Buyers always like a deal. This just may be the best time to buy or invest in the Ajijic-Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico (commonly called Lakeside) area with one of the greatest concentration of American and Canadian expats in the world.

By: Jim Scherrer

Many Canadians, Europeans and Americans have chosen the Ajijic area on Lake Chapala as their preferred retirement destination for a number of reasons. One reason is that we have a very large expat community.

The International Community Foundation is pleased to announce its “Retiring Responsibly in Mexico” research series with our first report “U.S. Retirements Trends in Mexico’s Coastal Communities:  Lifestyle Trends and Demographics.”  You can access the report here:  http://www.icfdn.org/publications/retireeresearch/. 
Forthcoming research studies will address trends in health care, volunteerism, philanthropy and civic engagement, real estate as well as the environment.  For more information on the International Community Foundation, visit our website at http://www.icfdn.org.

Bussing-

It is great to see that one of the main Sponsors of Boomers Abroad has been honored with World Class International Distinctions for a World Class Job!!! Congratulations for El Tessoro Staff in Puerto Penasco / Rocky Point Mexico!!!

HOW DO WE SPEND OUR TIME IN PÁTZCUARO?

A New Boomer Member recently sent me a message saying that she and her husband were looking for a retirement place in Latin America and asked if I could share our daily experience living in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, Mexico.  She asked, “Is the assimilation difficult? How important is the language? How are the locals treating you? What is the price of the real estate? How much on average does it take to live there a month? Sorry for this many questions, we cannot find any sources yet to have a good objective overview of living in Mexico.” I answered her with an email, but it seems to me that many people, who have not yet made the move to overseas living, probably have the same or similar questions.  So, I would like to share the comments I sent in my email to the New Member.

Mexican Presidency published last week a good news for all the residents of the State of Guanajuato where San Miguel de Allende is located, a popular city for Americans and Canadians to retire.

Mexico's Health Care is a mix of several options any Mexican or person living or visiting in Mexico has to take care of his/her health by a constitutional mandate.

By: Jim Scherrer,

By: Jim Scherrer

Boomers in Mexico, Puerto Vallarta real estate, Mexico real estate, retire in Mexico, Baby Boomers, International Living
By Jim Scherrer,
Let’s start out by assuming that you’re a pretty savvy investor; your 401k, IRA, or personal investments have kept up with the S&P 500 average during the past ten years and you’ve lost only about 35% of your life’s savings! Did you realize that the Mexican Exchange Traded Fund (EWW) which represents the Mexican stock market, even though it was annihilated during the current recession along with all other markets throughout the world (but is recovering rapidly), has advanced by 200% during the same time frame? In other words, $100 invested in the S&P 500 in 1999 would now be worth $65, whereas if it were invested in the Mexican EWW fund it would now be worth $200. Please refer to the ten year graph in order to see the comparisons between these two areas of investment and perhaps you can speculate as to where might be the best market to place your next bet!

Boomers in Mexico, Mexico real estate, Ajijic real eatate, chapala real estate, Baby Boomers
Ajijic-An Evening at the Opera, and more….
Jalisco- Cultural Exchange Month-June, 2009

An annual event, with 2009 being an exchange featuring Japan, There are many events- some free, others reasonable. We decided to incorporate our night at the Opera into a mini holiday- a light lunch at Talento a superb Thai restaurant.

By: Jim Scherrer
Fifty years ago, before John Huston brought Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, and Deborah Kerr to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to film “The Night of The Iguana”, Vallarta was merely a sleepy little Mexican fishing village nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Madres along the shores of Banderas Bay on the Pacific Ocean. Although the population at that time was only a few thousand friendly natives, the magnificent climate and incredible scenery was so inviting that Richard Burton and Liz Taylor fell in love with the village (and each other!) and bought a couple of “getaway” homes on the hillside overlooking the city. 

By: Jim Scherrer

First, let's define Pre-Boomer; obviously it's before Boomer! The Baby Boomer Generation is defined as those born after World War II; generally between the years of 1944 and 1964. Consequently, the oldest of the nearly 80 million US born Baby Boomers are just now turning 65 years old.

The Pre-Boomer Generation is typically defined as those born during the 20 year period prior to the end of WW II or roughly from 1924 to 1944. There were approximately 50 million people born in the US during this time frame. These Pre-Boomers are considered to be of the Silent Generation (a bit of a misnomer!); sometimes referred to as the Luckiest Generation. Lucky because they were born immediately after the Great Depression, were too young to serve in World War II and probably the Korean War, and too old to serve in the Viet Nam War. Since 95% of these Pre-Boomers have already retired, they are also lucky to be reaping the benefits of Social Security and Medicare; benefits that may not be available to many of the younger generations. Unlike the Baby Boomers that have recently lost 25-50% of their life savings prior to retirement due to the current recession and mortgage crisis, the Pre-Boomers are lucky because in all probability, they were able to purchase their retirement residence and have conservatively invested the balance, thus preventing a serious depletion of their retirement savings (and they have fewer years to make their remaining savings last!).