Volaris flights from Phoenix to Guadalajara began in October and flights to Mexico City begin in December.
PHOENIX – Every week at Phoenix’s Sky Harbor airport, some 120 jets take off bound for Mexico.
But that wasn't quite enough, so the city courted the Mexican airline Volaris to offer new flights, including a nonstop one to Mexico City that begins in December.
“In recent years demand to and from Phoenix and Mexico has been growing,” said Deborah Ostreicher, the airport’s deputy aviation director.
Ostreicher said the new flights reflect that demand, and are also part of a conscious effort by the city to create more links with Mexico.
“Because it really is our largest trading partner,” Ostreicher said. “It is very important to us and we want to offer more air service so that people can come and go to and from Mexico.”
Not too long ago, Arizona was internationally known for its efforts to crack down on illegal immigration from Mexico. Now local mayors are seeing legal Mexican visitors as key to economic development.
During one year before the recession, 24 million Mexicans visited the state and spent $2.7 billion, according to a University of Arizona report.
Avondale's mayor, Marie Lopez Rogers, is encouraged by those stats and wants to help grow those figures.
She is working with the Maricopa Association of Governments on a proposal that would allow Mexicans who have border-crossing cards to visit the entire state, instead of just the zone up to 75 miles north of the border they can visit now.
The idea reflects a change in the mood from just a few years ago.
“I think the mayors have realized that we can’t continue down the path of being afraid,” Lopez Rogers said. “We need to embrace, and we’ve taken a couple of trips into Mexico and talked to our counterparts, and I think we realize that there is a great economy there.”
The recession made clear to many leaders that Arizona needed to diversify its economy away from just real estate, said Erik Lee, the executive director of the North American Research Partnership, a think tank focused on the continent.
“At the end of the day you have to make and sell stuff to folks to grow your wealth to grow your economy,” Lee said. “Mexico is right there as our go-to customer internationally.”
But relations between Arizona and Mexico grew downright chilly in 2010 when Arizona passed its immigration enforcement law, SB 1070.
Now Lee says it is notable who is pushing to repair the relationship and boost trade.
“In the wake of the SB 1070, local leaders around the state have really taken a leadership role, which was historically the prerogative of the state of Arizona,” Lee said.
For example, the Phoenix City Council has approved opening a trade office in Mexico City early next year.
It will be the only permanent presence Arizona has in Mexico’s capital.
While Mexico's secretary of foreign affairs, Jose Antonio Meade was visiting Phoenix last month, he cited the city's plan to open the office as one of a number of signs indicating the relationship has improved, according to The Arizona Republic.
Roberto Rodriguez Hernandez became Mexico’s new Consul General for Arizona over the summer, and has come in with a list of projects aimed at strengthening Arizona-Mexico ties.
By Jude Joffe-Block
Roberto Rodriguez Hernandez is Mexico's Consul General in Arizona.
“We don't want to blame each other for who is responsible for the dark period, but essentially we want to turn the page,” Rodriguez Hernandez said.
One of his plans is to create a scholarship program that will help students on both sides of the border.
Another is to open a cultural center in Phoenix that will showcase Mexican and Mexican-American exhibitions.
“This cultural center is going to be not just a message, but a symbol of unity, a symbol for a new beginning, a symbol of new opportunities,” Rodriguez Hernandez said.
Erik Lee of the North American Research Partnership has figured out how to sum up this moment in Arizona-Mexico relations:
“We are getting reacquainted after a spat, in the middle of a long friendship.”
Now that tensions are thawing, the hard work of boosting cross-border trade can begin.
In recent years, each of the other border states has enjoyed substantial gains in their exports to Mexico.
What remains to be seen is if Arizona can catch up.
Oceas Verona Orocio inspects the latest-model drone at the 3D Robotics manufacturing plant in Tijuana. The company's drones were formerly made in China. (Don Bartletti, Los Angeles Times / November 30, 2013)
By Shan Li
November 29, 2013, 4:37 p.m.
latimes.com
TIJUANA — In an industrial park five miles east of downtown Tijuana, Ariel Ceja toils in a white room bustling with assembly workers hunched over blue tables.
A master scheduler, Ceja is in charge of all steps of production at this factory nestled inside a cavernous warehouse. A cluster of anonymous buildings surround the facility. Nearby are pitted roads, and just a few minutes away by car is the Tijuana airport and a university.
San Diego-based 3D Robotics moved into this once-vacant spot in June, producing affordable drones and electronic parts destined for customers in the U.S. and around the world.
It is just one of many American companies streaming to Mexico to open high-tech factories in a reversal of the outsourcing trend in years past. Called nearshoring, businesses are moving production to Mexico, Canada and other nearby countries to take advantage of their proximity to the U.S.
"Recently I have been seeing more American companies bringing production here," said Ceja, who started working for 3D Robotics a month ago. During the 1990s, "there were more Asian companies coming in, Japanese, Korean, but that has changed."
It's not just in Tijuana. Manufacturing plants are also opening in Mexican cities such as Guadalajara and Mexico City, bringing a wave of new jobs to a country recovering from the economic downturn and still fighting constant drug violence.
From 2009 to 2012, foreign investment in Mexico jumped more than 50% to $7.4 billion, and exports from foreign-owned factories also grew 50% to $196 billion, according to one industry group that tracks maquiladoras,or assembly plants in Mexico that are owned by foreign companies. After plunging during the economic recession, employment also has jumped 25% to more than 2 million. According to an economic study from South/East San Diego, the maquiladora industry is one of Tijuana's biggest employers, behind businesses linked to its border crossing.
"Sometime in the last year, we reached a crossover point where it became cheaper to make a lot of goods in Mexico than in China," said Hal Sirkin, a senior partner at Boston Consulting Group. "A lot of American companies are looking or moving."
The global recession and its aftermath led companies to rethink their supply chain. Faced with rising wages in China and high oil prices, many are reconsidering the appeal of manufacturing close to home, especially small and medium-size businesses without the bargaining clout of Apple and Wal-Mart.
Those businesses are finding a skilled workforce for high-tech manufacturing in Mexico. The country has doubled the number of post-secondary public schools, many devoted to science and technology. Former President Felipe Calderon last year bragged that Mexico was graduating 130,000 technicians and engineers a year, more than Germany or Canada.
The educated labor pool has attracted the car industry. Mexico has gained at least 100,000 auto-related jobs since 2010, according to a Brookings Institution report. Nissan, Honda, General Motors and Ford have all announced plans to expand in coming years.
3D Robotics, which makes drones and parts priced up to $730 for civilians and tech enthusiasts, is among the start-ups drawn to Mexico's low costs and proximity to the U.S. The company once manufactured its drones and kits in Southern California and China.
But Chief Executive Chris Anderson said making products overseas was a lengthy process that meant waiting for months for merchandise to come on ships. Chinese factories also required bulk orders that tied up a lot of the company's capital and prevented engineers from innovating quickly, which is vital in a tech sector such as drones.
"We decided it didn't make sense at our scale and pace of innovation to ramp up in China," Anderson said.
Instead, the company looked south.
3D's first Mexico factory in 2011 was in the three-bedroom Tijuana apartment of general manager Guillermo Romero, who spent the first months of the test run in Mexico soldering parts and assembling drones in his living room along with one employee.
"We started with some benches and soldering stations you can buy anywhere," Romero said. "We were like, 'Let's see what happens.'"
Sales of drones assembled in Mexico quickly grew after Romero got the hang of putting them together, and 3D moved into its first manufacturing space last year.
The last of the manufacturing equipment was trucked to Tijuana this spring, when the company moved to its current 12,000-square-foot facility. American engineers in San Diego design drones that are crafted almost completely by about 60 assembly workers in Tijuana.
A walk through the cavernous warehouse that houses the factory shows 3D's quick expansion. On the second floor, a newly completed call center opened about a month ago, bringing customer service in-house for the first time. Inside the assembly room, workers solder circuit boards, attach plastic arms and test the flying machines.
"Mexico is very flexible. You can start projects here and grow them," Romero said. "It's very good for start-ups."
For California companies, Mexico can be an especially attractive bet, analysts say. The ability to order in small batches means that designs can be changed quickly and production can be revved up and slowed down in a matter of days instead of months.
That can be invaluable during the holidays, as San Bernardino-based Cannon Safe learned.
On Black Friday in 2008, the safe manufacturing company received a panicked call from a major retailer that had drastically slimmed down its inventory in response the financial crash, President Aaron Baker said. But shoppers were scooping up their safes, prompting the chain to issue thousands of rain checks that it had to quickly honor.
Cannon's Mexico facility was able to increase production and deliver new merchandise within four days, compared with weeks or months if the safes had come from China, Baker said. "That was our 'aha' moment."
Today, about 60% of the company's safes are made in Mexico, nearly double the production levels five years ago. Meanwhile, its China production has dropped by half, Baker said.
Although wages are higher in Mexico than in China, the relative ease of doing business and proximity can bring costs on par or even lower. Companies find that they don't lose valuable time waiting for shipments.
Deliveries can also be routed to another port or simply brought by truck when problems crop up, such as the eight-day strike that paralyzed the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach last winter.
Companies looking to bring production closer to home rank Mexico as their No. 1 choice, according to a survey from consulting firm AlixPartners.
The tipping point may have come last year when manufacturing costs in Mexico, when adjusted for productivity, dropped below those in China, according to a Boston Consulting Group report. Within two years, the average cost of production in Mexico will be 6% below China and as much as 30% lower than countries such as Japan and Germany.
"Companies are bringing back parts of manufacturing to Mexico. They are saying, 'We want our manufacturing process close to our engineers, we want our inventory next to our customers so it's easier to ship,'" said Joe Mazza, a partner at advisory and accounting firm McGladrey in Los Angeles. "There are also many companies in China that are not exiting China, but reducing their manufacturing and bringing some to Mexico."
With all its advantages, Mexico still has its fair share of problems. Companies that don't produce their own goods can have a hard time finding the right third-party manufacturer in a country that can't compete yet with China's dense supplier base and strong manufacturing infrastructure. Mexico also just passed fiscal reforms that include raising taxes on U.S.-owned companies and other businesses, increasing worries that foreign firms might leave the country.
Despite these challenges, more U.S. companies will consider locating factories in Mexico in the coming years, analysts said.
"This is the return of manufacturing in Mexico," said Scott Stanley, senior vice president of NAPS, which aids companies setting up factories in Mexico. "Every month it seems like there are more and more companies moving. There is no sign of that trend slowing down."
by
Henry Savage
on Friday, 15 November 2013 12:25 pm
Question:Is there a standard formula to calculate a
home's square footage? I have seen different publications with
different square footage for the same house. For example, the county
land records will say a house has 3,000 square feet, but a sales
brochure will say the same house has 3,500 square feet. Are finished
basements allowed in a calculation? What about hallways? I don't know
what or who to believe. It seems misleading.
Answer:You have asked a very good question. I doubt
if anyone is purposely trying to mislead the public, but it's true that
not everyone in the real estate business calculates square footage the
same way. In fact, it may be different from one geographic area to the
next. I'm from the Washington, DC area, so I'll share with you what I
know about how it's done here.
The square footage listed in the city and county records for
condominium units are typically not questioned. These numbers are taken
from the original condominium documents and are generally accurate.
Unlike detached homes, square footage is less likely to change on a
condominium as a result of additions and improvements.
For attached and detached single family homes, there are different ways to calculate square footage.
Most real estate appraisers measure the exterior of the home to
calculate the gross living area. For example, a two-story home that
measures 25 feet by 25 feet would have 625 square feet on each floor, so
the appraiser would say the house contains 1,250 square feet. Since he
is measuring from the exterior, the calculation includes hallways,
stairwells, closets and wall space.
The appraiser will also consider the size of the basement and
determine how much of the basement has been finished as living area.
Instead of totaling the square footage of a basement's living area, he
will make value adjustments based on other comparable homes. For
example, a home with a full finished basement that includes a den,
bathroom and bedroom might be credited $15,000 or $20,000 in value
compared to a similar house with an unfinished basement.
In some cases, even if the lowest level is completely above grade, an
appraiser may treat it as a basement. Consider an attached townhouse
that has a lower level used as a garage and a den or mud room. An
appraiser might consider such a room as a basement.
It gets more complicated. What if the house in our example has a
vaulted ceiling in the family room with a second story balcony? This
would clearly result in the second floor having less than 625 square
feet of actual floor area. Most appraisers won't subtract the space left
out of the second floor to make room for the vaulted ceilings. Why?
Because such a floor plan often enhances the market value of the home
because it's a popular feature to have. Remember that an appraiser's job
is to determine the market value of the home. The total size of the
living area is only part of the equation. Imagine a 3,000 square foot
house that contains 20 small rooms each consisting of 150 square feet.
Such a build out would not be very popular for a typical family.
Many real estate agents and builders will include all finished
"walkable" areas when totaling the square feet of a house. It's
certainly not misleading. A lot of prospective home buyers would want to
know the total living area, regardless of whether some of it is below
grade.
Other real estate agents will use the square footage that's listed in
the county tax records in their marketing materials. Unfortunately,
this information is often incorrect, especially with older homes. Over
time, basements get finished and additions are constructed, increasing
the chances that tax records will be outdated and inaccurate. It's for
this reason that some agents simply choose to omit the square footage in
the listing report. You've probably seen a disclaimer similar to this
on a house listing: "Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Buyer to verify square footage."
The bottom line? Calculating the square footage of a home is more of
opinion than exact science. If you're interested in buying a particular
house and want to know the size expressed in square feet, my advice
would be to make an appointment to visit the home and bring your tape
measure, pen, paper and calculator.
Phoenix is slated to open a trade and tourism office south of the border next year, a move city officials said reflects its need to lead the region in building ties with a trade partner on shaky terms with the state.
The effort to create a Mexico City officeis motivated, in part, by a sentiment among leaders that Phoenix, the nation’s sixth-largest city, has for too long not received its fair share of trade and investment from Mexico. Economists say the country is a ripe partner given its quickly emerging middle class and manufacturing sector.
By most accounts, Phoenix and Arizona have historically lagged other locales in exports to their southern neighbor. The state exported about $6.3 billion in goods to Mexico last year, compared with $26.4 billion from California and $94.5 billion from Texas, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
While Texas and California have much larger economies, city and business officials said it’s clear that regions with a physical presence in Mexico reap the benefit — the San Antonio area, which has three long-standing trade offices, dubbed Casa San Antonio, alone exported $3.2 billion in 2012. Metro Phoenix exported just $1.8 billion, commerce figures show.
“You’ve probably heard the slogan, it relates to the lottery, ‘You have to be in it to win it,’ ” said Hank Marshall, Phoenix’s executive economic-development officer. “We have, in my opinion, for far too long tried to advance and expand our economic opportunity with Mexico by simply relying on proximity: that we’re close. But it’s not working.”
Instead, Marshall said Phoenix can enhance its economic relationship with Mexico by improving connectivity, and opening a trade office would provide inroads and make the statement that Phoenix is open for business. The office also would promote tourism to Arizona, particularly travel to utilize its advanced medical facilities, and help lure Mexican companies to the area.
City leaders are backing a plan to spend $150,000 to $200,000 per year to hire a private consultant to represent its interests in Mexico City, where many of the country’s largest corporations are located. The representative would advocate for Phoenix at business meetings, solicit new businesses and provide a home base for Arizona companies looking to expand their international reach.
About two dozen states and San Antonio have opened trade and tourism offices in Mexico City. Marshall said states thousands of miles away from the U.S.-Mexican border, including some on the East Coast, rival the Arizona border region in trade.
City Council members unanimously approved the trade-office proposal in October. Officials said Mexican companies will bid on the contract in the coming months, with the council expected to vote on a potential deal in the spring. The office will likely be housed in an existing consulting firm, with some sort of plaque declaring Phoenix allegiance, officials said.
But while city leaders are optimistic about the move, they noted Arizona faces an uphill battle when it comes to building ties with Mexican companies. They said the state and city have a “brand issue” in Mexico because of the state’s passage of several laws aimed at cracking down on illegal immigrants, notably Senate Bill 1070 in 2010.
“Phoenix has an obligation to lead,” said Mayor Greg Stanton, suggesting the city has reached out to Mexico and taken stances embracing diverse populations, including Latinos, because it’s the “right thing” to do, both morally and to attract jobs and economic growth. City leaders have often opposed SB 1070.
Arizona closed its Mexico City trade office in 2011, but the statehas an office in Hermosillo, Sonora. The University of Arizona also has an office in Mexico City. Phoenix officials hope partners will join its trade office, including the state, Tucson, chambers of commerce, large companies and universities.
Although the City Council has largely supported the plan, Councilman Sal DiCiccio questions its depth, suggesting the city is hiring a lobbyist instead of establishing a true trade office. DiCiccio, who voted for the proposal, said the city must spend more if it wants a singularly focused advocate, not a consultant who “could easily represent multiple interests.”
“I absolutely don’t think it’s doable in that amount,” DiCiccio said, adding that references to SB 1070and the state’s image are “partisan” and counterproductive. “Throwing pocket change at it may not work.”
However, city officials said the contract will require that its trade representative be fully dedicated to Phoenix and the region and cannot have other clients. They said the contract will have benchmarks to ensure results, but thecity won’t iron out details until the bid process.
Business leaders in the Phoenix area said the move, while a small first step, sends a message that the region now understands the importance of the business relationship with its neighbor. In the past, the Valley focused on its real-estate market and didn’t see a need to be a major player in Mexico, but that need has become “glaringly apparent,” Marshall said.
“I do think it’s a long time coming,” said Barry Broome, president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council.
Republic reporter Daniel González contributed to this article.
Written by: Mexperience.com
Published: Monday, December 2, 2013
Since the introduction of Mexico’s reformed immigration law last year, some issues related to the import of foreign-plated cars have arisen which have caused some confusion and concern among expats. We have spoken to various sources and taken feedback from readers’ experiences to ascertain what the current situation is. This is the latest information we have to date:
Visitors Entering Mexico Using FMM (Tourist Permits)
If you are visiting Mexico on a tourist permit, you can import your foreign-plated vehicle to Mexico, but you must export it again before the permit expires. FMM permits last for a maximum of 180 days (6 months) and cannot be renewed or extended beyond this time period.
Entering Mexico with a Residente Temporal Permit
As of now (December 2012) you can import your vehicle to Mexico when carrying a Residente Temporal permit, BUT only if the visa is for non-lucrative, retirement, or study purposes. If your Residente Temporal permit allows you to work in Mexico, you cannot (presently) import a car. We have been told by our contacts who are in touch with Aduana in Mexico City that a revision to the rules, due to be implemented in January 2014, will enable holders of Residente Temporal visas with work privileges to bring foreign-plated cars into Mexico.
Entering Mexico with Residente Permanente Permit
If you are carrying a Residente Permanente permit, you will not be allowed to bring your foreign-plated car into Mexico (whether the permit is for non-lucrative or lucrative purposes).
Expats with Temporary Residency & Work Status with Cars in Mexico
If you currently have an (old) FM3 or (new) Residente Temporal that allows you to work in Mexico, then you can park the vehicle until the new rules come into effect in January, or keep using it, and run a small risk of having the vehicle confiscated if you are stopped by the police or become involved in an accident.
Expats with Permanent Residency Status and Cars in Mexico
If you have a foreign plated car in Mexico now, and you have an (old) FM2 or (new) Residente Permanente permit, you will need to make some choices, e.g.:
Export the car permanently – Take the car out of Mexico (crossing the border into the US or Belize) – see “Safe Return” procedure, below.
Export and then re-import the car using a Customs Broker – If you want to keep your car, there is a process to legally import the car by paying the relevant duties and import taxes. You’ll need a customs broker to assist you with this process. The name of the person with the Residente Permante permit will need to have clear title to the vehicle (no liens or encumbrances; and no leased vehicles) – see “Safe Return” procedure, below.
Export the car and sell it to a person with a Residente Temporal permit – If you know a foreigner with a Residente Temporal permit who wants to buy your car, you can export it, sell it to them, and they can re-import it using their Residente Temporal permit.
Export the car by sea – In some circumstances export of your car on a sea vessel might be a viable option. You’ll need a customs broker to help you with the process. As a rule of thumb, shipping fees to the US range from $1,000-$1,500, which might be worth it especially if your vehicle is new and/or particularly valuable.
Safe Return Program
If your vehicle is currently “illegal” and you want to take it out of the country, you can apply for a “Retorno Seguro” permit from SAT, which gives you five days to drive the car out of the country (to the US or to Belize).
General Notes
The police who stop you might not be formally briefed on the new (and latest rules) about customs, so some drivers choose to print-out and carry a Spanish language copy of Article 106 with them to present to the police if necessary.
If your car is stolen, you’ll have to pay Aduana 40% tax on the car’s value. This rule was brought in some while ago to discourage foreigners from dumping their cars and telling Aduana it was stolen. While the authorities cannot prevent you from leaving if you don’t pay the tax, failure to do so will forfeit your rights to import any other foreign plated vehicle to Mexico in future.
If you want to get rid of your car, there is a procedure whereby you can “donate” it to Mexican Customs; you can find more information here on the Aduana web site.
Once again this year, the men’s 42k Pacifico Marathon was dominated
by Kenyan runners who took first, second and third place in the elite
category. Benjamin Kiplimo, Stephen Mburi and Festus Kioko crossed the
finish line with times of 2:19:18, 2:20:28 and 2:24:13 respectively.
Mexican runners Abraham Vargas and Román Arroyo placed fourth and fifth.
Kenyans took first, second and third place in the elite 42k marathon.
Speaking yesterday to reporters at the marathon which has been
sponsored by Pacifico beer for fifteen years, Sinaloa Governor Mario
López Valdez said the recent sale of Grupo Modelo to Belgian
conglomerate Anheuser-Busch InBev will not affect the marathon nor
Mazatlán’s annual Carnival. Pacifico brewery of Grupo Modelo is the
primary sponsor of both events.
López Valdez told reporters he had spoken with representatives of
Pacifico and they will continue to be strong supporters of both annual
events.
However, he advised that along with the change in ownership will come
a revision of the costs of Grupo Modelo which owns soccer and baseball
teams, including Mazatlán’s AAA baseball team, the Venados.
He was assured by representatives of the beer company that they will continue to sponsor sports events.
This year’s marathon increased registration from 12,000 to 12,500
runners, who together with their friends and families brought an
economic bonanza to the city’s restaurants and hotels which registered a
100 percent occupancy rate for the two day event.
Monday, 02 December 2013 00:10
BY MAURILIO SOTO
The News
MEXICO CITY – Twelve months after his inauguration, President Enrique
Peña Nieto said that his first year in office has been dedicated to
promoting transformational reforms.
Peña Nieto’s comments were made during the National Sports Award
ceremony, where he also thanked Mexico’s athletes for showing the world
that Mexicans are capable of successfully competing on the international
stage.
According to Peña Nieto, the highest priority of his administration
is to reach agreements with Mexico’s opposition parties to promote the
structural reforms the country needs to advance and develop.
“The reforms that have been approved and that I hope will be approved
soon are the base for allowing Mexico to grow at a more rapid,
sustained and sustainable rhythm in the coming years and decades,” he
said, going on to mention the benefits that he said Mexico would see as a
result of modifications to the country’s laws on education,
telecommunications, finance and transparency.
The education reform, he said, will elevate teaching standards in
public schools, while the reforms addressing economic competition and
the telecommunications sector will allow Mexicans to have access to
higher quality services at lower prices.
Peña Nieto said that the tax reform will strengthen the government’s
ability to raise revenue, while the transparency reform will promote
government accountability and the financial reform will make it easier
for small- and medium-sized businesses to access credit at lower
interest rates.
He went on to say that he expects the political-electoral and energy
reforms currently being discussed in Congress to be approved soon.
El keniata Benjamin Kiplimo Meto se distanció de sus rivales a menos de 2 kilómetros de la meta, para cruzar antes que nadie la marca de la máxima prueba del Gran Maratón PacÃfico Mazatlán 2013.
Kiplimo Meto cubrió la distancia de los 42 kilómetros 195 metros en un tiempo de 2 horas, 19 minutos y 18 segundos, seguido de sus compatriotas Stephen Mburi (2:20:28) y Festus Kioko (2:24:13).
Prácticamente el grupo de cinco corredores se mantuvo a la cabeza sobre el resto de los adversarios, a quienes poco a poco fueron dejando metros atrás con el paso del recorrido.
A la altura del kilómetro 17, por La Marina Mazatlán, no hubo mayor oposición a los cinco fugados porque su paso consistente fue opacando al resto de los participantes.
A la vuelta de Cerritos tomaron el control de la carrera Kiplimo, Kioko y Mburi, dejando atrás al nacional Vargas y al keniata Kembi.
Ya en el kilómetro 30 (a la altura de la UdeO), al frente sólo estaban ya Kiplimo y Mburi, quienes se fueron codo a codo durante varios kilómetros, superando a Kioko por más de 30 metros, ventaja que fue acrecentándose hasta llegar a ser de más de 500 metros.
Los punteros pasaron sin problema alguno la Avenida del Mar, Paseo Claussen, Olas Altas y hasta dar vuelta al retorno en el Escudo de Sinaloa.
Fue a dos mil metros del final cuando el ahora campeón dejó atrás a su compatriota y se perfiló rumbo a la meta.
La tlaxcalteca venÃa como una de las serias aspirantes al triunfo y lo cumplió, superando a la keniata Ruth Chepckoech, quien detuvo el reloj en 2:44:51.
Misha Elena Ruiz Fernández, oriunda de Michoacán, terminó tercera con un tiempo de 2:46:14.
Places such as Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, and Colombia attract
record numbers of American seniors as they look for good – and
affordable – places to live.
ByDaniel B. Wood, Staff writer
Courtesy of Christian Gonzales/CIMA Coffee Farms
Los Angeles — After 20 years in the US military, James Cummiskey
was divorced and looking for a change. Relenting to his buddy's request,
he flew to MedellÃn, Colombia, for a visit. He looked, he saw, and, by
dinner time, he decided to stay. Permanently.
"After four to five
hours, I was immediately captured by everything I saw," says the
ex-marine, who has lived in 35 countries. He spent the next four months
selling two homes, three vehicles, two motorcycles, and one airplane. He
put the money aside and decided to retire early.
Now he lives in a
posh section of the mountain city of 3.8 million, surrounded by lush
vistas. He married a Colombian woman, started a coffee export business,
and seems to get goose bumps every time he thinks about his new life. "I
tell you honestly I have had more fun here in the past four years than
in the previous 50," he says.
Mr. Cummiskey’s story is being repeated thousands of times –
minus perhaps the sale of a personal plane – as more and more Americans
retire to countries all over Latin America. Lured by sun-dappled
landscapes and cheap living costs, they are settling in culturally
vibrant towns in central Mexico, beach communities in Costa Rica,
high-rise enclaves in Panama, and mountain retreats in Nicaragua.
Even
MedellÃn, once the drug and murder capital of the world, has
transformed itself into something of an urban showcase, attracting baby
boomers to a place where cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar used to carry out
his ruthless craft.
Though the phenomenon of Americans retiring
in Latin America began 25 years ago, it has accelerated in the past five
to 10 years. Call the region America's new "Sun Belt."
"Thirty
five years ago, this idea was truly on the far fringe – that if you
thought about retiring out of the US, you were labeled 'renegade' or
'strange' or 'weird,' or 'over-adventurous,' " says Jennifer Stevens,
editor of International Living magazine. "Now it is much more
acceptable, desirable, and even normal to do this. It's a huge trend."
The
exodus south is being driven by a confluence of factors. The baby boom
generation – the largest in history – is reaching retirement age, and
millions are looking for places to spend the next phase of their lives.
As the most educated, well-traveled, and adventurous generation in
history, many of these boomers are deciding to retire outside the
country – including in Latin America.
They're also looking for
places that will allow them to stretch their 401(k)s after they lost a
lot of money in the last stock market collapse. With the US economy
remaining so tentative, and health-care costs so aggressive, retirees
want to live where they can afford greens fees and where a trip to the
emergency room won't bankrupt them.
"A lot of people are saying,
'I'm tired of worrying about my retirement years,' so they are beginning
to ask questions and go in search of great deals ... and they are
finding them," says Kathleen Peddicord, founder of the Live and Invest
Overseas publishing group and author of "How To Retire Overseas:
Everything You Need to Know to Live Well (for Less) Abroad." She says
that many are taking advantage of what she calls the "perception gap" –
the idea that countries such as Colombia and Nicaragua are still thought
of as countries with huge problems of drug violence even though the
violence has largely been erased. One other factor: In the age of Skype
and FaceTime, meaningful contact with children and friends, no matter
where one retires, is now only a finger tap away.
While living in
Latin America isn't for everyone – crime, cultural differences, and even
phone connections can be problematic – is it any wonder that Naples,
Fla., and Flagstaff, Ariz., are no longer America's only leisure-years
Shangri-Las?
• • •
Jeanne Mendez was drawn by the views
of three volcanoes and the "gentle pace of life." After her husband died
in 2004, Ms. Mendez went on a yoga retreat held on the shores of Lake
Atitlán in Guatemala. She ended up building a circular home in Santa
Cruz, a village that borders the expansive 50-mile lake.
Mendez,
who for 20-plus years worked in finance in New York City and then for
Microsoft in Seattle, now has to board a small boat to get groceries
from a local market, which is part of the charm. "For a person who used
Excel spreadsheets for every decision," she says, "it was an unusual
decision [to move here], but it was a powerful urge for me."
Mendez
represents another dimension of the surge of Americans southward: Many
of them are settling in countries other than the usual haunts. For
years, Americans have been retiring in Panama, Costa Rica, and parts of
Mexico. Many still are. But now a growing number are also exploring
Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and other countries not often mentioned
in retirement brochures.
What makes Guatemala attractive to
retirees, for instance, is not only its enviable views but its cheap
costs, even relative to other Central American countries. A house that
would go for half a million dollars in Costa Rica or Panama can be found
or built in Guatemala for $250,000, according to Armand Boissy, a real
estate agent and developer who has lived in the Lake Atitlán area for
the past 25 years.
Patricia and David Bibb, both artists in their
60s, decided to settle near Lake Atitlán after searching for places in
Belize, Honduras, and other parts of Guatemala. "It was as beautiful as
Hawaii," says Ms. Bibb, who has lived in North Palm Beach, Fla., and
Georgia.
The couple renovated an existing home, doing some of the
work themselves, since he is a master woodworker and she is a ceramic
artist. They have three grown children and three grandchildren in the
United States whom they see four or five times a year. But they have no
plans of returning. "We consider this our last home," says Ms. Bibb with
finality.
To a certain extent, the move south by Americans is
just part of a larger trend of retirees settling in places all around
the world – from France to Thailand to craggy New Zealand. When Ms.
Peddicord launched the Live and Invest Overseas publishing group in
2008, she had 10,000 subscribers the first year. Now she has more than
200,000.
But Latin America is drawing a particularly large number
of expatriates, both because of its proximity to the US and because of
the relative inexpensiveness of many parts of the region. While no one
knows the precise number of retirees living in the area, signs suggest
it is substantial – and growing:
•The number of Americans
receiving Social Security checks in Central America and the Caribbean –
one gauge of how many people live outside the US – rose 26 percent
between 2005 and 2012, to 28,126, according to the Social Security
Administration. It jumped 112 percent in Panama and 32 percent in Costa
Rica.
•The number collecting US Social Security checks in South
America increased 48 percent over the same seven-year period, to 22,019.
It rose 87 percent in Colombia and 47 percent in Ecuador.
•Mexican officials estimate that more than 1 million US-born citizens now live in Mexico – up from 360,000 in 2000.
"There
are 20,000 Americans just here in Lake Chapala and more in
Guadalajara," says Thomas Heller, a real estate agent who grew up in
Washington State and married a woman from Mexico he met while studying
there.
The Mexican states of Jalisco, Guanajuato, and Baja
California have traditionally served as destinations both for tourists
and retired Americans. But Mexico City has become a magnet for American
migrants, too, as security and quality of life have improved in the
city.
In Jalisco, the number of US citizens over age 55 more than
doubled between 1990 and 2000, increasing from 2,480 to 5,918. The
number has expanded far more dramatically over the past decade. "We have
the best weather in the world, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and very good
medical care," says Bruce Newby, the president of the American Society
in Guadalajara, Jalisco's capital city.
Mr. Newby, a lawyer who
grew up in Indiana and later lived in California, first came to Jalisco
to visit a friend who had moved there. He soon decided to relocate
himself.
"The restaurants are wonderful, cheap, and very good," says Newby, sounding like a one-man chamber of commerce.
Newby
won't get any arguments from Diane Golz. When she and her husband were
first considering retiring, they bought numerous books and did extensive
research on where to settle outside the US. The couple from Georgia
finally decided on the Guadalajara area, buying a house near Lake
Chapala, in part because it was so close: They could simply put their
dog in the car and drive down from Atlanta. Now the two of them can also
easily fly to visit their children in other parts of the US.
Besides, says Ms. Golz, the food here "is not at all like Taco Bell."
• • •
While
many people are moving to Latin America permanently, others are
choosing to live there a few months of the year. For these people –
mainly "snowbirds" – the region has become the new Florida.
Take
Jay and Kathleen Snyder. Grandparents of six, they now divide their time
between Landgrove, Vt., and Granada, Nicaragua. In 2005, after 40 years
of running an inn in Vermont, the couple decided they wanted a change
and a little more sun.
"It was as though I could hear a voice
saying, 'Go south, old man,' " says Mr. Snyder. He visited Nicaragua and
enrolled in a Spanish-immersion program.
The Snyders are now
doing in Nicaragua what they've long done in Vermont: beckoning others
to come stay. They made an offer on a piece of land in Granada and,
finding out no such thing as a rental-management program existed, built a
set of condos and started one themselves.
"If it works for me, I
figured, it'll work for others just like me," he says. "Something like,
build it ... and the retirees will come."
The transition has not
always been easy. Snyder has been unnerved at times by Nicaragua's
political vicissitudes. In 2001, when he made his first trip to the
country, the real estate market was booming. By 2005, it had slowed
considerably. A pullback ensued after Daniel Ortega, the former
firebrand Marxist who now espouses a mixture of Socialism and free
enterprise, was elected president in 2006. But the fears subsided, and
his condominiums kept selling.
Nicaragua also may not be the place
for people expecting Trump Tower living conditions. Many deliveries
Snyder gets are still by burro and cart. The architecture is what he
calls "original." But that's what Snyder likes about living there: a
rustic existence that echoes life from another century. "This isn't a
place like Costa Rica, where huge developers and resorts have come in
and done their own thing," he says.
It's not just retirees who are
taking advantage of the appeal of Latin American countries. Kent Davis,
who grew up in Hawaii, moved to Panama when he was 27. Now, six years
later, he calls his life in the country "fantastic." Mr. Davis, the
founder of the real estate firm Panama Equity, says homes there aren't
necessarily any cheaper than they are where his mother lives in
Richmond, Va. But the cost of doctors, dentists, and car repairs is
about one-fourth what it is in the US.
The lifestyle is vibrant,
too, even for young people. He attributes part of that to the diverse
expatriate community – one made up of people not just from the US, but
also from Colombia, Venezuela, and Canada. The migrants busy themselves
with activities ranging from book clubs to singing groups to scuba
diving.
Young expats, he says, like to surf and barbecue. Retirees
tend to go to restaurants and tap into a growing, if nascent, arts
scene. They might volunteer to teach math, English, or basic computer
skills. "Nobody leaves here because they are bored," he says.
One
reason so many American expats are settling in Panama is the incentives.
While governments throughout much of Latin America are now trying to
lure Americans, Panama's was among the first and most aggressive to
target US baby boomers. A series of laws over recent administrations
created the pensionado program, offering foreigners lifelong residence
in Panama if they prove they receive a monthly pension of more than
$1,000. Foreign-earned pensions are not taxed by the Panamanian
government.
In addition, so-called jubilados (retirees) receive a
one-time exemption of duties on the importation of household goods and a
wide array of benefits. This includes 50 percent off entertainment; 30
percent off bus, boat, and train fares; 25 percent off monthly energy
bills; as much as 50 percent off hotel stays; and 15 percent off
hospital bills in some cases. It's one of the best retirement programs
in the world, according to International Living magazine, which rated
Panama at the top of its annual "global retirement index" six years in a
row.
"I had to look for a place where I could afford to retire,
and actually retire and not have to keep working," says Clyde Coles, a
26-year veteran firefighter from Corpus Christi, Texas, who injured his
neck in the job and couldn't carry out his duties anymore.
His
solution: a tiny beachfront town about 90 minutes outside Panama City,
where he and his wife purchased an older home on an acre of land. They
live on about $2,500 a month. For the couple, the biggest draws were
Panama's lower cost of living, its retirement benefits, and good health
care at a fraction of the cost in the US.
Inexpensive but good
quality medical care is a major reason many retirees are settling in
parts of Latin America. Many talk of trips to the doctor that cost only
$15 and of medical treatments that cost one-third of what they do in the
US. Many countries also allow foreigners to enroll in their national
health-care programs.
Andy and Fran Browne of Charlotte, N.C.,
both lost their jobs during the 2008 recession and were swamped by their
private health insurance policies, which were costing them $1,800 a
month. (They were still too young to be eligible for Medicare.)
A
planned Memorial Day vacation to Costa Rica turned into a reconnaissance
mission. The couple moved there a year later, eventually settling in
the beachfront community of Playa Hermosa on the northwest coast.
The
Brownes now rent a four-bedroom home that offers them tangerine sunsets
over the Pacific. "By coming to Costa Rica our burn rate was extended 20
to 25 years," says Mr. Browne, referring to how long their retirement
money will last.
Terry Zach, a retired media specialist at a San
Francisco advertising agency, moved south for similar reasons. Facing
retirement 14 years ago, he realized that he and his partner, who had no
medical insurance, couldn't afford any place they wanted to go in the
US.
So when his partner saw an article about Boquete, a town in
Panama's highlands resembling Boulder, Colo., the two were intrigued.
From the moment they arrived, "we knew this was it," says Mr. Zach. The
small-town feel combined with the breathtaking nature and easy access to
most modern conveniences, such as shopping malls and good hospitals,
made it a simple decision.
The two now live well on about $2,000 a
month. They helped start an English-speaking Rotary Club, a community
theater, and a service offering free neutering to cats and dogs.
"We couldn't live like this in the US," Zach says.
• • •
Retiring
outside the US certainly isn't everyone's idea of utopia. One of the
biggest obstacles is a simple one: managing expectations. Some people
think living in Ecuador, Panama, or Mexico will be the same as living in
the US, only cheaper. It isn't.
As Zach notes, many countries in
the region operate at a different rhythm. A less-frenetic pace can be
good for retirees. But it can also mean slower service at a restaurant,
notorious bureaucratic delays in getting land titles or driver's
licenses, and scheduled dates with plumbers or carpenters that never
happen.
"Mañana doesn't mean tomorrow," says Zach. "It means not today."
Americans
are used to good roads, first-rate telephone and Internet service, and
reasonable customer service. Moving south can be jarring. "The streets
are bad and poorly maintained, there are no lights or signage, and
parking spaces are nonexistent," says Cummiskey of urban life in
MedellÃn.
Crime is a predominant concern. While levels of violence
vary widely across the region – and the vast majority of expats settle
in communities that are considered safe – retirees caution that it's
important to know when and where to travel. Some thieves prey on
foreigners. Drug violence remains a concern in parts of Mexico and other
countries.
Mr. Coles, the retired firefighter, says that even
though Panama is safer than Mexico and Ecuador, violent crime still
exists and one has to take precautions. The judicial system, he adds, is
notoriously inefficient and ineffective.
Sara Laing can
sympathize with that. Eight years ago, she bought 17 acres of unspoiled
land on a mountaintop in Santa Rosa de Copán, a city in western
Honduras. Ms. Laing, a savvy world traveler who had lived in 20
countries as a volunteer and mental-health professional, moved because
she had tired of retirement life in Sarasota, Fla., which mostly
consisted of going to concerts and theater productions.
"I wasn't living life," she says. "I was just watching it."
In
Santa Rosa de Copán, she teaches English and other classes at two
village schools and enjoys her veranda, which offers stunning views of
the woodlands.
But one day two men with guns tied up a man who
cares for her home and then ransacked the house while she hid in a
closet. The incident, combined with the distance she lives from her
grandchildren and the inability to live in Honduras on her Social
Security income of $760 a month, is prompting her to return to the US.
"I
am sad," she says, "because I love it here, and I do think it is one of
the most beautiful countries. I want to see it flourish."
Language
can be another barrier. Many Americans have settled in areas with large
expat communities or ones that cater to outsiders, and they can get
along without learning Spanish. Newby, for instance, says that most of
the American retirees he knows in Mexico's state of Jalisco don't speak
Spanish fluently.
"They don't need to," he says. Most people
"retire here because the weather is great, not because they studied
Spanish in college."
For others, learning the native tongue and
local customs can take time, but is usually worth the effort. "In your
daily life, you can go a long time without speaking Spanish, but it's
much easier if you do," says Joel Moskowitz, a lawyer from Malibu,
Calif., who, with his wife, Anna, moved to Roatán, one of the Bay
Islands that is part of Honduras.
Still, for all the challenges of
retiring in America's new Sun Belt, many expats see the advantages far
surpassing the disadvantages. Consider Cummiskey and his fondness for
MedellÃn.
He likes the city's predictable climate. He likes the
shopping malls, the antique stores, the nightclubs. He likes the
vegetation and the views. But, most important, he likes the people.
"They
have one of the highest poverty rates in the world and yet the people
are not at all depressed," he says. "They are completely happy all the
time and that is very, very cool and appealing to me."
Posted on November 17, 2013 at 7:02 am by Jennifer Hiller
shalestuff.com
A new pipelineUnderground or surface tubing or piping that is installed across states, countries and continents to deliver fuel. New pipelines are being built in Pennsylvania and New Jersey to transport natural gas, liquid natural gas, and water to make gas production more economical. project to move Eagle Ford ShaleA fine grained sedimentary rock composed mostly of consolidated clay or mud. Shale is the most frequently occurring sedimentary rock.natural gasA naturally occurring mixture of hydrocarbon and non-hydrocarbon gases beneath the earth’s surface – often in association with petroleum. into Mexico’s growing energy market has received its presidential permit.
Houston-based NET Mexico PipelineUnderground or surface tubing or piping that is installed across states, countries and continents to deliver fuel. New pipelines are being built in Pennsylvania and New Jersey to transport natural gas, liquid natural gas, and water to make gas production more economical. Partners LLC got the OK from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Nov. 8 “to site, construct, connect, operate, and maintain a border-crossing facility” in Starr County for the export of natural gasA naturally occurring mixture of hydrocarbon and non-hydrocarbon gases beneath the earth’s surface – often in association with petroleum..
NET Mexico is an affiliate of NET Midstream, which has a long-term agreement to transport 2.1 billion cubic feet of gas per day with MGI Supply Ltd. a subsidiary of Mexico’s state-owned gas company, Pemex Gas y Petroquimica Basica.
Although Mexico has vast natural gasA naturally occurring mixture of hydrocarbon and non-hydrocarbon gases beneath the earth’s surface – often in association with petroleum. reserves, it hasn’t been able to develop them quickly enough to meet the country’s consumption, which has been climbing at four times the pace of overall economic growth at times in the past decade.
Here’s a summary of the changes in Mexican tax laws affecting foreigners
for 2014. This report comes from Lic. Spencer McMullen, a fine
attorney in Jalisco, who specializes in legal issues affecting
expats. You can contact Lic. McMullen at Chapala Law.
On 11/29/2013 Lic. McMullen reports:
“Very extensive reforms have been made to Mexico´s tax laws and have
been finalized in November, 2013. These become effective on January 1,
2014, which does not give people or businesses a lot of time to prepare.
This short lead time may cause problems for some people. First, all the
appointment times at our local SAT offices in Jalisco (SAT = Mexico’s
tax department) are filled for quite a while, and second, some of the
changes affect banks and businesses quite a bit. I think it’s going to
be a messy transition as many will be unable to comply in time with only
2 weeks left until the government goes on vacation and returns January
2nd when the new laws take effect and even then there may be delays of
weeks for people to be able to get appointments at the tax office to set
themselves up or make changes.
There are new IVA sales taxes.
It’s now going be 16% nationally (whereas it’s been about 11% in the
border areas), and it will include taxes on soda, chewing gum, and pet
food throughout Mexico. Those weren’t included in the past. So,
people with pets should stock up at Costco before the new year. Dog
shelters will be especially hard hit. For people driving back from
up north after Christmas, or coming back from nationalizing their
vehicles at the border, they’ll want to fill up their tanks near the
border, where the gas tax will still be 11% until the end of the year.
Will anything change at customs (Aduana)?
Yes, temporary importation of certain goods will also start being taxed.
That could open the door in the future for a tax on the temporary
importation of vehicles. Not yet, though.
The mandatory use of customs agents for any value of goods to be
imported has been eliminated. The use of an agent will be optional,
which is a good thing because they’ll have to be more competitive in
terms of rates and quality of service.
Also, customs is going to be checking the value of imported goods
more closely and communicating with the countries where merchandise is
leaving, to check declared values. People may be more likely to get
caught if their car nationalization pedimento say the car is worth just
$10,000 pesos, while it clearly is worth much more.
What about new banking regulations?
Starting in 2007, there had been a tax on large cash deposits: 2% on the
amounts of deposits exceeding $15,000 pesos, which was increased in
2010 to 3% on amounts exceeding 15,000 pesos.
Those taxes have now been eliminated.
But … banks are now required to report to SAT any deposits over $15,000
pesos, and any payment of credit card debt of $20,000 pesos made at a
time. SAT may also audit you and compare your credit card expenditures
to your declared income. They can then contact you to explain these
transactions within a certain time frame. If you don’t respond within
that time frame (say, 20 days), they could establish liens and levies.
And, of course, you wouldn’t respond if the address they have for you is
old.
All of this means that it is very important for people to make sure
their bank has up-to-date home addresses and email addresses. This is
especially true for snowbirds. It also means that snowbirds will need to
check their email frequently while they’re out of Mexico.
Also, banks will require people to have an RFC (tax ID number) in
order to open a bank account. They have enabled the ability to get an
RFC number online, but people first need a CURP number which has to be
processed through immigration (INM). (Editor’s note: If you already have Residente Temporal or Residente Permanente, you have been issued a CURP number.)
With offices closing for several weeks for the holidays, people may
have problems in getting CURPs in January and may have to wait until
February to open the account.
Anything new for businesses?
Yes, the current process for small business reporting (REPECO) will be
eliminated. Currently, small businesses report their gross earnings
every two months. For January, that will still be the case in order to
report earnings for the November – December months. After that, there
will be more paperwork. The process will come through the regular tax
system. This means that earnings will need to be reported, and so will
deductions, and facturas (invoices) – just like big businesses do today.
As before, the tax rates continue to fall between 2% and 35%. Note
that there will be more paperwork, requiring a greater mastery of
Spanish. My office will help people by getting them set up and familiar
with the new system.
Another change is the elimination of the business IETU tax (single-rate flat tax started in 2007).
Non-profits will start being required to be authorized by the SAT to receive donations,
which would allow them to continue preferential tax treatment.
That’s obviously going to be critical for them. They should probably
start that process immediately, and try to get their major contributors
to donate before January 1st.
New Electronic Factura Requirements:
The most controversial of the new business regulations is probably the requirement for electronic facturas and the elimination of paper facturas .
The new rules also require giving all employees online facturas (CFDI)
rather than paper facturas when they get paid, in order to be able to
deduct their wages. That system may not be ready by January 1st, by
either the SAT or the businesses, so that’s going to create a lot of
problems.
What about tax changes for investors and real estate owners?
Mexico has caught up to many other countries and will tax capital gains
on the sale of stock at a rate of 10% as well as tax dividends at the
same rate of 10%.
For real estate sales there will be a maximum capital gains tax
exemption pegged using the UDI index (investment units) with a new limit
of 700,000 which equates to about 3,500,000 pesos so any gains over
that amount from a sale will be taxed, the prior limit was 1,500,000
UDIs with that exemption waived if someone could prove they lived in the
home for the preceding 5 year period.
The Tourism Secretariat (Sectur) issued a press released on Sunday where it reported on its activities over the past year — the first of the Enrique Peña Nieto administration — as well as the challenges that remain for 2014.
According to the press release, Mexico’s tourism sector repositioned itself in 2013 to become an authentic motor of social and economic development.
The tourism figures released by Sectur so far this year have been positive, with the number of international tourists on the rise and hotel occupancy rates up.
Mexico is also raising its profile internationally, the press release added, with the country’s designation as the host of the 2014 World Tourism Day and as partner country for the 2014 International Tourism Fair in Berlin (ITB). Mexico was also named as one of the 10 countries that international tourists should visit in 2014 by the prestigious travel publication Lonely Planet.
Nevertheless, challenges remain. Francisco Madrid, director of the Anáhuac University School of Tourism, cited a study conducted by the Anáhuac Center for Tourism Research which indicated that the tax reform approved earlier this year — which raised the Value Added Tax (VAT) in Mexico’s border states by 5 percentage points, bringing it in line with the rest of the country — could negatively affect the private sector, including the tourism industry.
Madrid added that Tropical Storm Manuel and Hurricane Ingrid, which hit both costs of Mexico in September, also had a negative effect on the tourism industry, especially in Acapulco.
As a traveler, your main concern will be getting the most favorable rate possible. A commonly asked question is: should I convert now, or will my money be worth more when I go abroad? Unless your trip is months away, the answer is that it probably will not make much of a difference. The major currencies tend to move +/- 1% in a given day, which is a relatively minor move unless you are changing thousands at a time.
While still at home, you can exchange currency at your local bank. Experts suggest only changing enough to cover travel and transportation costs until you are settled at your destination, as the costs of exchanging money at home can be prohibitive. Other services you can use at home include online money exchange services, which will take American funds and send the converted money to your home. The obvious risk with services like these is fraud and the safety of your funds while they are in transit.
Changing Money at Hotels and Airports
While hotel and airport exchange may seem convenient, beware of high transaction charges. Generally experts advise avoiding exchanging money at a hotel unless you have no other choice. You can use the currency converter or calculator on our site to determine approximately what you are being charged in transaction costs, so you can more clearly identify how much the markup is.
Exchanging Money via Credit Cards
Generally credit cards offer the most favorable exchange rates for changing money, since credit card companies have access to better rates than individuals. Be careful when using the credit card if your home currency is falling-since the transactions are not converted instantly, there is a possibility that you will end up with a less favorable conversion rate a few days later.
Another alternative to cash is to bring travelers checks with you. Even though these are fading in popularity, they still offer some excellent benefits-namely, that travelers checks can be replaced if they are lost or stolen, and can be used freely at exchanges to get the currency of the country you are in.
Changing Money at Local Banks
The rates given at local banks are usually decent, although keep in mind that one of two things can happen. If the exchange rate given is determined purely by supply and demand, then you will end up with a price that is close to what is being quoted in the foreign exchange market globally (“market price”). The other alternative is that the government of the country you are in sets the currency exchange rate, which must be offered by anyone who is changing money. Regardless, local banks are often a convenient and relatively low-cost option for changing money.
Changing Money at ATMs
If you would rather not carry large sums of cash, ATMs are a convenient way to obtain local currency at a reasonable exchange rate. Keep in mind that your withdrawal may be subject to a fee, so check with your bank before leaving home. The other point to note is that your bank may freeze your card if out-of-the-ordinary transactions (such as withdrawals in 4 different countries over the course of a week) appear, so keep a copy of your bank’s contact information on hand.
In the capital's legendary Chapultepec Park, more than 3,000 amateur models joined forces with budding local designers keen to draw global attention to their work with a world record, according to Reuters. (Photo : Flickr)
Mexican designers and fashionsitas alike want to break runway records by holding the prestigious title of the Guinness World record for the largest fashion show.
In the capital's legendary Chapultepec Park, more than 3,000 amateur models joined forces with budding local designers keen to draw global attention to their work with a world record, according to Reuters.
"The first objective is to promote Mexican creativity," Event Organizer Marie Rose Victoria told Reuters. "What we want is for the world to turn their eyes to Mexico and see all that can be done here."
According to the National Chamber of the Apparel Industry in Mexico, "some 20,000 businesses that make up the textile and fashion industry have had a rough time in recent years, due to cheaper goods being imported."
Reuters spoke to participant Fabiola Hernandez, who says she hopes diversity on the collections on runway shows the world that there is a lot of local talent to tap into.
"The show shows reflects the essence people, there are some punk, something a little more preppy, but it's all mixed in with the personality of the people," Hernandez added.
"Mexico designer says they beat out the Philippines for the Guinness World record, which featured over 2,000 models, but Reuters pointed out that "Guinness has yet to certify the final count."
Some of Guinness World Records' fashion-related winners listed on its official website includes:
The Largest Fashion Show Audience:
"The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show held at Cannes on 18 May 2000, was watched by more than two million people around the world who logged onto VictoriasSecret.com. Featuring models Tyra Banks, Karen Mulder and Stephanie Seymour, it was hosted by Elizabeth Taylor and Elton John and raised over $2 million for the America Foundation for AIDS Research."
Oldest Professional Fashion Model:
"Professional model Daphne Selfe (UK) of Baldock, Hertfordshire, UK, celebrated her 82nd birthday in July 2010. Her modelling career spans more than 60 years and includes appearances for the likes of Dolce & Gabbana, Gap, Nivea, Olay, Tata-Naka and Michiko Koshino. As well as featuring in Vogue and Marie Claire, Mrs Selfe has been photographed by some of the most renowned fashion photographers, including Mario Testino, Nick Knight, and David Bailey."
Largest Fashion Franchise:
Benetton Group sells to customers in more than 120 countries through its 6,000 franchised stores and company-owned megastores. The company sells approximately 150 million garments every year.
● The manual is designed to provide more information on Mexico’s international commitments regarding the right of foreign citizens to contact their consulates.
The Mexican Foreign Ministry and other government agencies presented a Manual on Consular Notification and Access to provide more information to Mexican institutions, civil society organizations and citizens of other countries on Mexico’s international commitments concerning the rights of foreign citizens to communicate with and have access to their consular officials.
The manual consists of several sections which serve as a guide for officials in complying with the obligations of the Mexican government in various areas such as arrests of foreigners, custody proceedings for minors, deaths, accidents of ships and aircraft, as well as consular access and notification in cases where it is required.
At the presentation ceremony, the head of the Foreign Ministry’s Legal Department, Max Diener, said the manual is invaluable for helping the authorities responsible for complying with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations concerning consular access.
The Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights, Ambassador Juan Manuel Gómez Robledo, said the manual is the result of a major effort by the Mexican government to strengthen the rights of foreign citizens who are arrested or are in custody, which will be effective in contributing to respect for their human rights.
The presentation was attended by officials from the agencies involved in protecting the rights of foreigners, including officials from the Ministries of Interior, Defense and Navy, and the Attorney General's Office. The ceremony was also attended by members of the consular and diplomatic corps accredited in Mexico.
by
Realty Times Staff
on Friday, 15 November 2013 5:06 pm
Kim and Kanye are house shopping again. Well, actually, they're
land shopping. The duo was spotted this week touring a 10+-acre lot in
Bel Air. In the middle of renovations on the multi-million-dollar L.A.
estate they have yet to move into. Out of space already, are we?
Ahhhhh... the problems of the rich and infamous.
Even if you're not quite so rich and have yet to become infamous, you
can live like a star. Namely, you can live like Kim and Kanye--on a
real person's budget.
1. Make the most of what you've got
Kim and Kanye don't have to settle for anything. But when you get
done wondering what that must be like, consider this: not wanting for
anything might actually leave you... wanting.
Not buying it? Well how about this: There is pride and joy and a
sense of accomplishment involved in home improvement. And these days,
it's easier than ever to take advantage of the resources out there to
transform your existing home into something TMZ worthy.
Give yourself a celeb kitchen by replacing your countertops with
solid surface. Yes, this is a big purchase, but it's also got big
impact. You can shave off more than a few dollars from the typical
granite cost by looking online in your city for "Build Direct,"
"Builders Warehouse," and "Contractor Specials." Some granite yards may
also have remnants you can pick up for pennies on the dollar. The
kitchen backsplash is another place where a small amount of money can
make a huge difference. Check out this white marble backsplash tile from
Wholesalers USA that
costs $15.97 a sheet and is easy enough to do as a weekend project. For
a couple hundred dollars and a bit of sweat equity, you could have a
kitchen you won't want to leave.
Yes, you could choose to buy or build a massive mansion like Kim and
Kanye are apt to do and add a big gate and a big moat and a bunch of
uniformed guards right now, but then what would you have to aspire to?
Maybe you just want to start just a little more modest. But that doesn't
mean you can't still have a private space that feels like a million
bucks.
Buying new? Make sure you ask to see the site plan to determine where
your exact home will be built. You don't want to find out later that
there's an elementary school being built across the street when what
you're looking for is solitude.
Buying in an established neighborhood? Spend time there at different
times of the day, night and week. This will help you get a better feel
for what the neighborhood is really like and how much noise and traffic
there is. 3. Relocate
How about if you're buying land and building custom? This offers the
greatest potential to create precisely what you want. You choose your
exact location, your setback from the road, the direction you want to
face. It can also be the priciest option depending on where you live. If
you want an acre in the small Midwest town you grew up in, that might
be doable without much fuss. If a piece of beachfront property in Malibu
is what you're after, well, you might as well be Kim and Kanye.
Our general perception of buying land and building a custom home
might well be a 10-acre mountaintop property that costs $1 million for
each of those acres. But it's true that in many parts of the country,
building a custom home can be comparable to buying in a more
established, upscale neighborhood, depending on location. If you don't
already live in one of those parts of the country, you could always move
to a place like, Texas, where the land (and the jobs) are plentiful,
cost of living is low, and the real estate market is leading the nation.
Everybody's doing it, says TIME in their recent cover.
Many of today's master-planned builders selling homesites for custom
homes also allow you to choose any builder and build on your timeline.
So if a property and a custom home are in your future, you could always
buy the land now and build your dream home later.
4. Make smart buying decisions
If you are thinking of moving to a new city or state, carefully
consider your options. Examine and cross-reference lists like Money
magazine's Best Places to Live, Best Places to Retire, and Best Places to Raise a Family against their list of Best Places Where Homes are Affordable.
The unique thing about this list is that it also considers tax rates,
lifestyle, and other factors that identify where incomes can go the
farthest, so people don't end up with a home and no livelihood to
support living in it.
5. Be a copycat
Have you fallen in love with a designer or celebrity space? Such as,
Kim Kardashian's former living room, perhaps? It's not as hard as you
think to reproduce the look affordably.
Kardashian's couches are most likely custom and probably cost more
than your car. But you can get the same sleep look with a pair of
discount couches with clean lines like these from TRIBECA HOME. Bring in a rectangular wooden coffee table like this $205 option from Wayfair, a large, cozy rug like this 9x12 shag from Amazon, and a round mirror, like this $25 one from Overstock, and voila: Kardashian luxe on the cheap.
Then, add a few accessories to bring in color or personal style.
Throw pillow will provide an extra layer of interest and also help you
add texture and color. Kim and Kanye may go for something like this $400
animal print pillow. You can counter with this leopard print pillow for less than 10 percent of the cost.
Whether you are looking for a new home, looking to buy land, or just
want to inject some new life into your existing space, a celeb look
could be in your future. With a few tips and tricks, you'll soon have an
abode that impresses -- without the Kim and Kanye paparazzi invasion.
Kim Kardashian’s former living room is ripe for copying - at a fraction of the cost.
