Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
In February and March there was a thread, "Best countries to retire to," in this forum which really went over this topic backward and forward. That might be a good thing to scan through for anyone interested in the topic.
Thanks and definitely will scan that thread as well. I did take into consideration the wording of this thread since my goal here is not just to get people's ideas of best places to retire to but places where people may actually wish to retire to. Sometimes the best is not what we may want.
I appreciate all you guys' input btw. To me, I love USA but I also love the thrill of learning what may be out there.
I'm planning to visit Portugal this fall, & possibly So. Spain, with an eye to check out retirement possibilities. Not committed to expatriating but am intrigued by it. I don't like hot & humid climates so lot of the previously mentioned places aren't being considered anymore.
If you don't mind hot & humid Panama should be on the list, it has a lot going for it that most don't realize.
For those who have done research or has actually moved, where and why? For those who actually moved, how is it so far?
Go ahead, move to a country you can get screwed over with impunity by local cops and have NO recourse (Here in the USA you can at least sue) or have to have guards at the compound 24/7 to protect your butt from those outside...
Case in point, spoke with a woman at my sister's church who is a missionary for a medical team. She said "After we close the gates to the mission, it's about midnight you may hear gunfire as the guards are firing warning shots to those trying to climb the fence to get at the corn growing in the protected fields"
I am retired and have been living in Peru (Miraflores district of Lima) for the past 13 years. I love everything about it. I live in a condo overlooking the Pacific and all my needs are within walking distance. It never rains here (no weather period) so you spend most of your time outside. I can be in the desert in 45 min, Andes mountains in about 6 hours, High jungle in 8 hours or I can catch a cheap flight and be paddling down the Amazon river in about 3 hours. Outside of housing, costs are cheap,medical care is excellent,people are friendly, food is the best in the world and my Wife is muy carinosa. I have two kids as well and we have FT nanny/housekeeper for under $400.00 a month. Old people are respected by the young and we have really weird looking dogs.
For the record: I am a U.S. citizen, now aged 78. I emigrated from the U.S. to Europe permanently in January 2001. I have lived in two countries. One I lived in for three years and did not like for reasons that were not financial, and returned to Portugal where I had lived previously for about a year and a half, and I have lived here ever since.
How do you get health insurance, being over 70? I've thought I might have to give up the idea of moving overseas now that I'm 70 because insurers won't take older people. I know AARO is an option but it's pretty expensive.
Having grown up in Philippines, I could provide some info about Philippines and how the country may be an option for retirement. For myself though, I want the thrill of a different country hence this thread. This is just information sharing.
Here are good things going for Philippines.
1. English as a second language.
2. Generally friendly people (I think we can agree though that high class are always on snobby side wherever, even in 3rd world countries).
4. Currency conversion. Right now, $1 = Php46. A person can live on $2 of meal. I just finished eating my $8 meal (no drinks) here in US. That's a factor of 1:4 ... huge for stretching out your dollars. This basically meant 1 year of food here in US is 4 years of food there.
5. Economy has improved. The biggest impact of this is there are more available good second hand cars (since more people have sold their cars to buy new cars).
6. Condo boom in the cities. Before, only rich folks can afford to live in the cities (unless you squat which of course you don't want to do). There, you can get a simple but quality 2-bedroom condo for $150K. This is in a high-rise building. Here in US, I don't know how much that would cost. Maybe $300K. So that's double. You can get 2 units, live in one and rent out the other and be a businessman/landlord there. Cashflow!
7. American culture. Philippines is the main US country in Asia, being allies in World War 2. They have a national holiday for Filipino-American Friendship day. American influence may be found in politics (democratic), music (very American), economy (free market) and business (English is main language). This helps in adapting.
8. Nature. Lots of islands and beaches to choose from. Mountains and caves. Get your grandkids over during the summer and have them enrolled in surfing, scuba diving, etc. Lots of tropical nature to explore above and below sea level.
But also there are bad sides.
1. Pollution. Get ready to have your tissue covering your nose when you're out unless you're in the rural areas. I noticed though, since I live in the 12th floor, when I'm on my balcony, I don't smell the pollution, nor mosquitoes can fly higher than the 8th floor. Also, if you have a car, you're basically going from your unit down to your car so there's a limited exposure. It's those who avail of public transport that gets exposed to the pollution.
2. Street crime. You don't want to wear jewelries while on the streets and must be very wary of your bag when walking on the streets. That is why I chose and suggest to live in the Business District, where it's the safest. I think I shared a youtube video in another thread of what Makati business district looks like. Another business district is Bonifacio Global City (BGC). These are first world enclaves in 3rd world countries.
3. It's very hot. I don't mind the humidity as it actually makes me sweat a bit which is good for my health and keeps fat in check. But it's the exposure to hot sun rays that I don't like. However, you're in an air-conditioned environment anyway (car, eatery, theater, mall, grocery) most of the time so that helps. I just want you to know that summer months of March to June can get very hot there.
4. No snow. No white Christmas.
5. Third World. It's not for everybody. This is more for those practical, budget-conscious Americans. Let's face it, it is ideal to have $1M in our 401K but the reality is not everyone has it, not necessarily for lack of trying but every one has had a different situation in their lives that made it harder to buttress that retirement money. I for one doesn't have that sum. Of course, I can live austere even in other first worlds like Italy or UK or Japan but if I want to live Middle Class or even Upper Class, moving in to a 2nd or 3rd world country is on the table for me.
Go ahead, move to a country you can get screwed over with impunity by local cops and have NO recourse (Here in the USA you can at least sue) or have to have guards at the compound 24/7 to protect your butt from those outside...
Case in point, spoke with a woman at my sister's church who is a missionary for a medical team. She said "After we close the gates to the mission, it's about midnight you may hear gunfire as the guards are firing warning shots to those trying to climb the fence to get at the corn growing in the protected fields"
How do you get health insurance, being over 70? I've thought I might have to give up the idea of moving overseas now that I'm 70 because insurers won't take older people. I know AARO is an option but it's pretty expensive.
Go ahead, move to a country you can get screwed over with impunity by local cops and have NO recourse (Here in the USA you can at least sue) or have to have guards at the compound 24/7 to protect your butt from those outside.......
No one in their right mind would consider such a country in the first place. I can't imagine that this thread is going to attract the kind of adventurers who would go to such a place.
Places that have a good quality of life, reliable governance / legal system, etc, are too expensive.
Cheap places tend to have poor governance and / or a very bad legal system, and possibly worse ... higher personal danger.
Truth is ... he said whilst clicking his Ruby Slippers' heels .... there's no place like home!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
