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Why US baby boomers are retiring in Latin America
Christian Science Monitor ^ | Dec 1, 2013 | Daniel B. Wood

Posted on 12/02/2013 7:35:24 AM PST by posterchild

LOS ANGELES — After 20 years in the US military, James Cummiskey was divorced and looking for a change. Relenting to his buddy's request, he flew to Medellín, Colombia, for a visit. He looked, he saw, and, by dinner time, he decided to stay. Permanently.

"After four to five hours, I was immediately captured by everything I saw," says the ex-marine, who has lived in 35 countries. He spent the next four months selling two homes, three vehicles, two motorcycles, and one airplane. He put the money aside and decided to retire early.

Now he lives in a posh section of the mountain city of 3.8 million, surrounded by lush vistas. He married a Colombian woman, started a coffee export business, and seems to get goose bumps every time he thinks about his new life. "I tell you honestly I have had more fun here in the past four years than in the previous 50," he says.

(Excerpt) Read more at csmonitor.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: babyboomers; bho44; bhoeconomy; expats; latinamerica; obamalegacy; retirement; seniors
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To: Dilbert San Diego
True, true. If I was looking at a shrinking nest egg, *and* the US gov't doing everything they could to further shrink it.....other countries would look pretty good, I suppose.

But then again, I'm the kind of guy that vacations in out-of-the way places and asks the locals where they go for fun, to eat, etc etc etc. If I want to visit a place, I *visit*. Otherwise, I figure I could stay home and read a guidebook.

21 posted on 12/02/2013 8:14:54 AM PST by wbill
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To: posterchild
...A house that would go for half a million dollars in Costa Rica or Panama can be found or built in Guatemala for $250,000...

--and it would look like a one costing $3million in the U.S.  

Problem is you get what you pay for.  It's amazing the things considered acceptable down south that Americans would see as outrageous.  One solution is to hire the cheap labor and supervise American style, but once again you run into the same problem.  Don't get me wrong, Latinos are very hard workers, but only Americans are 'smart workers'.  Time and time again I'd divide it through and find out that say plastering cost the same per square foot whether it's done by a $1/hr Latino or a $20/hr American.

Now times have changed and Panamanian or Costa Rican labor has become a cut above Guatemala or Nicaragua.  Still nowhere near U.S. grade, but better than before.

22 posted on 12/02/2013 8:15:20 AM PST by expat_panama
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To: Eric in the Ozarks
One small item is missing in these retirement countries...

If you are referring to the Constitution, that seems to be a missing item in the U.S. as well.

23 posted on 12/02/2013 8:16:27 AM PST by Right Brother
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To: corlorde

Me too. The only place I have seen with wide open land is eastern Siberia just north of Mongolia, but alas it is in Russia.


24 posted on 12/02/2013 8:18:07 AM PST by Resolute Conservative
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To: posterchild


25 posted on 12/02/2013 8:20:09 AM PST by Iron Munro (Orwell: There are some ideas so absurd that only an intellectual could believe them.)
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To: Tax-chick
Even during his two tours in Vietnam, he lived on a U.S. Navy ship, not in the country.
You mean his ship was like a floating hotel, or that he never set foot IN country (i.e. blue water Navy)?
26 posted on 12/02/2013 8:21:09 AM PST by oh8eleven (RVN '67-'68)
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To: posterchild

Medellín, Colombia: reinventing the world’s most dangerous city

Two decades after drug baron Pablo Escobar was killed, can the city he presided over ever move on?

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/09/medellin-colombia-worlds-most-dangerous-city


27 posted on 12/02/2013 8:22:18 AM PST by McGruff (Obama lied. Period!)
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To: posterchild

ping


28 posted on 12/02/2013 8:25:37 AM PST by laplata (Liberals don't get it .... their minds are diseased.)
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To: Mikey_1962
I have been to San Miguel de Allende in GTO Mexico many times.

A friend of mine and his wife would go there every winter from Jan. thru Feb. and I would look ofter their house while they were away.

They loved it there,and were thinking of retiring there.

The last couple of years they stopped going, because they feared being kidnapped in Mexico while en route to San Miguel de Allende. -Tom

29 posted on 12/02/2013 8:25:53 AM PST by Capt. Tom
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To: oh8eleven

He’s counting the countries the jet landed for refueling ...


30 posted on 12/02/2013 8:28:05 AM PST by Ken522
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To: oh8eleven

He was an antisubmarine pilot, so he spent most of his time on the ship or flying over the ocean. He did put his feet on the ground in-country, but I don’t think one would think of that as “living in Vietnam” any more than I “lived in England” during a visit.

When my brother was stationed in England, he had temporary posts in Turkey, Romania, and elsewhere for a month or more. Is that “living in Turkey” or “living in Romania”? I suppose it’s simply a philosophical question.


31 posted on 12/02/2013 8:28:08 AM PST by Tax-chick (Now with more LOL and less UNNNGH.)
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To: Right Brother
One small item is missing in these retirement countries...

"If you are referring to the Constitution, that seems to be a missing item in the U.S. as well."

One other thing missing is guns. I have lots of guns. I doubt these foreign countries would look kindly on me bringing my ARs, M1A, etc, and thousands of rounds of ammo.

32 posted on 12/02/2013 8:29:36 AM PST by LouAvul (In a state of disbelief as to how liberals destroyed America in a mere 40 years.)
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To: corkoman

I have also had my eyes on Chile. Excellent climate (depending on the latitude), no real natural enemies, stable economically, stable and relatively non-corrupt politically.


33 posted on 12/02/2013 8:32:43 AM PST by henkster (Communists never negotiate.)
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To: Mikey_1962

Yup. San Miguel de Allende has its charms. I for one would avoid any spot with any other Americans roosting there. Got my spot picked out, and it’s no place anybody would choose to be.


34 posted on 12/02/2013 8:33:34 AM PST by PowderMonkey (WILL WORK FOR AMMO)
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To: Tax-chick

I am thinking of doing this. Been looking at a suburb of Hamilton, Texas. Or Montana. That’s about as foreign as I want to get.


35 posted on 12/02/2013 8:36:03 AM PST by EQAndyBuzz ("Senator Cruz basically made the Democrats fight for a whole bunch of things that they already had.")
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To: Dilbert San Diego

Dilbert San Diego wrote:
“I’ve heard some of the attraction of going to some of these countries, for men, is the females.

Not PC to talk about, and don’t know about this man in particular, but some men are aggravated by some American women’s outlook on life. And, actually prefer a woman who has been raised in a different culture, with a different manner of interacting with the man in her life.

Totally not PC to say anything about. But, I’ve heard that’s part of what drives American men to retire overseas or try to meet women from other countries.”

You are so correct in so many ways, you could not begin to count them.
It was either I break rank, and terminate my enlistment contract early, and become an ex-pat, and give up what was all I’ve known, or stay enlisted, come back to the U.S.A., and at least have a job. That was in the mid-70’s. The Pussification of America had not really become engrained, yet, but I could see it, and hated it, then. Once home, I found myself in charge of an entire warehose gang of nothing but women. YE GADS! Was I right!


36 posted on 12/02/2013 8:39:38 AM PST by Terry L Smith
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To: Eric in the Ozarks

Top notch medical care is an issue

course we are killing ours

I lived overseas prolly as much as anyone here

it was great when I was young

and I have a fine southern woman for many years now

I agree with many here...it’s the females for the single male expat

couples go for the cost of living or adventure

after Southern women Colombian women are my favorite..no question of that...very similar culturally to southern girls...except they dance and speak faster

actually there is usually less nanny state interference in life and if you network and have some cash you can have more freedom than here business wise

but if you go by the book you will get frustrated

crime..an issue...stay armed my friend


37 posted on 12/02/2013 8:39:43 AM PST by wardaddy (we have their bare throats....no time to go wobbly.....destroy them)
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To: EQAndyBuzz

I’ve lived in Texas, but I think I would find Montana nearly as foreign as Siberia.


38 posted on 12/02/2013 8:41:06 AM PST by Tax-chick (Now with more LOL and less UNNNGH.)
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To: Tax-chick
He was an antisubmarine pilot
In Vietnam? I know the NVA had tanks, MIGs and choppers (I shot one down in 1968) but I've never heard a peep about submarines.
39 posted on 12/02/2013 8:41:14 AM PST by oh8eleven (RVN '67-'68)
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To: Dilbert San Diego

That aspect has been well-discussed here at various times.


40 posted on 12/02/2013 8:42:13 AM PST by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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