Posted on 11/08/2012 1:34:19 PM PST by Javeth
Just curious especially to hear from anyone else who’s planning to do this, about the best countries overseas to retire and work in. My wife and I have done pretty well with our import/export business, worked hard and saved up, and are starting to make retirement plans. We’re not much enthused about giving out our hard-earned and saved money, to support the spendthrift socialist incompetence and excesses of Obama and his successors. So we’re looking to retire abroad, and if possible to even continue some of the business overseas in a lower key, part time context.
Our trading is mostly Mediterranean-based, so we were naturally thinking of a retirement home in a place like Italy, Greece, south of France, Spain or Portugal. (Don’t pay attention to all the overwrought headlines out of the liberal MSM in the US about Greece, as long as you work hard and save up, and make yourself reasonably self-sufficient, even Greece is a fine place to work and retire.) One of our sons is established in Holland right now anyway, married to a Dutch lady and speaks very good Dutch and German himself, so we’d have that family connection. (Holland, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Finland, Denmark all have surprisingly active evangelical communities in which many Americans have gotten set up to work, learn the language and raise families, maybe even retire in though don’t know much about that- seems like the fjords in Norway for ex. would be a beautiful place for a retirement home.)
OTOH I've been hearing a lot of good things from old friends about working/retiring in places like Argentina, Panama, Chile, Nicaragua, Brazil, Costa Rica and Uruguay. I've been to Buenos Aires and other parts of Argentina as well as Chile and was pleasantly surprised. Despite the financial issues from the 90’s they’re both very pleasant places, have that welcoming “Old European” feel that you can’t find in the US anymore, plus they tend to leave you alone to do as you will there. Also the cost of living is very low, even on the beaches and seaside locations. I had a brief stopover in Uruguay and seems to have that character, too, same with Itacare and Porta de Galinhas in Brazil IIRC, though not as well-known compared to Argentina and Chile. That’s also why I guess places like Panama, Nicaragua and traditional destinations like Acapulco have been attractive, though so far haven’t visited there personally. My wife and I just haven’t really investigated the retirement or work angle itself yet, so were wondering what others have experienced.
Obviously the standard caveats apply, we’re not looking for perfect paradises and other countries have their own issues and whatever. But almost anywhere would be far better than the PC socialist, grasping incompetence of the Obama and Clinton-led US and whatever comes after. We've already been moving toward renouncing our US passports anyway because of the damage done by the outrageous global taxation scheme in the US, the only one in the world that does that to it's own citizens- the banks in our overseas trading locations want to close our accounts because they can’t deal with the intrusive US paperwork requirements. We’re not about to give another dime to this wasteful, corrupt regime.
So for us and I’m sure millions in our boat, retiring abroad or just working in a lower key environment makes sense. A bonus if the new country really is a pleasant and welcoming land to stay in, as it seems that Argentina, Chile, Panama, Nicaragua and the Mediterranean would without doubt be for us. So we’d be glad to hear from any of you making a similar move.
On the plus side people are genuinely friendly (unlike superficial southern hospitality), and the women are hot.
Did you get deported to Brazil as punishment?
Malta might be a possibility It has a stable republican government and is centrally located. English is widely spoken, and the Muslim population is small.
My advice to you is move fast.
One of the OPM investigators that comes in for law checks is planning to retire in Cebu City, Philippines. He says the cost of living is very cheap and can get property there for around $100,000. he says there is a magazine called International Living that covers all of this stuff.
Work and wife brought me here. Draw your own conclusions.
I expected if Baraq won, the necessary discussion on FR will be “bolt or revolt”.
My sis-in-law is from Pampanga, Philippines and my brother married her in Cebu. It’s an expat’s dream. Extremely cheap and it’s like Miami but gosh, the property taxes are low. Lots of Americans there. That’s where the Phil call center for Paypal, AT&T and other multinatl corps are located.
My best friend from HS now lives in Sao Paulo! The most conservative guy ever and yet he chose to live there. He was reading Ayn Rand in Jr. High, if that tells you anything. So I couldn’t see him selling everything off and moving to socialist Club Med, but he did. I guess when you have enough money to retire at 40, anywhere is probably a nice place. He abandoned the US in 2009 post Obama and has no regrets. Chatting online on election night all he could do was tell me “Told ya so”. He now has several hobby businesses, employs locals and runs a cash based/underground mini-empire, but mainly lives off his previous investments and sale of business here in the states. Pays zero taxes, but claims makes up for them in friendly bribes to friendly officials. The the Brazil way. He enjoys the freedom, the lifestyle, and yes, the women.
So, based on my very limited knowledge, Brazil would be great if you already have oodles of money.
That said, you may be far better off than I.
bfl
Invest only where there is the rule of law.
“On the plus side people are genuinely friendly (unlike superficial southern hospitality), and the women are hot.”
Ha, true, can’t help but notice that even if pretending not to around the Missus. I only had a couple brief stays in Brazil decades ago when the business was barely off the ground, among my first trips outside the USA. Even then, and probably affected by my status then as an unmarried guy, I wondered if the gorgeousness of the women compared to the United States and most any other country could make up for all the flip-sides in Brazil. I’d heard about so many expats working there these days that I thought the flip-sides might have picked up, too, but it’s one of the places I admittedly know far less about. I guess people manage somehow.
Thanks for the details.
The questions to be pondering are "When do you join a militia?" "At what point do you start firing on your neighbors?" "When do you say enough is enough?"
The Founders found a point they would not budge. Where is that point? Lincoln drew a line in the sand and the south gladly crossed it. No one wants to see this type of situation come upon the nation, but how far will we go? It would be easier to go to Belize, but how long before SHTF there? I would be in Alaska if I could, but I would lose my wife in that move.
I’ve been doing business in Argentina for more that 10 years, and have developed some good friendships there.
It IS a great place, and the people are wonderful. But, I think it’s far too unstable to count on.
I’ve been doing some looking at Panama. It seems to be a pretty interesting place.
I’ve been doing business in Argentina for more that 10 years, and have developed some good friendships there.
It IS a great place, and the people are wonderful. But, I think it’s far too unstable to count on.
I’ve been doing some looking at Panama. It seems to be a pretty interesting place.
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