Drawn by sunshine or a lower cost of living, a growing number of Americans are choosing to live their golden years outside the US, in the hope that it will better suit their financial or lifestyle needs and wants.
While official numbers aren’t available, companies and organizations that specialize in assisting people move abroad have seen a massive post-election uptick in traffic and enquiries over the last few months — anecdotal evidence, some say, suggesting a “momentum, a movement taking shape” among Americans, including many retirees, seriously considering (or already undertaking) a permanent move abroad.
“I don’t think (it’s) going to just dissipate the way it has in every previous election that I’ve been doing this,” Kathleen Peddicord, founder and publisher of Live and Invest Overseas, told CNN Travel. “I don’t think this is going to fade away. They’re asking pretty serious questions about this country versus this country, and ‘What would my residency options be, and what will my tax burdens be?’ So they’re not dreamy questions. They’re very practical.”
Established in 2008, LIOS publishes regular content related to moving abroad, such as questions about taxes and health care. In the days following the election, web traffic was about 250% higher than normal, Peddicord says, and the sustained interest has helped fuel “the greatest growth in our readership in our history.”
Retirees make up about 80% of the LIOS audience, including those who are already retired and those planning for it, Peddicord said, and its annual list of 10 Best Places to Retire is among the publication’s “most read and highly anticipated” reports.
International Living, a monthly magazine and website that focuses on living abroad, has also seen a significant uptick in enquiries and traffic, which started even before the election, Executive Editor Jennifer Stevens tells CNN Travel. Its data-driven Annual Global Retirement Index is based on factors including housing, visas, cost of living and health care, as well as input from more than 200 on-the-ground editors and correspondents.
Click here to read the complete, original article by Blane Bachelor on CNN
Source: CNN
