TalkBaja.com » Baja Mexico Forums » Moving to Baja Full/Part Time

I'm spending lots of online time researching the details we'll need for living in Mexico-
US and Mexican auto insurance policy suggestions and requirements, South Dakota for "residency", car registration and driver's licenses, money transfers and banks etc. I've been collecting info over the years but the more i learn, the more questions i have.

Any online forums or other resources where I can find this info on one site or can ask questions?

Mexico Connect forum used to be a great source of info but it doesn't seem to have as much traffic nowadays and the info isn't very current. A couple of the RV forums have good info about becoming a "virtual" South Dakota resident (no state income tax on our retirement income and cheap auto registration), but the folk there don't relate to someone who will be living outside of the country.

I think that many of the Talk Baja contributers will maintain ties with California, which won't be our case so I won't burden you with my questions here.

See if you can't find some information here:

South Dakota Residency



I am still a member at MexConnect Forum and do find a lot of good information there...

Thanks BajaGringo, this is one of 2 the mail services we're considering. RV'ers give them a good review.

I think we've got the info about the switch to South Dakota, but the timing of our change of address is important. We can't switch to SD residency too early because my husband needs his CA DL for work, but the sooner we have a SD mailing address and severe all ties with CA( driver's licenses, real estate etc), the less CA state income tax we'll have to pay for this year and less state capital gains tax we'll have to pay on investment property we sold. Especially important when it comes time to quit my job and roll over my 401k into an IRA since taxes will be due. If we're already "residents" of a state that does not have state income taxes when I make the roll over, I can avoid paying CA state taxes on entire sum of my 401k - new info we learned a couple of days ago at a meeting with our tax man.

The RV forums do touch upon alot of the topics we'll be experiencing since full-timers don't have a physical home in the US like we won't. Vagabonds and Baja boonies- dwellers have a lot in common.

I've seen a couple of books about retiring to Mexico but they are 3-6 years old.

I've found when I read other people's "move to Mexico" stories I learn stuff that I wouldn't have even known to ask about too. Mexico Connect used to be alot more active and even tho it's Mainland-focused, retirement living topics were very informative.

I agree - there is not one single site out there has it all for everybody. I am a member in many different forums and extract great stuff out of each and every one. You just have to be able to weed through it at times and some of the "interesting characters" that get in the way at times.

I will try to keep this updated as best I can with the info I find out there. Let me think how we can best manage this kind of info on here and I will create the sub-forums for it. I am always open to ideas and suggestions.

Keep us updated as you find more info on this as well...

BG

How about just continuing this thread and everyone can jump in with, say, their 5 favorite forums. (I keep thinking that should be fora, but what the hell). No matter the topic. I have a couple on RV;s,abt. 5 Mexico related, a couple on diabetes. Get the idea?

My view could be a bit skewed on account of the meds required to get me through another winter in the Great White North.

If you do a google search you will find many forums, as was mentioned there is good and bad with them and you should use what you need from each one. But all are enjoyable in there own ways.