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    Retirement Abroad: Your Complete Resource
    Retirement Abroad: Your Complete Resource
    Retirement Abroad: Your Complete Resource
    Ebook96 pages1 hour

    Retirement Abroad: Your Complete Resource

    By Les Johns

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    About this ebook

    This book addresses all of the subjects that need to be considered by anyone intending to retire abroad. Continuous attention must be given to both physical and financial safety and security. Matters such as health, language, visas, income and pensions all have to be addressed. As much as possible should be done before making any irrevocable decision or final move to a new country. A brief look at history, politics and the legal system will also be of value. Social and environmental aspects of any move should also be examined. The climate, time changes and even driving rules can make the difference between a good retirement decision and cause for regret. It is impossible to learn all that is necessary from a book or from the experiences of others. Firsthand information is not just recommended, it is vital. Also discussed is an alternative to retirement to just one particular country. This is a lifestyle choice that is not for everyone but it is, today, a viable option.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLes Johns
    Release dateFeb 26, 2014
    ISBN9781311051943
    Retirement Abroad: Your Complete Resource
    Author

    Les Johns

    The author has traveled widely on all continents and is still keen to visit new places and to meet new people. He has lived and/or worked in Europe, Africa, Australia and U.S.A. and has visited Asia frequently. He has moved from country to country frequently often with the whole family when the children (2) were young, under five, and when they were older. Children are flexible and adaptable and their education loses nothing from wide and varied experience. Over one period the family had made an international or intercontinental move every eighteen months. The reasons related to employment, political/social conditions and simple preference but there was always an eye on safety and the future of the children. Given the university and career successes of the children travel has been a great educator. The author is always looking for further adventures in different places meeting more friends.

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      Book preview

      Retirement Abroad - Les Johns

      Retirement Abroad

      Your Complete Resource

      by

      Les Johns

      Copyright 2013 © Les Johns

      SmashWords Edition

      Table of Contents

      Introduction

      Section One

      Chapter 1 - Eight Questions to Ask

      Chapter 2 - Location is the Key

      Chapter 3 - Just Visiting

      Section Two

      Chapter 4 - Residency, an Overview

      Chapter 5 - There to Stay

      Section Three

      Chapter 6 - Police Clearance Certificates

      Chapter 7 - Driving Licenses

      Chapter 8 - Time is the Enemy

      Chapter 9 - Social and Environmental Considerations

      Section Four

      Chapter 10 - Offshore Bank Accounts

      Chapter 11 - Local Banks

      Chapter 12 - Obtaining Credit

      Chapter 13 - Access to Earnings and Pensions

      Section Five

      Chapter 14 - Occupational Therapy

      Chapter 15 - Working for Pleasure and Profit

      Section Six

      Chapter 16 - Missing the Obvious

      Chapter 17 - Different Kinds of Insurance

      Chapter 18 - Help to be Avoided

      Chapter 19 - Another Option

      Introduction

      Choosing Your Place

      The Important Points

      Your first decision is to choose to which country you wish to retire. Perhaps you may have a few in mind. It is vital that your information is up to date. You cannot make a valid choice unless you can compare current conditions in each place. Do not rely on your long term memory. Countries change over time for political, economic and even physical reasons. If you had ten good years in one country thirty years ago it is unlikely to be the same now. Whichever country you ultimately choose to spend your retirement in the Golden Rule should always be visit before making a final irrevocable decision.

      List what is of paramount importance to you in order of priority. It may be the climate and time zone, or access to money, or entry conditions for long term residency and the eventual acquisition of citizenship or language or simply whether it is the right-hand or left-hand side of the road on which to drive. The links here will take you to relevant pages in the web site on which this book and the other Kindle and Nook country specific books in the How to Retire in ... series are based. This is a continuously developing site to which other countries are added at regular intervals. These additions will in turn spawn further books in this series. To pursue many relevant matters in more depth you should also visit this web site.

      Health Services

      This is likely to be a major issue for retirees. Between the extremes of the system in the U.S.A., where there is no socialized medical service for visitors and almost none for new residents for a number of years, and Great Britain, where treatment is dealt with first and entitlement and cost much later (if at all), there are many good well priced services available in many countries. Although not a first choice for many as a retirement country, Cuba has an excellent good quality health system. Panama also has extremely modern services and facilities with cost concessions for retired immigrants and citizens. Australia, New Zealand and Canada have variations on the British model although there are restrictions on access for immigrants. In these countries the emphasis is always on treatment first and formalities second in the case of emergencies.

      In many of the favoured retirement countries health care, even public health care, is of a high standard and very much cheaper than in the United States of America or other countries, such as the United Kingdom and Australia, where private facilities and insurance catering for the provision of private facilities is available if those are preferred to public services. Generally a low cost of living will indicate low health costs and there are often pensioner concessions lowering costs still further. An idea of how low costs can be had here from an article that appeared at the Live and Invest Overseasweb site. This article also indicates the standard of expertise that is available.

      Likely individual needs and personal risk tolerance will determine some choices of a retirement country. Insurance is usually always expensive and frequently not available to the older person. Health care is a very personal matter and there can be no generalizations of any value. What is more than satisfactory for one person may not be at all adequate for another.

      Weather

      The climate may be a very important factor in re-location considerations. Not all have been lucky enough to have worked in areas that have had the weather that, if it was possible, would have been chosen. Often, as retirement destinations, many places seem to be attractive from, say, tourist brochures.

      These publications will usually emphasize only the best of the weather prevalent in any given place during its high season. The rest of the year conditions may be very inclement. Also some negative aspects of the weather may be omitted from descriptions and avoided in photographs. If it was a warm sunny climate that was wanted then perhaps Singapore may seem to be a good choice. Certainly it is in the tropics and any number of photographs showing sunny days and stunningly beautiful flowers and trees could be found. The sharp storms, heavy rainfall and oppressive humidity may not be discerned from tourist pamphlets or mentioned by travel agents.

      If winter sports and a cold climate is attractive it seems that anywhere in central Canada would be good. As good as gliding on skis, toboggans or riding in sleighs may seem it is often good to drive to the shops in a car on roads unaffected by ice and snow. A better choice would be a place with hills or mountains and valleys. Life in the valleys may afford relatively normal four season years. The delights of the piste may be just a short drive and a ski lift away on slopes which have good snow for most of the year. The Alps in Europe, the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia in Canada or even Melbourne or Sydney within reach of the Australian snowfields may be good compromises.

      Time

      On retirement it may be that good friends and relatives will be left in the place that has been the working location. It is normal, or perhaps, even necessary to be able to keep in touch with all of these people. The time zone may then be an important consideration in picking the retirement haven. Those who have lived in a country which is spread across many degrees of longitude such as Australia or the United States of America will understand the problem of time zones. It is all

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