Looking for the
TRAVEL
Good Life The best places to retire abroad
Photos: iStockphoto.com. Airplane, Flavijus Piliponis; Colombia/Mexico/Portugal, Yevhenii Dubinko; Costa Rica, Albert Campbell; Panama, Anna de la Cruz; ship, Richard Guest; suitcase, DjordjeDjurdjevic.
BY SHERYL NANCE-NASH
T
he American dream increasingly includes the desire to retire abroad. Whether it’s driven by a sense of adventure to be somewhere new in an idyllic setting, a lower cost of living, especially affordable health care, or to be near family, spending the golden years outside of the U.S. is a burgeoning trend. It’s especially tempting for those who need to work part-time in retirement and may be able to easily do so remotely anywhere in the world, depending on their profession. According to a 2018 study by the Aegon Center for Longevity and Retirement, 13 percent of U.S. workers and retirees want to live abroad in retirement. More than 431,883 retired U.S. workers living overseas received Social Security benefits as of December 2019. Only you can decide what makes a place ideal for retirement because it’s about as personal as it gets. But
consider the findings of International Living’s Annual Global Retirement Index, which examines criteria such as affordable housing, climate, safety, visa/residency requirements, and cost of living, among others. This no doubt is a helpful start. Fill in the blanks with what is most important to you. If you ask travel and financial gurus for the best place overseas for a late-life reboot, you’ll get a lot of different opinions. But certain countries keep popping up, be they on International Living’s list or from talking to other experts. Using that information, we made a list of the top five countries to retire abroad: Portugal, Costa Rica, Panama, Mexico, and Colombia. We’ll tell you why they should be considered, share a tale from retirees abroad, and include some advice about what to consider if you’re thinking that you, too, want to say adios to America. CONTINUES ON 14
WINTER 2022 | 55PLUSLIFEMAG.COM 13
