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I really enjoy reading the comments of those of you now living overseas, whether it be in Hungary,France, Mexico, or Thailand. It does seem to be the trend that you did this after you retired in the States, or Canada. I don't see any participants here that spent their whole adult life...

My original comments concerned about my returning to the States for retirement after spending 40+ years overseas. I returned at the age of 67, and now almost 74. I did not want this to get too political, but references to the recent disturbances caused the comments to veer off what was...

Getting health insurance was the one aspect of retiring overseas when you are in your 70's or 80's that made me hesitate. I know you can do it, but it's expensive and probably won't cover any pre-exisiting conditions. When I lived in Singapore until the age of 67, I was teaching part-time, and...

I enjoyed reading the interesting comments and perspectives. To the gentleman that questioned the safety of El Paso- I did also, and then I looked at the top ten safest large cities in the US, and El Paso was ranked first. In other surveys, it's always in the top tier. I suppose I could...

Hi all- I received a private message from a contributor to this forum asking whether I had stayed in Singapore or returned the States. As a background, I lived in Singapore for 25 years, but only worked there for 19 years. The rest of the time I kept my residence in Singapore, but experienced...

Thank you very much for your responses. I am a little more secure in not paying off the house now, selling it within 2 years, downsizing to a smaller house, and then using the money on the sale of this house to buy another house. Thanks again.

Hi All, I am going back and forth over whether I should pay off my mortgage. Here are the factors that are involved. First, I am 71 years of age and live Washington state. I have about $68,000 remaining on my home loan at 4.5% interest. The house sold for $247,000 5 years ago, and I put 75%...

When I am in my 80's (I'm 70 now), I'm not really sure if I want to deal with my finances. So for me, a TIAA annuity made perfect sense. I still have some investments and a good bank account as a back up, but I trust this insurance company. I've been with them as an investor since 1973, as...

Your suggestion of renting is what I will certainly do, also. I will look into that. Rob

Hi- I just returned with a friend of mine from Arizona. I have a nice home near Bellingham, Wa at the moment. Aside from seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time, I visited Phoeniz/Mesa, Sun City, Prescott, Sedona, Flagstaff, Bisbee, and Tucson. I want to buy a very small second home, or...

I hope you can go to a forum for TIAA-CREF participants. The forum members have given me some of the best advice financially, and they can further comment on financial consultants. I've been communicating with this forum for close to 15 years, and the same members are on it. I'm retired now...

I worked until I was 66 as a high school teacher, but what kept me going was the feeling that I'm contributing, and I could retire anytime I wanted if I wished to. That feeling is liberating in itself. Also, frankly, I have always felt that I needed to be contributing in some way, but as a...

NY Expat, I admire you for calling Peru your home, and wish you the best. I'd like to attempt to do that simply because it would certainly be a challenge and an adventure. However, I'm unsure whether it would be best for me now. I mentioned earlier on this thread that my whole working life...

I was in Singapore for 25 years and retired there, and worked part-time as a retiree. That was all part of my itinerant existence since 1970. I fully expected to call Singapore home until I died, but I moved back to the States at the age of 66, bought a home (maybe to quickly), and miss to some...

I "thought" I enjoyed my 42 years of teaching until I retired at 66, but I dream about unruly students ignoring my teaching and being totally uncontrollable at least once a week. Perhaps this is my "subconscious" telling me it's great to be retired!!!!

I lived and taught at international schools in wartime Vietnam (was evacuated at the fall in 1975), Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Iran (just before Shah overthrown), Korea, Venezuela, Liberia, Egypt, Jordan, Cambodia, and Singapore. I included teaching in the US also. I was in Singapore for 25...

Kramer, that truly was an excellent summary of the reasons people retire abroad. Personally, it was the opposite for me. I was overseas for 42 years as an international school teacher living in 12 countries, but in the process met numerous people who retired in the countries I was in and for...

I'm 68 and annuitized my after tax annuity from TIAA-CREF last year. For me personally, and I'm sure there are others out there that feel the same, it is a relief not to have to worry about how to invest a lump sum of money. I remove that headache by having a pension that increases 1 to 4%...

All good suggestions. Thank you. As I mentioned, when you have lived in places like Liberia, Iran (time of the Shah), Vietnam (before and after the war), Korea, Singapore, China, Cambodia, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Egypt, and Jordan for 42 years, being stimulated visually took very little...

All of your posts really helps. The advice was very solid. After returning from overseas last November, I found the first few months was filled with new things, and it’s really only been the last few months where I sometime have felt “is this it?” I certainly need to have that attitude change...

Thank you for all your very nice replies. However, I think you may be confusing a therapy dog with a service dog. I'm training my dog to be a therapy dog, which will allow he and I to go to hospitals, hospices, schools, and nursing homes to be with the less fortunate. It's amazing what...

Hi all, I am always a reader of the forum and very occasionally add something to it. I'm afraid I am a frustrated retiree. It's my fault that I'm still a little unsettles in my new life. I really did not retire too early. I'm single and 67 years old, and retired November 2013. I was in such...

I used to live in San Antonio, and since it was the only place I ever called home, it seemed natural years ago to plan on retiring there. BUT- what turned me away from San Antonio or Texas in general is (1) the three digit heat every summer where you just can't venture outside for any sort of...

I've never owned a home until last November, and I'm now 68 years of age. I enjoy this thread because it impacts me directly. In retrospect, I should have gone into 55+ retirement apartments/senior retirement homes, where the chances are greater that it will be quieter. I rushed into...

I'm envious and miss the itinerant lifestyle. I started living overseas in 1970, and really just returned to settle in the States last October (2013) at the age of 67. If a teaching job opened up in Liberia, I took it. It was that way for 11 other countries. I have a new 1450 sq foot house in...