Who are Ticos?

Below you will find an article by John McKenzie, sales consultant. If you would like to contact John just drop him an e mail on johnm@costaricainvest.ie or give him a call on +353 1 272 4184

The Costa Ricans (Ticos)

Costa Ricans (Ticos) are gentle, spirited, friendly, educated, polite, and kind people. They like visitors from other countries and treat them well. There are, of course, exceptions, but on the whole, you can expect to be made welcome wherever you go.

Ticos is the collective common name that Costa Ricans call themselves. More specifically, a Tica is a female Costa Rican and a Tico is a male. They are extremely family orientated and they love music and dance. In fact Costa Ricans, like almost all Latinos, love to party and really enjoy each others company.

Ticos are extremely polite and most will try to avoid a confrontation or appear rude in any way.

Holidays are dear to the hearts of most Costa Ricans. Traditional holiday celebrations offer visitors an insight into the culture and beliefs of Costa Ricans. Ticos are renowned for their gregarious nature which is apparent during the numerous fiestas, horse parades, and carnivals celebrated throughout the country.

Costa Ricans feel distinct from their neighbours by their "whiteness" and relative lack of indigenous culture. Ticos identify themselves first and foremost as Costa Ricans and only Central Americans or Latin Americans, as an afterthought.

Democracy is their most treasured institution, and the ideal of personal liberty is strongly cherished. Costa Ricans are intensely proud of their accomplishments in this arena and show it at 6 p.m. on each 14 September, on the eve of Independence Day, when the whole nation comes to a halt and everyone sings the national anthem.

You won’t find a people more deeply committed to the preservation of their natural wonders. Their country is small, yet within the country they have no less than one fifth of the world’s total biodiversity. They have set aside 26% of their total land area as national parks and reserves and they plan to be carbon neutral by 2021.

If you would like to contact John McKenzie, just drop him an e mail on johnm@costaricainvest.ie or give him a call on +353 1 272 4184

Over 50's show.

Thursday, September 25, 2008
Ethically Responsible Investment for the over 50s.

If are you 50 or over you should ask yourself the following questions:

• What age do I want to retire?
• How much income do I want in retirement?
• Where is the money going to come from?

Once you have answered those questions check out Costa Rica Invest Ireland.

For a modest investment of only €6450 you could have an return in excess of €50,000 in 8 years time.

If you would like to set up a review of your needs come and see us Costa Rica Invest stand no 65 at the RDS over 50s Show on Oct 10th through to Oct 12th

We are an Irish company that can help you achieve a great return through an Ethically Responsible, Environmentally safe Investment.

Contact John Douglas for your complementary ticket at

Costa Rica Invest

Seaview Court,

Strand Road,

Bray, Co. Wicklow, Ireland.

Tel: +353 1 272 4184 (ext.203) Mobile: 0857734478 Fax: + 353 1 272 3013

www.costaricainvest.ie johnd@costaricainvest.ie

We look forward to seeing you there.

Cost of Living in Costa Rica

So you've maqde the decision and decided to move to Costa Rica, so how much does it cost to live in Costa Rica day to day, well Costa Rica AM offers guidance with the following article:


Costa Rica is affordable even for low-budget folks
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

As the belts are tightened in the United States and elsewhere, more eyes turn to Costa Rica as a cheap place to live.The first question usually is what is the cost of living there. And there is no easy answer.Retirees range from the person squeaking by on $700 a month in U.S. Social Security to someone who can write a check for a $450,000 oceanside condo.But those short on funds usually want to know how low can you go.

Because Costa Rica is a socialist country, great attention is paid to the costs of public services. In simple terms, they are a steal. And they will continue to be.

Want a cell phone? The Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad will charge you a base rate of 3,375 colons or about $6.15 a month. A land line will cost 3,220 colons or $5.88 a month.

Basic Internet hookup can be had for 8,350 colons a month or $28.25. But then there also is the charge for using the telephone to connect to a server. The alternative, a cable hookup, can cost about $18 for basic service which usually is sufficient for one household. And there is an obligatory purchase of cable television. The price also depends on which company has the service contract for the specific geographical area.

Columnist Jo Stuart frequently mentions prices in her Friday column. She also is an astute shopper at the various weekend ferias where vegetables and other agricultural products are sold far below supermarket prices.

Even in the supermarket, some products are price controlled. Milk is 1,430 colons a gallon or $2.61.Those who simply have to have imported U.S. goods will pay handsomely. They shop at Pricesmart. Jo Stuart also notes that the best seats in the Teatro Nacional for a major orchestra performance can be just 8,000 colons or about $14.60. But she usually goes a little higher in the building for a whole lot less. The cheap seats are 3,000 colons ($5.50) and all tickets are subject to a 10 percent discount for senior citizens.The ciudadano de oro card is accepted universally and can mean deep discounts. To get one, an expat has to have a pensionado, rentista, inversionist or residencia cédula. The government has decided to dispense with the bus coupons for the elderly. They were subject to resale and caused a lot of woe. So shortly seniors will simply have to show an identification specifying their age, including the ciudadano de oro card, to get a discount.The bus fares are a steal to begin with. The fare from San José to Tamarindo on the far Pacific coast is 3,055 colons or $6.23. That's nearly an all-day ride. And in the city few routes are more than 250 colons (about 45 cents).

Taxis also are a deal, although recent increases have Costa Ricans unhappy. The first kilometer of a taxi ride is 420 colons or about 77 cents. Additional kilometers in the city are still 380 colons (69 cents). Those are definitely not New York City prices.There are the apartments. Even after paying the informal tax levied on those who do not speak Spanish well, a decent two-bedroom, secure unit can be had for $450 a month. An A.M. Costa Rica reporter just vacated a one-bedroom with loft where the rent was $275 a month. And this was no slum.

Electrical and water bills are designed for the low-end user. The Compañía Nacional de Fuerza y Luz rates favor low use. The current rate is 43 colons (8 cents) for each kilowatt for the first 200 kilowatts of use. Each of the next 100 kilowatts is 66 colons (12 cents). Larger consumers pay more per unit.

The government water company just got a 25 percent overall raise but the actual rates have not been set yet. Company officials promise to favor low users.

Then there is free. Like nearly all the country's beaches from high water to 50 meters inland. And the parks. And frequent entertainment.

Again, prices and use of utilities depend a lot on where the expat lives. Air conditioning can add a lot of an electric bill. So can alcohol or cigarettes. Remember, socialist countries like to control your bad habits.

Beer is about 800 colons a can, about $1.45. Local beer is cheaper by the two-liter bottle, but still it is no bargain.

On the other hand, a glass of decent Chilean or Italian wine in a four-star hotel restaurant will cost between 3,100 and 3,500 colons (from $5.66 to $6.39). Better to buy by the bottle (4,000 to 6,000 colons or $7.30 to $10.95) except for infrequent sprees.

Bars that cater to expats will reflect that in their beer prices where 1,200 colon beer means nearly $2.20 a bottle.

The big ticket items here are automobiles because the government levies a gigantic tax. So an expat can figure paying twice for what a vehicle costs in the States. But the insurance is very reasonable, again based on coverage and type of vehicle. But $100 a year is possible.

A lot has been said about the Costa Rican health system. And one must accept the fact that most U.S. medical benefits do not extend outside the States. An exception is the health plan for retired military and some federal employees.

Patients in the government system probably do not have their own assigned physician. And the waits are legendary.


So a beautiful country with a cheap cost of living, Costa Rica here we come!
However, older patients of the ciudadano de oro category usually get to go to the head of the line. Expats find they can obtain very reasonable health insurance from the only provider, the Instituto Nacional de Seguros. Some group plans reduce the cost even more.

Costa Rican employees are covered because the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social takes 10 percent of their gross pay as a salary deduction. Employees add to the total.

More input from our sales consultatants

As per some earlier posts we have asked our Sales Consultants to contribute to our blog. Here is a contribution from our Judy Ferguson. If you would like to cvontact Judy just e mail her at judy@costaricainvest.ie or give her a call on +353 1 272 4184.

Why join our investment club?

Over half of the latest development ‘Di Pacifico Dos’ has already been sold to our club members. Why?

• Access to future developments 3 months before they are launched on the open market
• Plots sold at a discounted price before any price increases are integrated
• An established rapport with a trusted developer
• Very strong products
• A structure set up to serve investors through the ‘Association of Owners’, set up to maintain the public areas of your domaine, with the advantage of potentially collaborating together on future projects

What’s different about Costa Rica Invest?

We are loyal to our members and care about your investment going forth. We keep you informed on anything that’s happening within your development, and stipulate contractually that you must maintain your teak (to protect all our investors). We can facilitate the setting up of a company in your name in Costa Rica (for tax-efficient purposes), and the resale of your land if you so wish. The maintenance company sends newsletter updates to keep you posted and advises you on when to benefit from harvesting the teak to reap the biggest profits.

The key to our success is our personal investment in these developments, we don’t take on too many projects simultaneously and are very particular with whom we work. We have a tight-knit quality structure set up internally and pride ourselves on our company ethics. That is actually what led me to come on board, it’s very satisfying to work in such a sound company that you wholeheartedly believe in.

If you would lilke to contact Judy, just drop her an e mail judy@costaricainvest.ie or give her a call on +353 1 272 4184

An Insiders view

We have asked some of our sales consultants to contribute to our blog and below is John Douglas's first contribution - if you would like to contact John you can e mail him on johnd@costaricainvest.ie or alternately give him a call on + 353 1 272 4184

Ethically Responsible Investments

Fed up with the traditional boring investments in failing economies, have you ever considered investing in a valuable commodity that’s actually growing on your land.

This concept new to the Irish market is already very popular in other parts of Europe & the United States; we deal in Land (Freehold) with 10-12yr old Teak trees already growing on it.

The cost of the investment is €6.45 per sqm our plots range in size from 1000sqm to 10,000sqm at these prices the plots are being snapped up quite quickly, and 70% of this current project has already been sold.·

• There is no capital gains tax to pay on land in Costa Rica.
• Land in Costa Rica is currently increasing in price by more than 20% pa.
• Teak typically grows and creates 12m³-20m³ usable teak per hectare per annum and therefore yields 240m³-400m³ usable teak per ha at 20 years.
• Teak currently sells @ $650 per cubic meter and has increased by 8,5% per annum over the last 10 years.
• Costa Rica is stable economically and politically, the economy has been growing at 7% pa.
• This investment conservatively estimates a 33% pa return over the 8-10 yr investment cycle.
• You own the land you buy as it’s freehold
• Your land and trees are managed in Costa Rica at very little cost to you.
• You don’t have to travel, as the Notary comes to Ireland to register your plot in your name.
• The investment is in Euro`s, however the return on the Teak is in US$ as this commodity is traded in Dollars and the exit strategy for the Land has exposure to Dollars as one of the target markets is the USA.

Just sit back and watch your money “Grow”.Timber is a solid commodity with steady demand that does well during stock market declines because it is not correlated to the market. Its returns reliably outperform the market, and its value increases over time, even without investor input. The land acts like principal, and the timber acts like a perpetual dividend. In the past 20 years, the timber index has produced average annual returns of more than 15 percent. Timber brings a stabilizing influence to a portfolio and indeed log prices have historically increased around 2 percent in real terms over and above inflation so this means that timber investments can protect investors' capital as well as provide significant returns on investment.

These teak trees are grown on managed plantations “helping to sustain the Worlds rain forests” Ethically Responsible, Environmentally Friendly investmentCosta Rica Invest, Block B. Office, Seaview Court, Strand Road, Bray, Co. Wicklow.T: +353 1 272 4184 F: +353 1 272 3013 E: johnd@costaricainvest.ie W: http://www.costaricainvest.ie/

Travelgirl becomes a devoted eco-tourist on her first trip to Costa Rica

Jan Butsch Schroder, editor of travelgirl magazine became a devoted eco tourist on her first ever vist to Costa Rica. She says:

"My first-ever trip to Costa Rica turned me into a devoted eco-tourist, as I flew through trees, covered my entire body in warm, drippy mud, watched a butterfly emerge from its chrysalis, visited an active inner crater volcano, and smelled fresh-picked coffee beans on a plantation. But let's start with the leather diaper."

"A trip to Costa Rica brings a heartfelt reminder of why we should focus on saving this amazing planet. Other worthy destinations have surely risen in the eco-tourism ranks, but Costa Rica is one of the "original" spots, and despite huge growth during the last 20 years - from 329,000 visitors in 1988 to 2.1 million in 2008 - it still maintains its role as a leading example of a place where nature and tourism have found a happy marriage. "

Read the full storyof Jan's adventures here

If you would like to investigate an investment in this amazing country with the security of teak trees growing on your land, have a look at our website http://www.costaricainest.ie/ and contact us.

Can Costa Rica become Ireland?

The similarites between Costa Rica's future aspirations and Ireland's achievements over the past 20 years are striking.

A highly educated work force, tax breaks to encourage foreign inward investment and government policy to encourage an economic transformation.......a background very similar to Ireland's just 20 years ago.

This very comparison is addressed in the book by Eva Paus, Foreign Investment, Development, and Globalization: Can Costa Rica Become Ireland? New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.


You can read a full review by Bruce M. Wilson here

You can see comments about the publication on MacMillan, the publishers website here

The Heinz school review of this publication is here

To those familiar with the property boom which took place in Ireland as a direct result of the success of the Irish economic vision and policies this makes Costa Rica an instant lucrative investment opportunity.

If you would like to benefit from the rapidly rising land prices in Costa Rica with the added security of teak growing on your land have a look at our website www.costaricainvest.ie or give us a call on +353 1 272 4184

Rare frog filmed for the first time in Costa Rica.

The Red Eyed Stream frog (Duellmanohyla uranochroa) is critically endangered worldwide. This vividly coloured frog has been flimed for the first time by a team from the University of Manchester whilst on a field trip in Costa Rica.

This inceredibly rare find was captured on film by a BBC news crew which was following the work of the team.

You can see footage of the find here.

Costa Rica is one of the world's most environmentally friendly nations. Containing 5% of the world's biodiviresity Costa Rica has made a committment to becoming carbon neutral as a nation by 2021.

With more teachers than police and the highest life expectancy in the Western hemisphere Costa Rica is a true paradise on earth. If you would like to invest in "paradise" and have the added benefit of teak trees growing on your land have a look at our website http://www.costaricainvest.co.uk/ or give us a call on +353 1 272 4184.

Costa Rica Invest - growing your wealth naturally

Commodities take a bow!

A recent article in the Irish Independant Newspaper, highlights the fantastic performance of commodity investments over the past year.

"ONE year into the credit crunch, returns from stock market- related investments have been miserable -- as even the most skillful fund managers struggled to make money for investors.............But it's not all bad news. A select few funds have made good returns amidst the general stock market turmoil. Admittedly, these mostly invest in commodities..........Forestry funds also fared well during the credit crunch, with the Irish Forestry Unit Trust up 8.3pc, and the Irish Life Forestry Fund up 7.4pc. "

You can see the full article here

An investment in Di Pacifico Dos gives exposure to both commodities (teak) which protects your investment but also allows you to benefit from the rapidly increasing land prices in Costa Rica.

Better still have you seen our guaranteed buy back


Have a look at our website www.costaricainvest.co.uk and see how you can benefit from the security of a commodity investment and the growth of a land investment in the "hottest real estate market on the face of the planet"(CNBC)

Press Release 27th August 2008

Costa Rica Invest Announces 150% Buy Back Guarantee

27th August 2008

Summary: Costa Rica Invest announced that the next 50 buyers in Di Pacifico Dos will benefit from a Buy Back Guarantee of 150% of the original purchase price. Comprising development land with teak trees returns of 25% CAR p.a. are projected.

Di Pacifico Dos is the jewel in the crown of Costa Rica Invest’s developments in Costa Rica. Located on the Pan American highway 5 miles from the gulf of Nicoya, the development consists of 900 development land plots.

Each plot comes with the added value of 10 to 14 year old teak trees. Teak is a traded commodity worldwide. Demand for teak has increased strongly largely driven by consumption by China and India. Supply of teak has reduced due to diminishing jungle sources. Together these trends have led to strong teak price growth of 8.5% p.a. over the past 10 years.

Costa Rica is one of the most sought after holiday destinations in Central America. It is the country of choice for North American holiday makers. Politically stable with a strong economy, Costa Rica is frequently called the Switzerland of Central America. With more teachers than police, an outstanding healthcare system, a wonderful climate, no army and the longest life expectancy in the Western Hemisphere it is of little surprise that Costa Rica has become so popular with North American retirees, holiday makers and celebrities. This has led to spectacular land price increases.

Costa Rica is ranked 5th worldwide in terms of environmental awareness and intends to be “carbon neutral” as a nation by 2021. Costa Rica has already designated more than 30% of its land area as natural parks and preserves and is estimated to contain more than 5% of the world’s biodiversity.

The combination of teak on development land provides extra security and return for investors in Di Pacifico Dos. Costa Rica invest projects returns of over 25% CAR p.a. 1,000m² costs just €6,450 an investment open to all. Costa Rica Invest has added the further guarantee that they will buy back the land for 150% of its original purchase price in 8 years if the investor chooses.

Costa Rica Invest specializes in ethically responsible, environmentally friendly, high yield investments primarily in Costa Rica.

Contact Information: James Cahill, +353 1 272 4184, james@costaricainvest.ie, Seaview Court, Strand Road, Bray, Co. Wicklow, Ireland. www.costaricainvest.co.uk