The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

1. 1
   Number 1: The Expat Files - #1524 FRI, SEPT 04 (09-04-26)

   Johnny announces his week-long Latin American Insider seminar in Guatemala and El Salvador (November 13–20, 2026).Go toExpatplanb.com for signup details: NOTE the early-bird discount deadline for the seminar has been moved up to September 20. Earlybird signups get $1,000 off the regular price (plus another $1,000 for repeat attendees). Early Spanish learners usually master nouns first but struggle with verbs, making real sentences difficult. The advice is not to fear “murdering” the language—Latinos are generally very tolerant of foreigners’ clumsy attempts. Many expats hit a language plateau where their Spanish works well with a Latino partner (who adapts to their particular errors) but is still hard for outsiders to fully understand. A 2025 Latino Barómetro poll showed very high percentages of people in several Latin American countries view immigration to their own countries as dangerous and harmful (Peru 80.4%, Ecuador 80.2%, Panama 76.7%, Colombia 76.3%). Argentina was the most accepting of immigrants at only 27% of people polled having negative feelings toward immigrants. The strong general negative views are largely driven by the huge Venezuelan migrant wave that began around 2017. A 12 year Yale study of thousands of adults over 50 yrs found that reading books for 30+ minutes a day was linked to living about two years longer than non book readers (the benefit did not apply to reading newspapers, magazines, or online articles). According to trans-national corporation Siemens, the Latin American countries with the worst power grids (25–35% transmission losses, frequent outages and brownouts) are Venezuela, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Brazil. Chile has the strongest grid, largely due to its foreign maintained and financed mining industry. Nicaraguan president/dictator Daniel Ortega recently stated there will be no more elections and that he and his wife will continue to rule. The top IMF world debtors include Argentina (#1 at ~$42.5 billion), Ukraine, Pakistan, and surprisingly Ecuador (#4), a popular retirement destination for expats. Be sure to pick up my newly updated, "2026 - LATIN AMERICAN HEALTHCARE REPORT": The new edition for 2026 (and beyond) is available now, including the latest "Stem Cell Clinic" info and data and my top picks for the best treatment centers for expats and gringos. Just go to www.ExpatPlanB.com

   September 04, 2026·28min
   Play
2. 2
   Number 2: EXPAT FILES SHOW #1523 FRI, AUG 28 (08-28-26):

   Johnny announces his next one-week Latin American Insider seminar in Guatemala and El Salvador (November 14–20, 2026). Go to Expatplanb.com for signup details: The difference betweenkilowatts (power rate) and kilowatt-hours (energy used or stored), a common source of confusion for people considering solar systems. A Panama listener mixed up the terms (calling a 5 kW inverter “5 kWh” and a 40 kWh battery “40 kW”); the real issue was an underpowered inverter that couldn’t handle three mini-split ACs at night. Advice for solar shoppers: Ask the salesperson to explain the difference between kilowatts and kilowatt-hours — if they can’t, walk away. A modern 1-ton AC unit typically draws about 800–1,000 watts; look for a SEER rating of 20+ for much better efficiency than older units. Brazilian president Lula’s Bolsa Família program is mentioned critically for tying cash payments to children’s vaccinations. A Mexican national living in the U.S. was arrested in Colombia for defrauding U.S. COVID relief programs of more than $1 million. A new retirement-cost study shows a middle-class American needs roughlya $738,000 nestegg to retire comfortably in the U.S.; most Latin American countries require less than half that amount (Costa Rica and Uruguay are the most expensive in the region). Practical warnings about renting in Latin America: verbal promises from landlords often don’t match the written Spanish contract, tenants are usually responsible for appliance repairs, and full security deposits are rarely returned. Strong recommendation to use WhatsApp for all landlord communications (for a permanent record) and to run any Spanish rental or purchase contract through Grok or ChatGPT before signing. The first unmistakable sign you’re getting old issomewhat gross and not much discussed … Be sure to pick up my newly updated, "2026 - LATIN AMERICAN HEALTHCARE REPORT": The new edition for 2026 (and beyond) is available now, including the latest "Stem Cell Clinic" info and data and my top picks for the best treatment centers for expats and gringos. Just go to www.ExpatPlanB.com

   August 28, 2026·28min
   Play
3. 3
   Number 3: EXPAT FILES SHOW #1521 FRI, AUG 21 (08-21-26):

   Johnny’supcoming week-long “Latin American Insider Seminar” will be in Guatemala and El Salvador (November 13–20, 2026). For details go to Expatplanb.com or click on: https://www.expatplanb.com/expat-insider-seminar-nov-2026/ Only a handful of Latin American countries (Chile, Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, Costa Rica) actively enforce mandatory yearly vehicle technical inspections; most others have the laws but rarely enforce them. Annual vehicle registration stickers (“marbetes”) are required everywhere and are usually obtained at banks after paying taxes and any outstanding tickets. Many expats avoid sticking the ugly yearly marbete on the windshield and simply keep it in the glove compartment; police rarely care as long as you can show proof of payment. Traffic tickets in Latin America are cheap compared with the U.S.; fighting them is possible but often wastes more time than the fine is worth. A listener email from Panama contrasts the high cost and entitlement culture of U.S. dating/weddings with the much lower cost and more appreciative attitude of a Latina spouse in Panama. One of the biggest attractions of living in Latin America (especially off the tourist trail) is a slower, less stressful, more manageable lifestyle. Johnny criticizes expats who constantly complain and try to force Latin culture to match their home-country expectations instead of adapting. Listeners praise Grok AI for giving more direct, less politically correct answers than ChatGPT. A warning about recent data breaches involving Ledger and Trezor hardware-wallet customer mailing lists, leading to phishing emails and fake official-looking letters. Be sure to pick up my newly updated, "2026 - LATIN AMERICAN HEALTHCARE REPORT": The new edition for 2026 (and beyond) is available now, including the latest "Stem Cell Clinic" info and data and my top picks for the best treatment centers for expats and gringos. Just go to www.ExpatPlanB.com

   August 21, 2026·28min
   Play
4. 4
   Number 4: The Expat Files: #1512, FRI, JUNE 19 (06-19-26):

   #1- What do Expat Files listeners have in common? #2- When legal Latinos living in the USA throw in the towel, get out of dodge, and move back to their home country: #3- Latin American “sweatshop” realities; #4- Lotteries in Latin America: Who wins? #5- DYK that Ecuador is on its 7th round of curfew lockdowns, all of that in just the last two and half years? Meanwhile, Ecuador is forever touted by so-called USA retirement experts as a top choice for retiring expats… how do you square that? #6- Why does every scumbag Latin American politician say he loves El Salvador’s Bukele and his measures yet none of these other shit-bag politicians has yet to implement any Bukele’s ideas: #7- The rapidly accelerating sad fate of Latin America’s 2.5 million call center workers: #8- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he’s been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at: [email protected] #9- Be sure to pick up my newly updated, "LATIN AMERICAN HEALTHCARE REPORT": The new edition for 2026 (and beyond) is available now, including the latest "Stem Cell Clinic" info and data and my top picks for the best treatment centers for expats and gringos. Just go to www.ExpatPlanB.com and click on the "Latin American Healthcare Report”.

   June 19, 2026·28min
   Play
5. 5
   Number 5: EXPAT FILES SHOW #1508, FRI, MAY 22 (05-22-26)

   #1- When Gringo Expats in Latin America get bored with their lives: #2- Tips concerning Electrical Appliances (you will thank me for later) when you finally go solar and get off the grid : #3- How to instantly confirm that you have been stupid about your Amazon purchases: #4- The two most dependable and available solar power inverter brand(s) I recommend for use in Latin America: #5- Ever wonder how often Amazon stuff gets damaged in shipping once it lands in Latin America? After all, your stuff has been on a hell of a long trip and tossed around by many sets of brutish handlers… #6- Some Aduana tips and hacks to avoid or reduce import taxes: #7- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he’s been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at: [email protected] #8- Be sure to pick up my newly updated, "LATIN AMERICAN HEALTHCARE REPORT": The new edition for 2026 (and beyond) is available now, including the latest "Stem Cell Clinic" info and data and my top picks for the best treatment centers for expats and gringos. Just go to www.ExpatPlanB.com and click on the "Latin American Healthcare Report”.

   May 22, 2026·28min
   Play