COSTA RICA - Costa Rica is often known as the Switzerland of Central America for its reputation of peace, political stability, and prosperity. This reputation is well-deserved, and the country has become home to numerous multinational corporations and retirees from the US and Europe. One of my US clients has its entire financial operation in Costa Rica. But no country is perfect. I always listen to the advice of natives about areas to avoid and how to maneuver in traffic during the rush hour.

Costa Rica is a very narrow country - from east coast (tropical) to west coast (arid) in a few hours. The capital San Jose is one of those cities in the world with a virtually "perfect" climate. Every morning is the same all year, and it rains every afternoon during the rainy season. It's a great country to visit - or retire in! The National Theater in San Jose is one of the best preserved in all of Latin America.

My work has been mostly with the finance group of a major company. They handle the numbers like most finance persons, but they also are expected to be leaders at the business table. I challenge them to make the numbers "come to life" and to tell us the human stories behind the numbers. In addition to the usual challenges of making presentations in English, they also service the entire hemisphere with emails and phone calls.

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