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Argentina: tutoring in BA:
Hi Jessie,
I have two American friends who live in Buenos Aires and specialize in personal travel and relocation services. They know the city intimately and are fluent in Spanish. They teach tango and run a personalized tour business. Both have strong education backgrounds. If they cannot tutor your son, they can find someone who can. They are worth every cent of the personalized services they offer for someone new to the city. I casually asked one night about vegetarian restaurants and the next morning they had tracked down three of them.
You can check out their website at www.TangoWithJudy.com or e-mail Judy Margolis at TangoWithJudy@hotmail.com
I hired them for my first trip to Bs As, and now we've become friends, and I go down every November.
Best of luck, Carol Taylor
Argentina: Residency by Marriage Laws:
I have a question no website addresses. I know I can apply to be a legal resident of Argentina if I marry an Argentine citizen. Does anyone know what happens to my residency if I should become divorced or widowed? Also, is there a time limit a marriage must last before being divorced or widowed which allows an ex-spouse to retain residency?
Before I move half my household to Argentina with the intention of remaining their with an Argentine husband, I really need to know how precarious my residency might be.
Thanks, Cara
Argentina: Argentine "Residency" the Easy & Cheap Way:
Someone named Alexandra posted about residency for students. My reply did not come through, so I hope she's still here:
Alexandra,
Students can hire a lawyer to get them residency
status for the duration of ther school years. But the
easiest and cheapest thing to do--which many people do
for years and years--is to find a day before your 90
are up, when it's convenient for you, and go across
the Plata into Uruguay for 24 hours. In 20 years Argentina has had no problem with this in and out policy. When you arrive you'll be given a form stamped with the date by which you must leave the country or be declared to be there illegally.
Colonia is a small historic town and short boat trip,
and Montevideo is a major city, smaller, but similar
to Buenos Aires. Montevideo takes about two hours to
reach by hydrofoil and prices for hotels are similar
to those in BA.
When you return to Argentina your passport will be
stamped for another 90 day stay. I knew one couple
who did this for seven years. This year they finally
got actual residency, but the cheap, easy, no red tape
thing to do is just leave every 90 days or less,
depending on your schedule.
Good luck! Carol
France: Conversion to Roth IRA - experience?:
As a former stockbroker and financial advisor I strongly recommend you find a qualified financial planner or CPA to answer your questions. It took a few years for all the unforseen problems with the Roth to work themselves out.
Your tax situation will depend on many factors, including where you worked when you put your IRA money in your account, if the IRA being held in a US bank or brokerage, when and where you plan to retire, etc?
The only outstanding benefit for converting to a Roth is that money is taxed before it goes into the Roth IRA, meaning you pay no taxes when you remove the money at retirement age; whereas, with a standard IRA, the money was put into the IRA account before taxes were calculated. This was presumably done to lower your annual income taxes in the past by deferring tax status until retirement.
In virtually every case a conversion will not be permitted without the money being taxed at your usual taxable income rate. This is figured on your net income. Even if you net 0 due to working overseas, the IRA and Roth IRA are still American retirement vehicles and, in almost all cases, subject to American tax laws. In the past three years these laws may have changed, and persons licensed to counsel you on these issues have taken continuing education classes to keep them up to date so they can advise you with confidence.
Another tricky area with the two Ira's is where your income falls. The Roth is a middle income vehicle. Those whose household earnings are over a specific amount are not even eligable to open Roth accounts.
I can't stress enough how strongly I recommend that you have a good financial advisor or CPA to look over your personal finances and tell you if this will help or hurt your retirement account and/or your tax situation. Another expat who did it this way or that way may be in a financial situation completely different from yours, and what works for him may be a disaster for you--one resulting in taxes and penalties you can avoid by paying a little to have a professional look over your accounts.
When the Roth first appeared many investors jumped on the conversion rollercoaster only to find out a year or two later that the Roth was going to cost them more in the end than a standard IRA. I was still working in finance when reconversions were being done, and was thankful that the resulting mess was going to be some CPA's nightmare and not mine.
Best of luck!
Argentina: Cordoba:
Córdoba is a big university town. I've never been there, but I would imagine the college's offices would have a long list of students, grad students, and faculty who might wish to cupplement their income with childcare duties.
Just a thought. Good luck!
Canada: How flexible is the "points" system for immigration?:
Several years ago I took the application for Canadian residency test, the one where you had to score a 70 or better to be admitted. I tested well above 70. However, I was 42 when I took the test, and the points drop off seriously after one passes their 44th birthday. I was told the application process could take two years or more. I've pretty much given up on Canada in favor of another country, but if I change my mind, can anyone tell me how rigid this points system is? I'm self-employed and work with US-based companies, so I wouldn't be taking any Canadian jobs, and I would be bringing US dollars into Canada. Does that help my case?
Carol
Argentina: Any American Ballroom Dancers in BA?:
I adore Argentine tango (who wouldn't?), but when I'm in Buenos Aires for more than a short while, I miss good old American Ballroom dancing. With Ballroom dance being a new Olympic sport, and its popularity growing, I hope I'm able find a small enclave of fellow Americans who love to dance. I'll be in Argentina from October-December 2005, and I will gladly meet with anyone interested in an informal weekly or monthly American Expats Dance Night, if there exists no such animal now.
My dance heels are crossed in hope of hearing a positive response from someone.
Argentina: Moving to Buenos Aires:
I'm not the member with the apartment. Sorry. I wish I was.
Argentina: Contemplating a move to Argentina and need some help.:
Hello!
I dreamed of going to Argentina for years. I finally visited for a week last year and fell in love. In about two weeks I'm leaving for a three month stay--my expat test, so to speak. I've rented an apartment, a small studio, at a terrific price through www.letsgoargentina.com. They speak English there, as they do at the finer hotels. (The finer hotels also have French-speaking staff.)
If you have American dollars or Euros the currency exchange rate is very favorable right now (the Argentine Peso is approximately .25 to the Euro and .34 to the Dollar), making this a great time to make a long visit while you can afford to check out everything you need to know before before relocating yourself or your business.
As a former stockbroker, I strongly also recommend the February 2005 Investors Guide to Agentina published by International Living. This guide gives you a very clear picture of the economic status and outlook for Argentina This guide will be a great help to you in deciding if having your specific type of business based in Buenos Aires is the best move for you financially. The man who wrote it is an excellent futures analyst. He covers the London gold and silver exchange for the Financial Times (for my fellow Americans, this is the British version of The Wall Street Journal).
Best of luck. Perhaps we'll be neighbors (or neighbours, as you write it) someday!
Carol (Indianapolis, IN, USA)
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