The International Living Guide to Retiring Overseas on a Budget

SUZAN HASKINS and DAN PRESCHER have been writing about life outside the United States for more than 12 years. Suzan and Dan ran a marketing firm in Omaha, Nebraska. In 2001, they moved to Quito, Ecuador to write for International Living. They have traveled and lived in numerous locations in Central and South America.

Economic turbulence and uncertainty about the future of social programs have, for many of us, turned retirement into a dreaded punishment rather than a long-awaited reward for a lifetime of hard work. Not the case for Suzan Haskins and Dan Prescher, who have been living and working abroad for over 12 years. They know that retiring abroad makes it possible to secure a happy, healthy, affordable retirement, and in this book they provide all the details on how to make this dream a reality.

Foreword Bill Bonner ix Introduction What if you could retire better, more affordably, and even earlier than you expected? xi Part one Contemplating an Exciting Move ...1 Chapter 1 Can You Afford to Retire Where You Live? 3 Chapter 2 Can You Really Live (Well) Overseas on $25,000 a Year? 15 Chapter 3 What's Your Deal Breaker? 23 Chapter 4 The Most Common (and Avoidable) Mistakes Expats Make 33 Chapter 5 Health Care: Myth versus Reality 39 Chapter 6 The Challenges of Language and Culture 53 Part TWO Making the Move: It's a Big World ... Where Should YOU Go? 61 Chapter 7 Belize: No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem (and It's All in English!) 63 Chapter 8 Costa Rica:Your Easiest Choice 73 Chapter 9 Ecuador: Something for Everyone 87 Chapter 10 Mexico: The Top Foreign Destination for U.S. and Canadian Retirees 103 Chapter 11 Nicaragua: Ready for Prime Time 117 Chapter 12 Panama: The World's Best Retirement Program (and Much More) 131 Chapter 13 Uruguay: More First World Than the United States? 145 Chapter 14 Europe: All the Ingredients for the Good Life 157 Chapter 15 Southeast Asia: Exotic and Affordable 175 Chapter 16 Boots on the Ground: Zeroing In on the Community That's Right for You 189 Chapter 17 You Found Your Paradise. Now What?: Should You Rent or Buy? And How to Know When Halfway Isn't the Wrong Way 199 Chapter 18 Once You Know Where You're Going: Put Your Plan in Action 207 Part THREE Once You Get There: Adjusting to Your New Life 217 Chapter 19 Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitude: Maintaining the Bridge between Your Past and Present Lives 219 Chapter 20 When the Hammock Gets Boring: What to Do after You Retire and Move Overseas 227 Chapter 21 Moving On: This Is Not a One-Way Highway 239 Epilogue If We Knew Then What We Know Now 245 Index 251