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Episode-846- Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre Returns to TSP — 23 Comments

  1. @Jack, Fernando,

    Very enjoyable show. I’ve been watching some of Fernando’s Youtube videos which are also informative and fun to listen to.

    I look forward to Fernando’s next visit to TSP.

  2. Jack,

    Thanks for reading out some of my questions and the shameless hometown plug.

    Daithi is Gaelic for Dave/David, prenounced “Daw-He”.

    Great show, thanks again.

  3. Great show. I really like hearing from someone that has lived through the kind of thing that it seems like we’re headed towards.

    Is there any chance of getting someone on from Greece that you could do a similar interview with? I think an average person living in Greece right now could give us some great insights.

  4. Great show guys! Thank you so much for your insight and willingness to share the reality of life in a collapsing economy. I got that feeling in the pit of my stomach when Fernando mentioned having that feeling of disbelief (kind of a “oh crap” moment) when things started to break apart. I feel like we’re seeing the beginnings of that here in the US now, along with the dishonesty about the true numbers (inflation, unemployment, etc…) but thanks to the lame-stream media and our own states of denial, we’re ignoring the truth.

  5. Can always count on him to be down to earth. I asked the question about barter. I its interesting to hear it didn’t devolve to the point where people were bartering just for the basics. Instead of barter, his idea was to start a business.

    • Hi Aaron, during the first years after the crisis there was a good amount fo barter. Especially during the first year. You can find lots of youtube videos about it searching “Argenentina barter “or “argentina trueque”. The thing is, it was a last resort measure taken by people that had no other means, trading good and services, usually at a rate and for items that didnt beenfi either party much.
      People bartered whatever they had, a few lettuce plants for some home made shoes… or an hour of therapy. It really wasnt something anyone was happy with, just means if surviving. Thats what I told Jack, think in terms of starting a business, not change a for b.
      Fernando

  6. Excellent show. I am interested in the offshore banking part and learning more of how I can get a secure bank account that isn’t subject to the US since they can drain everyone’s bank account at the touch of a button. Very scary with PATRIOT act laws that give US govt too much power they can use them for anything besides what It was intended for.

  7. Thanks Jack and FerFal.

    I’ve been reading a lot of ex-pat blogs that talk about escaping the USA for places like Chile and Panama. I admit to daydreaming about moving to Central America, cashing in my measly 401k, buying a hut on the beach and eating fresh seafood for $2 a week.

    I’m glad ferfal showed the reality about how it is in 3rd world countries and that the USA is still the best places to escape to.

  8. Thanks for everything you do Fernando. God bless you and your family and best of luck in your new lives.

  9. I enjoyed this show a lot! The majority of my family has come from the Ireland/England (a generation removed) and I still feel a strong pull to all things celtic so part of me is envious of such a move.

    Best of luck to you in your new home Ferfal!!!!

  10. Very enlighting, I wish we could have an interview with someone who escaped from a Soviet Bloc country. Although it would not be relevant in todays political climate, I think we could learn a lot about the challenges people face in places like that. What motivates one to risk their entire way of life just to live free. Most Americans do not understand the freedoms we have in this county and everday we risk the loss of more due to ignorance or indifferrnce.

  11. Great show! I just wanted to make a comment about living in Alaska. Last summer we moved to Alaska from Northern California. Because Alaska is a pretty big state, I need to specify that we moved to the Kenai Peninsula – quite different than Juneau and really really different from Barrow or Nome (weather-wise). The Alaskans here have been very welcoming … especially considering that we are from California! So many people here believe in subsistence and many know how to fish, hunt and some are into gardening. The many Alaskans I have talked with are very friendly, welcoming and a wealth of information.

  12. I’m interested in offshore banking too. I looked into it a few years ago. My idea was to have an emergency fund parked on another continent in a different major currency. If things go sour at home, my family is on the next plane. Play tourist somewhere safe and scenic while we sort out the next moves.

    But I discovered a horrible flaw in my plan: As an American, no foreign banks will let me have an account! None at all. Unless I’m living over there already and can prove it. Uncle Sam has been meddling in other countries’ affairs again, trying to force unwelcome changes in banking rules – even in Switzerland. Pisses them off so much they just say, hell with it, no more American customers. We’re not worth the hassle.

    The goal officially is to stop laundering of drug money and to keep the Evil Rich from avoiding taxes. Unofficially… I think they’re just trying to keep Americans locked into the US banking system. And it’s working.

    Jack, do you know any potential guests who can tell us more about offshore banking from an American’s perspective?

    Fernando: Great to hear you on the show again! Hope the new home works out for you and your family.

    • Right you are. Although if you are a DUAL citizen with another country, you can make a phone call, say you are a citizen of country x and that you want to set up a bank account. I think this is a possibility (at least, this is what Neil Strauss did in Switzerland after establishing citizenship in St. Kitts :-).

      But even if you somehow get the account set up, it’s still tax evasion not to declare it to the IRS here, so essentially, you’re back where you started, leaving you with 2 pretty hardcore options for offshore banking:

      1) Commit tax evasion by establishing an offshore account that the IRS has no knowledge of, or
      2) Do it legally by completely renouncing your U.S. citizenship (baby out with the bathwater dilemma).

  13. And, I might add, Uncle Sam also makes noises about cutting off funds to terrorists as justification for international bank meddling. Terrorism: The last excuse of a power-hungry politician.

  14. Charlie, I agree. Also, US Citizens who happen to have a foreign account (not limited to bank accounts) must fill out onerous reports with the IRS on penalty of draconian fines and prison due to new rules. Also, all that talk about securing the border with Mexico? Well, instead, they are fortifying the Canadian border instead! They are using drones, sensors, roadblocks, beefing up patrols and agents, even cutting off recreation trails and sealing off buildings and towns, Berlin Wall style.

    Fernando,
    How do you like your Glock 31? I plan to buy a Glock 32 as soon as the Gen 4 frame is available to my dealer. The smaller grip makes a huge difference. Would the Glock 32 fall within your recommendation of any gun as long as it is a Glock 17 or 19 since the G32 has the same frame as the G19 but with a .357 Sig chambering? I will also buy a 9mm conversion barrel (Lone Wolf) so that my wife and I can shoot with less recoil and expense. I have an old G17, so I will see how the Glock factory 9mm barrel works instead of an aftermarket conversion barrel first. I might need to change the extractor as well. (For those who are wondering- .40/.357 Glocks can be converted to 9mm with a barrel change, but 9mms cannot be converted to .40/.357, unless the whole slide and barrel are also changed, which is approaching the cost of the entire gun. Well, at least that’s what I read on the internet and watched on YouTube!) I don’t know how the reliability will be affected and how the purpose built Lone Wolf will compare to the factory Glock 9mm barrel due to the dimensions being off. If this works, I will recommend the same system for my sister.

    Thanks! Great show! I hope that you are on TSP again soon! I will raise a glass of Mendoza Malbec to you!

  15. When I lived in Switzerland as a kid, nearly everyone spoke English and spoke it quite well. The Swiss are very big on foreign languages.

  16. Jack! I know everybody has there favorite thing for you to have on the show, mine is Fernando. I read his blog and subscribe to his Youtube channel. When he is on your show you seem to get something out of him that I did not here before. Hope he come back soon. Great Guy and what a resource!

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