Maybe a new, dedicated thread to retirement is in order since you guys are also getting OLD!!!
Here is a nice video from Andrew whom I followed early on and thanks to him I got my Malaysia visa under the old rules.
Does retirement mean no W2 till death? Or no W2 to until can’t move around easily then go back “home”?
For a Singaporean who has a fully paid HDB, cost of living is fairly low.
Well, when we say retirement, real retirement that means no more work so no more W2. Now, some people do find themselves bored out of their socks so they may work PT again. If one declares and takes his/her Social Security benefits, one will get penalized for working too much at that point.
I can see that, but think about it, that HDB can be rented for quite a bit I hear correct in Singapore? Well, like that couple in the video couldn’t that rent money go much farther in Malaysia? Yes, right!
Didn’t define the second part of the question which is key to what retirement mean. Till death or can’t move around? I got the impression that the couple would return to Singapore when the time to… that is why many Singaporeans who supposedly have retired in other nations didn’t sell their owner-occupied houses in Singapore. The plan is to go back when the time to.
Sure, one can easily move around or go back home as needs arise. I mean, for that Sing couple, if Singapore is better for healthcare or they need a live in maid and their HDB is better for that, sure go back home. That is why I was planning to keep a Bay Area footprint anyway. Options, we all want them.
Some people are lucky, they retire early so no W2 but because they are young they can easily go back into the workforce and get a W2 again if they are valued in the working world. There is a lot of age discrimination here now. Someone in their 50’s is not going to easily find work or same work as before if some youngster can be way cheaper.
The great thing about owning Bay Area RE is you can retire anywhere and it will probably be cheaper. The big problem with retirement overseas is the unknown. Language barriers, confusing laws, currency issues. Plus lack of friends, family and other social support. To me it makes more sense to down size in the US and just travel a lot . Arbitrage to a cheaper city like Vegas. Plenty of flights to all over the world. Much easier and less stressful being a tourist than an immigrant to an unknown place. After experiencing several places you might find the ultimate final destination.
I retired several times in the last 20 years. But I am glad I stayed in California. After going to 43 countries and a similar number of states, I found we still live in the best place on earth. I am still only 3 hours from the Bay Area. Heading there for my 50th UC Berkeley fraternity reunion tomorrow.
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Come on, I am doing the best of both worlds. No one said I would sell everything here. i will be retiring half the time here and half the time in Penang. Sea view condo rents for $1K/mo, probably less if you book up say a few months at a time. The only reason to buy something would be if the unit is extra special like that one I posted with the Penang coastal view. Many options to explore frankly, and I def am open to them. If I want a good, long project to occupy my time, I may buy a piece of land there and build a vacation home. My visa agent there, laughed at my suggestion of prefab. He said cheaper to build a custom home, which he did.
Enjoy. You will be interested to know they are building “affordable” prefab multi housing in Tahoe. Called Sugar Pine apartments.
For people making less than $16/hr. Cost is $400/sf… same as stick built. Obviously the rents will be heavily subsidized.
Does the Malaysian government give you permanent residency after a number of years? From that Penang couple video I got the sense they don’t. So you end up being just a “guest” in a foreign country, at the mercy of the governing party of the day, and they can always change the rules on you and kick you out. That doesn’t sound like much fun to me.
Nothing beats the Bay Area. Best weather in the world. Culture, food, scenery, we have it all here. I am not going anywhere.
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Well, again, I am not renouncing my US citizenship. Just remember that one can plan all you want but life has a way of messing up those plans. What this visa and alternate home base allows me to do is to travel extensively throughout Asia and perhaps beyond rather easily and cheaply. Penang just so happened to check off all of the boxes for me when I was there. I am not the first person to fall in love with Penang, believe me. Too many people I have met online have moved there. I mean, you all seem to think that someone is holding a gun to these people to sell Penang. Please go and watch that Waterfront condo video again. How on earth could that be remotely bad? No way!
Since I am older than you, please take this one bit of advice: go and enjoy your life as much as possible while you can. Sure, take care of your kids in terms of financials but make sure you do fill your life with as many positive life experiences as you can. Those experiences will turn into fond memory currency that you can use in your senior years when you can’t do anything anymore. I already knew this, but it really hit home after I read “Die With Zero” by Bill Perkins. I highly recommend this book to everyone. It is how we all should be living our lives. Seriously. Best advice I can give to anyone.
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It’s fine. People like different things. I was just using this space to voice my own preference.
It’s interesting that I spent 20 years in subtropical Asia and hopefully the rest of my life in America. You will be doing the mirror image of that.
Just eat as much Penang curry here in the bay before heading to Penang. They ain’t got no Penang curry in Penang!!!
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@manch has an emotional baggage. Couldn’t live outside of that. He is trapped. Evidence…
Move from one prison to another prison.
Rent in Penang in the winter and live in SF the rest of the year., great plan. Go for it. Short flights to Thailand Cambodia Borneo… lots of exotic vacation adventures. I have a a friend that moved to the Philippines. Went native and married a local girl. Still has a house here. Loves diving in Sabang.
I have a couple of other friends that have sold their homes in SF and live permanently in Pataya, Thailand. One has a bar and the other is a rock star at 72. Plays with other expats. They are both living out their youthful fantasies.
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Believe me, no one loves the Fab 7x7 more than me, at least years ago…
I do recommend that you folks who have not traveled some, please go do that while you can (meaning able to walk long distances, etc). There is a lot out there and people are seriously moving there because as Andrew the Nomad Capitalist YouTuber says go to places that treat you better. Places like your Portugal, Mexico, Costa Rica, etc. That couple from just across the border has stayed in Malaysia for over 15 years. Perhaps sure, the proximity to Singapore makes it doable but they wouldn’t do it if they didn’t like it. They have reached what we all want, the point where your hard earned money is truly working for you now. Yes, all you have to do is figure out how to spend your days. That’s a nice problem to have…
I am playing tourist this weekend. Toured the UC campus and had lunch at the faculty club. Fun being a tourist in my hometown.
60 degrees. Felt warm a tropical compared to Tahoe
How many people here actually took a cable car ride in SF? We did last year and it was a magnificent experience. There are also all these hidden stairs and alleyways hidden in the city. Very fun to walk around and explore.
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Filbert Steps. My friend had a house there on Napier lane. Just a wooden sidewalk.
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Yeah everybody needs to visit Filbert. At least before they get too old to climb that many steps. Lovely place.
Cali leading the pack again… (Where’s Texas???)
New report: The 10 richest retirement towns in the U.S. (cnbc.com)