Survival & Freedom #4: Retirement

[Bob]

There is a 4th option: Pay out until it is gone and say "Sorry"

Just wait - your IRA will be taxed before you start taking if you are young enough.

[Strayz]

Odd question for those that are here.

Anyone considering going the path of Expat?

I have been considering it more and more as time rolls, by. Recently Divorced (In the last 5 years), Not much other than finishing up a few years (about 10 give or take) where I am working until I am looking at the life of walking the neighborhood, mowing the lawn and Sippin a beverage, and a few hobbies I have. The Divorce kind of threw a monkey in the wrench on what I was thinking about retiring.

South America, SE Asia are the two locations I am looking at right now. Warmer weather and lower cost of living all kind of appeal to me, while still providing for my daughter and if need be I can always return to the US.

I have also lived outside of the US both as a Civilian and in the Military. So I have an idea what it is like to have to speak a second or third language to get by.

Thoughts?

[Mac66]

Odd question for those that are here.

Anyone considering going the path of Expat?

I have been considering it more and more as time rolls, by. Recently Divorced (In the last 5 years), Not much other than finishing up a few years (about 10 give or take) where I am working until I am looking at the life of walking the neighborhood, mowing the lawn and Sippin a beverage, and a few hobbies I have. The Divorce kind of threw a monkey in the wrench on what I was thinking about retiring.

South America, SE Asia are the two locations I am looking at right now. Warmer weather and lower cost of living all kind of appeal to me, while still providing for my daughter and if need be I can always return to the US.

I have also lived outside of the US both as a Civilian and in the Military. So I have an idea what it is like to have to speak a second or third language to get by.

Thoughts?

Yeah, you can live cheaper in third world countries but you give up a lot of freedoms we take for granted here. Not to mention the language barrier always keeps you as an outsider even if you do learn it.

IMO, rural America is a different country and there are plenty of places in the US where you can escape to and be unfettered by politics and society. There is a whole subculture of people who live in RVs for example and travel around very economically. As bad as the US seems sometimes, it still is the best country to live in IMO.

[Strayz]

Yeah, you can live cheaper in third world countries but you give up a lot of freedoms we take for granted here. Not to mention the language barrier always keeps you as an outsider even if you do learn it.

IMO, rural America is a different country and there are plenty of places in the US where you can escape to and be unfettered by politics and society. There is a whole subculture of people who live in RVs for example and travel around very economically. As bad as the US seems sometimes, it still is the best country to live in IMO.

While I get the fear of language barrier and being an outsider. I have been living on the fringe for a long while. I tried to be domesticated and it kinda worked. Made me smarter in many ways, but I still realize there are a ton of people breathing and trying to share the air I breathe. Not being melodramatic. I have found some of the best places to live where there are fewer people. I live in Alaska because I just get tired of all the lights and noise from being around so many people in the lower 48. I can not even wrap my brain how people do the mega cities of SoCal or the eastern seaboard. Hence I am looking at South America as one of the places, it is warmer there and I speak, and read 2 of the languages that are used in those countries, along with English.

As far as escaping the politics? Nope as long as you are in the USA, you are going to have the 2 TV supported parties. 3rd and 4th parties are not even interviewed, considered fringe groups and whackos.

While I get why everyone is not wanting to leave (Family, Security, and familiarity with the area you live in), I also know my retirement can get me a better standard of living other places.

Houses that are very nice and cost less than 100k that would cost 700K+ here in the US. Daily living expenses less than $10 USD a day. Yeah some of the places I am looking at might and rightly should be considered a banana republic.

Like I said I am looking at this, my retirement is good, I figure it can always be better. A good friend of mine just moved to SE Asia and Invited me over to his place over there for next fall. We have had longer than normal conversations on the Xpat choice.

I just thought I would put it out there. To get other opinions.

[Mac66]

All I'm saying is that there are warm places to live in the southern US. No language barriers, half a day trip from anywhere else in the US. Common currency. Rural America is a different country.

[Bob]

A few thoughts -

First, I generally believe that the US is the free-est place around in many many ways still. That is changing before our eyes - and it always was going to. But, I absolutely consider that there may be other places that are as good, and even preferable in many ways.

The prepper philosophy has some interesting things about it. I am probably an outlier. I see a LOT of them that are fundamentally running down the complete isolationist rabbit hole. That may well be you. Alaska is not sufficiently free enough / isolated enough ? Might want to think about that!

There is the sustainability through death factor though. Wanting to live a truly self-sustaining lifestyle is a thing. I'd argue a good thing. Cities growing as large as they are has a few anti-freedom factors that go with it:
1. Freedom is less; It has to be - there are simply more people to piss off.
2. Control is greater: You have to or chaos gets out of hand fast
3. Dependence on outside resources is high. See Control and no freedom.

But cities have many may advantages too. Just depends if they are advantages you want enough. The country/rural areas have their own issues, and advantages.

Remember: In the US, the healthcare is top notch, if you can afford it. That said, in many countries, an 85 yr old with Covid is comforted and quietly allowed to die. And honestly, I think that is far more sensible than what we do/did. But - daily healthcare that we all need as we age, is cheap and plentiful. Why? Because they didn't spend 200k on keeping a dying person alive for another 2 days.

Everything has pros and cons. You need to decide for yourself.

I LIKE society. I like music, performing and seeing. I like to go to bars, restaurants, etc. I like my work, which is large industry oriented. I like my pool, my TV, movies and all of that. But that's me. I would not worry about learning french, Spanish, German or whatever very quickly.

I spent some serious time looking at perhaps New Zealand maybe 15 years ago...

But as mentioned - I also will not be retiring. I'll be writing, teaching kung fu, music, consulting or whatever. For me to do what I enjoy, I need to be around people. How many how close is the question.

[Mac66]

Re: moving out of the country....

I would never leave the US but if I did I'd either go to Belize or Roatan, Honduras.

Belize used to be called British Honduras and is the only country in central America where English is the official language. Lots of Americans live in or have homes in Belize. Ive been there twice. There is an island off the coast of Belize, can't remember the name, but it's near the blue hole, famous for diving and fishing. That would be my choice. You could live well there on $20-30k/year.

Roatan is an island off the coast of Honduras. It's famous for diving. Cruise ships stop there which is how I saw it. As such, English is widely spoken and there are a lot of Americans who have homes there. Tourism is the main industry. Lots of stuff to do. You could live like a king on $20-30k/year. Honduras itself kind of sucks but Roatan is a jewel.

[bdcochran]

I was in Guadalajara over 60 years ago.

For many years, I have said that if Medi-care were available to Americans living outside of the USA, many would leave.

[aerynsun]

Odd question for those that are here.

Anyone considering going the path of Expat?

I have been considering it more and more as time rolls, by. Recently Divorced (In the last 5 years), Not much other than finishing up a few years (about 10 give or take) where I am working until I am looking at the life of walking the neighborhood, mowing the lawn and Sippin a beverage, and a few hobbies I have. The Divorce kind of threw a monkey in the wrench on what I was thinking about retiring.

South America, SE Asia are the two locations I am looking at right now. Warmer weather and lower cost of living all kind of appeal to me, while still providing for my daughter and if need be I can always return to the US.

I have also lived outside of the US both as a Civilian and in the Military. So I have an idea what it is like to have to speak a second or third language to get by.

Thoughts?

When you retired you have a lot of time on your hands. South America and SE Asia are interesting for awhile and have their challenges with travel and crime (SE Asia not a big issue except for the Philippines). I think a person could get bored after awhile.

People do not appreciate how large and diverse the USA is. London to Rome is about 1,100 miles. That is about the distance from Atlanta to Boston or 1/3 the distance between New York and LA.

You have a lot more options in the USA.

[Strayz]

Odd question for those that are here.

Anyone considering going the path of Expat?

I have been considering it more and more as time rolls, by. Recently Divorced (In the last 5 years), Not much other than finishing up a few years (about 10 give or take) where I am working until I am looking at the life of walking the neighborhood, mowing the lawn and Sippin a beverage, and a few hobbies I have. The Divorce kind of threw a monkey in the wrench on what I was thinking about retiring.

South America, SE Asia are the two locations I am looking at right now. Warmer weather and lower cost of living all kind of appeal to me, while still providing for my daughter and if need be I can always return to the US.

I have also lived outside of the US both as a Civilian and in the Military. So I have an idea what it is like to have to speak a second or third language to get by.

Thoughts?

When you retired you have a lot of time on your hands. South America and SE Asia are interesting for awhile and have their challenges with travel and crime (SE Asia not a big issue except for the Philippines). I think a person could get bored after awhile.

People do not appreciate how large and diverse the USA is. London to Rome is about 1,100 miles. That is about the distance from Atlanta to Boston or 1/3 the distance between New York and LA.

You have a lot more options in the USA.

If you get bored after a while, the same boredom will find you in the US as well.

I really do appreciate the size and variety of the US. I have been in and through a large portion of it for my 20+ years of working as an IT contractor. I have lived on both costs for short periods of time, both in the south and north, East and west. I still called Oregon home when I wrapped up contacts.

I think you are over selling the options in justification for you staying in the US. There are positives and negatives of each location.

Living in Germany you would have health care at very low costs, but the cost of other things are rather high.

SE Asia cost of living is silly cheap, health care could be hard to find. But a full time nurse would be cheep.

The Good Ole USA. Cost of housing is going up, no getting around that. Food is what it is. Medical care is getting more sketchy as different administrations do the wrecking ball to what ever they hate and like. You might have Medicare and the next week you might not. If you need to hire a private nurse the prices is incredibly expensive. What if you live past what you have saved past your retirement? You planed to make it to 80 or so and then lived to be 119?

I am putting this out there as an idea. If you have to rail on an idea then it is not for you and I get it. I see a lot of people saying you do not have the freedoms that you have in the US and I really don't see that as an issue in some of the places I am looking at. Some of the Rules will change and some of them will be like living in the US but you are not.

Yes I will have to give us some things, Like my firearm collection. The way the government is going we all may have to. There will be other concessions depending on location. I did look at NZ as well. The cost of living there and some of the other things about living there kinda turned me off. Although fishing and hunting on that island would be incredible.