WHY I LIVE AND INVEST IN COSTA RICA
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WHY I LIVE AND INVEST IN COSTA RICA
by Leon R. Johnson
Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica
For the first twenty five years of my professional life I played by the rules. The rules taught to me by my Parents, my Church, my Schools, and most of all my Government.
America the land of the free and the home of the brave. Free Market Capitalism will be your path to a better life. Work hard, educate yourself and believe that your government is of the people, by the people and FOR THE PEOPLE.
It took me twenty five years of blindly following these principles before I finally woke up one day and found that the FIX WAS IN.
I became a CPA to better understand and follow the rules, then a CFO for six different companies before I realized that the way to a better life through economic freedom was an illusion as professed in the USA.
I put on my CPA hat and began to add up all of the money the government was reaching into my pocket and misappropriating, in other words, taking under false pretenses, in other words, STEALING.
Once I added up the federal income taxes, social security taxes, unemployment taxes, gasoline taxes, sales taxes, state income taxes, capital gains taxes, I realized that the game was rigged, when it all added up to over 65% of my income. The harder I worked the more they stole and the more they stole, the more they wasted. I was never going to get ahead under this system. I was never going to leave behind a little economic nest egg for my children and grandchildren.
I watched the economic meltdown of the Carter years, 18% interest rates, 12% inflation, and 9% unemployment. The average American got wiped out and watched their investments, and retirement nest eggs disappear. Reagan cleaned up that mess and then came the Savings and Loan CRASH and Bailout of the 80’s. Sound familiar my friends?? The US Government spent billions to purchase over valued commercial property, bail out the Savings and Loans and then resold those assets at a tremendous loss. They promised to make that money back also….. they lost everything and we watched the deficit explode, inflation grow, interest rates rise and the decline of the dollar and our purchasing power.
Then came the construction recession of the early 1990’s, banks cut lending and credit dried up for almost four years. Remember that???
Don’t forget the DOT.COM bubble created by easy credit and its subsequent crash. Again the average person watched their retirement money disappear and the FED destroyed the market, and available credit by raising interest rates until they were out of reach to the average American. Thank you Mr. Greenspan, I read your book, you are the biggest scam artist ever to work for the US Government.
Then Mr. Greenspan lowered interst rates so low that this whole sub-prime mess was created and nurtured Washington fat cats and their Wall Street friends, and just as the bubble was about to burst, he bailed. Just in time to watch his mess collapse from the sidelines. Great job, Mr. Greenspan, you should be in JAIL.
And now I am living and watching history repeat itself with this sub-prime housing mess, which was created by the same people who are stealing your money once again. But this time they are not just stealing your money, they are stealing your children’s and grandchildren’s money. Once again while you stand there helpless ,watching your retirement money, your real estate equity, and most of all your faith in the system destroyed.
Well, I decided 15 years ago that I had had enough of this never ending cycle of economic roulette and began to look for another place to live the American Dream. And it ain’t in America anymore.
I read and traveled and educated my self about the emerging markets throughout the world. I looked for a democratic government that had a history of transferring power without bloodshed, I looked for a place that held family values in high regard, I looked for a place that had eliminated their armed forces and decided to get along with the world and negotiate with their neighbors. I looked for a place that protected property rights and rewarded hard work and risk taking. I looked for a place with low taxes. I looked for a place that provided health care for the poorest of their people. I looked for a place that provided free education for every child. I look for a place that was warm, lush with rain forest, and bordered by oceans. I looked for a place that was not at war with nature. And I found it.
Sure it isn’t perfect, sure there are growing pains, sure there is corruption. But compared to where I had lived the first 45 years of my life, Costa Rica is the land of opportunity. Costa Rica is the American dream, The Latin American dream.
Since I was privileged to become a legal resident of this precious little jewel of four million souls, I have lived and prospered while the poor citizens of the US have suffered through three recessions. IN spite of the economic problems of our GIANT to the North, I have continued to make money and Costa Rica has experienced an economic miracle.
This economic miracle is just beginning, and as much as I want to keep it all to myself it is apparent by the development that the secret is out.
If you are considering investing and becoming a part of our US refugee community here and are scared off by the negativity bombarding you daily by the US media think again my friends.
Where are you going to put the money that you have left???
The US Stock Market??? You’re crazy.
The US Housing Market??? Not me my friends… sure there may be some good buys out there, but it is obvious the bottom is not there yet. It will be years before your equity returns.
A Money Market Account??? At a taxable return of 2.5% and inflation soon to be over 4% and growing you will be throwing money away. Where do you think the US Govt. is going to get the trillion dollars needed to bailout Wall Street?
They will get it from CHINA, EUROPE, JAPAN, SAUDI ARABIA, and others who will purchase our BONDS at a higher and higher rate, or they will simply print the money and INFLATION will begin to kill the dollar… Look at history, you don’t need to be a PHD like our Treasury Secretary to see this coming…
My money is staying right here in Costa Rica. Fully invested in beach front property.
And I am buying more.
I have invested and made money right on through three different US recessions.
Where else in the world can you purchase a fully titled Beach Front Condo for under $350,000
Where else can you get in on the ground floor of the new Riviera???
Where else are your property taxes paid in hundreds of dollars and not tens of thousands of dollars per year.???
Now you know why I live, invest, and prosper in Costa Rica.
Come on down and join me, there are plenty of opportunities, do your homework, be cautious, have a good Broker show you the ropes, and a honest lawyer by your side and you can’t go wrong.
Even in this difficult economic situation, Costa Rica is still well positioned to enjoy further market growth and fame on the international tourism scene, adding value and necessity for a growing resort real estate market.
Editors Note:
Mr. Johnson has lived and invested in Playa Hermosa and Playa Jaco for more than ten years. He is a friend of Exclusive Realty and also one of our dearest clients. Any views or opinions expressed by Mr. Johnson are not necessarily the views or opinions of Exclusive Realty Network or our affiliate businesses. Exclusive Realty Network does not assume responsiblity for the statements in this article.