There are a variety is issues which could g

There are a variety is issues which could give rise to avoid retiring overseas.  Of those reasons, herein are my “top 3” worst reasons to retire overseas:

 

HEALTHCARE

 

While some jurisdictions may, in fact, have superior healthcare facilities to those in the United States, the healthcare services of many countries are far inferior to those in America.  Consistent access to quality medication at affordable rates can, surprisingly, be more challenging than you may realize.  Also, when you are of retirement age and experience a serious medical challenge, it can be extremely expense, if not life threatening, to travel (or be transported) to a neighboring country which has qualified physicians needed to properly treat your ailment.  While you may do your best to choose a favorable jurisdiction for your golden age, countries which boast low-cost retirement havens often lack proper medical facilities.

 

FAMILY AND FRIENDS

 

Assuming you have children, you may find yourself missing out on watching your grandson’s first baseball game or granddaughter’s communion.  Lifelong friends, who are also of retirement age, may not have the resources to come and visit you but once every few years.  Unless you are part of a small community to provide you with the emotional support needed to maintain a healthy emotional state of mind, it is easy to become increasingly depressed living isolated from family and friends.  Are you mentally and emotionally prepared to communicate with your closest of friends and family via video or social media?  When you no longer wish to travel back to the United States, there may be extended periods of time when no comes to visit you either.

 

FINANCES AND EXCHANGE RATES

 

Lack of finances ranks among the primary causes of tremendous stress.  Unless you have reasonably substantial savings for your retirement, you may find yourself in an extremely uncomfortable position overseas.  Adding insult to injury, if you wished to work part-time to generate some additional income, most retirement visa’s do not allow for any formal work to be undertaken by a retiree as it places unnecessary burdens on the local community whom often struggle with finding work for their families.  Additionally, currencies and exchange rate are subject to slow degradations as well as massive swings.  Meaning, you may have moved to a country wherein you enjoyed a favorable exchange rate when you arrived but find yourself getting far less ‘bang for your buck’ as time moves on.