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You can go over to the retirement forum and on a regular basis find posts like these.
I find these posts a little frustrating. What lies at the bottom of most of them is apathy. Most people who want to leave this country are upset at the high cost of living and the inability of many Americans to afford the retirement that they think they deserve.
What people need to do instead of dreaming of moving to a foreign country is to face up to the problems that exist in America and try to fix them.
If health care costs too much money why don't more Americans think in terms of working for a true national health insurance system? I find the apathy and inaction on this issue to be quite frustrating. People don't want to stand up and tell their U.S. House or Senate member that unless such a plan is enacted they will never vote for them again. That's the type of message that needs to be sent.
If retirement is a problem people need to seek jobs with higher incomes and retirement benefits. The last thing we should be doing right now in this country is enacting a tax law which will reduce taxes for the wealthiest Americans. Yet, it is almost certain to be enacted into law because of decisions that were made during the last election by voters.
Other countries have their problems too. Corrupt police, unregulated banking systems, and crime are serious problems in most third world countries just like you point out. There is no magically panacea somewhere else in the world. There are only countries with different cultures, different languages, and different problems than our own.'
Once upon a time, this country had a huge middle class and worked for most of its citizens. It doesn't any longer and instead of trying to fix those problems, many simply want to flee. Running away from problems seldom works.
What can the average citizen do to remedy these issues? Yeah, I let my Congressmen know how I feel about healthcare, tax cuts, “the Wall”, and other issues adversely impacting our economy and quality of life. Does it change how they vote? Absolutely not. Do I wish to spend my leisure time on grassroots political change? Absolutely not! Life is too short. I spend several months of the year in Portugal and I assure they, they don’t have the same problems there. Although paradise does not exist, it’s becoming ever more difficult to find affordable and desireable locations in the U.S. to live. Sometimes the grass IS greener.
I'm trying to imagine exactly who I am talking too. We seem to have quite a different mindset about work and living. What is your background? What degrees if any do you have? How much preparation did you do before you entered the adult labor force?
Software dev, BS applied mathematics, last question is overly vague.
Quote:
Originally Posted by markg91359
My idea isn't "silly" in the context in which I view life.
It's silly regardless in context of this discussion regardless of your view of life, obviously young folks "should" focus on their adult lives and earning potential, but saying that is a solution to retirement problems is like saying overweight people should eat less. Something obvious and easy to point out but not something that is easily realized. It's something one hears from a contestant in a Miss America contest during the question and answer session, not some profund "I view life" cacho.
Yep, he seems to be working with the assumption that anyone who moves overseas must have done it out of desperation and is living some squalid existence.
Everyone has different things that are important to them for the lifestyle they want to live and for many, for whatever reason, a life in another country is as enjoyable as in USA. If someone likes living in Costa Rica and by doing so they can either retire ten years earlier or retire at same time and have a life they couldn't afford in USA (by the beach, whatever) then why not? Platitudes about how they should have planned a career to make more money 30 years earlier don't really help them at this point, and even if they had the same two conditions (retire earlier, better lifestyle) would still apply.
Pointing out "other countries have their problems too" is just more noise since I've not seen anyone claim otherwise. Of course other countries have problems too, it's about trade offs and what is important to you. Not every neighborhood in every third world country has serious crime problems, expats don't necessarily spend their lives paying bribes to everyone, one doesn't always have to use unregulated banks, etc.
Thai bank accounts are guaranteed. I have to have 25000 USD in my account, and I can get one year extensions on my visa....since I am over 50. I own my condo, in my name, just paid maintenance fee for the first half of 2019..was 150 USD. No property tax. Not perfect, but BKK is a major league international city, and the majority of people are friendly, nice, and honest. Great place to be carless, too.
Maint fees on our place is 300 baht/month about $9/month. That's mainly for the pool we rarely use, the weight room we never use, the two Burmese chicks who keep the building pretty clean but spend most of their time hidden in the stairwell playing on their phones, the sleepy security guard out front who gets a real kick out of fist bump greetings, and the ladies at the front desk who are always eating something yet remain skinny.
Maint fees on our place is 300 baht/month about $9/month. That's mainly for the pool we rarely use, the weight room we never use, the two Burmese chicks who keep the building pretty clean but spend most of their time hidden in the stairwell playing on their phones, the sleepy security guard out front who gets a real kick out of fist bump greetings, and the ladies at the front desk who are always eating something yet remain skinny.
HAHA. Really funny. I can totally relate. Nice write up.
I've been thinking about going too another country that will take people with health problems like Diabetes and other medical conditions. I'm going blind in my left eye because of Diabetes and I'm blood thinner for life. My health insurance is going up every year.
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