Mar 20, 2008 | Banking, Money, Real Estate, Taxes
I got this email a couple of days ago. Since these are common questions – in fact, we had most of them – I’m answering on the blog.”I have enjoyed reading your info on the net. We are thinking of buying a small condo and living in Costa Rica in...
Mar 17, 2008 | Banking, Money, PayPal, Security
All in the name of security, of course. We used to be big PayPal fans. Not anymore. Be careful using PayPal (PP) from Costa Rica. After our recent experiences, I’d be careful using PP anywhere. We have had business/personal PP accounts since 2000. We’d...
Nov 27, 2007 | Banking, Colones, Cost of Living, Culture Shock, Economy, Living-In, Money, Political Blah-Blah
Must be nice to be a government, able to muck around with the money when the mood strikes. Grab a little here, a little there… I would have said "Stealing 4%" but that might sound a little caustic. Slanderous, even. For instance. Last Thursday –...
Jul 20, 2007 | Banking, Panama
A friend told us about a local Costa Rica bank with ties to a Panama bank, making it simple to open a Panama bank account. Everybody knows if you want privacy in banking, you go to Panama. What everybody doesn’t know is that, these days, not only does Panama put...
Jun 28, 2007 | Banking, Expat, Living-In
Not in Costa Rica. In Costa Rica, you just have to worry about someone stealing your purse. Or breaking into your house and taking your laptop. And everything else right down to the plumbing and light fixtures, if you are gone long enough. Just your everyday...
Jun 11, 2007 | Banking, Crime, Culture Shock, Jaco, Money
I went to the ATM last Thursday with my mom. You put your card in, you punch in your code, select ENGLISH or SPANISH, DOLLARS or COLONES (get colones, it’s easier), punch in the amount… wait while the machine whirrs and counts. Then take your cash, receipt...
Mar 14, 2007 | Banking, Driving, Money, Moving-To, Schools, Teenagers
Miriam wrote me. Man, she’s in moving hell – I remember it like it was yesterday!!!! Now I can look back in wonder: how did we survive???? Here are her questions and how we handled each. Looking at schools, British School sounds good, but it’s on...
Feb 19, 2007 | Banking, Living-In, Money
Big news in the papers today: your Costa Rican debit card will now work in the U.S. And, the rilly rilly big news, is that internet funds transfer between banks is here!!! As of today in Costa Rica, you can transfer your money between banks inside the country....
