We’re a couple in our early 40s with a dog and a 1 year old. Ideally looking for beach/surf situation with a good expat community and friendly locals that get along with each other… no bad gentrification vibe. Could also be open to a smaller city that has easy access to surfing or skiing. And of course looking for good educational resources — would love for the kid to go to an international school and learn another language or two early on.

Anyone out there in a similar life situation that’s found their place?

I imagine the only way you lose your medical coverage for being out of the province/country is if you actually tell them. Provincial health authorities aren't checking flight manifests.

So, so long as you maintain a mailing address and renew your card every 5 years then its no big deal.

Does anyone know anything about emigrating from the US to Uruguay as an early retiree? Specific concerns include the immigration process (without employment), healthcare, cost of living, and education (for school age children). I've read some general information online but I'm hoping for a more FIRE minded perspective.

In case it's helpful, here's some more detailed background: I've already been retired in the US for 5 years. I am 42 years old and I live with my spouse (40 years old) and 2 children (ages 13 and 10). We have a number of health concerns in our family including Crohn's disease (treated with an expensive drug called Remicade), MS, and food allergies (requires EpiPens and occasional ER visits). Our healthcare in the US is currently addressed using an ACA insurance plan. We are on the chubby side of FIRE in the US and we spend roughly 1.5% of our savings each year.

Looking for advice on Canadians who moved or considered moving to the USA to retire (fire). I am 54, husband 56 with a net worth of about 5 mill CAD. My mom is a naturalized USA citizen who petitioned me and my husband 23 years ago but it took too long for the USA to take us and now we are middle age and pondering what would any advantage be of going to the USA if any at all??? Would we pay less taxes but then have huge medical bills/insurance costs? What's the point to go there now when it was supposed to be in the prime of our careers? Any advise from Canadians going through a similar situation?

I'm about to begin the process of applying for dual citizenship (born in USA) and I have relatives in both Ireland and Italy. From what I've read it seems like an Irish passport is stronger as it will allow me to move through the UK unlike an EU passport via Italy.

Is this true? Is there something I'm missing?

This may be too broad a question, but has anyone moved abroad and still found ways to support aging family in the US or help them join in a new country?

When I have considered leaving the US, I am stuck in part by the feeling that I risk abandoning my family before they will need elder care. I am 40+ and I have 1 aging parent 70+ and two other elder chosen family members 65+ and 55+. From my 2016-era research about immigration to New Zealand, I may have a route to move my parent to where I live if I get established financially and civically in time. But for chosen family (and a gay couple at that) I do not know if it would be feasible for me to bring them to me in another country (if they would be willing to move also).

Does anyone have related or contrasting experiences around making the move and handling parental relocation? Countries that recognize gay marriage are already my preference.

My fiancé and I are considering moving to Europe in the next 6 months and we would like any feedback or suggestions while planning.

We are both 40, no kids, a dog and have about $3.3 million saved up. Of that only about $600K is in retirement accounts and the rest is essentially in VTI. To avoid tax issues in the first year we would plan on holding about ~$200,000 in cash.

My fiancé and I wouldn’t plan on working but would like to volunteer, take language classes, or both. I’m a dual citizen (US & Austria) while she is a US citizen. Neither of us speak a foreign language well. We have a house in the states that we would leave most of our belongings in for the first year or so. We might have a friend live in an extra room to collect any mail items and general upkeep. It seems like we would be able to keep ACA insurance as long as were not gone for more than 330 days a year.

I have spent months traveling around Europe but she’s only been to a few countries so we don’t know exactly where we would want to settle. I have family in Austria and Switzerland. It seems most places would be affordable for us and the biggest challenge is deciding where.

The current plan is finish drafting a spreadsheet outlining the pros and cons of various locations we have interest in. We will then rent an apartment or airbnb for 1-2 months at each location. Boots on the ground seems like a fun and effective way to find out where we would want to settle. Once we have a better idea of where to settle, we can put more research is tax implications, her citizenship, etc. At some point we probably would return to the states because of aging parents, but now seems like a great time to explore the idea of retiring out there.

Questions:

1.       Are there countries generally better for people with dogs (50lbs half husky mut)?

2.       What would your list of countries look like?

3.       Would it make more sense to get married while in Europe or in the States?

4.       What else should we consider?

I am concerned about the direction of the US. This is not new, but freshly exacerbated by the election.

I'm nearly 50. Educated (two masters and a PhD). Single, no kids. No longer danger of pregnancy (I'm seeing a lot of folks stockpiling bc it plan B, but... Well... Not a danger here). Come January I'll be fully qualified in a second career that's not the MOST easily taken abroad, but also won't rely on recertification or reeducation, just a matter of finding the right position, which is more likely in the UK or Western Europe, based on the field. Bilingual in Spanish and English. A fully paid for house (about 350k value), and about 700k in accounts, 200k of which is in retirement accounts so not maximally available for a few years. Live in blue state. I could qualify for Spanish citizenship with 2 years residence and a mountain of paperwork.

And today, I'm fine with ELI5, what would you do? Flee the country after qualifying in my new career? Stockpile (more?) cans? Get solar panels? I'm just ... I want to think about organizing and mutual aid and all that but just today... What can I do to protect myself? I learned during COVID that I don't need much. A nice kitchen, a twin bed, a desk, a comfy chair, and electricity, Internet, water etc. I kinda want to find a tiny home somewhere fairly remote and live quietly, but I wonder about long term health if I'm fairly remote?

I feel like a moron, not having thought these things through well until now, so if you can be kind, please do, but if your only truths are harsh, I'm ready for that.

Edit: Appreciate the replies from everyone. I guess the general consensus is that I'm worrying too much, and if the U.S. tanks it's probably taking down most alternatives with it, anyway. My account was shadow banned for some reason (all I've done was post this and a single comment in my current city's sub) so I can't reply directly!

I plan on retiring sometime towards the end of next year. I've been building passive income (mostly in relatively safe things like Vanguard ETF's) for quite a while, and feel I've reached a point where my finances are stable and I can sustain myself. This of course means leaving my money in dollars in the U.S., which I assume is something many of you also plan/do.

Given the election results, I'm now feeling a little insecure about this. It's difficult to know if Trump will actually do any of the things he says he's going to do, but if he does institute exorbitant tariffs and allows Elon Musk to impose austerity measures, I worry the U.S. economy could suffer. This could mean the value of the dollar dropping, the dividends and interest payments I receive diminishing, and/or my principal investments losing significant value. I feel like there's suddenly a lot of risk in leaving my money here. Am I being paranoid? Is anyone else changing anything, or do you all still feel the U.S. economy is safe and stable?

The alternative is to take my money with me. But then what? I know nothing about investing outside of the country, or if I'm even allowed to. Best I could probably do is move everything into an international HSBC account or stick it all in Wise (and I don't feel great about having all my eggs in that basket, either). Doing this, I'd protect my current savings, but lose all passive income outside of whatever nominal interest they might pay out.

I'm considering moving to LatAm with my two kids (age 9 and 8). My partner and his kids couldn't come, but we'd want to be able to visit often. I'm not full FIRE but I've got a few years of income saved, and I am able to continue consulting virtually at a competitive hourly rate.

I speak fluent Spanish, my kids only speak English. I'd like a place with low risk for violent crime, affordable cost of living, good infrastructure (need consistent internet and running water!) , and not far from direct flights to the US.

Recommendations? Where should I raise my kids?

(Note: I would have full legal right to take the kids with me, not trying to evade custody fights or some such nonsense. Totally legally/ethically on the up and up here).

ETA: American passports (yes, I'm debating running away from the dumpster fire, or at least being prepared if I need to pull the escape hatch) and eligible for (but don't yet have) Irish citizenship.

ETA2: I have about $3600 USD/month in passive income without touching my retirement or savings, before anything I earn. I'm hoping to be able to live off $3600 comfortably for me and my kids.

Naive question regarding keeping a USA address so I can keep my bank accounts and brokerage accounts open.

A family member and a friend of mine are cool with me using they address once I not longer live in the USA. I am fine taking the risk. I am uncertain how to do it though?

Question for people who have done this. Apart from just changing the address by using the app / web page, do you have to show any other document / bill where your name appears associated with the new address? If not, great! If yes, how did go about it?

Thanks!

Edit 1: This has been discussed before but haven’t found a single comment describing the mechanics of it (how to really do it).

Current retired and taking care of elderly parents for the next few years, not sure how long. Can do short visits but not extended stays. What can I do now besides research that moved the process along?

I've been reading up on expat FIRE (from the US to [insert country]). Maybe it's selective memory or maybe it's just pure chance with the posts I've happened to read, but it sounds like basically everyone who successfully does it had a foot in the door in one or more of the following ways:

• citizenship through family or marriage
• still in accumulation phase and able to work an in-demand job the target country highly values
• fatFIRE-level sums of money (at a certain point you can make almost anything work)
• (generally in conjunction with one of the others) fluent in the local language and culture

I'm more on the leanFIRE end ($1.1m, early 40s), have no existing ties to any other country, and was intending to RE in the next 6-12 months.

That's before even considering where I'd want to or could go in terms of language, politics, social programs, culture, etc.

Is my read correct? Is it really realistic to consider this path at all without one or more of the listed scenarios?

As a German working in the US, I am trying to optimize financials for going back to Germany eventually. Does it make sense to contribute to a traditional (a) 401k, (b) Roth 401k, (c) HSA, (d) long-term invest in US ETFs or (e) just take after-tax money, keep it in a HYSA until going back?

What I've found out so far:

1. a) 401k pre-tax contributions don't make sense since the dollars are taxed when taking them out. I'm assuming taxes in Germany after retirement are still higher than taxes in the US now.
2. b) 401k Roth/after-tax contributions might only make sense if there's an employer match. I've read that Germany taxes all gains in the 401k account as capital gains at the time of withdrawal. Therefore, I could just take the after-tax dollars and invest them myself. What makes me contribute some dollars is that my employer matches the contributions up to a certain percentage. This is practically free money if I'm not missing something.
3. c) HSA: Seems to be a very efficient way to save taxes when retiring in the US. But I haven't found anything about how those are treated in Germany. So I'm still trying to figure out if it makes sense to contribute - assuming I don't need to take out money for medical expenses while living in the US.
4. d) US-ETFs: What to do with the rest of the after-tax dollars? I would have aimed for long-term investing those in US-ETFs. But I learned the hard way that it's hard to transfer ETFs between German and US brokers. IBKR now seems to offer an easier way, but I need to dig in there still. Are there any other pitfalls for Germans holding US-ETFs I need to be aware of?
5. e) seems to be the easiest, not very favorable at current rates.

Anyone have some experience or has been in a similar situation?

I'm medically retired 100% and a senior nuclear reactor operator, also currently studying electrical engineering. I plan to do a couple internships but after that I'm leaving. What's the employment opportunities like in Northern European countries for expats? Are there licensing barriers? Not worried about visa requirements w/ my retirement income and unused GI bill.

https://www.cnn.com/travel/us-couple-dream-life-france-became-nightmare/index.html

Well the title is self explanatory, but let me give you the details. Me and my boyfriend of 8 years live in a Non EU country. I have a moved to Greece and got a residency permit from Greece, where Gay marriage has been legal for a year now. But since we are both coming from Non EU countries+ where gay marriage is not recognized, can we still get married in a EU country and considered married in the EU?

Welcome to the ExpatFIRE weekly discussion thread. This thread may be used for discussions which don't merit their own post, or which might not otherwise survive moderation - Cost of living, visa, travel or other discussions without explicit link to FI, but of interest to seekers of Expat FIRE.

All ExpatFIRE rules still apply-- it is only moderation which is slightly relaxed.

Let's say I'm planning to retire in a certain country in around 5-10 years. Does it make sense to invest some money in a REIT fund focused on that country's real estate? The thinking is that if the housing prices there rise dramatically, the REIT investment gives me a degree of protection against that. Make sense?

I first visited Spain, Barcelona, about 10 years ago and instantly fell in love with it. Over the years I've been visiting often and have made several friends. This past year I decided to venture out to the major and not so major cities to see where I would like the best. I fell head over heals for Seville!

My goal would to be buy a place large enough to open a coffee shop on one side and live on the other. If planning to make around 50k a year what visa would you go for? I read about opening a LLC/S Corp in my home country (USA) and it will benefit me but still not sure how or what visa that would be best for. I also heard of the Beckham Law but that would be after which ever type of visa I choose gets approved?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

I need to shift about €300.000 from Canadian dollars to a European account for an apartment purchase. Wise looks like a much better deal than going directly from my bank, but I'm open to other recommendations.

If Trump stop double taxation, and you retire broad. Should you first contribute to traditional IRA without conversion or still max up your Roth IRA first? Or different taxation rules depends on your retire country? Thanks

It looks like the real estate option for the Spanish Golden Visa will be abolished any day now, but is in governmental limbo and therefore still technically available at the moment....I'm wondering if anyone has gotten the golden visa in Spain via real estate and is willing to share any contacts (real estate/legal/etc) they worked with to navigate the intricacies of Spanish real estate? Thank you!

Hello,

I wanted to gain some advice on how to map this possible goal.

Realistically what would be an ideal amount to save up to live comfortably in central Mexico in GTO (not the capital or major city).

I would have housing covered so only utilities would need to be taken into account. Immigration status would also not be a problem.

Given that context how much would I need to save to cover the remaining living expense.

Hi all,

I'm italian, but I live in Australia. I would like to retire back in Italy at some point.

Apart from having an italian passport, from a retirement perspective I can be considered australian as I have never worked in Italy so I don't have matured anything for the pension.

I'd be relying only on my investments and my super.

Keen to find some fellow australians who have done that and can provide some clarity on how they managed their investment and super once they moved to Italy, especially around taxes and how I can plan it properly, since this will happen in another 10 years.

Cheers!

Hey all, I recently got laid off from my corporate job and just thinking about where the next chapter lies. I really did not save in my younger years and only jumped on the FIRE journey in my late 30's. I'm kind of dreading jumping back into the corporate world. Part of me thinks I should just retire now and "yolo" and live in the present and enjoy life while I'm still relatively young, but the other part of me (the more fearful side) thinks it is too early and I should save up more money and retire later, perhaps around 55. I am single, no kids, with a dog which I know adds another layer of complexity :(

401K: $410K

Roth IRA: $168K

HSA: $34K

Brokerage: $86K

Savings: $32K

Crypto: $45K

Home Equity: $320K

Total net worth is $1.1M

I would sell the house and move to a cheaper country abroad. If I sell the house, I would have about $300K which I could live off of for 10 years in a place like Thailand (~$2500/mo). During these 10 years, I could do roth conversions each year to minimize taxes. When I'm 55, the remaining $755K would have grown to around $1.5M which should cover the rest of retirement. Any Social Security would be a bonus. Is this a decent plan? I was also considering Vietnam, Spain, Portugal, South America, etc but also open to recommendations.

Hello everyone,

I'll explain my situation:
I am Mexican, I was 14 when my family decided to move to Canada, so I'd say I am more used to Canadian tax laws, understandably. I worked only in Canada this whole time, and I have full citizenship.

Now that I'm in my 30's I decided to move back to Mexico, I really consider myself an expat at this point.

I kept my my job at a Canadian company that allows me to work remotely. They pay me directly to my Canadian bank account , I file my taxes in Canada every year, and all of my accounts are Canadian (TFSA, chequing account, investments). I only recently had a family member help me open a Mexican debit account online though.

My doubts are the following:

Do I need to worry about paying taxes in Mexico at all ?
Do I have any tax obligations either in Canada or Mexico ?
Should I worry about any tax laws that I need to be aware of or notify anyone else?

I'm sorry for my ignorance as research does give me a lot of conflicting information.

Thanks

If divorced, do I need (each, yes multiple) ex-spouse's birth certificate?