One of my favorite parts about owning vacation rental property in Costa Rica is that we have business reasons to visit, making our trips tax-deductible! It is also fun to experience business in another country and culture. We had just six days in Guanacaste, but we squeezed out a lot of work and play. Day 1: Sunset at Playa Brasilito The flight from New York City to Liberia is about [...]
A few years ago, I read the book, “One Word That Will Change Your Life” by Dan Britton, Jimmy Page and Jon Gordon The premise is alluringly simple, yet powerful: instead of a long list of goals and resolutions for the year, pick one word that captures the essence of what you want. Your One Word gives you focus when you need to prioritize day-to-day and make longer-term decisions. It [...]
If you want to live a more spontaneous, FIRE lifestyle even while you still have a job, then you need to negotiate for more flexibility at work. Companies will give workers more flexibility, especially when the worker fulfills a critical need. If you’re indispensable, you’re more likely to get what you ask for. Indispensability is a key trait to develop if you want flexibility at work – so you can [...]
Interested in a blank canvas commercial space for co-working or pop-up shop rentals? How about a small complex of four apartments that could make a boutique AirBNB? A breakfast café or comfort food casual eatery? These are just some of the businesses that came across my radar recently, getting my imagination spinning on brick-and-mortar business ideas in Costa Rica. Even though we’re not looking to add to our current portfolio [...]
Costa Rica is again on several lists as a top retirement destination: #2 by International Living #5 by Money/Time top 24 by Forbes (Forbes did not rank the 24 places against each other). In naming Costa Rica as the #2 retirement destination (behind Panama), International Living cited Costa Rica’s healthcare accessibility, abundance of outdoor activities and stable democracy. Indeed, Costa Rica abolished its military 70 years ago. …with a dozen [...]
Like others that keep a spending diary or a food diary, I keep a time diary. I have kept a time diary for over 20 years! I started doing it because I was working in the professional services field where you had to track your time to bill your clients. You also had to calculate how much of your time was billable to clients versus non-billable (and billability was an [...]
I recently caught up with a friend who left his job in the spring and has been traveling for almost six months, including to Tamarindo, Costa Rica for surfing camp! His expertise is in eCommerce, so his skills and experience would match perfectly with a digital nomad career that blends travel and work. Yet, he elected a travel sabbatical – all play, no work. A travel sabbatical isn’t something just [...]
I juggle a lot of different projects – writing, teaching, consulting, speaking -- but the one thing they all have in common is being advice-related. Earlier this year, I did a talk on work/life balance in Philadelphia, and an attendee asked for advice on what to do about perfectionism. I also get questions on what to invest in (is Costa Rica a good market for real estate?), what industries are [...]
Our oldest daughter converted a temporary job to a full-time offer, so we have one of two children officially launched! This first job is a traditional office job with a biweekly paycheck, benefits package and retirement account. However, it also comes with a 9-5 schedule and limited vacation time that needs to be requested in advance. Already, our daughter had to give up free show tickets that a friend offered [...]
I reconnected recently with an old friend, who paid me one of the nicest compliments I have ever been given. She told me that she was out with friends and I came up in conversation. When one of them asked her what I do, she answered, “Caroline and her husband actually do the things that the rest of us just talk about doing.” Thanks Sarah – your words still make [...]
