Let’s Talk Retirement

So, would I be on this path of world travel and seeking a permanent overseas home if I were not of retirement age? Definitely not. 

 

It’s not that I wouldn’t have the desire for the adventure of it all. I’ve always had that. It’s that I wouldn’t have the income I need to sustain myself, without working, if I wasn’t eligible for Social Security.  Besides the fact that in most of the countries in which I’m going to be traveling and considering residency, working in country is not allowed as a “pensionado”, I do not want to work any longer, at least not as an employee. 

While relying on Social Security is not a good retirement plan in the U.S., it is more than enough to get by on in many, many places around the world. According to some of the sites I’ve visited about retiring overseas, one of the most common misconceptions is that you cannot collect your Social Security outside of the United States. This is completely false. In fact, my Social Security intake agent was very excited for me when I told her what I was going to be doing. 

While many people have planned responsibly for their retirement, putting away appropriate sums of money over the years, there are those of us who did not and there are those of us that did but the recession, or medical bills, or family situations struck down all their plans.  I was personally staring at a glum future of working until I dropped and already feeling the strain on my body at a fairly young age of 63. 

I was so happy when a lucky conversation with a shuttle passenger opened my eyes to the fact that my Social Security actually WAS enough, just not in the United States. Once I realized there was a whole range of countries that are affordable, safe, with good health care and welcoming arms for expatriates from all over the world, I felt both relief and excitement. How wonderful is it that in my fall and winter years, I have options! And they include globe-trotting, a life-long fantasy that is about to come true. 

If any of this makes sense to you, I will be presenting information and resources in my next post for you to explore.  In the meantime, you may want to simply Google “retirement overseas” and follow your heart.