Recently, an article was published in an on-line financial column about the advantages of living in Cuenca, Ecuador. It included a couple of charts with questionable data that rated the best places to retire in the world. It comes as no surprises that Cuenca was at the top of the list and rated as the world’s best retirement haven. However, this erroneous rating is based almost exclusively on “cost of living” and not the country’ quality of life. It sounds very enticing that a couple supposedly can live well on $1500 per month. What is not stated is that you are really getting what you pay for, a low cost and a low life.

Unfortunately some of the organizations touting Cuenca have deep pockets and can get a lot of media exposure. Beneath the surface these organizations and individuals promoting the places where they have real estate interests. They know that a certain number of people will find Cuenca attractive because of its affordability. Don’t be fooled by all of the hype! Once again, affordability is not synonymous with a quality lifestyle.

Traditional retirement meccas like Cost Rica offer a hard-to-beat lifestyle with most of the amenities of home. After all, it’s what a country has to offer and quality of life and not just the cost of living that ultimately influences people’s decision to relocate. It is best to stick with countries that have a long track record of dealing with with foreign retirees. Ultimately this will increase your chances of having a successful experience while living abroad.

Ask the following questions before you fall for all of the advertising and be sure to read between the lines to be sure you know the real agenda of those promoting any “too good to be true” country as a place to live.

(1) How long has the place been on the retirement map?
(2) Does the city have adequate medical facilities to deal with the health issues aging retirees will have to face?
(3) Are there expat organizations in the city exclusively dedicated to helping foreigners make the move there? Is there an established expat community or just a bunch of inexperienced newcomers?
(4) Are there supermarket which stock the products from home?
(5) Are there enough activities to stay busy and is there a network of other expats to give you support?
(7) How much experience have the locals had providing basic services for expats?
(8) What type of Internet services are available?
(9) What are your rights as a home owner?
(10) How easy I it to sell a home if things don’t work out and you have to return to the states?
(11) How difficult is it to travel to the capital of the country?
(12) Can you drink the water?
(13) How stable is the government and the economy?
(14) What role does the military play in politics?
(15) Does Venezuela’s deranged leader, Hugo Chavez, pose any threat to the country and is drug trafficking and the resultant violence a danger to foreign retirees? It is very important to take neighboring countries into consideration when deciding where to relocate.
(16) Traditionally, how safe are investments in the country?
(17) Do the people like foreign retirees?

On my monthly relocation and retirement tours I am asked repeatedly about what Baby Boomer retirees and others do to keep busy. Good news! There are hundreds of activities from which to choose to keep busy and happy in Costa Rica. I find myself writing a lot about this subject.

Costa Rica is a nature lover’s paradise. So, those who love the outdoors will never be bored. You have come to the right place. We have everything from bird watching to active sports like surfing. I have a whole chapter in my best selling guidebook (The New Golden Door to Retirement and Living in Costa Rica), about how to stay busy in Costa Rica.The book even talks about indoor activities such as bridge clubs, political clubs, computer clubs, volunteer teaching and a whole lot more.

The Internet is another way to stay busy. Most expats are connected to the web and take part in Cost Rica forums and newsgroups. Many start on-line diaries or blogs to share their experiences in Costa Rica with others. Some even start web-based businesses which they operate from Costa Rica. The Internet enables foreigners to stay in contact with their friends and relatives who live in other countries and makes the world a whole lot smaller.

There are also a significant number of Baby Boomers who build hobby websites. Some even put videos about their experiences in Costa Rica to help others who are thinking about making the move. This information is very useful but a lot of the people behind these hobby sites have only lived here a short time and only have a superficial understanding of the language and culture. So, take a lot of what they have to say with a grain of salt. When looking for accurate information about the country, look at time-tested sites put up by those who have lived in the country for many years and who truly understand the people, language, culture and long-term challenges faced by foreigners.

If you plan to live or retire in Costa Rica you have chosen a healthy country with excellent medical care. In previous articles I talked about the country’s “Blue Zones” where many centenarians reside. I also alluded to the fact that if you are a Costa Rican and reach eighty years of age you have the longest longevity rate in the world thereafter.

In today’s la Nación newspaper there was an article that said Costa Ricans also have the least chance of dying before 60 years of age than people who live in other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The study attributes this to the country’s excellent “cradle to grave” health care system and the absence of internal and external conflicts (wars). The study appeared in the publication The Lancet which is financed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The study covered 187 countries and Costa Rica was first in Latin America and 32 in the entire world. Chile was in second place in this report. This study came to the same conclusions as previous work by the World Bank.

So, if you are interested in living or retiring in a country with a great climate and healthy people, then Costa Rica is the obvious choice. Who know? If you adopt the healthy Costa Rican lifestyle you can probably “add years to your life.” I can guarantee you that you will add “life to your years” because of the fantastic lifestyle.

A couple of weeks ago I was sitting in the Fiesta Casino watching an NBA playoff game with a good friend of mine, Jim. He has been in Costa Rica for about ten years. He didn’t come here to retire but to work.  He was originally sent here by an American company to do specialized work at the Intel plant near the airport. During the time he was working for Intel Jim began to explore the country and experience the culture and lifestyle. It did not take him long to fall on love with the country as many Americans do. He not only fell in love with the country but with a Costa Rican woman also and ended up marrying her.

When his contract ended at Intel Jim had no intention of returning to the States. What he did was find another U.S. company that required his skills and experience, so he could continue to live here. That was about seven years ago and he has never looked back. Jim hasn’t made millions of dollars here but earns enough to support his wife and small daughter and still has enough left over to travel to the States once in a while and pursue his hobbies and interests.

He says that if had returned to the U.S., he would definitely be earning more money than he is making now. However, he feels his lifestyle is richer and more rewarding in Costa Rica and wouldn’t trade for “all of the tea in China.” Recently he told me, “Give me the rice and beans and pretty ladies of Costa Rica.” What he was saying is that he is happy living here and eating gallo pinto which is one of the Costa Rica’s main dishes. Although he is married and loyal to his wife, he says looking at all of the beautiful women is uplifting and keeps him feel young. I experience the same thing on a daily basis. Once again it is all about lifestyle here and those who get bitten by the Costa Rica bug never it out of their system and end up staying here permanently.

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.