Looking to slow down/and a place to relocate to.

[08087]

My wife and I are looking into a place to relocate to, we want year round warm but not to hot. A stable gov. witha good medical system for when we get old. We live in the eastern US now so Asia/Africa is too far away, we prefer a coastal city with a population below 1,000,000 but population won't kill a deal, just that Rio is far too big for what we're looking for.

A lake as long as it's a large lake would work for us too if ocean or bay in not nearby. Also high altitude is out as the Mrs. has asthma.

Any suggestions are welcome, thanks in advance.

08087

PS Fl., or Ca. USA has been looked into extensively so please keep the suggestions to outside the US.

[axy]

My wife and I are looking into a place to relocate to, we want year round warm but not to hot. A stable gov. witha good medical system for when we get old. We live in the eastern US now so Asia/Africa is too far away, we prefer a coastal city with a population below 1,000,000 but population won't kill a deal, just that Rio is far too big for what we're looking for.

A lake as long as it's a large lake would work for us too if ocean or bay in not nearby. Also high altitude is out as the Mrs. has asthma.

Any suggestions are welcome, thanks in advance.

08087

PS Fl., or Ca. USA has been looked into extensively so please keep the suggestions to outside the US.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istria
http://www.istra.hr/en/home

Do your research on the following cities: Pula, Rovinj, Porec, Umag.

Half of rich guys and "elite" from Europe are already here.
Allegedly, Angelina and Brad were looking into buying a house here too last summer.

However, this is not for the faint-hearted when it comes to money. I think that living in USA is much cheaper than living here.
Cars and bikes cost here at least twice as much as in the USA.
Small-average two room apartment would be around 150.000 US$. A house would be between 400.000 US$ and 600.000 US$.
Food would be 20-30 % more expensive, utilities roughly the same.
Gasoline is 2 US$/liter (currently)

You're welcome.

[blue]

try greece but stay in the middle. or to the top of the boot.
nice there all year.

[zombie]

http://reason.com/blog/2012/04/16/happiest-places-on-earth

[streido]

My aim is to head to one of the smaller Canary Islands. Love the Island life attitude over there, its laid back and theres no hassle or trouble, if you avoid the tourist traps of Tenerife, Lanzarote and Gran Canaria. Love it over there. Its really sunny but the sea breezes keep it cool and fresh.

[axy]

Question.

How exactly do you support yourself after you "stop working" and move to "sunny island"?

I comprehend potential answer if you are Richard Branson, but how does Average Joe achieve that?

I can imagine that somebody puts aside 1,000.000 US$ in various funds and attempts to finance life out of interest, but interest is rarely above annual inflation rate and everything else (mutual funds, shares, options...) is volatile and does not ensure any kind of stability (any more).

[streido]

Question.

How exactly do you support yourself after you "stop working" and move to "sunny island"?

I comprehend potential answer if you are Richard Branson, but how does Average Joe achieve that?

I can imagine that somebody puts aside 1,000.000 US$ in various funds and attempts to finance life out of interest, but interest is rarely above annual inflation rate and everything else (mutual funds, shares, options...) is volatile and does not ensure any kind of stability (any more).

Youre Croatia Axy right? Not sure how it works there but in Scotland at 65 we get a state pension paid to us, people whi work all their lives and pay more in get slightly more back than someone who hasnt worked much. As long as we retire while still officially living in the UK we can then move anywhere in Europe and still have the pension paid into our bank account till the day we die, if you leave the country before you reach pension age you lose the pension. I just turned 40 a few months ago, my mortgage is nearly paid off so i plan to continue puttinv the same money away i am currently paying for my mortgage once its paid off, that will give me 20yrs of savings in the bank, plus my state pension, plus the money from the sale of my home here. I wont need a large home abroad as it will jusr be my wife and i so i can sownsize to a smaller,cheaper home, releasing more retirement cash. I can easily live off my pension abroad, the rest if my savings is for enjoyment.

[dudley]

Ambergris caye or caye caulker, Belize.

[axy]

Youre Croatia Axy right? Not sure how it works there but in Scotland at 65 we get a state pension paid to us, people whi work all their lives and pay more in get slightly more back than someone who hasnt worked much. As long as we retire while still officially living in the UK we can then move anywhere in Europe and still have the pension paid into our bank account till the day we die, if you leave the country before you reach pension age you lose the pension.

It's the same crap here - 65 for males, state pension too. They are now aiming to raise this to 68 or 70 because pension system is collapsing.
The same neo-liberal doctrine everywhere, we will enter EU next year, remember...
So the laws are the same.
Catch 22: by the time we are retired, I doubt pension systems will exist. They are simply not sustainable.
We are now paying for pensions of those that are retired at the moment.
Think about that...  

[zombie]

Pensions would self sustain if left as pensions, and not "borrowed" from. Same in the US. Welfare gets MY money before ME. If someone came in my house to take it the outcome would be very different. Why do we pay politicians again? Oh yeah... To guard our interests. NOT!

[08087]

Question.

How exactly do you support yourself after you "stop working" and move to "sunny island"?

I comprehend potential answer if you are Richard Branson, but how does Average Joe achieve that?

I can imagine that somebody puts aside 1,000.000 US$ in various funds and attempts to finance life out of interest, but interest is rarely above annual inflation rate and everything else (mutual funds, shares, options...) is volatile and does not ensure any kind of stability (any more).

Here is how it would work for me. I'm soon to be 50 my wife 43 we have a 2.5 yr old. Would love to spend more time with our family in a more relaxed frame of mind.

So we sell our home(s) one at the shore one primary and 2 investment condos, moce to an area Mexico, Peru, belize where our money can buy us a 10-12 unit building or build us one. We live in one nice bigger unit and rent out the rest to vacationers or long term to locals and live off the rental income. If I want to work I learn how to give hair cuts to local expats to pass time and make a few bucks, I could always teach English .

Doea that make any sense to you? We'd rent for 1 yr before buying to make sure we like the place.

[streido]

 Sounds like a plan 08087. 

Axy - Yeah theyre aiming to raise our age to 67 i think in a few years, well london is anyway but im just hoping we gain our independence by then and then our rules will be different for sure. I got no worries about the state pension being there for me, if i need to pay a little more into it so be it if it keeps the system going, i got no problem with that. Besides the system has always worked like that, the workimg pay for the retired and then once they retire the new workers pay for them, i cant see Scotland ever changing that, England might, but not in Scktland, trust me im pretty sure.

The main reason theyre putting it up is because we live too long now after we retire so draw more than was expected to be drawn out. The easy solution is to put up the pension age so we still only live for 10-15yrs as they want us to, or as i favor just put up the contributions a couple of bucks each, that'll cover it and we can still retire at 65.

[axy]

Pensions would self sustain if left as pensions, and not "borrowed" from. Same in the US. Welfare gets MY money before ME. If someone came in my house to take it the outcome would be very different. Why do we pay politicians again? Oh yeah... To guard our interests. NOT!

In Croatia, it is MANDATORY to give 15 % of your gross income for pensions of those that currently get them.
However, only additional 5 % has to go to your pension fund, for your future pension.
If you want and can afford it, you can pay for additional private pension fund.

I already said that marginal income tax here is 40 %, health insurance 15 % and VAT 25 %.
However, there are things we take for granted: full health care for everybody, at least some kind of social state, crime rate very low, violent crime rate low, no gangs, no homeless people.

[axy]

Here is how it would work for me. I'm soon to be 50 my wife 43 we have a 2.5 yr old. Would love to spend more time with our family in a more relaxed frame of mind.

So we sell our home(s) one at the shore one primary and 2 investment condos, moce to an area Mexico, Peru, belize where our money can buy us a 10-12 unit building or build us one. We live in one nice bigger unit and rent out the rest to vacationers or long term to locals and live off the rental income. If I want to work I learn how to give hair cuts to local expats to pass time and make a few bucks, I could always teach English .

Doea that make any sense to you? We'd rent for 1 yr before buying to make sure we like the place.

Sounds like a plan, as somebody said. However, remember that there is a VERY GOOD REASON why 2 condos where you live cost like 12 in Mexico.
Most likely, chances of being beheaded in Mexico are 6x or more higher than where you live now...

For the money I paid for my 1 room apartment, you can buy a small new house in Egypt. However, I don't have 40 desperate and homeless people in front of my door, while in Egypt, you will be dragged by the sleeve and asked for money by poor people the second you exit Hilton Ramses hotel in the center of Cairo...

[08087]

Sounds like a plan, as somebody said. However, remember that there is a VERY GOOD REASON why 2 condos where you live cost like 12 in Mexico.
Most likely, chances of being beheaded in Mexico are 6x or more higher than where you live now...

For the money I paid for my 1 room apartment, you can buy a small new house in Egypt. However, I don't have 40 desperate and homeless people in front of my door, while in Egypt, you will be dragged by the sleeve and asked for money by poor people the second you exit Hilton Ramses hotel in the center of Cairo...

The combined value of my two condos is about 250K US right now, the higher value is in my main home and my summer home, with those sold I can buy 10 units in Fl. USA and many other safe places in south America and Mexico isn't as bad as one reads it in the news. Don't misunderstand me it's bad but not in expat areas. Most of the crime and killings are within gangs and police. I've been around the block a few times and know what my level of tollerance is. Thanks though for looking out.