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.

I just finished a private two-day relocation/retirement tour with a couple from the U.S. The husband has virtually worked all over the world in the military and in the private sector. Presently he is working in the mid-east but plans to retire in a couple of years, so he is scouting possible retirement places overseas. Actually he is only interested in one — Costa Rica.

When he was in the military he was worked in Panama, Nicaragua and Colombia. He fell in love with the region, the people and the culture. He says without a doubt that Costa Rica is the best country in Latin America and where he definitely wants to retire. You can hear it in his voice; he is 100% committed to Costa Rica. I really consider his opinion important since he has lived all over the world.

He told me that what attracts him to Costa Rica is the great climate, the friendly people, the first-world medical care and the great lifestyle as reflected the national motto of pura vida (pure life),” which is omnipresent.

Costa Rica isn’t for everyone, but as you can see from my client’s perception, the country does have a lot to heck of a lot offer retired Americans.

On my monthly relocation/retirement tours and consultations my guests always ask me about personal safety in Costa Rica. I am quick to point out that I would never be living in Costa Rica for one minute if I felt my family or I were in danger. In fact, I feel much safer here than in many places in the United States.

According to the FTI International Consulting Company, Costa Rica, Chile and Uruguay are three safest countries in Latin America. On the other hand, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Venezuela and Haiti are considered the most dangerous countries in the region. Venezuela is riddled with crime as things it spin out of control and progressively deteriorate. In 2009 alone over 15,000 Venezuelans died violently.

México, once considered a retirement haven for Americans, isn’t far behind because of the violence generated by the war on drugs.

Although the homicide rate has risen slightly, this should not keep you from moving to Costa Rica. Compared with the rest of the countries in the region Costa Rica is still paradise and Latin America’s #1 retirement haven.

Recently I read an article about Americans changing their spending habits as a result of the recent economic downturn. Interviews with ordinary Americans suggest a new frugality endures even though consumer spending has risen for five straight months and retail sales for three. In the AP’s new quarterly survey, a majority of economists agreed that a new frugality will persist even as the recovery gains firmer footing. “I would call it a ‘mini age of austerity,’” said  an economics professor at the University of Central Florida. “It appears consumers will not run up credit card debt as before.”

This so-called “new frugality’ may also be reflected in Baby Boomer Retirees searching to stretch their retirement dollars by living in a country like Costa Rica. One of the main benefits to residing  here is the low cost of medical care. Many retirees in the U.S. can’t afford the country’s exorbitant health cares costs. Even if someone is lucky enough to have insurance there may be many obstacles in the road to receiving affordable health care. On the other hand, Costa Rica has a cradle-to-grave health care system for its citizens. Foreigners who become residents are eligible to join the public system called “La Caja.”  The system must work because Costa Ricans have a longevity rate equal to or better than most first-world countries. The quality of medical care is so good that the country is quickly becoming one of the world’s destinations for medical tourism. People are flocking here for joint replacements, cosmetic surgery, cosmetic dental work and  eye surgery.

In addition to medical care, labor is inexpensive as are local foods, utilities and rentals. Taxes are low in comparison to the U.S. with home prices only being one quarter of one percent or .25. Public transportation is a steal so you won’t need a car. There are a lot more perks, too.

So it appears that Costa Rica is a solution for frugal people form the U.S. and other countries who are seeking to get more for their money for their golden years.

Costa Rica requires those who want to retire here as residents to submit a police report demonstrating that the applicant does not have a police record. The country does not want any undesirable elements living here.Foreigners applying for residency have to get this document from the last place they resided in their home country.

In Spanish this document is called la hoja delectiva or la hoja de delincuencia. It shows that the applicant doesn’t have antecedentes penales or a police record. If you have an hoja de delicuencia manchada (blemished) you have some problems.

Costa Ricans and residents with permission to work (residencia libre de condiciones) may be also required to get a police report for: applying for a job, renewing residency, obtaining a gun permit or purchasing a weapon and even for becoming a member of a professional organization the like local equivalent of the AMA called the Colegio de Médicos. In the first quarter of 2010 alone over 320,000 police reports were issued. To get a police report you can go to the building just west of the courthouse in San José. By the way, this document is free of charge in Costa Rica.