TravelThis is a guest blog from Suzan Haskins. You can read her whole series on retiring abroad here.  This year, 2012, marks the first year since 2009 that U.S. retirees will finally see a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) of +3.6 percent in their Social Security benefits. In other words, along with suffering through a tough global economic situation, retirees who depend on Social Security endured three consecutive years without a cost-of-living raise. This was an historical event, mind you – the first …