to chaos.

Entropy disintegrates but the process also creates ashes from which a Phoenix will rise.  After order slides into anarchy and  chaos it then comes back into a new order.

This site has recommended the book “Chaos The Making of a New Science” by James Gleick numerous times over the past decade.  An excerpt from that book below outlines a scientific explanation of this universal chaotic order and perhaps can help us see how to help and profit as well in times of change.

If disorder always comes from order then knowing why and how the internet is helping create anarchy, will help us spot  how to serve and profit in the emerging era.

This understanding is important.  Most Westerners are bewildered by the deterioration of the state they were educated to believe in. This is why many are emigrating to South America.  Many are seeking a return to the old Western dream.  Latin America offers a return to seemingly simpler times.

This is why this site also focuses on Smalltown USA where a less complex, friendlier social order still reigns.

The progression of society and the global economy may appear to be in a negative cycle, but common sense suggests that the shifts we are seeing, from order to disorder, are normal and to be expected.

All is in perfect order.  The problem is not the reality but our views that are out of touch with reality.

We can probably presume that most Romans felt equally overwhelmed when barbarians crossed the Rubicon.

Yet here is a point for survival in anarchy… despite the fall of Rome, for the past two millennium, Italy has remained a really great place to live. Italy in this period has been filled with opportunity.

Many Romans experienced great pain and suffering during the Empire’s fall… but those who looked ahead and prepared… were given a great opportunity to prosper as the old order ceased to prevail.  New ideas… fresh energy… enthusiasm and willingness to work became more valuable and rewarding as the old boy’s network, that was draining the empire, failed.

More on Chaos

Here is an excerpt from  James Gleicks book “Chaos – The Making of a New Science”.

What exactly is chaos? The name “chaos theory” comes from the fact that the systems that the theory describes are apparently disordered, but chaos theory is really about finding the underlying order in apparently random data.

When was chaos first discovered? The first true experimenter in chaos was a meteorologist, named Edward Lorenz. In 1960, he was working on the problem of weather prediction. He had a computer set up, with a set of twelve equations to model the weather. It didn’t predict the weather itself. However this computer program did theoretically predict what the weather might be.

One day in 1961, he wanted to see a particular sequence again. To save time, he started in the middle of the sequence, instead of the beginning. He entered the number off his printout and left to let it run.

When he came back an hour later, the sequence had evolved differently. Instead of the same pattern as before, it diverged from the pattern, ending up wildly different from the original.   Eventually he figured out what happened. The computer stored the numbers to six decimal places in its memory. To save paper, he only had it print out three decimal places. In the original sequence, the number was .506127, and he had only typed the first three digits, .506.

By all conventional ideas of the time, it should have worked. He should have gotten a sequence very close to the original sequence. A scientist considers himself lucky if he can get measurements with accuracy to three decimal places. Surely the fourth and fifth, impossible to measure using reasonable methods, can’t have a huge effect on the outcome of the experiment. Lorenz proved this idea wrong.

This effect came to be known as the butterfly effect. The amount of difference in the starting points of the two curves is so small that it is comparable to a butterfly flapping its wings.

The flapping of a single butterfly’s wing today produces a tiny change in the state of the atmosphere. Over a period of time, what the atmosphere actually does diverges from what it would have done. So, in a month’s time, a tornado that would have devastated the Indonesian coast doesn’t happen. Or maybe one that wasn’t going to happen, does.

This phenomenon, common to chaos theory, is also known as sensitive dependence on initial conditions. Just a small change in the initial conditions can drastically change the long-term behavior of a system. Such a small amount of difference in a measurement might be considered experimental noise, background noise, or an inaccuracy of the equipment. Such things are impossible to avoid in even the most isolated lab. With a starting number of 2, the final result can be entirely different from the same system with a starting value of 2.000001. It is simply impossible to achieve this level of accuracy – just try and measure something to the nearest millionth of an inch!

From this idea, Lorenz stated that it is impossible to predict the weather accurately. However, this discovery led Lorenz on to other aspects of what eventually came to be known as chaos theory.

Lorenz started to look for a simpler system that had sensitive dependence on initial conditions. His first discovery had twelve equations, and he wanted a much more simple version that still had this attribute. He took the equations for convection, and stripped them down, making them unrealistically simple. The system no longer had anything to do with convection, but it did have sensitive dependence on its initial conditions, and there were only three equations this time. Later, it was discovered that his equations precisely described a water wheel.

At the top, water drips steadily into containers hanging on the wheel’s rim. Each container drips steadily from a small hole. If the stream of water is slow, the top containers never fill fast enough to overcome friction, but if the stream is faster, the weight starts to turn the wheel. The rotation might become continuous. Or if the stream is so fast that the heavy containers swing all the way around the bottom and up the other side, the wheel might then slow, stop, and reverse its rotation, turning first one way and then the other.

The equations for this system also seemed to give rise to entirely random behavior.  However, when he graphed it, a surprising thing happened. The output always stayed on a curve, a double spiral. There were only two kinds of order previously known: a steady state, in which the variables never change, and periodic behavior, in which the system goes into a loop, repeating itself indefinitely. Lorenz’s equations were definitely ordered – they always followed a spiral. They never settled down to a single point, but since they never repeated the same thing, they weren’t periodic either. He called the image he got when he graphed the equations the Lorenz attractor.

In 1963, Lorenz published a paper describing what he had discovered. He included the unpredictability of the weather, and discussed the types of equations that caused this type of behavior. Unfortunately, the only journal he was able to publish in was a meteorological journal, because he was a meteorologist, not a mathematician or a physicist. As a result, Lorenz’s discoveries weren’t acknowledged until years later, when they were rediscovered by others. Lorenz had discovered something revolutionary; now he had to wait for someone to discover him.

Another system in which sensitive dependence on initial conditions is evident is the flip of a coin. There are two variables in a flipping coin: how soon it hits the ground, and how fast it is flipping. Theoretically, it should be possible to control these variables entirely and control how the coin will end up. In practice, it is impossible to control exactly how fast the coin flips and how high it flips. It is possible to put the variables into a certain range, but it is impossible to control it enough to know the final results of the coin toss.

A similar problem occurs in ecology, and the prediction of biological populations. The equation would be simple if population just rises indefinitely, but the effect of predators and a limited food supply make this equation incorrect. The simplest equation that takes this into account is the following:

next year’s population = r * this year’s population * (1 – this year’s population)

One biologist, Robert May, decided to see what would happen to the equation as the growth rate value changes. At low values of the growth rate, the population would settle down to a single number. For instance, if the growth rate value is 2.7, the population will settle down to .6292. As the growth rate increased, the final population would increase as well. Then, something weird happened. As soon as the growth rate passed 3, the line broke in two. Instead of settling down to a single population, it would jump between two different populations. It would be one value for one year, go to another value the next year, then repeat the cycle forever. Raising the growth rate a little more caused it to jump between four different values. As the parameter rose further, the line bifurcated (doubled) again. The bifurcations came faster and faster until suddenly, chaos appeared. Past a certain growth rate, it becomes impossible to predict the behavior of the equation. However, upon closer inspection, it is possible to see white strips. Looking closer at these strips reveals little windows of order, where the equation goes through the bifurcations again before returning to chaos. This self-similarity, the fact that the graph has an exact copy of itself hidden deep inside, came to be an important aspect of chaos.

An employee of IBM, Benoit Mandelbrot was a mathematician studying this self-similarity. One of the areas he was studying was cotton price fluctuations. No matter how the data on cotton prices was analyzed, the results did not fit the normal distribution. Mandelbrot eventually obtained all of the available data on cotton prices, dating back to 1900. When he analyzed the data with IBM’s computers, he noticed an astonishing fact:

The numbers that produced aberrations from the point of view of normal distribution produced symmetry from the point of view of scaling. Each particular price change was random and unpredictable. But the sequence of changes was independent on scale: curves for daily price changes and monthly price changes matched perfectly. Incredibly, analyzed Mandelbrot’s way, the degree of variation had remained constant over a tumultuous sixty-year period that saw two World Wars and a depression.

We can glean insights into how to react in the future from this excerpt which shows us that:

#1:  It is impossible to predict anything perfectly.
#2: There are little windows of order within all chaos.
#3:  There is sensitive dependence on its initial conditions. Little changes bring huge results.
#4:  There is self-similarity, exact copies of the past hidden deep inside in present and future, even during chaos.
#5:  The degrees of variation remain constant over all, even tumultuous periods.

This suggests that chaos is simply our misunderstanding of order and if we always plan and look for the positive in this chatter… we’ll find better times and opportunity.

Back to the internet… cohesion… and authenticity.

The previous order was ruled by broadband. Radio, TV, records, newspapers, cinema  provided cohesion in the North American and European society.  The majority heard the same music… saw the same shows… at just about the same time… and there were not all that many channels.

Children went to school had about the same education, talked about the commonalities they saw the night before, then at home they connected again to the same input, as everyone else.  So life in Maine was not that different from life in Southern California… because everyone received the same broadcast on just a few networks.

Now children go home form school and tap into hundreds of thousands of different networks… perhaps millions on the net.  This small change in the initial conditions of the formation of our future society is likely to have profound consequences.   A much broader spectrum of thought will influence the upcoming generation beyond Elvis, The Beachboys, Beatles and Jan & Dean.

What this specifically will mean… is unpredictable… but we can see in a bigger picture how this will reduce national cohesion everywhere. Loyalties will rise from common interests shared on the internet… not from the effects of broadcast within a political boundary.

Governments will find this force hard to resist.  If they limit their population’s input… they will limit access to the global economy and advances from  deeper knowledge… lower productivity and especially reduce innovation.  This will cripple and handicap societies that shut down or censor the net.

Publishing and export opportunities comes from this because:

#1: Societies need cohesion.

#2: The global community is the best answer for business productivity. Political borders are inefficient.  True cohesion comes from truth (authenticity). Few political manifestos or the administrations of these manifestos are honest or true.

#3: Small pockets of truth (your publishing or export business) reflected around common interests can create business opportunities because they act like little windows of order during times of increased turmoil.

Let me give you a clear and specific example…. our Ecuador export… and Quantum Thinking and Spanish business.

Despite a tremendous decline in the economy over the past several years… these businesses have been growing at a rate of over 20%.  Is this Americans fleeing the US?  Americans and Canadians headed south?

Only in part.

Here are delegates at our most recent Super Thinking Plus Spanish seminar in Florida. These delegates were from the USA, Canada, France, South Africa, Sri Lanka and China… bound not by political boundaries… but by common interests… to increase intelligence to adapt to change and to communicate better in Spanish.

Look for small windows of lunacy as the world seems to become insane… small truths that will shine in a swelling tide of lies. If you can find a genuine way to serve your fellow man by crossing borders with products (exporting) or valuable information (publishing) then you can gain stability and profit from the very same internet that is also creating anarchy.

Gary

Learn about our self publishing course here.

Learn how to earn income through a global business at our Quantum Wealth seminars.

One recent delegates from the British Commonwealth wrote:

Dear Gary and Merri…  I wanted to say thank-you-first of all for your kindness and generous Information while I was in Ecuador this February.
I came up to Cotacahi, went on two real estate tours with Bonnie..and stayed at Meson de las Flores before the IL conference.

I am still working on how my life will move this year… I have many options to think about and am still trying to sell my current land-based business.

Back here I am working on putting together a ‘presentation’ for locals who may be interested In Ecuador.

I am simply going to put an ad in the local paper and book my church hall if the response  is greater than 20 people or so.

I had a few adventures while I was in Ecuador and am looking forward to a fresher,freer and financially improved lifestyle.

There are many ways to earn extra income… through an international business in exports… self publishing and with global internet businesses. Our Quantum Wealth seminars look at many ways to profit.

Enroll now in our June 24 to 27 Quantum Wealth Seminar.

Enroll here. $749 Reserve for one person -  $999  Reserve for two

Learn more about our Quantum Wealth International Investing and Business Seminar here.

Learn how to gain earning freedom with Ecuador exports and real estate.

April 12-15 Ecuador Export Expedition Tour

Bonnie Keough will lead our April Ecuador export tour.

here is a group on a tour with Bonnie in February 2010.

Here are some of the products that Bonnie imports herself including…

organic chocolate.

Textiles and…

knitted jackets are good sellers plus…

low cost jewelry out of vegetable ivory…

beads have good markups.

Handbags of leather and…

cloth are also good.

Stay after the export tour and view Ecuador real estate for sale.

Apr. 17-18   Imbabura Real Estate Tour
Apr. 20-21  Coastal Mid Coast Real Estate Tour
Apr. 23-24  Quito & Mindo Real Estate Tour

Learn how to export Ecuador flowers and much more.

Learn more about Ecuador Roses here

Learn how Fedex delivers Ecuador Easter lilies to your home.

Learn more about our May 9-12, 2010 Cotacachi Super Thinking Plus Spanish course here.

May 9-12       Super Thinking + Spanish Course, Cotacachi Ecuador

May  13-14    Ecuador Shamanic Mingo

May  16-17    Imbabura Real Estate Tour

May  19-20    Coastal Real Estate Tour

May  22-23    Quito Real Estate Tour

May  25-26    Cuenca Real Estate Tour

You enjoy discounts by attending multiple seminars and tours.

June 25-27    International Investing and Business North Carolina

June 28-29    Ecuador Travel & Andes

June 30-Jul 1 Imbabura Real Estate Tour

This Ecuador beach condo review helps clarify a question asked about the Vistazul Ecuador beach condos shown here.

A reader sent this note after our recent article entitled Ecuador Timing

Rooftop terrace at Vistazul Ecuador beach condos.

The reader wrote:  Although I have kept up with your various editorials, I am somewhat concerned that the Vistazul project, with favorable infrastructure, location and amenities, has not taken off.  Is this a valid concern?  Thanks for your perspective Tom

My reply can help you understand what a good deal the recession created and share ideas on what to look for when looking for Ecuador real estate.

Vistazul Ecuador beach condo trim.

Here is my reply:

The Vistazul Ecuador beach condo project took off very nicely two years ago. About half the units in the first couple months were  sold. Then the recession hit and as these are more a second home, rather than full time living, destination, sales slowed badly.

Added to this, the road from Manta to San Clemente is being redone. This has really made it hard and circuitous to reach these Ecuador beach condos.  Long term though this will of course be really good!

However sales have continued… just at a slower pace.  The developer wrote that there are only two condos left in the blocks that are finished. One is a resale unit 506 and unit 301.  Unit 301 is the only finished unit that has not been sold.

There are eleven units left in the unfinished buildings two and six.

Structural work on these units should be ready within a month but as I mentioned Kjetil Haugan will wait with the finish work on these units until he has completed the infrastructure work on the development.  Gary

Let’s review the entire history of the project so you can see how surprisingly well it has sold considering the utter collapse of the real estate market in the USA.

We have worked with Kjetil for 12 or 13 years and ten years ago Kjetil, Merri and I drove the entire coast.  This San Clemente property is one that Kjetil liked and purchased.

Kjetil introduced us to the project in December 2007 when he was in the process of building the Palmazul Hotel & Spa and it looked like this:

Construction was…

well under…

way.

We put money up front and bought the first six Vistazul units to get construction started.  By then Palmazul looked like…

this.

A view of the land has gone from…

this to…

this to…

We always liked this project because the hotel clubhouse was finished and in operation before ground was broken on the condos.

We put enough money into the project so we knew it could be done.

All seven of the factors we like to see in a new project  were in place before we began sales.

#1: Land owned with title insurance.
#2: No debt on the land.
#3: Infrastructure complete.
#4: Financing in place.
#5: Experienced engineers and architects involved.
#6: A logical sales plan set up.
#7: Long term management organized.

Since we send about 20 people a month to the area on real estate tours and they stay at the hotel club house, the project has an advantage though we do not allow the developer to push this over other projects or properties on the tour.

The project’s unique position on the beach… in a really quiet location where little else can be built makes these to our way of thinking a real winner at $79,000 to $89,000.

Some US real estate prices have fallen so they compare to Ecuador real estate prices… but NOT ON THE BEACH.  US beach property is still far more expensive than Ecuador beach prices.  I have never seen any US beach front which compares  anywhere close to the prices at Vistazul.  Why is this?  First, Kjetil bought the land 10 years ago when prices were unbelievably low.  Second, the bulk of the construction was done before inflation started to push up construction costs. Third, we have sent all the buyers to the project and do not receive commissions, thus eliminating a normally large sales cost.

But we really recommend that you visit and see to make sure that this rustic area appeals to you and to see which units available best suit you.

The developer Kjetil Haugan also offers financing on the $89,000 units.

History of Vistazul from our website. Our Garyascott.com archives tells the tale of Vistazul.

December 2007 see the Ecuador beach club house under construction.

See how we began and the Ecuador beach land in December 2007.

See what we said and the Ecuador beach land by December 2008

We introduced the project in February 2008.

Three buildings under construction by September 2008.

We financed the completion of the club house by adding two penthouses.

From…

to…

this, to…

Here is the penthouse interior.

Learn how to rent these penthouses here.

See more on why I like this area and at

Ecuador Beaches

Ecuador Seafood

Ecuador Beach Restaurants

Fishing in Ecuador

This project was originally planned for 62 units at three price levels. After the economic slowdown it was reduced to 38 units.  See the site plan at Ecuador Beach Condo Party

Gary

See these Ecuador beach condos in our March or April 2010 mid coast Ecuador real estate tours.

Join Merri and me March 11-14  for Super Thinking + Spanish Course, Mt. Dora, Fl.

March 15    Travel to Quito

March 16 Travel Quito Cotacachi

March 17-18  North Andes, Imbabura & Cotacachi Real Estate Tour

March 19-20    Cotacachi Shamanic Tour

March 21  Travel Cotacachi to Manta

March 22-23   Manta & Mid Coast Real Estate Tour

March 24 Travel Manta to Cuenca

March 25-26 Cuenca Real Estate Tour

March 27  Travel Cuenca to Salinas

Mar. 28-29   Salinas & South Coast Real Estate Tour

Yesterday’s message Quantum Shifts reviewed how humanity’s growing understanding of the body, mind and universal consciousness has helped Merri and me expand the effectiveness of our investing.

Merri and I are in Ecuador.  Here are delegates on our Imbabura real estate tour.  Learn more about this Ecuador house (in the $90s) and why delegates needed to see it below.

First remember three points made at our Quantum Wealth course last week and yesterday’s message:

#1: There are Always Things you Cannot See.  This is the nature of existence.

#2: Do Not Invest More than You Can Afford to Lose!  Because of point number one.

#3:  Look for belief in fundamental ideas.  Each of us in connected to the universe and our belief is an important part of our investing process.  There are always things we do not know… but belief has enormous power at incredibly deep levels of investing and the universe.

These facts always keep me looking for new ideas in which to believe and upgrades in the human productivity has always been one area that keeps me focused.

In an earlier article Magnificent Seven we saw how these shifts create new opportunities for investment and internet business in seven areas.

Truth & Cohesion

Ecuador

Currency Distortions

Value Markets

Emerging Markets

Wellness,
Water and Alternate Energy

Truth & Cohesion

Ecuador

Smalltown USA Real Estate

I believe that there is opportunity in these seven ideas.

My belief in the profitability of investing in truth & cohesion was enhanced by an Time’s article entitled “Dead Tree Alert All the News That’s Fit to Mint”  by James Poniewozik.

Here are excerpts: My column in this week’s print TIME is about the New York Times’ plan to begin charging (some people, something) to read it on the Web starting next year. Seemingly by design, it doesn’t look like the plan would raise too much money at first. It’s more important symbolically: the country’s most authoritative (and argued-about) newspaper is more or less declaring that, if old media don’t figure out a way to get paid  online, it’s game over. What would the blogosphere do without the New York Times to kick around?

There are a few things you can count on: the sun will rise in the east, winter will turn to spring, and the New York Times will come out every day. Of the three, the disappearance of the Times might be the most shocking to a reader’s sense of a rational universe.

But that’s exactly the scenario that was implied — and, Times bosses hope, staved off — by the recent announcement that next year the paper will begin charging for online access. The Times is possibly the most authoritative paper in the world and the most influential online, with 17 million monthly readers. It’s done well in most media — except the print medium that’s green and is issued by the U.S. Mint.

The Times is in the same fix as most other old-media outlets, including this magazine. Online ads don’t bring in enough to support the massive news operation that attracts those 17 million people. Last year, the Times won five Pulitzer Prizes — and borrowed $250 million from a Mexican billionaire to keep the lights on.

No Big Media institution is indispensable: not the Times, not the evening news, not TIME magazine. People don’t owe us their money; we owe it to them to be worth paying for.  If we go, people will find other sources to trust; in some cases, they already have.

One of those is The Daily Show, which commands Times-like faith among its fans. Last year, it did a segment on the Times’s woes, in which Jason Jones mocked the paper’s dead-tree format and landline phones. “Look at me,” he laughed, picking one up. “I’m a reporter from the ’80s, makin’ sure everything’s factual.”

It was searing, but bittersweet too. The Daily Show, for all its jokes, cares deeply about facts. If the Times’s pay wall doesn’t work — if nothing works — something else will replace today’s media. Something great, I hope. But I wonder if the new media would be a little bereft without a Times to react to, rebel against and define themselves against, like a dog that finally caught the car. Or in this case, the rolled-up newspaper.

When the media that we trusted are gone, who can we trust?

Fortunes are in the correct answer to that question… both for those who provide trustworthy data and for those who invest in truth and cohesion.

This is why we have doubled our Ecuador real estate tours in 2010.  Many Americans and Canadians have lost their trust in the truth of the North American establishment.  They are looking for a smaller place to be where it might be easier to spot the truth. Ecuador is one such spot… but how can you develop trust here.

Our belief is you need to look and see for yourself from someone who has nothing to gain… hence real estate tours from someone who is not earning real estate commissions.

Our staff are cntinually looking for property to show on our tours and Bonnie Keogh sent me this note about a new project near Cotacachi Ecuador.

Hi Gary,  Don’t know if Merri got a chance to tell you about the new houses going up in Cotacachi.  They are being built by Miguel Mora who built the condos on the Pan Am in Otavalo that we’ve been taking the tours to (all sold out except one).  Very smart guy, he’s been building for 12 years in this area and his architect has about 20+ years experience.

They bought a beautiful piece of land near Hostal Paradisimo in Cotacachi and will be starting the infrastructure in February.  He is very anxious to work with us and will give delegates a discount.

He’s very aware that you will not recommend anything that you do not feel is of the highest value and quality.

He speaks perfect english, as does his architect Patricio, and is very proud of his houses.  Peg and I had a meeting with him yesterday and then he wanted to show us a project he did in Otavalo more than 8 years ago.  The houses are on the grounds of a centuries old monastery, they built the new homes to blend with the old and did an excellent job.  The grounds reminded me a La Mirage, wonderful garden like feel.  Lots of room and privacy.  The houses showed no wear and tear, no moisture problems and were very inviting and comfortable.  One feature that is great, a rooftop terrace to enjoy the views and also a rooftop tower!  Folks have been asking for this and this land has the best views ever, both Imbabura and Cotacachi.

They are very open to modifying designs to accommodate folks wishes, bigger, smaller ,etc.

Building costs will be about $65-$70 sq. ft. with land, depending on lot size.  There will city water, private water for irrigation, private sewer, a swimming pool and hot tub for the community.  Also, full time caretaker and gardener.

His standard fixtures are very good, but upgrades are available at slightly higher costs.  They also take into consideration the seismic activity of the area and build their houses accordingly.

No building is earthquake proof, but their buildings will withstand limited movement and in the event of a major quake, will give their occupants plenty of time to get out.

I think this development is a winner and will sell out quickly.  It will have an incredible view, high quality construction, great facilities and beautiful gardens.  Bonnie.

These are the types of properties we look for so we can help you gain trust in Ecuador.

Here is another picture of house built by this developer.

See another house picture below.

Gary

Join Merri and me or Ecuador Living’s staff in Ecuador in March 2010.

March 11-14     Super Thinking + Spanish Course, Mt. Dora, Fl.

March 15    Travel to Quito

March 16 Travel Quito Cotacachi

March 17-18  North Andes, Imbabura & Cotacachi Real Estate Tour

March 19-20    Cotacachi Shamanic Tour

March 21  Travel Cotacachi to Manta

March 22-23   Manta & Mid Coast Real Estate Tour

March 24 Travel Manta to Cuenca

March 25-26 Cuenca Real Estate Tour

March 27  Travel Cuenca to Salinas

Mar. 28-29   Salinas & South Coast Real Estate Tour

The Ecuador airfare war makes it cheaper to get to Ecuador than ever before… and there is still time to enjoy great Ecuador tour savings.

International Club Three Monthly Payments of $1,190

Our Spring 2010 schedule starts:

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 Mid Coast Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Apr. 23-24  Quito & Mindo Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)

Dead Tree Alert All the News That’s Fit to Mint

Our Ecuador real estate tours help you learn about Ecuador real estate in a safe… non biased, fun and efficient way.

You enjoy…

beautiful places from mountains to…

the sea with hidden…

treasures like this thermal spa near our hotel in Cotacachi…. where you can soak and relax as you learn about Ecuador real estate.

Return to a life of simpler times with the people of Ecuador who are…

friendly and…

wonderful from many…

cultures.

Find good value with Ecuador real estate.

Condos for example in Cuenca for example are as low as $42,000.

One high rise near Quito offers condos for $29,999.

The living room of this Quito condo.

The dining room leading to the kitchen area

The bed room comfort

On the coast the condos near the beach have an asking price of only $23,000.

These condos near a nice beach are under 500 square feet in size. Yet have three bedrooms, one bathroom… plus

this living kitchen area.

Ecuadorian rooms…

are often…

small,  but I guess you would not expect a mansion for $23,000 US dollars.

In Cotacachi… a three bedroom, three bathroom unit in Prima Vera I is available for $59,000

and a studio condo with this huge balcony and incredible views is offered at $47,500.

You’ll see houses like this…

with this view for…

for $69,000.

Yet my guess is you’ll not buy the lower priced units because Ecuador offers the opportunity for luxury at affordable prices that are no longer available up north.

First, let’s consider other benefits you gain… such as chances of a better price… no matter where you are at any price level.  A big benefit in our Ecuador real estate tours comes from the fact that we are not real estate brokers. We do not accept commissions and do not allow our staff to accept commissions on the sale of real estate.  We have been buying and selling our own real estate and doing business in Ecuador for 14 years and ask those whose property we show on the tour to give discounts to our delegates (as we are known to bring many buyers and do not charge commissions).

You are also more efficient! There are few road signs in Ecuador… few organized brokers and even fewer who speak English… multiple listings are almost non existent.

We review what real estate is on the market and plan routes in advance so our delegates can see the most in the shortest time. We have English speaking staff with delegates on the tours at all times.

We make sure that sellers have their properties available. (A bad habit Ecuadorians have is often to not have the property open on time.)  Our staff are with you on the tour at all times… calling ahead… making sure that sellers are at their properties… or diverting to a property where an owner is prepared.

Visitors who try to find Ecuador real estate on their own drive around… get lost… see little…  and without inordinate amounts of time have no price basis on which to compare.  When they plan to buy they have little experience to know if the people they are dealing with are trustworthy.

You reduce your chances of being ripped off. We avoid showing property that in our experience is out of line price wise or quality wise.  We provide contacts with brokers, attorneys architects etc who have shown themselves to be trustworthy.

We share 41 years of experience investing globally and 14 years in Ecuador.  When we arrived in Ecuador nearly a decade and a half ago, we have already been conducting real estate tours for decades in many other countries including England… Switzerland, Isle of Man…. Belize and the Dominican Republic. We had bought and sold dozens of properties, including many abroad.  So we already knew what to look for… kinda… yet…

here is a check for $72,000… I lost this payment completely because I did not know one simple rule about buying Ecuador real estate.

I just outlined that error and shared that one simple rule with our Ecuador Living subscribers. Learn how to subscribe and get that rule here.

The friendships you gain on our Ecuador real estate tours can be invaluable.

You gain the power of sharing in many ways… from Merri and me… we have trained out staff and speak with tour delegates with televised conferencing.

People on tours tend to have common interests and be like minded souls

A delegate at a previous tour described this benefit when she wrote:.

You were so kind to make arrangements for a ride with the other delegates from the Charlotte airport. They were so nice to me and so helpful, by the time the weekend was over I felt like they were my long lost brothers. Monday morning we all had breakfast at the airport together and I was so sad to see them go, I was sad the weekend was over, perhaps sad is not the right word for how I was feeling perhaps Gratitude is a better way to describe it. Grateful for having the opportunity to share the weekend with such wonderful, like minded Human Beings. Thank you Merri and Gary…………..Thanks to you I now have new hope and a new direction to move forward in my life. Thanks to you I am so ready to move to Ecuador and begin a new life. I just have to figure out what I am going to do and how to do it……… I know by attending your classes and conferences that through education and due diligence I will make the right choices.

This delegate’s comments about “belonging and feeling like a brother” to the other delegates is a wonderful refrain we have heard from our readers, year after year.

The importance of delegate friendships first showed itself decades ago when we took a group to Vienna, Austria. One of our older delegates, had some sort of attack. The first fear was heart trouble. Several delegates took him to the hospital. Others stayed with him there. I don’t think that delegate was alone for a minute!

What impressed Merri and me was that no one asked the delegates to help this man. The friendships of delegates sharing many courses had just grown so strong that it was a natural reaction, just as if a family member was ill. Fortunately, it was only travel fatigue and the delegate didn’t miss a session of the course!

When you join our tours, you become part of a special family. Another delegate at one of our seminars wrote about this and said:

“Thank you for the enjoyable and informative courses. I am pleased to be part of your international family and look forward to continuing my education at the next course.”

His feeling struck a familiar chord. It has always been one of my greatest satisfactions to see how much fun delegates have getting together, sharing information and making friendships. These courses somehow draw together like-minded souls. For this reason some delegates come back again and again. They come to learn, but also to be with their many friends made at the courses.

When like-minded souls get together again and again to discuss a common purpose, magic happens! I can’t explain it in any other way-but it is true. In a way our meetings are almost like family reunions. Perhaps it is getting together and reflecting on what has been said and what has been happening. Learning with those who are also interested in the world creates thoughts that multiply the value of what we gain. This is hard to describe but results are most powerful and wonderful!

You save hard earned dollars because our $499 tour fee is a bargain. Your alternative s to do what Merri and I did when we first arrived in Ecuador.  We hired a nationally certified guide and had him drive us everywhere… to the big cities… the jungles… up and down the coast.  We traveled with him for weeks to create our report.

This was okay… because this is our business… but…

if you hire driver with a car driver for just four days… you’ll have spent MORE just on the guide and transportation as you would have on an entire tour.  English speaking guides with a car normally cost $130 a day plus hotel and food.

You also be more comfortable and save in other ways. Our Ecuador real estate tours help you learn the ropes in Ecuador. We know which hotels are good and which are bad. We know which restaurants will serve good food quickly and which are tourist traps.   You’ll be safer and more comfortable because the very personal nature of our service not only helps you save money but makes your trip to Ecuador more comfortable and secure.

One delegate on a recent tour sent this note.

Merri,  I don’t know how you and Gary give such great individual attention, but I sure appreciate it.  Preparing myself for this trip and the even greater spector of preparing for a life outside the US does not come without a bit of anxiety.  I am so thankful for yours and Gary’s kindness, attention to detail, and responsiveness.  It makes it all seem a little more manageable!  I’ll plan on spending at least the first 2 nights at the Radisson unless we are day two out of Quito.  I will verify my flight with Bonnie.  Thanks again Merri.  Jim

We hope to help you in Ecuador soon.

Gary

Join Merri and me plus nine other speakers and contacts this February  at a seminar that shares ways to invest, do business and live n Ecuador or gloabally February 11-14  at Quantum Wealth -International Investing & Business Made EZ, Mt. Dora, Fl.

You can also come on with us to Ecuador.

February 15-16 Travel to Quito and tour Quito

February 17     Travel Quito to Manta

February 18-19  Manta & Mid Coast Real Estate Tour

February 20 Travel Manta to Cotacachi

February 21-22 North Andes, Imbabura & Cotacachi Real Estate Tour

February 23-24  Quito & Mindo Real Estate Tour

February 25 Travel Quito Cuenca

February 26-27  Cuenca Real Estate Tour

Or join us in March 2010

March 11-14     Super Thinking + Spanish Course, Mt. Dora, Fl.

March 15    Travel to Quito

March 16 Travel Quito Cotacachi

March 17-18  North Andes, Imbabura & Cotacachi Real Estate Tour

March 19-20    Cotacachi Shamanic Tour

March 21  Travel Cotacachi to Manta

March 22-23   Manta & Mid Coast Real Estate Tour

March 24 Travel Manta to Cuenca

March 25-26 Cuenca Real Estate Tour

March 27  Travel Cuenca to Salinas

Mar. 28-29   Salinas & South Coast Real Estate Tour

Quito and Mindo Real Estate Tour.

Prices for real estate in Quito and the surrounding valleys are still low.  For example below you can see brand new 861 square foot three bedroom condos for $29,999.

Carlos Tobar, who is conducting our Quito and Mindo real estate tour, just sent me this note.

Gary, Quito real estate offers outstanding quality, alternatives and value for expatriates visiting Ecuador.

The picture above shows a shot of the more modern, northern part of Quito, with the impressive Pichincha in the background.

The city is a world heritage renowned for its historic downtown, the largest Spanish colonial town in South America.  The historic colonial city center offers several real estate opportunities, nested in this most impressive colonial ambiance.

However, Quito is characterized as a city of diversity.  The city is over 30 miles long while not  much more than a few miles wide.

The north is more modern, home to most of the banking sector and large business, as well as the more expensive neighborhoods.  The south is more
commercial, with less expensive neighborhoods.  Quito also boasts its surrounding valleys such as the valleys of Tumbaco, Los Chillos, Calderon and Pomasqui.  Here is a map.

Our Quito – Mindo tours will take us to see opportunities in old town Quito.  We will look at
properties in the northern business sector of Quito, such as these condos located in the
heart of the business, banking and hotel sector of Quito:

Prices in a modern brand new building such as this are about $64,000 for a 572 square foot
condo.

The general floor plans of the condos are as follows:

As you can tell, Quito offers both modern and classic architecture.  It also offers a wide variety
of prices, depending on what you may be looking for.

For instance, we will also visit this development:

It is located in the Valley of Pomasqui, very close to the zero latitude “middle of the world”.

This energetic center was known even as far back as the Incas, and they were so drawn to it
that they were not satisfied until they made it part of their empire.

Comfortable and quality town houses are available in this  complex
starting for US$ 29,999 for a cozy 861 square foot 3 bedroom unit.  Here we have a
few shots of the interior of these properties (the furniture is that of the model home but is not
included in the sales price):

The living room

The dining room leading to the kitchen area

The bed room comfort

As part of our continuing tasting of the variety Quito has to offer, delegates who will attend the
Quito-Mindo tour will visit the higher end project as well, located where the new airport is being built.

The project lies next to a renowned Golf and Country Club.

It boasts 3.5 acres of green communal areas, fresh air, a privileged micro-climate, in an
exclusive, high-appreciation sector.

The project is made up of 99 lots to be sold in 2 stages.  Each lot owner will be allowed to build
a single home in each lot, sized 240 m2 or 300 m2 (approximately 2,550 ft2 and 3,200 ft2,
respectively), following general architectural guidelines set forth in the purchase documents.

Lot prices start at $54,000 for lots that begin at 5,200 square feet.

Our Quito – Mindo tour also offers you the possibility to travel outside of Quito, to the north-
western part of the Province of Pichincha.  We will visit the Mindo area, known for its abundant
bio-diversity (just Google “Mindo” to find out more about this bird-watchers and ecotourism
paradise).

Mindo is an ecotourism hotspot where nature enthusiast can find plenty of activities and enjoy
their natural surroundings.

There we will visit the project Arboretto Riverside Villas (ARV), a novel concept in ecotourism
presold villas.   ARV is made up of 36 custom homes, to be built within an extension of 25
acres.   We have built the first model home in ARV, which we will be able to visit during our
tour.

Prices start at $150,000 for a 1,300 square foot custom home built on a lot of an average of
10,000 square feet.

The key characteristic of these homes is their transparency and the way
they are immersed in nature:

Each house has its own outside Jacuzzi, literally allowing you to enjoy nature in the warmth of
your own deck.

In summary, Quito and the Mindo area have a great deal to offer to those who are looking for a
modern, city life-style as well as to those of you who enjoy a more relaxed way of life in a
smaller town (without being out of reach of the big city).

This is just one more example of Ecuador’s diversity and this tour will provide you the
opportunity to experience the many faces that Quito and Mindo have to offer.   We look forward
to sharing this experience with you.  Regards Carlos.

Our January Quito Mindo real estate tour is full but there is still time to join this tour in February.

Enroll in our Quito / Mindo Ecuador Real Estate Tour here. $499. Couple  $749.

Join us at a seminar or tour to share ways to invest, do business and live that protect as they provide joy, satisfaction, better health and enhanced wealth.

Join us in February or March.Feb. 11-14   Quantum Wealth Florida -International Investing & Internet Business, Mt. Dora, Fl.

February 15-16 Travel to Quito and tour Quito

February 17     Travel Quito to Manta

February 18-19  Manta & Mid Coast Real Estate Tour

February 20 Travel Manta to Cotacachi

February 21-22 North Andes, Imbabura & Cotacachi Real Estate Tour

February 23-24  Quito & Mindo Real Estate Tour

February 25 Travel Quito Cuenca

February 26-27  Cuenca Real Estate Tour

March 2010

March 11-14     Super Thinking + Spanish Course, Mt. Dora, Fl.

March 15    Travel to Quito

March 16 Travel Quito Cotacachi

March 17-18  North Andes, Imbabura & Cotacachi Real Estate Tour

March 19-20    Cotacachi Shamanic Tour

March 21  Travel Cotacachi to Manta

March 22-23   Manta & Mid Coast Real Estate Tour

March 24 Travel Manta to Cuenca

March 25-26 Cuenca Real Estate Tour

March 27  Travel Cuenca to Salinas

Mar. 28-29   Salinas & South Coast Real Estate Tour

Ecuador air fares plummet because Aero Galapagos and LAN Ecuador are having a competition this month from New York’s JFK to Quito and Miami’s MIA to Quito.

This is driving other airlines to match those flights…but LAN is an excellent airline that has been flying for some years into Ecuador.  We love this as have taken Lan’s flights many times and enjoyed their good service. They have been a great airlines for years.

Aero Galapagos is a new airline that has received permission for flights to/from Ecuador and has had good results inside of Ecuador.  We use them often when flying Quito to Manta.

Their competition is bringing some flights from Miami into the high $200 range. I have never seen them this low.   Some New York to Quito Flights are as low as  $389… including taxes!   Again this is the lowest I have seen in 15 years.

This makes it cheaper to get to Ecuador than ever before… plus there is still time to enjoy great Ecuador tour savings.

Monthly payments can now be made to attend our Ecuador tours. See below.

Our January export tour starts tomorrow… but you can still sign up for the January real estate tours or start attending our seminars and tours in February.

The really incredible savings are earned if you plan to attend six seminars or tours any time in the entire your of 2010.

Our 2010 International Club membership allows you and a guest to attend as many of the 52 courses and tours we’ll sponsor and conduct in 2010  (fees would be $40,947 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 52 courses and tours you can attend free. Plus there is even one more savings you will see below.

Jan. 13-14     Imbabura Real Estate Tour
Jan. 15-18     Coastal Real Estate Tour
Jan. 19-20    Quito-Mindo Real Estate Tour
Jan. 21-23    Cuenca Real Estate Tour

Join us in February or March.

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 $40,947!

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

Here is a page I recently sent our Ecuador Living subscribers about a Cotacachi house I am selling.

The price is $69,000. Ecuador Living subscribers can receive a 2% discount or a free International Club membership ($3,500 value).

Learn how to subscribe to Ecuador Living here.

Cotacachi sits between two stunning volcanoes…Mt. Imabura

and Mt. Cotacachi.

The area is largely dependent on agriculture which means the food is good, abundant and absolutely fresh.

There is no night life, but after a day mountain sunshine and fresh air the nighttime is for sleeping.

The house below in Cotacachi is currently rented at $550 a month.

This is a rustic casita built two years ago.

Here is the cozy living view seen from the kitchen and …

the  dining area.

The house is fully furnished though the dining room is different now and the art is not included.

Here is…

the…

kitchen which is…

about a fifth of the house.

The house is about 1,000 square feet and was meant to be a two bedroom, two bathroom house.

We however had the builder leave out one wall that would have created the second bedroom… making more of an open…

floor plan so there is a larger dining area and…

a place to play chess, read, paint or lounge.

That wall can easily be put in for anyone wanting two specific bedrooms.  Renters have used a wooden screen to create a second sleeping area…. as the open plan gives a really bright spacious feel.

There is one bedroom.

That’s a king size bed… the best mattress in Cotacachi (included).   Plus there are plenty of hardwood closets.

However there are still…

two bathrooms. One has…

a shower, the other bathroom has a bathtub.

This house feels like a rustic, country chalet with peaceful, quiet views from the…

garden deck chairs in the outdoor lounging place…facing the sunrise.

This is a view from the front deck.  This is a great place to hear the birds sing at dawn.

The outdoor Bar-B-Q just below.

The house is light and bright. This is the view from the front room window.

You really feel like you are in the country but the house is only seven minutes walk to Meson de las Flores. This is the center of the village.

The house is unpainted adobe… the best type of Andean construction as it breathes well.

The house is part of the Primavera I Association and is totally walled. Here is the wall.

Condo fees including security, water, insurance, etc are about $90 month. Taxes are currently $38 a year though we expect taxes to rise a bit.

The garden drops below the house.

into the…

walled…

gardens.

Next door is a cornfield.

We invite you to visit Ecuador and see this house.  If you are interested in Ecuador Living or property ownership…we invite you to join our real estate tours and look before you buy to make sure you love Ecuador as we do… and that you like the village of Cotacachi and… this Cotacachi house for sale.

Until next message, may all your living anywhere and everywhere be good.

Gary

Attend our January Imbabura real estate tour and see this house…plus many other great real estate values.

Attend our seminars and tours in Florida and Ecuador. See the best Ecuador property for you.  Find the best real estate offers.  Know more of Ecuador. To help you experience a bigger adventure in this wonderful nation, to broaden your horizons, to expand your awareness of all Ecuador offers, we are providing deep discounts in 2010 for those who sign up for multiple tours.

We just added four South coast Ecuador tours that can help you gain extra savings with a multi tour pack.

These extra tours create a dilemma for me. See how below.

Two Pack… 2 seminar courses & tours $998 Couple  $1,349 Save $149 on couple

Three Pack… 3 seminar courses & tours   $1399 Couple  $1,899 Save $98 single or $348 on a couple or more

Four Pack… 4 seminar courses & tours   $1,699 Couple $2,299 Save $98 single or $697 on a couple or more

Five Pack… 5 seminar courses & tours  $1,999 Couple $2,699 Save $496 single or $1,046 on a couple or more

Six Pack… 6 seminars courses & tours  $2,199 Couple $3,099 Save $795 single or $1,395 on a couple or more

These four new south coast tours and our six pack tour price create a bit of a crisis here.

As you can see above a six pack costs $3,099.  This is already a really low price for a tour that last up to 21 days (under $150 a day).

But as you will see below, our International Club membership which allows you and a guest to attend up to 56 courses and tours in 2010  (fees would be $40,947 for all these courses individually) is only $2,999.

Which would you choose… 6 courses and tours for $3,099 or those same 6 courses and tours plus 50 more for $2,999?

“Duh,” I said when this was pointed out to me.

So our only solution is to raise the International Club membership to $3,500… still a terrific deal… but $501 more than before.

Save $37,457…plus $501.  I will not raise the International club fee until January 2010. Enroll in the International Club now at the original fee of $2,999.

International Club 2010

Attend our 56 investment, business, Spanish, real estate and export, courses and tours in 2010 with one small enrollment fee.

International Club 2010 Membership Enroll here

Here are the 56 courses and tours you can attend free. Plus there is even one more savings you will see below.

Jan.   8-11     Ecuador Export Tour
Jan. 13-14     Imbabura Real Estate Tour
Jan. 15-18     Coastal Real Estate Tour
Jan. 19-20    Quito-Mindo Real Estate Tour
Jan. 21-23    Cuenca Real Estate Tour

Join us in February or March.

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-Jy 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 $40,947!

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  Enroll here

Here are some Ecuador fares & two legal tips learned from living and doing business abroad for 41 + years.

First, the facts on fares.

Ecuador air fare fact #1: Ecuador air fares are really low again. Ecuador air fares from Quito to Miami seem to rise and fall from under $400 to over $500. Right now LAN is offering the very low rate of $398.  Here is this low cost Miami-Quito air fare that LAN sent to Merri.

Ecuador air fare fact #2. Ecuador is easy to reach.  The flight from Miami is about 3 hours and 45 minutes. There are direct flight from Miami on American, LAN and Aerogal… Atlanta (Delta) and… Houston (Continental).

Merri and I fly from Atlanta and it takes less time and costs less than our frequent flight to Portland, Oregon.

Ecuador fact #3. Ecuador is a great place to escape the cold weather at this time of year.  See Ecuador weather comparisons here.

You can look up fares at www.kayak.com and www.farecompare.com

See a two part report on getting Tickets to Ecuador here.

Ecuador is…

a beautiful place from mountains to…

sea with hidden…

charms like this thermal spa near our hotel in Cotacachi.

The people are…

friendly and…

wonderful from many…

cultures.

Yet Ecuador like all places also has its ways.

I began thinking about this when numerous readers wrote to me asking for an opinion about the arrest in Ecuador and extradition to the US of  an American naturopath who has been living in Ecuador.  Several newsletters and blogs have featured an article stating that this naturopath was kidnapped by the FDA.

I do not know the naturopath nor have I read anything else about this in the news so I contacted a friend who is an attorney and who has been involved in improving Ecuador’s law enforcement system.

The reply was:  Good morning Gary. I could not find any information about this in Ecuadorian newspapers. I will contact the chief of the police in Cuenca to learn firsthand the facts about this.  Warm regards.

I’ll report as soon as I hear more.

There are several issues readers asked.

The first issue about this arrest seems to be claims that the FDA committed a number of illegal acts in this process.   Readers have expressed shock about this.

They should not be surprised.

There have been crimes committed for years.  Our newsletters have focused on this a bit well before we started our website in the 1990s.  So this should not come as any great surprise.

Did this corruption begin in the 1980s?

I recall writing in the 1980s or 1990s about a report on IRS abuses.  That report outlined how the IRS hired a prostitute to distract a foreign banker in Miami. While the banker was busy with the woman, the IRS ignored normal procedure and helped themselves to a briefcase full of banking records.

We do not have to look far to see illegal actions.  A www.cnn.com article entitled “a 1998 Senate Panel Hears Stories Of Alleged IRS Abuses” says:  WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, April 28) — The Internal Revenue Service was once again under fire on Capitol Hill Tuesday, as a Senate committee launched another round of hearings, this time focusing on alleged abuses of power inside the tax agency.
In the first of four days of testimony from taxpayers and agents, the Senate Finance Committee heard instances of the IRS stepping over the line, including stories of retaliation against whistle blowers and raids on taxpayers’ homes that may not have been justified.

Some of the harshest criticism was aimed at the agency’s criminal investigation division, as witnesses complained that the investigators used excessive techniques and were out of control.

A New York Times article entitled “DIRECTOR OF I.R.S. ISSUES AN APOLOGY FOR AGENT ABUSES” says:  WASHINGTON, Sept. 25— The acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service issued an extraordinary public apology today to four individual taxpayers — and, by extension, to all American taxpayers — for severe mistreatment at the hands of agency officials. The tax official, Michael P. Dolan, also promised immediate changes to eliminate incentives for misconduct and make the I.R.S. more responsive to public complaints.

At the conclusion of three days of hearings on I.R.S. abuses before the Senate Finance Committee, Mr. Dolan said that he was deeply troubled by the charges leveled against the tax agency this week by taxpayers, current and former I.R.S. officials, and outside watchdogs.
Today’s session featured testimony from five current I.R.S. agents and one former agent, their identities concealed by fabric-covered screens and their voices electronically altered. Their testimony included the following accusations:

*Agency workers browse through tax returns to snoop into the finances of celebrities, relatives and prospective dates.

*I.R.S. agents are judged by their total tax collections, no matter how poorly documented.

*Managers cover up abusive behavior by collection agents.

*Revenue officers consider all tax debtors ”crooks or flakes” who deserve no sympathy.

Earlier in the week, in emotional testimony from four taxpayers, the panel heard from a retired priest who was wrongly assessed $18,000 in taxes from his mother’s estate and from a California woman who went through a 17-year nightmare with the agency that arose from a mix-up over her husband’s identity.

The hearings were the first formal oversight of the tax agency conducted by the Finance Committee, which has nominal supervisory authority over the I.R.S.

Mr. Dolan said that the agency had programs to prevent harassment of taxpayers and abusive collection efforts, but acknowledged that in the cases presented to the Senate, and perhaps in many others, internal controls had broken down.

”While each case was different, the end result is indisputable: We were wrong in the way that we handled many aspects of their cases,” Mr. Dolan said beneath bright television lights in the cavernous Finance Committee hearing room. ”I fully appreciate that an apology is little consolation when it comes at the end of the stress and obvious frustration these men and women have experienced. Nevertheless, I do apologize to each of them. They deserved far better treatment from the I.R.S. than they received.”

Did this corruption begin in the 1970s with Watergate perhaps?

Nah.  Harry Truman, considered by some to be the best US President was stained by corruption charges that lead to the firing or resignation of 166 lower level Federal employees in 1950.

In fact if we look back, we can see corruption and abuse of power clear back almost to the beginning of the US.  In 1831, Robert Potter a Congressman from my other state North Carolina had to resign from office  after castrating two men.  Ouch.

It seems that there are good and bad people in every organization…. public and private.   Governments probably have corruption and abuse of power at about the same level as private companies and other types of organizations do.

We have seen people in the US government start wars based on false information. We have seen them condone torture. We have seen them put people in illegal, hidden prisons… so why would anything be a surprise?

The second issues is that purportedly a corrupt Ecuadorian police we involved as well… and American Airlines as well.

I cannot comment except to say… we are digging for the facts which leads me to two legal tips about living and doing business abroad.

Legal Tip #1: Do not move from one country to another and feel that being beyond the borders of your previous home will provide you with special protection.

All organizations, governmental and not, have some corruption and abuse power.  This is human nature. Expect it and be careful of it.

We live in a global economy that is growing more closely linked all the time.  The long arm of the law can extend beyond borders.

A Time magazine article entitled “Can Swiss Banks Thrive After the UBS-U.S. Deal?” by Helena Bachmann outlines how much pressure US authorities can place on governments abroad.

An excerpt says: After months of behind-the-scenes wrangling that threatened to strain relations between Switzerland and the U.S., the fate of secret Swiss bank accounts reportedly holding billions of dollars in undeclared assets is finally resolved.Under an agreement announced by Swiss and U.S. authorities on Aug. 19, Switzerland’s second largest bank, UBS, will disclose the names of approximately 4,450 American account holders suspected by the IRS of evading taxes. In return, the U.S. Justice Department will withdraw its lawsuit against the banking giant and stop demanding the names of 52,000 Americans accused of hiding assets in offshore accounts.

US officials are not the only ones who abuse power and break laws.  A BBC article “Liechtenstein fury at German tax snoop” by Steven Rosenberg explains how German tax authorities bribed a businessman for bank records.

Here is an excerpt:  Germany has launched a tax evasion investigation using the data, which was supplied by an anonymous informant who was reportedly paid 5m euros (£3.75m; $7.3m).  It was a former LGT employee who stole data relating to German businessmen in Liechtenstein.
It is thought this could be the same information that was bought up by the German secret service.

Germany went on to sell this data to all tax authorities in Europe and I was delighted when the Danish government turned the data down saying they refused to use information that had been illegally obtained.  This is one reason I use Jyske Bank as my main international banker.

Americans can learn more about Jyske’s services from Thomas Fischer at fischer@jgam.com

Non Americans should write Rene Mathys at mathys@jbpb.dk

Here is tip legal #2 for living abroad. The reverse is also true. If you move to another country do not expect your citizenship to protect you if you fall afoul local law.  Do not ignore local laws.

Some recent events remind us of this.   A U.S. student recently convicted of murder in Italy found little help from being an American.

US citizens are not the only who have discovered this sad fact.    Schapelle Leigh Corby, a 27 year old Australian woman traveling to Bali. Indonesia was arrested in 2004, at the airport after 4.2 kilograms of marijuana was found in her boogie-board bag.  She was convicted of importing a group 1 narcotic and sentenced to serve 20 years in jail.  All legal and judicial appeals have been exhausted.

About the same time Singapore executed a 25 year old Australian for drug smuggling despite repeated requests for clemency.

Laws in a new country you visit or move to may seem stupid.. exaggerated… or ignorant… but do not break them. For example Ecuador is very harsh on drugs and child molestation.  Ecuador is one of the few countries I know that inspects for drugs when you come in and depart from the country. If you visit Ecuador, do not ignore this fact!

Every country has its customs, rules, regulations and foibles… in life… in law… in business.

One reader recently sent me this note.

Gary, I am interested in exploring the possibilities of Ecuador , but this seems like  a lot of money to pay for the privilege of letting people try to sell me something.  Seems like they should pay to be in the seminar.  At first I thought it must include the room, but that’s not the case either. What am I missing?

Here is my reply:  You are missing the fact that we do not sell real estate, do not allow our staff to accept commissions on the sale of real estate and have been buying our own real estate and doing business in Ecuador for 14 years.

We ask those whose property we show on the tour to give discounts to our delegates (as we are known to bring many buyers and do not charge commissions). We make sure that sellers show up.  (A bad habit Ecuadorians have is often to not have the property open on time.)

We avoid showing property that in our experience is out of line price wise or quality wise.

We provide efficiency. There are few road signs in Ecuador… no organized brokers… no multiple listings… not many English speaking.  We
plan routes so our delegates can see the most in the shortest time and have English speaking staff with the tours.

We provide contacts with brokers, attorneys architects etc who have shown to be trustworthy.

We share 41 years of experience investing globally and 14 years in Ecuador.

Otherwise chances are you’ll drive around… be lost… see little…  and have no basis on which to compare and when and if you plan to buy
not know if the people you are dealing with are trustworthy.

We feel that our $499 fee is a bargain.  If you hire a car with driver for four days… you’ll have spent almost as much just on transportation.  Regards,  Gary

Our Ecuador real estate tours help you learn the ropes in Ecuador.  We also provide a very personal service that helps you save money and makes your trip to Ecuador more comfortable and secure.   One delegate on a recent tour sent this note.

Merri,  I don’t know how you and Gary give such great individual attention, but I sure appreciate it.  Preparing myself for this trip and the even greater spector of preparing for a life outside the US does not come without a bit of anxiety.  I am so thankful for yours and Gary’s kindness, attention to detail, and responsiveness.  It makes it all seem a little more manageable!  I’ll plan on spending at least the first 2 nights at the Radisson unless we are day two out of Quito.  I will verify my flight with Bonnie.  Thanks again Merri.  Jim

We hope to help you in Ecuador soon.

Gary

Join us on Ecuador’s coast this winter.   Attend our seminars and tours in Florida and Ecuador. See the best Ecuador property for you.  Find the best real estate offers.  Know more of Ecuador. To help you experience a bigger adventure in this wonderful nation, to broaden your horizons, to expand your awareness of all Ecuador offers, we are providing deep discounts in 2010 for those who sign up for multiple tours.

We just added four South coast Ecuador tours that can help you gain extra savings with a multi tour pack.

These extra tours create a dilemma for me. See how below.

Two Pack… 2 seminar courses & tours $998 Couple  $1,349 Save $149 on couple

Three Pack… 3 seminar courses & tours   $1399 Couple  $1,899 Save $98 single or $348 on a couple or more

Four Pack… 4 seminar courses & tours   $1,699 Couple $2,299 Save $98 single or $697 on a couple or more

Five Pack… 5 seminar courses & tours  $1,999 Couple $2,699 Save $496 single or $1,046 on a couple or more

Six Pack… 6 seminars courses & tours  $2,199 Couple $3,099 Save $795 single or $1,395 on a couple or more

These four new south coast tours and our six pack tour price create a bit of a crisis here.

As you can see above a six pack costs $3,099.  This is already a really low price for a tour that last up to 21 days (under $150 a day).

But as you will see below, our International Club membership which allows you and a guest to attend up to 56 courses and tours in 2010  (fees would be $40,947 for all these courses individually) is only $2,999.

Which would you choose… 6 courses and tours for $3,099 or those same 6 courses and tours plus 50 more for $2,999?

“Duh,” I said when this was pointed out to me.

So our only solution is to raise the International Club membership to $3,500… still a terrific deal… but $501 more than before.

Save $37,457…plus $501.  I will not raise the International club fee until January 2010. Enroll in the International Club now at the original fee of $2,999.

International Club 2010

Attend our 56 investment, business, Spanish, real estate and export, courses and tours in 2010 with one small enrollment fee.

International Club 2010 Membership Enroll here

Here are the 56 courses and tours you can attend free. Plus there is even one more savings you will see below.

Jan.   8-11     Ecuador Export Tour
Jan. 13-14     Imbabura Real Estate Tour
Jan. 15-18     Coastal Real Estate Tour
Jan. 19-20    Quito-Mindo Real Estate Tour
Jan. 21-23    Cuenca Real Estate Tour

Join us in February or March.

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-Jy 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 $40,947!

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  Enroll here

Read the articles:

DIRECTOR OF I.R.S. ISSUES AN APOLOGY FOR AGENT ABUSES

A 1998 Senate Panel Hears Stories Of Alleged IRS Abuses

Can Swiss Banks Thrive After the UBS-U.S. Deal?

Liechtenstein fury at German tax snoop

U.S. Student Knox Convicted Of Murder In Italy

We are adding four Salinas Ecuador real estate tours to our 2010 schedule.

Mar 28-29. 2010
May 28-29, 2010
Sept 20-21, 2010
Nov 22-23, 2010

Enroll here  $499 Couple $749

(when you enroll, please state which dates you will attend the tour)

See how to save on multi tours below.

Delegates gained so much useful information on the October 2009 southern Ecuador beach tour that we have added this tour as a regular part of our 2010 multi tour adventure.

We have been our expanding our focus in Ecuador and this helps readers look in the southern coastal areas.

Ecuador beach property has always represented incredible value and this expansion means we can help readers see a much larger part of the Ecuador coast.

Those who have been reading our messages for any length of time know that we have focused our efforts on the middle portion of Ecuador’s beach from Manta to Bahia in the province of Manabi.

However there are many other great Ecuador beach areas that you may want to visit.

I recently sent readers an article “SEE SALINAS LIKE A LOCAL” by Amy Pinoargote  that said:

The Salinas Malecon area has long been a favorite destination.

Salinas is one of the favorite in Ecuador for good reasons.  It has beautiful beaches, with calm waters perfect for swimming, water sports, activities or just relaxing.   Along the Malecon, or beachfront promenade, you will find a variety of restaurants, hotels, bars and other attractions.  During the summer season there is even a giant sandcastle.  If you “tip” the sculptor $1, he will take your photo.  However, to really enjoy all that Salinas has to offer, you need to get to know it like a local.

Pose for a photo by the giant sandcastle

Salinas at a Glance

There are two seasons in Ecuador.  Summer runs from December to April and winter from May to November.  The summer in Salinas is usually sunny, with occasional showers.  Daytime temperatures reach the low to mid 80s and nighttime temperatures run in the low 70s.  The winter tends to be overcast to partially sunny, but not rainy.  The winter is actually the drier time of the year and temperatures run about 10 degrees cooler than during the summer.   Because Salinas is semi-arid, it doesn’t experience sticky, tropical humidity.  This makes a comfortable environment for outdoor activities all year long.

As with most beach towns, the dress code in Salinas is casual.  It is perfectly fine to go from beach to restaurant.  Along with your swimsuit, pack plenty of shorts and short sleeved shirts, plus pants and long sleeves if you are visiting in the winter months.   Have a sweater handy, as some days are cooler than others.

Where to Eat

The Salinas area is a prime spot to enjoy fresh fish and seafood, as well as other Ecuadorian specialties.

A great spot to sample those specialties is Delícias de Ecuador, located near the entrance to the Costa de Oro neighborhood on the main road that runs from Salinas to La Libertad.

Prices here are very reasonable.  The daily lunch special or “Almuerzo” includes a soup, entrée and beverage, usually priced at $2.50.

Don’t ask for changes or substitutions on the lunch special; it comes the way it is.  Other options include Seco de Pollo, which is chicken stewed in a tomato-based sauce, and Menestra, lentils or beans served with your choice of grilled chicken, beef or fish.

If a relaxing lunch at the beach, complete with a hammock for a post-meal siesta is your style, drive about 30 minutes north of Salinas to San Pablo.  In this fishing village you will find cabana style restaurants right on the sand, specializing in fresh fish and seafood.

Las Manabas restaurant is one of the best.  If you can’t decide what to order from the extensive menu, try the Chupe de Pescado (fish stew) or Corvina (a mild tasting sea bass), cooked to order.  Most meals run between $3 and $5.

Ecuadorians typically eat a big meal at lunch and a light dinner.

Roca Parilla is the spot to enjoy an Ecuadorian style dinner.  Located a block off the Malecon, it opens at about 6 p.m.  Place your order at the counter, then take your receipt to the grill.  Specialties, which are typically priced from 50 cents to $1 each, include:

Chuzos -shrimp, chicken, beef or sausage grilled on a skewer
Torta de Papa – potato pancake filled with cheese
Torta de Choclo – corn pancake (this one is usually a favorite!)
Muchín – a yucca croquet filled with cheese

No trip to Salinas is complete without a visit to the Cevicherías, casual outdoor eating areas a few blocks off the Malecon that specialize in ceviche.  Shrimp ceviche in a tangy salsa is a good choice.  Shellfish and fish ceviche are also available.  Be aware that the shellfish or fish will not be cooked in the traditional manner.  The citrus juice in the salsa is said to “cook” the fish.  If you have concerns about eating uncooked fish, go with the shrimp version, which is cooked.

Things to See

If you want to browse for souvenirs, visit Mercado de Artesanias, an outdoor flea market in the Chipipe area of Salinas, where you can buy a variety of Ecuadorian handicrafts.

To get a glimpse of days gone by, visit the Museo de Sumpa.  This small, but well thought out museum features exhibits of artifacts from the early residents of the Santa Elena peninsula, including the Las Vegas culture.  It also features a Las Vegas burial site of the “lovers of Sumpa,” mummified remains of two people that appear to have died in an embrace.  You can also tour a cane dwelling typical of those built by the early settlers.

Enjoy a relaxing evening drive a few miles across the Santa Elena peninsula to the Punta Carnero beach, where you can see some of the most beautiful sunsets in Ecuador.  On your way back to Salinas, pass by the Malecon of La Libertad and stop for an evening stroll.

Whether dining, sunsets or beach activities are your idea of a fun time, you will find it in Salinas.

Gerardo & Amy Pinoargote spend their time between their home in Florida and Salinas and together with relatives are building and managing Spondylus II, a small beachfront development in the Costa de Oro area of Salinas, about 2 miles from the Malecon.

This is an area they like due to its privacy, great beach for walking, sunbathing and water sports. Yet it is just a short ride to dining and shopping in the central area.

Spondylus II  is a family business consisting of three towers. Tower A1 is sold out, except for a ground floor ocean front 1000 square foot unit. Several one and two bedroom suites are still available in tower A2, priced from $49,500 to $50,500.

Larger 1300 square foot units are also still available, priced under $110,000. Tower B has just been release for sale and features larger units (1400 – 1500 square feet), in the $120,000 – $135,000 price range.

Spondylus II offers the following amenities… beachfront pool & social area, a workout center, 24 hour security and the Pacific Ocean as a front yard.  All units feature granite kitchen counter tops, tile floors, tile baths, inset ceiling light fixtures and wooden kitchen cabinets.

Now it is possible to see Salinas like a local with Amy and her husband acting as your hosts and guides.

Amy and Gerardo Pinoargote will conduct four Ecuador southern coastal real estate tours for us on the following dates.

Mar 28-29. 2010
May 28-29, 2010
Sept 20-21, 2010
Nov 22-23, 2010

On this tour you can get to know Salinas property and the real estate along the beaches north of Salinas.

This is an opportunity to view more than a dozen properties and get tips from experts who are living in this area right now.  You save time, risk and zero in with help from those “in the know”.

The tour makes your real estate investigation efficient and productive but also allows time for relaxing in the evenings and enjoying the beaches.  Plus as you’ll see in a moment could save you thousands should you ever decide to buy in this area.

Here are a few of the properties you’ll see:

•    New 2 bedroom condo located directly on a tranquil beach in popular Salinas… $55,000.

•    3 bedroom, 3 bathroom house with ocean views in the most popular complex in Olon…. $100,000.

•    Large house on a ¼ acre lot near Montanita, complete with basketball court, ample parking and caretaker’s cottage that could be a bed & breakfast… $250,000.

Here is an example of the type of Salinas coastal beach condos for sale you’ll see. This was viewed on the October Ecuador South Coast Real Estate Tour.

This is a property on the tour where the tour operator is offered a 2% discount to Ecuador Living subscribers who are on the tour.

Amy Pinoargote who led the tour wrote:   This is a 5 bedroom townhouse for resale in Spondylus I.  It is listed at $79,000.  It is a small complex with cobblestone streets and a nice pool area.  It is about 1/2 a mile from the beach, conveniently located to shopping.

Living area

condos

Project

stairs to condo

pool

Salinas sunset

beach

Kitchen

Here is the schedule for the March 28-29 tour.

On March 27, 2010. you should travel to Guayaquil and on to Salinas.

Day one of the tour begins on March 28. After breakfast property in the Salinas area is viewed.

On day two after breakfast, Ruta de Sol and Olon properties are inspected  (Ballenita to Montanita), lunch and return in the evening to Salinas

On Sunday, March 30, you can return to Guayaquil.

See how to save even more on multiple tours below.

The tour package includes all property tour travel from Salains back to Salinas but does not include your flight, travel from Guayaquil to Salinas, food or accommodations.   You should plan to fly into Guayaquil on March 26 and depart from there on March 31.  If you are attending the Cuenca real estate tour which ends March 26, we’ll help you join this tour with other delegates.

Save 2% on real estate purchase.

We are promoting this tour in cooperation with Gerardo and Amy  and when we promote outside tours, we always ask for the tour operator to give something special to our Ecuador Living subscribers.

In this case,  Amy & Gerardo will provide Ecuador Living subscribers a 2% discount on any  Spondylus II condo purchase. This is possible because we do not accept real estate commissions and ask that the benefit of exposure to our large readership (this message will reach over 18,453 readers) be pass onto our Ecuador Living subscribers.

Here is a Salinas Ecuador coastal update sent to us by Amy Pinoargote.

Ecuador is known for the Galápagos Islands, the Andes Mountains and the Amazon Jungle.  Did you know that it is also home to the westernmost point in continental South America – the “Chocolatera,” at the tip of the Santa Elena Peninsula in Salinas?

This carries strategic significance. During the World War II era it was home to an American military base.  Now it is occupied by the Ecuadorian armed forces.  However, that doesn’t mean that it is closed to the public.  Visitors simply need to check in at the main gate, where they are asked to leave their driver’s license with the guard.  It will be returned when you check out.  Don’t be alarmed that the guards wear fatigues and carry guns.  Keep in mind that this is normal dress for a military base.

There are no signs or billboards announcing that you have arrived as far west as you can go.  Instead follow signs for the Chocolatera.  You will know you have arrived when you see a black and white lighthouse.  In Spanish chocolatera refers to the container used to make hot chocolate, which is whisked until foamy.  It is said that the waves crashing against the rocky shoreline look like the foam on top of hot chocolate.

Be sure to wear sturdy shoes.  The terrain is rough and rocky.  Pay attention when you venture towards the edge.  Large waves can suddenly top the cliffs and could even knock you off your feet.  The Ecuadorians say, only half in jest, that if the fall onto the rocks below doesn’t kill you, the sharks lurking in the area will.

Before leaving the base, travel a short distance east from the Chocolatera to the Mar Bravo beach.   It is marked with a sign and lined by a row of tiki huts on the sand.  Surfers say this is the place to find the best waves in Salinas.   This secluded beach is also the perfect spot for a stroll or just to relax and enjoy the sound of the surf.

During the Ecuadorian winter (North American summer) the rocky outcropping at the eastern end of Mar Bravo beach becomes home to a group of sea lions.

You will get the best view from the elevated observation area.  And be sure to take your binoculars or use the zoom on your camera to get a closer look.

No matter what time of year you visit Salinas, make sure to include the Clocolatera in your itinerary.

Save with Multi tours.

Learn more on how to save with multiple tours to Cotacachi Imbabura, Ecuador’s coast, Cuenca and more.

Join us on Ecuador’s coast this winter.   Attend our seminars and tours in Florida and Ecuador. See the best Ecuador property for you.  Find the best real estate offers.  Know more of Ecuador. To help you experience a bigger adventure in this wonderful nation, to broaden your horizons, to expand your awareness of all Ecuador offers, we are providing deep discounts in 2010 for those who sign up for multiple tours.

Jan.   8-11     Ecuador Export Tour
Jan. 13-14     Imbabura Real Estate Tour
Jan. 15-18     Coastal Real Estate Tour
Jan. 19-20    Quito-Mindo Real Estate Tour
Jan. 21-23    Cuenca Real Estate Tour

Join us in February or March.

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

Enjoy extra savings with a multi tour pack.

Two Pack… 2 seminar courses & tours $998 Couple  $1,349 Save $149 on couple

Three Pack… 3 seminar courses & tours   $1399 Couple  $1,899 Save $98 single or $348 on a couple or more

Four Pack… 4 seminar courses & tours   $1,699 Couple $2,299 Save $98 single or $697 on a couple or more

Five Pack… 5 seminar courses & tours  $1,999 Couple $2,699 Save $496 single or $1,046 on a couple or more

Six Pack… 6 seminars courses & tours  $2,199 Couple $3,099 Save $795 single or $1,395 on a couple or more

These four new south coast tours and our six pack tour price create a bit of a crisis here.

As you can see above a six pack costs $3,099.  This is already a really low price for a tour that last up to 21 days (under $150 a day).

But as you will see below, our International Club membership which allows you and a guest to attend up to 56 courses and tours in 2010  (fees would be $40,947 for all these courses individually) is only $2,999.

Which would you choose… 6 courses and tours for $3,099 or those same 6 courses and tours plus 50 more for $2,999?

“Duh,” I said when this was pointed out to me.

So our only solution is to raise the International Club membership to $3,500… still a terrific deal… but $501 more than before.

Save $37,457…plus $501.  I will not raise the International club fee until January 2010. Enroll in the International Club now at the original fee of $2,999.

International Club 2010

Attend our 56 investment, business, Spanish, real estate and export, courses and tours in 2010 with one small enrollment fee.

International Club 2010 Membership Enroll here

Economic turmoil today will create more future prosperity then ever before…for those….who accept change and adapt.

This is why we bring together experienced, like minded souls, who take a positive view and think outside the box..in a constructive…thoughtful way.

Merri and I are in our 41st year of organizing courses, seminars and newsletters about international and quantum lifestyles.

The importance of this sharing…by like minded souls…was reinforced when a delegate from a course sent an email that said:

My Dearest Merri and Gary, Thank you for your most gracious hospitality last weekend. I am just thrilled at being a part of your group. You and Gary were exactly as I imagined you to be, warm friendly, kind, considerate, genuine, helpful, fun, sincere, what else can I say……I felt so comfortable in your presence and learned so much in your course. I was sad to leave the farm that Sunday afternoon. You made us all feel so welcome and cared about.

You were so kind to make arrangements for a ride with the other delegates from the Charlotte airport. They were so nice to me and so helpful, by the time the weekend was over I felt like they were my long lost brothers. Monday morning we all had breakfast at the airport together and I was so sad to see them go, I was sad the weekend was over, perhaps sad is not the right word for how I was feeling perhaps Gratitude is a better way to describe it. Grateful for having the opportunity to share the weekend with such wonderful, like minded Human Beings, in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina. Thank you Merri and Gary…………..Thanks to you I now have new hope and a new direction to move forward in my life. Thanks to you I am so ready to move to Ecuador and begin a new life. I just have to figure out what I am going to do and how to do it……… I know by attending your classes and conferences that through education and due diligence I will make the right choices.

This delegate’s comments about “belonging and feeling like a brother” to the other delegates is a wonderful refrain we have heard from our readers, year after year.

This why I want to share how you can attend 56 of our investment, business, Spanish, real estate and export, courses, tours in 2010 worth $40,947.

20 years ago Merri and I created a way that readers can join us to be immersed in a year-long learning program through our International Club.  The ideas behind this program began 21 years ago in Vienna, Austria while we were conducting a course there. One of our older delegates, had some sort of attack. The first fear was heart trouble. Several delegates took him to the hospital. Others stayed with him there. I don’t think that delegate was alone for a minute!

What impressed Merri and me was that no one asked the delegates to help this man. The friendships of delegates sharing many courses had just grown so strong that it was a natural reaction, just as if a family member was ill. Fortunately, it was only travel fatigue and the delegate didn’t miss a session of the course!

When you join our International Club 2010 you become part of a special family. The very first member to join the club all those years ago wrote,

“Thank you for the enjoyable and informative courses. I am pleased to be part of your international family and look forward to continuing my education at the next course.”

His feeling struck a familiar chord. It has always been one of my greatest satisfactions to see how much fun delegates have getting together, sharing information and making friendships. These courses somehow draw together like-minded souls. For this reason some delegates come back again and again. They come to learn, but also to be with their many friends made at the courses.

When like-minded souls get together again and again to discuss a common purpose, magic happens! I can’t explain it in any other way-but it is true. In a way our meetings are almost like family reunions. Perhaps it is getting together and reflecting on what has been said and what has been happening. Learning with those who are also interested in the world creates thoughts that multiply the value of what we gain. This is hard to describe but results are most powerful and wonderful!

This is to me is as important as the great financial benefit of attending 52 courses that would cost $40,947 if all booked separately.

See why and our 2010 schedule below.

We started and have continued this program for 20 years because there are wonderful benefits from having repeat delegates at courses. Having repeat delegates makes the whole course somehow more exciting for all. Being a repeat delegate makes it easier to make and keep wealth and to lock in the knowledge you gain. It’s an exciting lifestyle. We have fun, gain adventure, discovery and friendships and share ways to improve our health and wealth!

We have more than doubled our courses in 2010… 56 courses and tours, two in the Blue Ridge of North Carolina, three in Central Florida and the balance in Ecuador.  Few club members actually attend every course and tour…  but you can if you desire. If you attend even a few of the courses, you gain considerable savings.

For those not interested or unable to visit Ecuador, we have our North Carolina courses in the summer when it is cool here in the Blue Ridge Mountains and don’t forget the autumnal beauty in October…. plus in Florida during the winter.  Each US course is attached to an Ecuador tour so you gain information in the US and then travel with others to Ecuador for experience (if you desire).

Here are the 56 courses and tours you can attend free. Plus there is even one more savings you will see below.

Jan.   8-11     Ecuador Export Tour   ($499 or couple $749)
Jan. 13-14     Imbabura Real Estate Tour  ($499 or couple $749)
Jan. 16-17     Coastal Real Estate Tour  ($499 or couple $749)
Jan. 19-20    Quito-Mindo Real Estate Tour  ($499 or couple $749)
Jan. 22-23    Cuenca Real Estate Tour  ($499 or couple $749)

Arrival dates are always one or two days earlier. Please double check with us before booking flights.

Feb. 11-14   Quantum Wealth Florida – International Investing & Internet Business, Mt. Dora, Florida ($749) Couple $999
Feb. 15-16   Travel to Quito
Feb. 17         Travel to Manta
Feb. 18-19   Coastal Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Feb. 20        Travel to Cotacachi
Feb  21-22   Imbabura Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Feb. 23-24  Quito-Mindo Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)
Feb. 25         Travel to Cuenca
Feb. 26-27   Cuenca Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)

Mar. 11-14     Super Thinking + Spanish Course Florida ($749 or couple $999)
Mar. 15-16    Travel to Quito and Andes
Mar. 17-18     Imbabura Real Estate Tour  ($499 or couple $749)
Mar. 19-20    Cotacachi Shamanic Tour  ($499 or couple $749)
Mar. 22-23    Coastal Real Estate Tour   ($499 or couple $749)
Mar. 25-26    Cuenca Real Estate Tour  ($499 or couple $749)
Mar. 28-29   South Coast Real Estate Tour ($499 or couple $749)

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-Jy 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 $40,947! 

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  Enroll here

Here a thought on selling your US property so you can buy real estate in Ecuador… or just to get your US place sold.

One of the most frequent notes I receive from people wanting to move to Ecuador… or move at all or receive debt is… “I’ll do it as soon as I sell my place.”

There are some great property deals in Ecuador.

For example these adobe homes are…

about 1,500 square feet. This is a shot Merri took last September of me with the builder Jorge Quilambaci. Here is the front yard of this house.

The have nice interesting designs and…

are roomy… but…

the asking price is only $85,000.

That house is probably finished now, yet many people who would like to buy it cannot… unless they sell their US or Canadian house.

Here is a tip that can help you sell your property:  In tough buyer markets, we have to be creative by spotting distortions.

Here is a true story of how I helped a developer take advantage of distortions during the 1970s economic crunch.

This developer was a Brooklyn Boomer, and at that time a young real estate developer who got into international fund raising to save his neck.

He was sharp, intelligent and successful and in the 1970s he stumbled onto an exciting real estate idea that was bringing him great profits. Manhattan real estate prices were rising strongly in the 70s. The boomer saw that young professionals his age (late 20’s and early 30’s) could no longer afford to live in the better parts of this exclusive island.

He knew they needed to be close to town for their profession, wanted lots of room to raise their families and liked living in a nice setting with good architectural design and all the conveniences of modern living.He filled these needs by converting warehouses in Brooklyn into attractive and spacious condominium living units. The idea worked very well. The warehouses were only short blocks from very nice residential parts of Brooklyn and were capable of providing many large living units. This man’s business prospered and soon he started an even bigger project and then another. He was doing really well.

Then the economy bombed the boomer.  He was more than fully committed, over borrowed and needed quick cash to keep his deal going. An oil shortage, a banking crash and really high interest rates were on the verge of shutting him down.  For real estate developers the 1970s recession was almost as bad as now.

The developer was caught in a bind having already borrowed as much as he could based upon his previous successes. His financing was all in short term construction loans that were coming due, and he had to refinance at higher and higher rates.

High interest rates hit him doubly. First, his construction loan rates ruined cash flow and ate potential profits. Even worse the high rates increased mortgage payments so young professionals could no longer qualify for mortgages. His bankers were edgy.

At this stage, he consulted me about raising money from Europeans to tide him through his cash crisis.

At his request, I flew to New York and rode with him to the apartments. They were beautiful, so attractively designed that they had been featured in an architectural magazine. “Just the kind of place Europeans love” was my thought, “but how do we get quick financing?”

Perhaps, I thought that it would be better to sell apartments to Europeans rather than ask for loans!

Owning houses is something Europeans readily understand. They have confidence in owning houses. Making loans and investing in equities are not so much their deals.

So we treated the apartments as the investment and placed small, classified ads in the Netherlands, England and Germany.

Here is why.  Interest rates on the dollar at that time were at all time highs. Plus the U.S. dollar parity was at an all time low versus the British pound, German mark and Dutch guilder. These Brooklyn condos, seemed really cheap, when converted into foreign currency!

We did not try to sell the condos by mail. The sole object of our first ads was to find Dutch, German and English investors who were interested enough in investing in New York, that they would come and look at the condos.

Our sales package was aimed at getting the investors to Brooklyn, not at selling the condos direct. We wanted centers of influence. The marketing package included a copy of the famous architectural magazine showing the condos as well as details about profit potential of the property and the really low price in European and British currency terms. We kept a clear message that we were offering an investment backed by property ownership and that we wanted to meet the buyers and let them see for themselves.

The American buyers who had been buying from the Brooklyn Bomber were buying homes. These Europeans were making an investment which was very different.

We designed a package so the Europeans could buy an apartment, and immediately lease it to an American buyer – with a lease option.

This helped the Americans who wanted a place to live but currently could not qualify for a mortgage. They could immediately move into the house of their dreams and buy it later when they had a larger income (or when interest rates fell).

The lease on the other hand created immediate income for the European investor and the lease option sales price locked in a capital gain for the European.

The Europeans loved this because they earned income now, appreciation later and the entire package was secured by the real estate itself.

This was a win – win deal all made possible by distortions of currency fluctuations. The weak U.S. dollar made this property seem really cheap to Europeans. Yet the weak dollar pushed up oil prices, and interest rates made the condos really expensive for Americans.

One more point can be gained from this Case Study. The developer’s goal was to sell as many apartments to European investors for cash as fast as he could while the distortion remained. Yet we also set up a limited partnership designed for small investors who could not afford to buy an entire apartment. The partnership took title to one condo at a time and sold units of ownership for as little as U.S. $5,000.

This allowed Europeans to own a part of condo and gave the developer investment packages to sell for all ranges of investors. He sold the apartments for $125,000 to $250,000 to single investors, but with his deal could offer a $5,000 investment.

By taking advantage of this distortion this Brooklyn developer did not bomb out!  This gave the Brooklyn Boomer a plan to salvage his tight position then, but also gave him much, much more. Once he had developed a group of real estate investors in Europe he had an entirely new source of financing for the future. As interest rates fell and the leasees began to exercise their options, his European investors saw profits and had extra cash. By developing good will with these investors he maintained a steady source of equity finance that allowed him to outgun other developers in the area.

This led the developer into an international business, with an overseas sales company. He learned how to use the Circle of 100. He paid this sales company generous commissions and built an asset protected cash reserve aboard.

This is a wonderful case where the solution to a short-term problem (that could have bankrupted the developer) created a reliable long-term source of finance, solved his current problem and remained so he could also use it in the future.

He gained a source of money in many currencies and often at competitive interest rates. This source of money was available in good times AND bad, when other developers could not get money at all!

He gained an overseas company with 50% non-U.S. owners so he reduced U.S. tax liability. The assets in this overseas company were also protected from lawsuits and litigation in the U.S.

Distortions in currencies and interest rates around the world can bring an infusion of cash, buyers, different rates of interest, opportunities to reduce tax, eliminate liability. The process can also be a great deal of fun, if you learn how to understand markets abroad and adapt your plans to match the market!

Until then may all you business be good.

Gary

Join us in Ecuador or Florida or Both. See the best Ecuador property for you.  Find the best real estate offers.  Know more of Ecuador. To help you experience a bigger adventure in this wonderful nation, to broaden your horizons, to expand your awareness of all Ecuador offers, we are providing deep discounts in 2010 for those who sign up for multiple tours.

Join us at our upcoming courses and tours.

Join us in 2010. See our winter Ecuador real estate tours below.

Jan.   8-11     Ecuador Export Tour $499 Couple  $749

Jan. 13-14     Imbabura Real Estate Tour   $499 Couple $749
Jan. 15-18     Coastal Real Estate Tour $499 Couple $749
Jan. 19-20    Quito-Mindo Real Estate Tour  $499 Couple $749
Jan. 21-23    Cuenca Real Estate Tour  $499 Couple $749

Join us in February or March.

Feb. 11-14   Quantum Wealth Florida -International Investing & Internet Business, Mt. Dora, Florida ($749) Couple $999

Feb. 15-16   Travel to and visit Quito
Feb  17         Travel to Manta
Feb. 18-19   Coastal Real Estate Tour   $499 Couple $749 or discounted fee for multiple tours below.
Feb. 20        Travel to Cotacachi
Feb. 21-22   Imbabura Real Estate Tour  $499 Couple $749 or discounted fee for multiple tours below.
Feb. 23-24  Quito-Mindo Real Estate Tour $499 Couple $749 or discounted fee for multiple tours below.
Feb. 26-27  Cuenca Real Estate Tour  $499 Couple $749 or discounted fee for multiple tours below.

Mar. 11-14     Super Thinking + Spanish Course, Mt. Dora, Florida $749 Couple $999

Mar. 15-16    Travel to Quito and Andes
Mar. 17-18     Imbabura Real Estate Tour   $499 Couple $749 or discounted fee for multiple tours below.
Mar. 19-20    Cotacachi Shamanic Tour      $499 Couple $749 or discounted fee for multiple tours below.
Mar. 22-23    Coastal Real Estate Tour        $499 Couple $749 or discounted fee for multiple tours below.
Mar. 25-26    Cuenca Real Estate Tour        $499 Couple $749 or discounted fee for multiple tours below.

Enjoy extra savings with a multi tour pack.

2 seminar courses & tours $998 Couple  $1,499

3 seminar courses & tours   $1399 Couple  $1,899

4 seminar courses & tours   $1,699 Couple $2,299

5 seminar courses & tours  $1,999 Couple $2,699

6 seminars courses & tours  $2,199 Couple $3,099

(Be sure to show in the comments section which courses and tours you are attending)

International Club attend up to 52 courses and tours in 2010 free.

See our entire 2010 seminar and tour schedule here