Written by A.T. "Al" Benelli, CFP, FIC at Boomer-Living.com

Each and every day, approximately 10,000 baby boomers celebrate their 65th birthday. Most people identify the arrival of age 65 with the event of “retirement” and the receipt of Social Security benefits. Actually, the age of full Social Security retirement benefits for most baby boomers is currently age 66. Reduced benefits with earned income limitations can be taken as early as age 62. Should you take the money at 62 or 66 or somewhere in between? So, what’s best?

The International Community Foundation is pleased to announce its “Retiring Responsibly in Mexico” research series with our first report “U.S. Retirements Trends in Mexico’s Coastal Communities:  Lifestyle Trends and Demographics.”  You can access the report here:  http://www.icfdn.org/publications/retireeresearch/. 
Forthcoming research studies will address trends in health care, volunteerism, philanthropy and civic engagement, real estate as well as the environment.  For more information on the International Community Foundation, visit our website at http://www.icfdn.org.

Have you ever met someone who is so naturally friendly that she never meets a stranger?  She makes friends easily with almost everyone in no time.  That type of person is called a people-person; she's unbelievably nice and charismatic and can charm anyone into doing anything.

Hello Group,

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico has become one of the most popular tourist resort destinations in the world. Because Vallarta is located along the Mexican Riviera on the Pacific Ocean, a substantial portion of these tourists arrive by boat; the majority in large cruise ships, however many come in their private yachts.

There are so many exciting places to visit in the world. Many are better to visit than to live but that depends on your critera for a retirement or 2nd home location.

Do you remember the 1927 novel, "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre", which was about a couple of down-and-out Americans that joined up with a crusty old timer to prospect for gold in Mexico? It was later adapted into a film by John Huston in 1948, who returned to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in 1964 to film "Night of the Iguana".

Quaint, as defined by Webster and others, means unusual or old fashioned in a pleasing way, with a charming old fashioned quality, or oddly picturesque.

So, you've reached a point in your life where you think that you've learned a little about business, finance, contract negotiating, real estate, etc. and have at least a layman's knowledge of law pertaining to each. Being that savvy, you might also be aware of the incredible retirement locations and values south of the border; furthermore, you might even be considering Mexico as your retirement destination. If so, you might as well forget everything you've learned and leave your law degree at home!

Well, it appears as though the effects of the mortgage crisis in the US which began in March, 2008 followed by the collapse of the stock market in October, 2008 are finally being felt in Puerto Vallarta. Thanks to the strong Canadian Dollar, tourist expenditures in Vallarta for goods and services, including retirement real estate, held up fairly well for most of 2008. However, during the September/October timeframe, the Canadian Dollar plunged by more than 20%, thus reducing the Canadian purchasing power accordingly. Consequently, both the Americans and Canadians are now hesitant to aggressively invest in anything, especially foreign retirement properties.

As we all approach retirement, we often dream of someday owning a piece of Paradise, somewhere in Florida, Arizona, Hawaii, or even Puerto Vallarta; someplace with a climate conducive to kicking back and enjoying life to its fullest, year round.

Puerto Vallarta, the sleepy little Mexican fishing village that's no longer sleepy or little is located at the same latitude as Maui, Hawaii. Being at that latitude, Vallarta experiences the same perfect daily temperatures as Maui from November through May averaging about 73°F. However Vallarta is much more hospitable for vacationing or retirement during those months because it experiences an average monthly rainfall of less than 0.4 inches, whereas Maui receives anywhere from 1.7 to 2.6 inches of rain per month depending upon your location on the island. Additionally, Vallarta is located a short two to four hours from most US cities while Maui is six to ten hours from most mainland US cities.