The Best Place in the World to Retire, Says International Living

BALTIMORE, Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- For years, Ron and Donna Carlson had been
searching for the perfect retirement spot. After long professional careers,
they were living comfortably in Camas, Washington with a view of the Columbia
River and Mt. Hood. Winters were spent in a second home on a golf course in
Surprise, Arizona.

"We realized that after we retire we aren't going to have the income to
maintain the lifestyle we're accustomed to," Ron says, "but we're determined
to try. So we started looking for that perfect place to live. At the top of
our list of requirements were great weather and a low cost of living."

Longtime subscribers to International Living magazine, Ron and Donna knew that
their retirement dollars would stretch much farther if they were to relocate
outside the United States, and they began to explore the idea of retiring in
Latin America.

Using International Living as their guide, the Carlsons made trips to Panama,
Brazil, Mexico, and Europe. This past January, they found their new home -- in
the city that's now been named the top retirement destination on International
Living's Annual Global Retirement Index -- Cuenca, Ecuador.

Cuenca is almost on the equator, but at 8,000 feet elevation. "The weather is
perfect year round," says Kent Zimmerman, a U.S. expat who lives in Cuenca.
"There are flowers everywhere, green grass, and rushing rivers. The elevation
sounds high (it's about the same as Aspen), but studies continually show how
healthy it is for you. It's so energizing, you feel 10 years younger."

Cuenca, and Ecuador in particular, has so much to offer, says International
Living editor Laura Sheridan, that it bumped Mexico from the top spot on the
publication's Annual Retirement Index.

"It's a place of old-world beauty," writes Sheridan in the magazine's cover
article, "where you can enjoy the wallet-pleasing prices that deliver a
private retreat for as little as $300 a month."

Indeed, says Ron Carlson. "We bought a 4,000-square-foot penthouse apartment
in Cuenca with fantastic views and all the amenities we could want. We paid
far less for it than we would have elsewhere. And we have the world's best
weather."

Also, he explained, Ecuador offers a low cost of living, top-notch healthcare,
and some appealing benefits for retirees, including half-price airfares and
other transportation costs, and big discounts on a variety of other expenses
like taxes, utilities, and entertainment.

"Moving here will not be a reduction in the quality of our lifestyle," Carlson
said. He and his wife expect to be able to retire and move to Cuenca by the
end of 2010.

To determine the Annual Retirement Index, Sheridan says 30 countries are
analyzed and ranked in categories including real estate costs, special
benefits offered to retirees, culture, safety and stability, health care,
climate, infrastructure, and cost of living.

"We look closely at the best opportunities worldwide for retirement living,"
she says. "Where will the retiree's dollars go farthest? Which country is the
safest? Where is the health care best? We give top priority to those things
that matter most to anyone planning for retirement, including programs with
special benefits for retirees. . .things like tax breaks and discounts, for
example, that various governments offer in an effort to attract investment and
retirement dollars."

Ecuador may be the best-kept retirement secret in the Americas, she says,
especially when it comes to real estate prices.

"For a decade now, Ecuador has been one of our favorite locations for overseas
retirement," she says. "In fact, it won the top honor in 1999 and has been
among our preferred locales ever since. This year, it's back at number one --
followed by Mexico, Panama, Uruguay, and Italy."

"Keep in mind that every place has its pros and cons. And every country has
pockets where living is easier, or cheaper, than another," she says. "In
Ecuador, for instance, some expats live in small towns, like Cotacachi, in
cooler mountain climates. Others live in fishing villages on the coast. And
still more choose cosmopolitan cities like Quito and Cuenca."

The same is true of Mexico, Sheridan says, which last year earned the top spot
on the Retirement Index. "Living in a resort city like Puerto Vallarta is more
expensive, and arguably more stressful, than living in a smaller and
lesser-known town like Tepic, just a few hours north."

This is the 17th year that International Living, founded in 1981, has compiled
its Annual Retirement Index.

The United States ranks #22 on the Index and receives particularly bad marks
in the area of special benefits for retirees. It scores well in both safety
and infrastructure. At the bottom of the list are the United Kingdom and South
Africa--primarily because of high real estate prices and, in the U.K., overall
high cost of living. In the case of South Africa, the country didn't score
particularly well in any category.

"No place scores a perfect 100," stresses Sheridan. "Even Ecuador, our number
one retirement destination, earns a score of only 79. The best, but not
perfect. If you're trying to pick a place to retire, keep that in mind. There
will be good points and bad, no matter where you go. Realizing that ahead of
time will help eliminate disappointments later."

The Top Ten Best Places to Retire (and total points out of a possible
100):

Ecuador 79
Mexico 78
Panama 77
Uruguay 75
Italy 73
Brazil 71
Argentina 71
Costa Rica 70
Malta 70
Australia 70

To read the article and see the complete scores for every country in every
category, go to www.retirement-index.com.

For interview and further comments, contact Suzan Haskins at
shaskins@internationalliving.com.

International Living has more than 200 correspondents traveling the globe,
investigating the best opportunities for real estate, travel, retirement, and
investment and contributing to its monthly magazine, special reports, and
more. Every year, International Living hosts conferences and events around the
world that help its subscribers learn about offshore opportunities. Learn more
at www.InternationalLiving.com.

SOURCE International Living

Suzan Haskins of International Living, +1-479-935-9083,
shaskins@internationalliving.com