4 Factors that Could Affect Your Retirement Abroad

Factor 1. PUSHING RETIREMENT AGE TO 69
 
Every time we turn around and see an article in the main stream about retirement it seems they’re always making a case for later retirement.  They are now recommending and pushing retirement age up to 69 instead 65.  So what’s this all about, do you think? Do you think they have your welfare in mind when they are pushing for a 69 age retirement?

After doing more research about this new craze we find it is the workers themselves that are pushing for a 69 to 70 age retirement. They actually want and NEED to work longer so they can have a larger pension fund for when they retire. Some folks believe they will not have enough to live on during their retirement years.  

One man said, “I want more income to sustain myself”.  Sadly, many baby boomers are saying they will need to come out of retirement with a retirement job to make ends meet; others are saying they have debts that will need to be paid off.  
Source: Retirement Quotes Cafe
 
Is it worth it? Does a few hundred dollars more a month really make that much of a difference, to work an added 4 years for? It seems rather futile to work 4 more years for a couple hundred dollars more a month.  But apparently some workers think this is what they need to do to be able to make ends meet for retirement.
 
This may be an explanation of why some folks who wouldn’t normally be moving to a South American Country for retirement are doing so; it’s because they think they have to, since the cost of living is perceived to be cheaper.  It may be cheaper at first but after awhile it is not that much cheaper than the u.s. Look at Costa Rica and Panama.
 
Is this how the social Security Administration has organized the system? It certainly doesn’t seem fair for anyone, who has worked most of their life, thinking they would have a social security pension to tide them over through t he retirement years. But it looks that way after doing the research about this subject.  Sadly, for some, when the time comes to rest and relax, it will not be without financial worries, unless of course they work until age 69.
 
A couple of financial advisors did the math and  for an American to work until the age of 70-years old with a retirement fund of $1000 a month would actually REDUCE their pension by 19% if they actually did work until age of 70-years old because of working the added years. Here's the story.
 
What can you do? Learn ways to have what you need for less. Please see our Minimalist Guide to Living Well on Less Abroad. There are so many wonderful ways to be frugal and enjoy life without making it cost an arm and a leg.
 
Health and Well Being of Senior Citizens to Cuenca
 
Unfortunately, we have observed the physical condition of many older folks who have come to Cuenca to retire; and what we are seeing is that some of the retirees in their 60’s and 70’s do not appear as if (because of certain health conditions) they are feeling that great, so will they truly enjoy their later retirement years?
 
Perhaps moving to Cuenca or somewhere else abroad will improve health somewhat; however, underlying health issues do not go away by themselves, unless certain changes in physical condition and attitude are met. In fact what we’re seeing by the time a retiree reaches the age of 70 is most folks don’t have that much battery left to run on.
 
We can’t help but say it, this is just another reason to strive for a healthy balance in life when we’re young so we can remain healthy, to the time of our retirement from working for a paycheck, so we can actually enjoy our retirement years!
 
When the average mortality age is 74-years old it looks like most folks will enjoy about four or five years of retirement bliss, if they are not having any bodily aches and pains, and disease by that time.
What a retirement hoax, uh?  The system wants to dole out less and less, and that is historically accurate.
 
Retirement? You have to be kidding! Only a couple generations of Americans was ever fortunate enough to have this luxury.  Retirement the way it is understood now is an anomaly of history.  In other non western countries retirement is self manufactured.
 
Factor 2. Retire Abroad Promoters Defrauding the Older Generation

Who are these promoters? They are the ones wh o prey on older folks who are about to retire or are retired, telling them how cheap a place may be and what a paradise it is because they know that many of them may find it difficult to live in the US or any European country on their social security pensions.
 
What they do not tell you is that to get the real cheap you will have to totally go local, immersing yourself in the culture, learning the language, shopping where they shop, renting in the local rental market and blending in so you will not come off as if you are a “rich America”.  You know, all that we talk about in our DIY Cuenca Guide and on the Discover Cuenca Blog. Forget about bringing your u.s standards with you to a Latin American country.  They cost more here than in north America.
 
And for anyone who might be wondering, there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with going local, renting in the local rental markets, shopping where the prices are the best value, learning to speak Spanish, or blending in!!  We’ve been doing it for years and love it here!   It’s really what you need to do to be happy in a S.A country; otherwise you will always feel like an outcast and be thought of as a “rich gringo”. When you position yourself wisely within the local community you live in, you will reap the benefits,health, happiness, and prosperity through frugality.
 
The new rumor mill, according to forum posts is that IL conferences are now teaching people how to go local to make it cheaper.  Apparently they teach people how to go local, negotiating with vendors, where to shop, etc. They NEVER did that before. Wonder what made them change their tune? Ah, life’s wonders. 
What can you do? Stop following the herd. We wrote an article about How a Retiree Can Be Smarter than the Average Traveler, which might give you some ideas on how to proceed.
 
Factor 3. Conventional Doctors and FDA Keeping Folks on
Big Pharma Medications
 
The desire to take medicine is perhaps the greatest feature which distinguishes men from animals – William Osler Canadian Physician
 
The facts speak for themselves. Talk to anyone who lives well into the age of one hundred and ask them what drugs they take and they’ll tell you without hesitation, none.
 
So what do they do if they don't take medications? They usually know a bit about nutrition and have been eating well for many years;  besides having a good diet, they have made taking good care of themselves a priority and  they enjoy being outdoors,they walk or exercise, get sunshine on their skin, and they are not all stressed out from working too hard at a job so they can retire at the age of 69.  On the contrary, they usually stay involved and active in some way almost to their last days.
 
Taking medications for health, rather than becoming more knowledgeable of whole foods, herbs and how to naturally stay healthy is the biggest deception ever created by man.
 
Factor 4. Big Food Industry Processing, Hydrogenating, Pasteurizing, Milling, Inducing Chemicals into Food Products, etc, ALL Aging People to an Early Death
 
Healthy Food: Nothing Added to it, and Nothing Taken Out!

Food manufactures and factories, no matter what it is, love to tout their food as healthy. But nothing that needs to be opened up in a pretty little wrapper is good for the body.  Want to die an early death, or at the very least, feel miserable in your retirement years? Eat processed, manufactured products that are touted as being good for you.

We just wrote about this subject not too long ago. Click here to read more about how food can kill us or make us well. It all depends on what kind of food we’re talking about. What can you do? We need to be in charge of our own health, not doctors and medicine. 
 
The bottom line is if a person has been eating unhealthy for a long time and they have health conditions then it is VERY important to cleanse the body and get the toxins out, and begin a good eating regime; otherwise just eating healthy will not be enough. How can we truly enjoy our retirement years living in pain? Have you ever heard the saying, health is wealth?  If you have ever had health issues in the past or have a health condition that is hindering you from enjoying life to its fullest now, then you will probably understand how health would be wealth.
 
It’s true, some things are out of our control to do anything about, but our health is something that each individual can take a hold of and nurture it with the tender loving care it deserves.

Frank and Angie are lifelong natural health practitioners. They have overcome many difficult health situations. They have been studying health and nutrition for over thirty years, and have taken their Better Health, Better Life seriously and are enjoying life abroad in their middle years with their three adult sons.

We're an Expat Family of Five Living Frugal, Healthy and Happy in Cuenca Ecuador! Enjoy the Discvoer Cuenca Ecuador blog!