leaving america and retiriing in the philippines?

im going to be 55 and i can live like a king in the philippines or stay working in america and just barly get by. So should i just sell everything and retire and if i need to come back make extra money and go back. What would you do if you had the chance

Public Comments

1. start a business in america before retiring so that you still have source of money. then you can live like a king in the phil and just visit your business form time to time and just check out if its working well
2. my husband is from the Philippines and he would love to go there. his father did just that. he worked here, then retired and moved back home. he does nothing all day and lives like a king, goes to the casinos all the time, has many girlfriends, and never worries about money. plus,it is always warm there. if you go, enjoy! the people in the smaller villages are very welcoming to Americans. my father was stationed there during the Vietnam war.
3. Do your research. The Philippines can be a good place to live. Just make sure you make the right investments.
4. which part of phillipines, it could possibly be a more relaxing place to live and yeah what you said about the money bit. What yould be your main reason for going there and is it more important than leavng family and friends behind. but if you think you will be better of there you should just go adn stay there for a short term like a 6 months and then decide whether you want to sell everything and retire there otherwise u might regret it.
5. I would suggest that u might have 2 choices :- (a) Invest in Philippines (business) so as to let u have a future income when u are retired. (b) If u think that u can live like a king, there is NO NEED to stay working in the States longer. Or in other ways, if u have your children & grand-children to let u depend on 'em. Actually if I had such a chance, I would choose No.(a) as my solution... I wont choose Philippines but Australia! because their style of living, is pretty nice & suit for retiring.
6. Go to the Phillippines, I've never been but I live in another country now because family did the same thing. You get a much better lifestyle. Don't sell everything but stuff in storage. I would go! You don't want to die without having experianced another culture.
7. My Aunt and Uncle just retired last year and moved to Philippines... They had a house made in the P.I. bought a car there and they just came back to sell thier house here in the U.S. The amount of money they received from selling thier house here made them an instant millionaire back home... I guess it will work out as long as you are trifty... Good Luck with your journey!
8. HI. I'm 46 from NY born in Manila. Been here 16 years. We have the same question and i'd love to hear opinions. Can someone give me an idea of how much monthly allowance a family of 6 will need for a decent living in Manila. A ballpark figure will also be helpful. For a point of reference let's say a life of a junior executive in Makati living in let's say one of the subdivisions in Paranaque. Or let's say a middle class lifestyle. Thanks.
9. You have pretty much the same plan as i do, except you are closer to retirement than me. My plan is to retire in the Philippines and Mexico. Both are very similar places except Mexico has way more tourist traps than the Philippines. I already own a home in Mexico and am planning to buy a condominium in the Philippines. I travel there at least twice a year and plan to spend half the time of my retirement there and the other half in Mexico. If you have not visited the Philippines, I suggest you do. There are a lot of good and bad things about the Philippines. I think you should experience everything possible on a visit and decide if it is something you want to live for the rest of your retirement. One last advise: Be cautious about your money in every aspect. there is a lot of fraudulent activities in the Philippines that will separate you from your life savings.
10. Go to the Philippines! The conversion rate of dollar to peso is 1: 50+ !! And the cost of living, comparatively, is extremely cheap! Trust me, you CAN afford to live like a king! Just make a couple of investments, just in case. Plus the weather is nice and warm- my own grandparents love it.
11. No one lives like a king in the Philippines. It is a dirty, over populated third world country. Nearly one half of the population lives in abject poverty. Crime is out of control. The environment has been totally destroyed and it would be so foolish to invest any money in any business here. All of the big companies have been long gone. Government corruption is something you deal with every day. I would suggest you come here and spend six weeks or so to see what you think. If you find the kings palace, let me know. All most everyone that lives here is thinking of one thing, How do I get to Canada, Australia, England, US , Japan or any where besides here.
12. i think its good to retire in the Philippines... i dunno why but almost all filipino friends id come to talk to...who were doing well in America they made to a point that when they retire they would live here.
13. IF YOU HAVE PLAN TO VISIT OR RETIRE TO PHILIPPINES..CHECK THIS SITE... http://www.zippyvideos.com/6166849983600056/philippines/ http://www.pinoyleisure.com/phil_photos.html http://www.tourism.gov.ph http://www.goodnewspilipinas.com/ http://www.philtourism.gov.ph http://www.lakbaypilipinas.com http://www.plra.gov.ph/ www.livinginthephilippines.com/gov.html
14. go but pay someone to drive you around, traffic is a biitch, I plan on doing the same thing but not to retire. I am 26 yrs old, my wife is a filipina, I plan on opening a clinic in makati, I am currently studying to be a doctor of chiropractic, and there is only one doctor of chiropractic in the whole island, so I have it made but I dont know how or where to go to speak with the government about opening a business there.
15. I faced that question when I retired from the U.S. Navy at age 40 after serving 23 years. My wife and I moved to Iloilo (Panay Island) in January 2002 and I have lived happily here ever since. I have no intentions or need to go back to the states and have no plans to ever return. If you have a stable source of income of at least $1,000 a month the Philippines is a great place to live/retire. Feel free to contact me if you have more questions about living here in the Philippines.
16. I am British planning for my retirement. I am having a house built just outside Manila but the difference probably is that I am married to a Filipina
17. I agree with the people here who says just visit first and decide later. If you live like a king, you still have to pay for your servants and that where your money goes.
18. jus like my grand father. he does live like a king. GOOD IDEA
19. of course, i will retire here in the philippines than in the USA, with my pension barely enough to keep me alive in america, i know it is much cheaper food in the us but with 1 grand a month i rather stick to manila with my eagearly pension i think i could survive above the margin but not king's lifestyles if i given the chance go for it than rot in your home care facility in america
20. The best advice is to come here first and see for yourself.I live in Cebu and visited twice before deciding to settle here.Bear in mind that,unless you are married to a filipina there are restrictions on major purchases and owning property.Visas have to be renewed often also.I love the lifestyle here in Cebu,the second city.Come and see for yourself.There are also several yahoo groups where people here would be happy to answer your questions.