Science, Religion, Politics and in the pursuit of truth – HappyPsychotic

I’ve written a lot about how tired I am of this whole rat race in North America. I find it very depressing to think that even though I have a well paying job, I have to work 5 days a week until I’m 60 before I can afford to retire and then “relax and do what I want”. Sheesh! What will my health be like at age 60? What about my wife’s health? Maybe we won’t even live that long. To think that I might count the days until age 60 (currently at 6 zillion days – or so it seems) and then not even make it? It’s like a nightmare.

So what are my options here? I could start socking away a huge portion of my salary into RRSP’s and other investments which would shave some years off, but of course, that would mean I would have to give up whatever little extras I currently enjoy like eating out, buying the family nice gifts on birthdays and Christmas, vacations, sports and other clubs etc. That sounds pretty sucky.

I could also decide I don’t need much money after I retire. I could retire early and just have enough money to survive, just enough to pay a meager rent and eat Kraft dinner. Hmmm…What’s the point of retiring to “relax and do what I want”, if I can’t afford to?

Many of you reading this have though the same things and are also depressed about this, but wait! Not to worry! We have figured out 1 more option!

Consider retiring in another country where the cost of living is very low. In this scenario, you can retire earlier, with less money, and still live well. Of course, there are some cons to this plan.

• You would be moving far away from your friends and family.

• It’s difficult to find a country that is cheap, safe (probably not Mexico), politically stable (probably not Cuba), and has medical treatment available.

I have been researching Costa Rica and it seems to offer everything I want – especially the warm climate and great beaches. I am in the midst of planning a vacation there now to check it out.

I’m betting that many of you reading this are starting to think this sounds like a good idea, but there is another big aspect that many people can’t overcome. You have to be brave and adventurous to do this. If you’re the type of person that complains about your job or your spouse but doesn’t change anything, then why do you think you’re brave enough to sell all of your possessions and move to Costa Rica? (See old blog)

Also, many people can’t cope with regular retirement, let alone an early retirement, they’re too bored or they have lost the fulfillment their job and status gave them. That is not me. I know perfectly well that I can be happy just picking up little hobbies and puttering around in the sunshine day after day. (well, as long as my beautiful wife is with me)

So, this is my plan for early retirement. How soon? Well, I’m thinking we could move as soon as the kids head off to college, which is often at age 17. I might be able to survive my day job until then