nicaragua economy

Hi leonora,  We retired to Nicaragua 3 years ago and we love it here. One thing we have left behind in the US is our concerns about "what if ---- happens in the future".  Most Nicaraguans live in the present and have the attitude that "things will work out".  We always had 5 year plans, contingency plans, etc., etc. when we lived in the US.  Now, we rent a nice house in Managua, have a big group of friends (both expats and Nicas), belong to a gym, take Spanish, yoga and salsa classes and enjoy our retirement on less than 1/2 of what we spent in the US.  If something happens that changes things here, we'll just move.  Don't become paralyzed by trying to calculate the consequences of all the "what if's".  We did lots of planning in our previous life, and most of what we planned on never happened.

Hi Nicaspouses
Thank you very much for your response
Yes, I agree with you that you can not make decisions while you are in the US, however, it's the US influences that I am afraid of. I am originally from South America and that country is and will always be UPSIDE DOWN because of US influences. It's not WE the American people, but it's the way we govern. I have been living in the US for about 42 years now.
If you read the CIA (State Department mouth piece)report on any country, it makes you wonder if your decision is objective enough. I thank you again for your encouragement. I will visit Nicaragua this fall, and maybe we can get together.

I am thinking about moving to Nicaraugua as well and I have the same concerns. Venezuala will stop the subsidies to Nicaragua of that I am sure. As the world economies collapse subsidy will be removed.

I don't think it really matters who is in power now, all the economys are intertwined and from what I understand tourism will have to be the next big shift in south american economys ....the states is printing so much money right now the devaluation of that money is just around the corner although I think they will continue to prop it up for as long as they can.

Personaly I would rather be in a warm country that has food all year round than a cold one (Canada)that only produces food for 5 months out of the year!

Hi Hasbeenthere
I couldn't agree with you more, except, I'll rather be in a country where there are food all year round that you can afford, rather than being in a "soup kitchen waiting in line for the next hand out" That's the "NEW AMERICA (USA)"
Thanks for your response
Leonora

Nicaragua really intrests me but I am being pulled to mexico by my partner. I hope to be able to go down to both of these countrys this year and look seriously at both. I think Mexico's economy is so closly linked to the United States that it will crash with them. The US is already into hyper inflation and it is just a matter of time before the next stock market crash hits.

There will be no coming back from this one, I think Canada will be hit as well but at least we are still on the gold standard and the value of our money is based on the amount of metal we have. I truly hope our P.M Harper doesn't start to print more money as our economy worsens. I feel for Obama, he can't do anything or get anything passed. His power is a farce! Too bad he may have been able to stay off the big crash for a few more years.

China has started to call in the dept it won't be long now hold on to your hat!

Hi Hasbeenthere
I don't want to make this a political football game, however
I stongly disagree with you that Obama can't get anything done
He had his party majority in the House and Senate
He also spent 5 Trillion dollars
He is personally responsible in wrecking the US economy
He created class warefare
He is a racist

Now about Mexico
There was a report recently that Mexico's oil fields are running dry. It may not last 2016. I like Mexico too, but it's too much influence with USA 
Leonora

touche Leonora,

Sorry for the rant

SORRY if I offend anybody
AND THANKS to the Expat.com Team for your tolerance about this article:

Washington's loss of influence has been evident in many regions of the world, most recently at a summit that brought together leaders of North and Latin America in the Colombian city of Cartagena. There, in Uncle Sam's traditional backyard, Obama's assertion that U.S. influence had not waned highlighted a particularly wide gap between rhetoric and reality.

Backyard no more?

The backyard showed itself so united in opposition to decades-old U.S. policies - the trade embargo on Cuba, the war on drugs - that the summit ended without the usual final communique. "There was no consensus," said the summit's host, Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos, an important U.S. ally in the region.

Apart from disagreements over two of Washington's oldest and most obviously failed policies - 50 years of Cuba embargo, 40 years of drug war - the meeting showed that the United States is no longer seen as the single most dominant force in the region.

As an analysis by the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue put it on the eve of the Cartagena meeting: "U.S.-Latin American relations have grown more distant. The quality and intensity of ties have diminished. Most countries of the region view the United States as less and less relevant for their needs - and with declining capacity to propose and carry out strategies to deal with the issues that most concern them."

Why less and less relevant? For one, U.S. economic dominance in Latin America is no longer what it used to be. A decade ago, 55 percent of the region's imports came from the United States. That has shrunk to less than a third. China's share of trade with Brazil, Latin America's economic and political powerhouse, has overtaken that of the United States. The same goes for Chile and Peru.

To what extent U.S. influence in the backyard will continue to slide depends largely on how clear-eyed U.S. leaders see their country's global position. The ostrich view would hasten the decline.

Dear members,

Thanks for contributing to the thread though i would like to remind you that we better avoid political opinions on the forum for it is a far too sensible subject.

Thanks
Armand

hi lenora
boy we keep getting in trouble...lol
I am getting a little closer to my move how about you?

If the world economy goes down, does it matter where you are. I north of HasBeenThere. It costs me about $4500 a month to maintain an old crappy house and shovel snow at least 8 months of the year. I would sooner take my money and enjoy some sunshine and fresh food while it lasts. Armand, my apologies if this sounds political as it is not meant to be.  Bryan

Wow. You can afford a hat. Mexico was my first choice but after I did a lot of research I found many other countries that seemed to me that were safer and cheaper. Check out Ecuador, Costa Rica or even Panama. After over a year of research, I still can't pick one and even for a short visit, I can not afford to explore all of them. Wish I could but between income tax, property tax and tax on everything I need to exist there isn't much left. This blog doesn't seem to have many respondants and we need info from people who are there.   Bryan

If you are looking for a warm climate, friendly welcoming people and low cost of living give Nicaragua a close look. We have been here 4 years and we have no intention of moving back to the US. We have also visited Costa Rica, Argentina, Peru, and Colombia.  The clear choice for us is Nicaragua. Everyone is different, so one size does not fit all when it comes to living offshore. If you don't have the money to visit all your options, just pick the one that seems to fit the majority of your criteria and go. Don't ship everything you own, don't buy a house - give it a trial run (of at least 6 months and preferably a year). If things don't work out you'll have a better knowledge-base to figure out your next move.

The choice problem is that they all seem to offer good weather, friendly people and low cost of living.  As a Canadian, I am trying to narrow it down to a country that doesn't make it a nightmare to emigrate to. I know that there is red tape all over the place but there has to be an easier way. I am a pensioner with a proveable income, so would be looking at a pensioner's visa.   Bryan

Hey Bryan,
I've been doing a lot of research and from what I've read, Nica like Ecuador doesn't expect much in the way of monthly earnings. I believe Nica is only $600/m. Here's an excerpt;

"What does it take to move to Nicaragua? Well, if you are 45 years of age and are able to prove an income of $600 monthly, the government makes moving to Nicaragua a breeze, because you qualify for the country’s excellent retiree benefit program. This program offers numerous benefits, especially by giving you special tax and import duty exemptions."

I'm in Ontario too, not too far north though (Hamilton) but I'm pretty much finished with living here. Have you had a chance to visit Nica yet? I'm heading down in October.

~Kitty

Hi Kitty,
Welcome to Nicaragua in October. If you have not been here before, October is when we get a lot of rain.  We love it, but if you don't, remember that November - May are typically dry.

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Kitty. Thanks for your post. I am leaning heavily towards Ecuador in Feb. but would really appreciate your impression of Nica when you get back, as I am flexible.  Bryan