|
|
I am extremely excited to announce my new e-book,
is now available !! Click here to find out more.
|
|
|
|
Living Abroad: Is it a good strategy? One option that often gets explored when one is planning retirement is moving to a less expensive area. This could mean moving from San Francisc to Oregon or from New York City to New Jersey. A more extreme jump can be moving to Puerto Rico or Central or South America. All of these can present challenges; a change in environment or social atmosphere, loss of local network of friends or just missing the old haunts, but the move to an overseas location can really emphasize the differences and present greater challenge should you re-think the move after it is a fait accompli. First let’s look at the financial picture. You are living in the United States and your house is an average $200,000. By your standards it may be nothing extravagant, but it is certainly a nice home in a decent area. You start looking in Nicaragua or Argentina and you realize that the pricing is very attractive. You can buy something equivalent to your current abode for around half the price. Cost of living is low and the natives seem pleasant. You don’t want to jump into anything too fast, so you go for a visit and spend a month there in the spring and another few weeks spread out over the year. The best plan is to get a feel for the weather all year ‘round and see if you think you can fit in. Everything seems wonderful and you take the plunge. You buy a hacienda and move in. You are living the live of Riley. A month or two goes by and the quaint market down the street doesn’t seem so quaint anymore. The price of fruit is still phenomenal and it is all fresh and juicy, but they don’t carry Dewer’s or lemon-lime soda. It’s the little things that you miss about home. You also are starting to feel cut off because you can’t talk to most people. Your Spanish is passable, you can be understood and mostly you understand the conversations around you, but there is no nuance. You can talk about the weather or the vegetables, but not about the Yankees or the 49’ers. Six months go by and you are starting to avoid your spouse. The world has become a much smaller place, and you want, no, you need to talk to someone new about nothing at all. Just small talk, but the nearest small talk is two plane flights away. Finally you tell your spouse that you want to return home. Unabashedly they immediately agree. You go to sell your hacienda, but there are no quick buyers. You fly home to check out houses in the old neighborhood, but suddenly you realize that the move away and transporting all your furniture and stuff has depleted the funds. You’d be lucky to find an efficiency apartment on the outskirts of town for what you are getting for the palace you are selling down south. You both fly back to the house and hope for a fresh face to appear and fall in love with your place. In the meantime, you run back to the market and pick up a bottle of the local tequila. The fresh lemons make it taste a little better. Suddenly you realize that your situation is not getting better as the days go on. Another trip to the market. What is the Spanish word for rope? Ah, cuerda…now all you need to do is find a stout tree to throw the rope over. Life in paradise. This may be a little harsh, but the point is that before you make any move, you really need to know what you are getting into. If you can’t afford to rent a place for six months in your potential new neighborhood, you are not ready to make a move at all. The South American hacienda is just an extreme example of how things are different on a daily basis than for a vacation or even a month or two. Moving from San Francisco or any large metropolitan area to a rural community can be too much of a culture shock for some people. I like to be near the theater, social scenes and shopping malls. I like to visit ancient Mayan ruins, but I don’t want to move there. The small things in lifeare the things that really provide comfort to us humans. Having A-1 sauce for your steak might seem normal, but if you can only get B-2, it’s not the same thing. Look before you leap and don’t burn your bridges. I’m sure there are other clichés I could throw in here, but hopefully you get the point. A move without an exit strategy can cut as deeply as a sharp knife.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|
||
|
|
|||
|
Want a scholarship into the Millionaire Mind Intensive worth $2590? http://www.secretsofthemillionairemind.com The columns, articles, message board posts and/or any other features provided on Wealth Training Source are provided for personal finance and investment information and are not to be construed as investment advice. Under no circumstances does the information in this content represent a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security. The views and opinions expressed in an article or column are the author’s own and there is no implied endorsement by Robert Britt of any advice or trading strategy copyright Robert E. Britt 2006 |
|||
