Welcome to Retire to Mexico.

Show notes:

Some facts about Mexico:

• The capital of the United Mexican States is Mexico city.  It is the largest city in the Americas and second largest in the World.
• There are 31 Mexican states
• The language is Spanish.  And Mexico has the largest Spanish speaking population in the World
• The government is a Presidential Federal Republic
• Size is 761,606 sq. mi. – 5th largest country in the Americas and 14th in the world.  It is slightly smaller than three times the size of Texas.
• Population is 108,700,891 (estimated for 2007)
• Unemployment rate is 3.2% with an under-employment rate of 25%
• Currency is the Peso – about 10.899 to the US dollar
• Inflation rate of 3.6% in 2006
• There are three time zones comparable to Central, Mountain and Pacific time zones in the U.S.
• Location:
  • North is USA
  • East is the Gulf of Mexico
  • South and West is the Pacific Ocean
  • Southeast is Guatemala and Belize
• Tropic of Cancer divides the country into two zones – temperate and tropical
• It has the second largest defense budget and armed forces in Latin America
• Home of the largest number of US citizens abroad (about 1 million as of 1999) or about 1% of the Mexican population and 25% of Americans abroad
• Culturally diverse
• Literacy rate is over 91%
• Natural hazards
  • Tsunamis
  • Volcanoes
  • Earthquakes
  • Hurricanes
• So why retire here:
  • Enjoy a great climate, great food, rich culture and fabulously friendly people
  • Integration into the local community can be very fulfilling
  • Great place to learn Spanish
  • Live well on $2,000 a month for two including rent
  • Health care is very good and affordable
  • Low crime rate once you are away from the US border
  • No major law suits
  • Slower pace
• Where:
  • Any where – ocean, water front, city, mountains, rural
  • Most popular by numbers of retirees – Guadalajara, Chapala, Ajijic
• What else:
  • No need for a car – public transportation is affordable and reliable
  • If you drive at night only drive the toll roads.  Local roads may have a large number of hazards
  • Mexican drivers are aggressive
  • Be very careful when buying property

Remember that before you move:

• Research, read, observe, and inquire
• Visit many times to find the right area
• Stay 6 months or more in your chosen area
• Now make the move

For more information listen to this podcast:

Welcome to Retire to Panama.

 Some facts:

• Official name is Republic of Panama
• Government is a constitutional democracy
• Size is 78,200 sq.miles or slightly smaller than South Carolina
• Population of 3,320,000
• Location is between Costa Rica on the West, Columbia on the East, the Caribbean Sea to the North and the Pacific Ocean to the South
• Capital is Panama City
• Climate has two seasons – Dry between December and April and the Wet season the rest of the year
• Temperatures average 81 degrees year round except in the valleys that are a little colder
• Language – officially Spanish but many speak English also
• Religion – no official religion and all types are welcomed
• Culture is primarily Caribbean Spanish
• Time zone is the same as Eastern Standard Time without daylight savings
• Unemployment is 7.3%
• Inflation is 2%
• Rain forest – the largest in the Western Hemisphere except for the Amazon Basin

From a retirement perspective, Panama is considered the third best place to retire in the world.  Considered by various groups to be the best place to retire outside the U.S.  It contains a free trade zone that is second only to Hong Kong.  There is a low cost of living, low crime rate, reasonable housing cost, modern health care, and no active volcanoes or earth quakes or hurricanes.

So consider retirement to Panama based upon:

• Stable democracy
• No tax on income from overseas
• Can buy and own property
• Incentive programs for retiring there
• Property tax exemptions
• Strong relations with U.S.
• Friendly welcoming people
• Excellent communications and infrastructure
• Affordable prices of real estate
• Beautiful country

To learn more listen to the podcast:

Welcome to Episode 16 – Retire to Costa Rica.

Facts about the Republic of Costa Rica:

• Its capital is San Jose
• It is a democratic republic
• Its constitution was adopted in 1949
• In the constitution, it abolished its army
• The country is divided into 7 provinces
• It is located between Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west
• It has 19,730 square miles of territory which is about the size of West Virginia
• Consists of 0.1% of the worlds land mass and 5% of the worlds biodiversity
• The official religion is Roman Catholicism
• The official language is Spanish
• It has a population of 4.13 million with 2.1 million living in the greater San Jose region
• The economy has grown at 4.7% but inflation is 9.43% and unemployment is 6.6%
• Literacy is 93%
• Cuisine is influenced by Africa, Italy, France, China and Spain
• Its culture is diverse with a population made up of 94% European, 3% African, 1% Chinese, 1% American and 1% other
• There are frequent festivals of all types
• San Jose is ranked 9th out of 144 least expensive cities to live in the world
• Shopping is diverse and plentiful

If you are planning to retire outside the U.S. and are thinking of Costa Rica, be sure to do it in steps.  First research the country.  Second visit it more than once and for longer than a few days.  Find out what it is like to live there.  Then do a trial run.  Stay at least 6 months.  Be sure this is right for your before you pack up everything.

A few resources you will want to investigate:

• The Tico Times is an English newspaper that can be found on the Internet
• ARCR – Association of Residents of Costa Rica has a wealth of resources and help for visitors and potential new residents.  They can be found on the Internet also.  It would be a good idea to contact them at least on one of your visits.

For more information listen to the podcast:

Welcome to Retiring Abroad.

So you are thinking about retiring abroad.  Lots of us think about it and some actually do it quite successfully. 

So where would you move to?  If you only speak one language you might limit your choices to countries that speak your language.  Or perhaps you could go to school and learn another language such as Spanish.  With two or more languages your choices of countries greatly increases.

Now that you have made you choice of countries, pick a city.  When choosing your city, choose a mid-size city with multiple universities.  These usually are active and thriving cities with multiple opportunities. 

Now research your choices country and city.  Find out as much as you can.  Visit it for a short vacation.  Be sure the environment is what you expect and is acceptable.  Remember retiring abroad is a big decision and you need to know as much as you can before you do it.

Try to meet online some people online from your chosen city.  Get to know them so you can meet them when you arrive.  Ask all of your questions online before you leave to be sure this is the right decision.

Get a passport and visa if needed.  When you get your visa, try to get one with the longest duration.  Renewing your visa can be challenging.  Try to renew it as infrequently as possible by getting the longest one possible.

Now it is time to pack and move.  Don't send to extra things by mail but use FedEx instead.

When you meet your friends, do it in a public place until you feel you can trust them.  Visit the sights with them.  See if they can help you find permanent housing and if needed a job.

Enjoy your new life retired abroad.

For more information listen to the podcast below. 

Welcome to Home Schooling- an interview with Walter Laurel on his experiences with home schooling his teenage son.

Show Notes:

Walter Laurel is a single father sharing his experiences in home schooling a teenage son. More information about Walt and his coaching program can be found at www.mylegendplatform.com/

Welcome to Home Schooling.  Today we will interview Leslie Baldwin about her experiences with home schooling.

Show Notes:

An interview with Leslie Baldwin about her experiences with home schooling.

Welcome to Home Schooling.

Show Notes:

 U.S. Census Bureau 2005 American Community Survey:

• 2,458,806 children being raised by grandparents today
• 6% of children live in households headed by a grandparent

Homeschooling in the United States: 2003 from the National Center for Education Statistics (US Department of Education):

• 1,096,000 children in the spring of 2003 – 29% increase from 850,000 children in 1999
• Rate of home schooling – from 1.7 % in 1999 to 2.2% in 2003
• Why:
  • Concern about the environment of other schools – such as safety, drugs or negative peer pressure
  • To provide religious or moral instruction
  • Dissatisfaction with academic instruction in school
• 41% of students had engaged in some sort of distance learning