Sadly, many expats will try and pursue their dream of living in brazil only to be met with bureaucracy, misinformation, and stress. So overwhelming that they simply give up.

Most of this caused by when trying to find competent, reliable and affordable professional services.

The lucky ones might find an attorney who speaks perfect English and has a top-notch track record, or locate a CPA with expertise in expat taxation in Brazil and abroad, or perhaps even stumble upon an experienced portuguese teacher who knows how to make learning fun.

But for the rest, the reality is that without reliable help and guidance, you’ll be left feeling confused, abused and overwhelmed. 

You’ll struggle to tell a qualified professional from an unqualified one, or waste time trying to find out if they really understand your unique needs as an expat in Brazil. 

Worst of all, it can feel like no matter what you do, all your efforts will be in vain and you’ll never get the kind of quality professional services that'll make life easier for you - not harder.

If this is something you can relate to, let me assure you, it’s not your fault.

It could be that you’ve followed advice like “just hire whoever you can find, they are all the same”...

or

...“try to wing it and hope for the best”.

But without knowing Portuguese fluently, how can you know which professionals are qualified and reliable and which ones are under qualified and taking advantage of you? 

How could you possibly find out about every single regulation expats must follow in Brazil?

It’s no wonder then that these strategies often fall short of expectations.

But here’s the good news: with a little bit of help, you can still get to where you want to be.

So keep reading and let me show you how…

If Asking Non-Expats Actually Worked, Maybe You’d Find Competent and Reliable Professionals Too…

Ahh, to be so lucky.

Is that the answer?

Just relying on luck or asking someone who doesn't understand the unique needs of expats? 

How can you expect quality results when they don't know how difficult it is to settle into a new culture? 

Even the little things are hard, like finding a reliable cleaning service or navigating the bureaucracy of opening a bank account.

You’ve tried it before, seeking advice from locals who just didn’t get it.

You've tried asking for referrals only to be shocked by the blatant incompetency of the provider.

You’ve tried almost everything and yet nothing has seemed to work.

It’s no wonder typical local solutions didn’t help you connect with professionals that understand expat needs like you wanted. 

It’s no wonder that the lucky ones make it look so easy, while you struggle to find someone who can actually help.

Until now, that is.

But before we get to the nitty gritty… Let me tell you who I am why you should listen to me. 

My name is Paul Witherspoon. 

My story in Brazil began just over 7 years ago. 

I had a dream to create something bigger than myself and take advantage of the opportunities here, so I moved from my home country, the USA with high hopes. 

Little did I know the struggle that was ahead of me as a "gringo" trying to navigate his way through the complex bureaucracy and legal systems of Brazil.

I quickly found out that finding reliable information from professionals was an expensive endeavor - one which cost me more than USD$25,000 dollars on tax attorneys and consultants alone. Not to mention the countless hours of research and studying. 

Most providers gave poor service or didn't do what they said they would do, leaving me feeling frustrated and out-of-pocket. 

Not only that but much of the advice given was just plain wrong or misguided, costing me even more time and money.

To add to this list of hardships, I faced countless challenges when it came to investing in start ups, forming corporate entities and opening bank accounts - all while having to comply with Central Bank regulations too! 

Applying for an investor visa also proved difficult with a new set of mysteries to solve, as well as setting up a commercial currency intermediary bank account so large deposits could be transferred into Brazil for the lowest cost possible (and with forethought should I want to repatriate the money). 

Then there were stock trading accounts both in my name and business' name which required additional paperwork.  

And le’ts not forget the private loans made by me which weren't repaid leading down a path of litigation against the people and companies who had defaulted on their payments....the list goes on!

Throughout this entire process it has been crucial for me to have assembled a team around me who are competent in their fields yet still affordable enough so as not to break the bank..a delicate balance indeed.   

This investment though has been worth every penny spent due to them helping guide me successfully through each obstacle encountered along my journey here thus far.  

What began as a challenging, seemingly impossible task has now become achievable, thanks to these individuals who have served as my pillars of strength throughout this experience.

And now it want to make this a reality for you too…