The term “common sense” can be defined as: The ability to make sensible decisions. It seems that many people thinking of retiring in Costa Rica use anything but their common sense when gathering information about living here. The problem is that the Internet has thousands on pages on the subject and the task of separating fact from fiction and the wheat from the chaff is daunting. Sometimes you just don’t know who or what to believe.

Let me give you some clues and advice. If you were going to have major surgery you would want a top-notch surgeon with many years of experience. Nobody in their right mind would go to a doctor with only a couple of years under his belt. That could mean the difference between life and death and success and failure.

You would never take advice from someone who makes films or videos of operations because they really aren’t qualified in the medical field. Nor would you take advice about your operation from someone who worked as a financial advisor to doctors or hospitals. Your wouldn’t have much faith in a computer operator or engineer who worked at a hospital either. None of these people are surgeons with years of experience and expertise under their belts.

The same thing is true of so-called retirement experts or websites with information about living here. People from different walks of life come to Costa Rica for a variety. A lot of people put up blogs, build websites, make videos and participate in news groups because they have a lot of time on their hands. It is great that they share their common experiences. However, unless they have lived here for many years, understand the culture and people and most of all speak the language fluently, a lot of the advice the dole out is basically worthless for those thinking of moving here.

Like the example of the operation I give above, when there are major decisions that affect you life and future, you need to be in the best possible hands. The services I offer are professional, based on thirty years of living in the country, thousands of hours of research, fourteen books on related subject, degrees in Latin American Studies and Spanish and whole lot of other intangibles that qualify me for helping people move here painlessly and successfully.
It’s your call.