Planning to move to Rio

[chithanh119]

I will be retiring in several months and am planning to retire to Brazil sometime after the first of next year. A long-time lover (and collector) of Brazilian music, I have made several visits to the country in recent years to investigate the possibilities and after narrowing down my destinations of choice to Salvador in Bahia and Rio have decided on the latter. (As a resident of New York City for 40 years I just felt Rio had a lot of the same energy.)

With this deadline in mind, I have begun to study Portuguese seriously, put my co-op on the market and alerted my financial advisor of the need to convert my portfolio to an income producing structure. I should have a more than comfortable income, based on my own perceptions of the cost of living there. In addition, I am taking a course to get certification as an ESL teacher of Business English to give me a marketable skill should I find myself unready for full-time retirement.

However, I also realize that as a practical matter there are lots of things to de done, many of which I have probably not even considered yet. So I'm posting this in hopes of soliciting some helpful advice (both encouraging and cautionary) from those who have already successfully negotiated the obstacles and established themselves in paradise. In return, I can only promise to try to be as helpful to other prospective immigrants once I too have joined the ranks of US expats in Rio.

I can be contacted by email and would in fact prefer that to a message board thread. It would be a great comfort to me to be able to discuss this with someone knowledgable as to all the details (and pitfalls) involved in so major an undertaking. It goes without saying that I will be extremely grateful for any assistance offered.

Thanks

[Gerard]

You have picked the right country if you are interested in collecting music !


I am a native New Yorker as well ..Yet really did not want to live in a city out here in Brazil.. At the same time my wife and I did not want to bring my daughter up in a small town..

As a native New Yorker you will have to adapt to a culture where things don't always get done in an organized way or even get done at all.. I am opening a small buisness here and although I have good credit and never wrote a bad check it took me a month to open a buisness account..

Even after 9 years in Brazil I can tell you your patience can run thin! So my advice would be to move slowly and don't expect to cross things off your "things to do" list in the same way you do at home..

I guess attitude is everything..

Its great that you are studying Portuguese but you will find lots of dialect here and actualy understanding all that is going on will take some time and patience as well..

Talking to your Portuguese teacher as opposed to the guy who can't understand what peanut butter is at the supermarket!


Brazil is relatively cheaper than many other places but with the rise and fall of the dollar that can change very quickly (40 percent for example in the last few months) for the better for us but you never know here..

The cost of living is relative to how you want to live.. If you want to maintain a life style at the same level as you do at home.. You may find it doesn't cost all that much less.. Especialy if you have a family..

A car is a big expense and driving here is not a lot of fun.. So I would not recommend buying a car right away..


Don't know if you have friends here but this would be something you should really take seriously..

I was given the same advice eand didn't take it seriously.. Was probably one of the biggest mistakes I made..

You mentioned "need to convert my portfolio to an income producing structure"

Most people in Brazil just assume that if you are a foreigner that you have lots of money..

Its nice to pay for others when you are out with new friends or even help people yet you may soon find your new friends are only your new friends because you are paying all the time...

That can get old especialy when you find yourself going over budget.

My advice would be to never let anyone know you control how much you want to spend monthly for example..

If you feel like you want to give someone some idea of what your financial situation is like just say you retired from your company and you get this amount monthly..

As people get closer to you it can become difficult to say no when you really want to.. Best answer her in Brazil is to say you will try..

Thats what they do!

You won't miss the New York weather and all the clothes!

Good Luck !

Gerard

[Mark]

Hi Gerard,

Great post! Your tips and advice are valid not only for Rio de Janeiro but for every country in South America.

[heart08]

You'll enjoy Rio! The beaches and the sights so I really envy you

[Annisti]

Hello everyone i planing go to Brazil. its a wonderful place. Its so costly but i manage it.

[emblem]

Originally Posted by chithanh119

I will be retiring in several months and am planning to retire to Brazil sometime after the first of next year. A long-time lover (and collector) of Brazilian music, I have made several visits to the country in recent years to investigate the possibilities and after narrowing down my destinations of choice to Salvador in Bahia and Rio have decided on the latter. (As a resident of New York City for 40 years I just felt Rio had a lot of the same energy.)

With this deadline in mind, I have begun to study Portuguese seriously, put my co-op on the market and alerted my financial advisor of the need to convert my portfolio to an income producing structure. I should have a more than comfortable income, based on my own perceptions of the cost of living there. In addition, I am taking a course to get certification as an ESL teacher of Business English to give me a marketable skill should I find myself unready for full-time retirement.

However, I also realize that as a practical matter there are lots of things to de done, many of which I have probably not even considered yet. So I'm posting this in hopes of soliciting some helpful advice (both encouraging and cautionary) from those who have already successfully negotiated the obstacles and established themselves in paradise. In return, I can only promise to try to be as helpful to other prospective immigrants once I too have joined the ranks of US expats in Rio.

I can be contacted by email and would in fact prefer that to a message board thread. It would be a great comfort to me to be able to discuss this with someone knowledgable as to all the details (and pitfalls) involved in so major an undertaking. It goes without saying that I will be extremely grateful for any assistance offered.

Thanks

Glad to read your informative information about the brazil to moving and there culture and about the business you mention in your post awesome information if some body want to move to brazil there culture are very nice people of brazil are very hard worker make there life in better way.

[mandywilliams]

Planning a move is always most important aspect of any move. If you are looking for a long distance move in Del rio, you need to consider certain points to plan your move.