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Caribbean News
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Lemonade Anyone? |
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Volume 1, Number 2 |
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In This Issue
· Lemonade anyone? · Health Care in Costa Rica · Caribbean Adventures · In the News
Check out our home page
Model Homes and Site Plans See some of our beautiful Custom home plans!
Trip Planning Take the stress out of your trip planning and save money!
Caribbean Diving Scuba Diving in Punta Uva
Check out Costa Rica Weather
Experience some of the best White Water rafting in the world!
Explore a section of pure Costa Rica!
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I am sure you have heard the saying that when life hands you a lemon it’s best to make lemonade!
I am not going to belabor the point of the US economy as we have plenty of experts explaining what happened. I truly believe that we have two choices—be part of the problem or be part of the solution. In this newsletter I would like to present some information that may be helpful to you in understanding how you may be able to take the reduced value of your 401k or other retirement plan and still live with dignity and not have to go back to work at Home Depot or Mcdonald’s just to make ends meet.
I am not suggesting you need to settle for less with less but you can get MORE for less! MORE—sunshine, fresh fruit and vegetables, clean air, un-crowded beaches, trees, birds, square feet of home per dollar, electricity per dollar, world class health care per dollar! Prices have changed since I first came to Costa Rica 7 years ago but let me share with you the current financial situation and then you can compare the cost of your current lifestyle with what you could have here.
This chart represents real world expenses that I am paying right now on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. Most people I work with buy or build a home with no mortgage so in reality $1000.00 a month can go a long way here and if you have 2 or 3k a month available you will live a grand life style!
We moved all our belongings from the US in a container and we also imported a car, so if you have any questions about the logistics of moving here I will be glad to help.
It is also possible to rollover your 401k into a self-directed plan that can be used to purchase property here in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica is not for everyone and thank goodness because there is not enough room, but if the above chart seems to present a solution to your situation please contact me and feel free to ask any questions.
Check out the following site for all kinds of Costa Rica info:
http://www.therealcostarica.com/living_in_costa_rica/cost_of_living_costarica.html
World Class Health Care
Another topic of concern I discuss with a lot of clients is the type and quality of health care in Costa Rica. This is quite under- standable as most folks are of the age where this is very important and without good care a move like this would not be possible.
According to the World Health Organization Costa Rica actually rates higher than the US!
I can also
testify from personal experience that the quality of private
facilities here is as good or better that what I have
experienced in the US. The two premier facilities here are
Let me tell you of two personal experiences:
Kidney stones---I hope you have never had the pleasure of having one of these. Last year I had my first experience with one (this is why I like my lemonade!) and certainly hope it was my last. I went to the Clinica Biblica emergency room. The saw me immediately and gave me a pain killer and blood test to determine the cause of my problem. After determining it was indeed a stone they scheduled me with a Dr. the first thing in the morning. By the way they have no idea what a physicians assistant is here, your are seen only by licensed Dr.’s or nurses. When I saw the Dr. he gave me an ultrasound (not a technician) and fortunately the stone had passed and there was no more problems. So, we have an emergency room visit and IV’s, Dr.’s visit and ultrasound and a prescription was provided. Normally you may be a little concerned if you were in this situation without health insurance but the TOTAL bill without insurance was $160.00!! (How much do you think it would be in the US?)
A female family member had a pain and lump in her chest area. Needless to say this was cause for some serious concern. A quick phone call and we were offered several openings the next day and chose the one that suited her schedule best. By the afternoon all concerns were relieved after the mammogram showed a harmless cyst. TOTAL bill, $44.00!
These were personal stories and other people I know here have had the same good experiences.
There are different private and public insurance plans here that are much more affordable than what you are used to in the US. The nice thing is that insurance and health care are not the focus of extreme concern in wondering if you will lose your home in case you get sick.
Again the internet can provide as much information as you need to feel comfortable about this subject and if you have any personal questions feel free to contact me.
Caribbean Adventures
The diving has been a little spotty as there were some very unusual storm systems over the last few months that did do some damage to the coral. Quite a few large coral heads have been knocked over.
The new dive shops got off to a little slow start but it is nice to see new shops with new equipment. My friends at Punta Uva Dive Center have been going strong and I highly recommend using them for a friendly and fun day of diving. Tell Lucas, Gill sent you!
In the news The Government here in Costa Rica is really putting the hammer down on illegal development activity. Recently they closed over 35 projects on the Pacific coast who were not conforming to municipal requirements and some developers had no permits whatsoever to build.
Water on the Pacific has recently been in the news as well. The Supreme court has ruled that developers in the Playa Del Coco and Playa Hermosa areas will not be able to pipe much needed water into the current developments. At the moment many developments are on hold as not having water is a very serious issue and there is no known solution to the problem at the moment.
Las Baulas National Park- In another win for nature the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of protecting this very important nesting area for the Leatherback Turtle. Unfortunately the Leatherback population has plummeted by 98% in the last 20 years and the governments awareness of the importance of our wildlife and ecology seems to get better all the time.
Our newsletter- I hope you found this edition of Grand View Estates newsletter helpful in understanding what we offer. Our aim is to also provide some insight as to what is happening in Costa Rica and why we love living here! Please feel free to make comments and suggest what you would like to see in our monthly newsletter. www.gvecr.com I would like to point out that our project is not experiencing any of the problems plaguing the Pacific side. Add that to the fact that we have the best prices in the country and you’ll see why International Living has chosen to be our affiliates.
If for any reason you would like to be removed from our mailing list please let me know. Just write to GillPhelan@gvecr.com and put “remove” in the subject line.
To sign up for our newsletter, click here.
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