Posts by FScott

Yes, long story short, on a retirement visa, no tax number is needed. The number on the back of the DNI is the only number I need. Now I just need to convince a bank of that.

So the bank I went to today did not throw me out, but they didn’t give me an account either. The woman I spoke with told me I needed the tax number and a ńumero identificacion fiscal´ as well.

So I went to the office that issues the tax document.

file:///var/mobile/Library/SMS/Attachments/f0/00/F281E67E-6681-4204-894B-91C913E8E17F/IMG_4394.heic

I went just before they closed and was lucky enough to walk right in and talk to someone. He was a nice younger guy.

He told me I didn’t need anything else. That my visa does not require a tax number of any kind and showed me the number on the back of my DNI card. He said this is the only number you need you’re not required to have anything else.

So I don’t know if the bank is going to accept that, but I’ll have to go back and try. May be a different bank.

It’s funny to me, how people pretend that they’re in authority, they know what they’re doing, but in fact, they don’t.

At this bank, there was a guard at the door and the door was kept dead bolted. Even though it’s in the first floor of a high-rise office building the doors kept locked at all times. The guard lets people in and ask them what they want.

There’s also a machine like a kiosk right next to the guard. Before you can even enter the bank, you have to enter your DNI number into the machine which verifies it, and then issues you a ticket for your turn to be called.

While I was waiting, which did not take too long, I was looking at my phone. The guard came over and whispered to me that it was for bidden to look at my phone in the bank! Whispered, like in a church…

I have been here just over a week and am truly enjoying myself. I have been to a concert at Palacio San Martin, had a private tour, been to an internations meeting on puerto madero (that ended up with a group of us stying together all day and going to dinner together as well), eaten in so many good restaurants, met many new and wonderful people….

I resolved to be patient with the inevitable bureaucracy, so I am.

Ím sure my persistence will pay off, eventually.

Thank you for your advice.

Oh, btw, I was just reliably informed that the application fee for a visa was doubled this month to $40,000 ars.

I arrived on this visa last week. I obtained it in the usa before arriving. I paid a $200 application fee and only after my application was accepted did I pay a $600 fee.

Yes, the income requirement is $2,000. I needed official translation and apostille for everything. There is a checklist of about 8 items (i can send it to you if you like, or post it here). I was asked for my banking and investment accounts as well.

I have been here now less than a week and cost of living with blue dollar conversion is quite low.

Also, shockingly, I applied for my DNI (residency identification card) on Monday and received it in the mail on Thursday of this week! ‘Brujaria!

Although citibank (who I have been a business customer of for 25 years in the usa) ‘threw me out’ saying my DNI was ‘temporary’ and ‘not good enough’ to open an account! Rude and insolent. Literally showed me the door! Also, trying to register on line for ‘Mercado Libre’ (sort of amazon here) the DNI was not enough. I need a tax number as well even tho on a retirement visa you are not required to have a tax number.

Also know that there is no such thing as a ‘pre paid debit card’ here. So with no bank account and no pre paid card you must carry a back pack full of cash around all the time. There are no options in country. I have applied for a slew of international debit cards but none of them have a provision for loading pesos onto them locally. Only bank transfers. Which, of course, cuts you out of the blue dollar advantage.

In my opinion, because of the 100%+ inflation, the government is surpressing consumer spending as opposed to cutting government spending. To do this they limit credit and limit currency to ver small denominations (the largest - currently in circulation - note is 1,000 pesos, roughly $2). So a lunch tab of $10 equivalent takes a minimum of 5 notes. Supposedly there are 2,000 peso notes in production as of last week but I have yet to see any in circulation. Since I am not welcome in a bank, I can not ask for them.

I have a Western Union/Netspend debit card that I obtained in th USA before arriving. In the USA I can go to a western union and present cash to be applied to the card. When I tried that here, at Western union, they literally laughed at me! ONLY CASH HERE! NO TARJETAS!

My spanish is pretty good so I am not missing anything. Although they should start a game show here “quien habla mas rapido?”

Overall, my experience is quite good, despite the bureaucratic exigencies, the people are mostly friendly and welcoming, the food is fantastic, the architecture wonderful, the weather better than I am used to and many things to see and do.

I’m sure that with time and friends I will find work arounds for the banking ridiculousness.

I don’t know Columbia (except that a friend was drugged and robbed daytime in a cafe last year) but I wholeheartedly recommend Buenos Aires. Just be prepared to be more patient than you have ever been with bureaucratic issues.

When they disarm the criminals first, we can discuss disarming citizens against our constitution.

I think the issue is the values and mores of the people. Not how many guns.

There is deep rooted psychological/sociological issues in the usa now. The final stages of the decline of an empire.

Internal fighting and extreme violence is part of this.

Btw, what about the knife attacks in the uk?

Thank you Carlos for the welcome and Rice for your kind comments. I have resolved to ‘be less political’ with my move to AR. It is one of the factors that brought me to my decision to go. Specifically, the ‘Republican/Democrat’ discussion. Although I a have a lot of behind the scenes knowledge of these things as I have run over a dozen political campaigns (for BOTH party’s candidates) from a Presidential candidate down to local Alderman and know personally, many politicians and elected officials, I prefer to speak of VALUES - as @sarafina began this thread.

Just as a single example, I will point to the new phenomenon in the USA of ‘cancel culture’. I do not value this type of thinking. Here is an example from this morning’s news here about YouTube censoring a discussion about “the Enlightenment’.

Woke cancel culture’s new low: Chicago native Glenn Loury’s podcast banned by YouTube as ‘hate speech’ – Wirepoints | Wirepoints

Even a discussion about central principles of The Enlightenment -- reason, logic, evidence and tolerance of competing ideas -- gets censored by the thought…

wirepoints.org

How can we have a thinking, growing society when open thoughtful discussion is banned?!

Sorry, after posting this, I went back to reading the news. I couldn’t resist posting this second example;

The FBI's Catholicism Memo Is No Laughing Matter | Opinion - NewsBreak

A government looking to quell violent extremism should be studying the few remaining ties that bind us—instead of trying to sever...

share.newsbreak.com

Hmmm..oppertunity.

I am very interested in spending time grazing garage sales and markets where old things (jewelry, paintings, books, etc) may be for sale.

In the USA we have websites where garage sales locations can be posted. We also have many ‘second hand’ clothing shops.

Do either of these exist in Argentina?

While I get the same question a lot - "why Argentina"?, I also get rapid praise and ‘I am coming to visit you".

My situation is different from many here, it seems, I am mostly retired (still own half of an active business and retain some responsibilities but only a few hours a week). So my ready answer is "time to begin my bucket list" (from the Nicholson movie "the bucket list). I have been wanting to live in Argentina since I was a teen and read about it.

I have a group of YouTube vids and pics of my apartment, etc, that I text to friends and family and the response I get is overwhelmingly positive. For thinking people, there is a terrible sense of upheaval and conflict in the USA right now. Many people are overwhelmed by the rapidity of the move to the left and the change to ‘identity politics’. Many are fleeing my old home of Chicago, the County of Cook and the State of Illinois. I tell them, "why stop there, keep going, outside the country..vote with your feet and find a new place in the big world to live and explore".

Nordstrom Closing San Francisco Stores, Citing "Deteriorating Situation" Amid Crime Crisis | ZeroHedge

Quote from serafina

Thanks for sharing this. On Argentinian freelance groups, someone mentioned that Binance.US and Binance for Argentinian customers (residents) work differently. I am not sure about the differences as I never used the app. Do you have their card, FScott ? And I wonder what rate they would apply (if there is an exchange from crypto to ARS to process transactions).

Excellent question.

Binance does not operate in the USA,it has something moe limited (because of regulations here) called Binance USA. I do not use it. I use Ledger and Coinbase.

I can not register for the full version of Binance and request a card until I am physically in Argentenia and have my DNI in hand for verification of my account (KYC rules - know your customer rules).

I just finished reading a great article on this topic;

https://bitcoinmagazine.com/culture/bitcoin-dollarization-to-save-argentina

https://newsroom.mastercard.com/news/latin-america/en/newsroom/press-releases/pr-en/2022/august/binance-and-mastercard-launch-prepaid-card-in-argentina-to-bridge-cryptocurrencies-and-everyday-purchases/

Quote from Bombonera

I don’t prefer anything. I’m just trying to find a way to understand crypto free of bias.

I’ve an “investment” in ARG currently. I understand the data and understand the loss if I don’t relieve myself of it at Ezeiza airport tomorrow.

I have the ability to understand these things. But only free of bias.

Tomorrow I will convert my investment in ARG pesos to Alfajores to protect my investment at Ezeiza.

I said ‘you might’. That is my opinion based on this conversation. I suggest you google ‘stable coins’ and select a source you are comfortable with.

Quote from Bombonera

If I buy pesos as an investment, I’ve a fair idea of my return in a years’ time. It’s not a stable investment but if I invest $1000 now, I can expect to yield a loss of about $550 next year. I have data to enable me to forecast my likely loss.

What data are you relying on for your crypto investments?

First, my own experience over 5 years. Yes, all markets are volatile and I have had losses, as I have had in the stock market. As you point out, even fiat currency can be volatile.

Sounds to me like you might prefer a class of coins call ‘stable coins’. They are designed to eliminate the volatility . Some are even fully backed by gold.

There are varying regulations by country. El Salvador is the most advanced at this point.

The USA is likely to become a ‘follower’ on regulation instead of a leader.

Crypto is a threat to the sovereignty to all countries fiat currencies because it is basically beyond their ability to control through issuance, volume, etc.

There is no definitive source of unbiased information. I find you need to read/listen to it all and decide what you believe.

Thats why I recommend just wading in so that as you listen to new information you will have a basis of understanding.

The greatest opportunity is at the beginning of the adoption curve.

Quote from serafina

I watched a documentary on crypto on Netflix and I didn’t understand much. I am very much afraid that it is one of those novelties that once become of public domain, it is too late to really profit from it.

The only value I see in it (for myself, of course) is that I can use it to receive money without using a banking system when it is on an option in problematic economies, like Argentina or Brazil. I would use it only to receive money from people who have not access to international bank transfers and convert crypto to usd in my bank account.

I understand this is a very finite view of crypto, but that’s the most comfortable I would be with crypto.

My sister in law got stolen about 2500 dollars on crypto from a digital wallet, and there is no way to recover them as there is no safety/protection from crypto platforms. I don’t think she uses that offline storage system that FScott is mentioning, as I don’t think we have that in Argentina. She went into crypto on her boyfriend’s advice and was stung bad enough to want out forever.

You buy a ‘cold storage’ device on line and it is shipped to you, yes, even in Argentina!

Hardware Wallet & Cold Wallet - Security for Crypto | Ledger

Secure your crypto assets such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Monero and more. Give yourself peace of mind by knowing that your cryptocurrencies are safe

www.ledger.com

Trezor Hardware Wallet (Official) | Bitcoin & Crypto Security

The safest cold storage wallets for crypt security and financial independence. Easily use, store, and protect Bitcoins.

trezor.io

Ahh… so a close friend and I became interested way back when crypto first appeared. We read and talked and shared over many years now. He is originally from Australia but now a US citizen. So he has had 2 passports and bank accounts in two countries for a long time. That is significant in crypto because the rules are different in each country about buying, holding and selling.

My friend is now trading crypto as his main source of income and has done very well.

I have done less yet still enough to learn and grow. The technology and process has become much streamlined from the beginning stages. We began by just diving in $50 increments. Making mistakes, gaining, losing and learning. My adult children were interested as well and we were all sharing information and experiences.

my advice to anyone now is to buy a ‘cold storage device for less than $100 to begin. ‘Cold store’ means that your crypto that you buy (of course its really just computer code, no physical ‘coins’) is stored ‘off line’ in the device, like a wall safe that you can carry in your pocket. I use ‘Ledger’ device. My friend uses the ‘Trezor’ device. They work nearly the same.

Om these new era devices, plus your computer, you can buy or sell directly from the device using a credit or debit card. The purchase is delivered directly to the device and can not be accessed, tampered with or stolen as it is in your pocket. If someone should steal the device, it is passcoded and encrypted. You have what are know as ‘keys’, security words that you store separately that can be used to re-establish your device if it is lost or stolen. Like an iphone back up however much more sophisticated.

With this in hand, just stick to the top, oldest, best known crypto currencies such as bitcoin, etherium, chainlink (there are several hundred and that is where the speculation comes in). Just move a few dollars or pesos buying and selling directly from your secure device to get the hang of it. There is no middle man to fear. Keep reading, learning and growing.

Does that help? Perhaps we should start a crypto thread? Others may want t hear how to wade in. Especially now as one of the Argentine presidential candidates is a huge crypto fan himself.

Quote from Bombonera

With respect, it really isn’t. If it was I wouldn’t have asked.

I will watch those resources but it is not an easy challenge to identify legitimate, independent resources that educate objectively and no more, and differentiate them from those with an agenda.

I’m surprised you missed that salient point.

Yes, sorry, I seem to not understand your point. Perhaps all I can say is that I have been trading crypto for about five years and am very pleased with my results. And, i am less dependent on fiat currency.

I am very excited by the crypto opportunities I will begin to explore in Argentina next month.

Quote from UK Man

Although I still feel a tad unbalanced they couldn't find anything wrong. The doc looked at the brain scan,blood pressure results as well blood tests. He said all looked finel He's now put me on a double statin dose to see if it'll make a difference.

May I recommend this book to you? You can download the e version. You might be shocked, as I was, at the harm you are doing yourself in eating certain things we believe are healthy;

https://www.amazon.com/Toxic-Superfoods-Oxalate-Overload-Sick-ebook/dp/B09BTM7QS7/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=toxic+superfoods&qid=1682950453&sr=8-1

Quote from Bombonera

FScott how does someone get to learn the reality of crypto free of the bias of someone trying to sell them on a scheme or a course?

YouTube is the best source