Green Retirement Blog

According to the U.S. State Department, 6.6 million U.S. citizens (about 2% of the population), live outside the United States.  Some are in the military, others are students, employees of foreign and domestic companies, retirees, spouses of foreigners, and escaped felons, amongst many other reasons Americans live abroad.

Retiring Overseas

Before I started Green Retirement, I owned a small hotel in Costa Rica, for which I had abandoned my corporate life (another story). While I owned my hotel in Costa Rica, a large number of Americans stayed at my hotel, who were visiting Costa Rica to explore, not the wildlife, but the idea of retiring overseas. Their reasons for retiring outside of the United States, were various, but the top two reasons were: Affordability and Escape.

Affordability

Many Americans I met, didn’t believe that they could, or would be able to afford to retire in the United States. They had read, or heard, that in Costa Rica (and in many other countries) their savings would afford them a better retirement. Land was cheaper, food was cheaper, health care was cheaper, everything was cheaper. That the minimal amount of money, that they had been able to save, would go much further. In x country or y country, an American with a limited budget, could live the life!

Escape

The rat race. The culture. The pressure. America! Let me out, get me out, let me breathe! Many Americans, wanted to retire overseas, to become un-American. They rejected everything they had become, and they were looking for something else, to replace what they felt they had lost. A connectivity to an idealism, that had inspired them, but had been suffocated. The chance to be their true-selves, to be appreciated and welcomed, to be accepted. A time to be real.

The Dis-Reality

At least half, of the Americans who thought of, or chose to, retire overseas returned. Their reasons for returning were as varied as their reasons for leaving. Of the many Americans I met who thought of, or were tempted about retiring overseas, most chose to pass. It’s not easy to give up everything you have known for the complete unknown. Even if it comes with an 18 hole golf course. As a second home, a foreign country is cool, as a place you will be buried it’s not so fine. A new culture, new language, new food, new routine, new friends, new everything!

The Reality

Retiring overseas, is a great idea for some, a terrible idea for others. If you are seeking a new life, or adventure for your retirement, then retiring overseas may be the right choice. If you are considering retiring overseas, because you think you have to, or you think you have no other choice - then it’s bad idea. Staying right where you are may be the right choice.

The Truth

The truth is that you don’t have to retire overseas. You can afford to retire in the United States. And you don’t have to leave the United States to leave the “Culture”. The “Culture” is in your head, and you can turn it off, whenever you decide to do so. Yeah- really! If you have spent any time, on the Green Retirement website, then you know that you can afford to retire in the United States.

If you are thinking about retiring overseas, in a foreign country, you are not alone. Many Americans have either thought about it, or actually have, retired overseas. Some have had, and continue to have, a positive experience. Others have not had positive experiences.

Either way, if you decide to retire overseas or right where you are, make sure you have a retirement plan.

Your Impact

While I lived in Costa Rica, and I owned a hotel, I tried to warn my guests of the impact that they may have on the country and society of Costa Rica. Their decision to retire in Costa Rica could have a positive, or as was most often the case, a negative impact on the country. I created a Costa Rica Blog, to warn them, and to protect them from the many dangers.

Rain-forests were chopped down, real estate agents flooded in, gated communities were developed, to take advantage of the Americans who were seeking an escape, or a more affordable place to retire. The monkeys were disappearing, the beaches were becoming polluted, and the people of the country were adapting to the “American Way.”

In Any Case

What had started out, as a retirement heaven, quickly turned into a retirement hell. Americans were being robbed on land deals, by Americans, as well as locals. The infrastructure couldn’t keep up with the expansion, and electricity and water black-outs, were common place. Robberies, and armed robberies that were rare, were now happening in broad day-light. What had appeared to be an ideal retirement location, had in a matter of a few short years, turned into a retirement mistake.

In The End

Having said all that, in the end, retiring overseas is an option for many Americans. An option that many Americans choose. The two reasons I gave earlier, affordability and escape, are legitimate reasons for considering an overseas retirement. Retiring abroad can be less expensive, and retirement overseas, can be an escape from the life you have known. Just be aware that, an American lifestyle costs an American lifestyle, no matter where you live. And you can escape a country, but you can never escape - yourself.

Learn more about Green Retirement Planning - And find out how you can save your retirement and the planet!