Getting back to the OP's comments and the article linked to:
I think and hope that this piece will do a great job of discouraging exactly the kind of folks who shouldn't become expats to stay home. They'll have lots of company: those who get their "news" from Faux News and CNN, have never had a passport, are certain America is the greatest country on earth because they haven't been to any others, etc., etc.
Of course only a tiny percentage of Americans - or folks from any first-world country - are going to retire overseas, and that makes all the sense in the world. Family and friends and familiarity come first for most, and all the more so as we age. Still, how wonderful it would be if more of us did at least travel, close to the ground and economically, in other countries.
In any case, the reasons the author of the thoroughly lame Market Watch article gives don't pass muster:
1. Personal Safety: the level of gun violence alone in the U.S. makes any number of other countries safer on a day in, day out basis - including several mentioned in the article.
2. Medical Services: here at Lake Chapala I can see a U.S. trained doctor within a day or two for $18, get my teeth cleaned for $20, and pay $350 a year for comprehensive medical insurance with no lifetime limit and a $5000 deductible. The quality of the doctors and hospitals in nearby Guadalajara is far superior to many major cities in the U.S.
3. Language barrier: anyplace that's going to be viable for long-term expat living is almost certain (for 99% of expats) to be a place already rife with other expats. Those are the folks you'll be interacting with the most. Learning the native language of your chosen country is still important, and is a wonderful way to stimulate the mind and stay young and vibrant - a common characteristic of expats that's in sharp contrast to those stuck in familiar ruts.
4. Homesickness: an issue for some, but the many expats I know are grateful to be at least arm's length from the fear, violence, political gridlock and broken political, entitlement and health care systems of the U.S.
5. Unforeseen expenses: could happen anywhere, but you can (and many do) live in top-of-the-line assisted living places here at Lake Chapala and any number of other places for $1200-1400 a month including 3 meals a day, nursing care and near-perfect year-round weather. Your chances of being bankrupted by unforeseen expenses are exponentially greater in the U.S.
. So true. 
