Has America Lost Its Way?
By Michael Manville / Oct 09 • Categorized as Living Overseas •
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Is this how you View Your Retirement?
The “American Way” of the 1950s made sense but the “American Way” of today does not. Whether it’s the high cost of living, atrocious medical bills, higher taxes, reduced social services, or lack of employment opportunities, many of us have concluded that America has lost it’s way.
Find out how a new breed of freedom seekers are living healthier, more prosperous, and happier lives abroad. Here are three examples of real people who took the plunge:
Chuck is a retired biologist from Florida who loathed the idea of wasting away in a retirement home playing shuffle board. Chuck paid a visit to Ecuador and was amazed by what he saw and how he felt. “I felt more energy, I had more time for enjoyment with less stress, and I cut my monthly expenses down to less than half what I pay in the States”. Chuck plans to relocate permanently to Ecuador with his wife.
Mary said “yes” to the adventure when she, her husband and two kids moved from Hawaii to a tiny island off the Pacific Coast of Panama. When her friends and family asked why, she replied, “why not?”. Mary feels her kids have received an education their schools back home could never offer. “They’ve learned to appreciate the simple things, and the cultural immersion has broadened their horizons. They’ve sidestepped a lot of the negatives coming from the TV culture back home.”
Karin discovered the lifestyle she always wanted when she and a friend visited Puerto Vallarta five years ago. “Now I spend every winter in Vallarta and I am so happy with all the new friends I’ve made”. “I can afford to practice my art here, and not worry about paying a mortgage because my rent here is so cheap”.
What do all of these people have in common? They all ignored what their friends said and “escaped” from their boring daily lives. And now more than ever, the benefits of moving overseas are many.
The American Way – Who Really Benefits?
Wall Street bankers were the first to get bailed out by the government as the recession got underway, while the middle class people lost their jobs, their home equity, and a good chunk of their stock portfolio and pension funds. Those who are still employed will carry all the burden of future debt and taxes to support the unemployed, not to mention a government rapidly sinking into mountains of debt.
Rather than promote free market enterprise and limit government involvement, America has gone in the opposite direction by subsidizing the entire mortgage finance industries, the auto industry, and very likely the health care industry.
A Better Life Abroad?
Want somebody to cut your lawn in the U.S. – that’ll be $50.
How about a massage? $150/hour please.
Would you like someone to clean your house once per week? Here’s a bill for $250 per month.
Need a cavity filled? $325 + tax.
Panama City
Go to Ecuador, Panama or Thailand and the rate for labor drops to under $10 per day.
A full time live-in maid costs $150 per month. A one hour massage is often less than $15 and if you need a hand with your landscaping it will run you about $8 per day.
Best of all, these service providers are happy to do the work and do so with pride, patience, and a smile on their face. They are truly grateful for the opportunity to work and provide for their families.
In the U.S., a fine meal for two will set you back $100, complicated medical procedures often exceed $10,000, and the only thing really cheap is junk imported from China.
In Argentina, Costa Rica, Mexico, Vietnam or Brazil for example, you can anticipate a 50% – 75% savings off many common expenses. Many American retirees find they can live well off their social security check without needing to work or worry about making ends meet. Everything from medical care, housing, food, and entertainment are a fraction of the price found in the United States.
Living Standards
Less than 10 years ago, there were many sacrifices to make when moving to a “third world country”. Slow internet, terrible roads, corrupt police and risks of riots or civil war are just a few examples.
However, in the past several years, developing countries have modernized rapidly. High-speed internet is now available almost everywhere and makes it easy to maintain communication with friends and family back home or to continue work or business online. Satellite TV, top-end vehicles, appliances, advanced medical care, and other conveniences are widely available at reasonable prices in nearly every country in the world.
Security
A lot of people ask about crime and security in developing countries. They assume that the crime rates in “those poor countries” must be off the charts and that security must be a constant source of fear and anxiety.
However, the reality is that the murder and crime rates are much higher in the U.S. than almost anywhere in the world. Of the hundreds of people we’ve consulted for over the years, none of them have felt a greater risk to their personal safety after moving abroad.
Health
Not only is health care much cheaper in the developing world, but people’s lifestyles are healthier (less drug and alcohol consumption, less consumption of prescription meds, lower fat intake, and more exercise).
There is no secret to good health, it’s all about lifestyle and not about the drugs your doctor prescribes. Of course, in the U.S., “big pharma” (multinational pharmaceutical companies) are the ones who tell your doctors what to do about your symptoms, but we won’t get into that for now. The point is that many people who move abroad feel healthier because their lifestyle has changed for the better.
Employment
Well, surely there are no employment opportunities abroad. What could you possibly do for extra income in a place like Panama, Ecuador, Brazil or Chile? On the contrary, we’ve met with hundreds of people who are putting their skills and educational background to use in their new home – often with far better results.
Due to the economic growth of many countries around the world, all kinds of skills are in demand abroad. No longer is teaching English the only option – opportunities in real estate, construction, tourism, information technology, and health care are immense and in high demand throughout many “paradises” around the world.
Climate
We won’t even bother discussing this one. We’ll leave the tropical beaches, the eternal spring like climates, and lack of snow and ice found throughout most of the developing world for your imagination to ponder.
Entertainment and High Society
What about all those snazzy restaurants, social events, artistic expressions and creature comforts in the U.S.?
In countries like Panama, Argentina, and Brazil, there are classy restaurants, world class theater, impressive art galleries and many other cultural expressions in addition to a plethora of local festivals and celebrations.
Political Stability
While political stability is still an issue in some countries, many attractive destinations have very stable democratic governments in place. Even if the government is considered socialist or left wing – let’s face it, the U.S. government now subsidizes the entire mortgage finance and auto industry. It doesn’t get much more left wing than that!
Bahia
Measuring Wealth
Per capita GDP is not a measure of true wealth. A measure of true wealth is affordable access to healthy food and water that is locally produced, a sense of community spirit and respect for one’s neighbors, and a lack of unnecessary government regulation and taxes. By these measures, the developing world nations are among the wealthiest on Earth.
At the same time, the U.S. is no longer the world’s creditor, it is the world’s biggest debtor nation and owes what is left of its financial stability to the world’s creditors like Japan and China, who lend their excess cash to the U.S. by purchasing U.S. Treasury Bonds.
The financial realities of today’s economic order are already posing a serious drag on the standards of living of those residents who choose to remain in the U.S. through increased health care costs, reduced services offered by the state, higher taxes, and higher insurance premiums.
Education and Immigration
Education and immigration patterns shape our future more than anything. People often forget that it was a dynamic blend of immigrants who built the U.S. into a strong, prosperous economy.
Now immigration trends are beginning to reverse. A recent article by the Associated Press lists examples of college grads who cannot find work in the U.S. and are instead finding better paying and higher level jobs in China. Chinese, Indian, and Brazilian students often complete their college degrees in the U.S. but instead of staying and looking for work, they return to their home countries for jobs and careers.
How To Get Started
With more than 180 countries in the world – where to begin? Well, we’ve done a lot of the research for you and the reality is that some places in the world are much more attractive for lifestyle and retirement than others.
As a follow up to this article, we’ll be commenting on some of the best places to live and invest in future issues of Escape From America Magazine. Alternatively, you can enter your email below to receive a free report right now about the top places in the world to live, retire or invest.
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Editor’s Note: Michael has traveled to more than 35 countries and has lived and done business abroad for over 10 years. Michael has been interviewed by the New York Times and Newsweek for his comments about living and investing abroad. Michael is the author of:
- The Top Five Places To Retire Worldwide
- The Top Ten Retirement Visa Programs Worldwide
- Panama 101 – E-Book Guide To Living and Investing in Panama
- Ecuador 101 – E-Book Guide To Living and Investing in Ecuador
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I have thought a lot about the advice here, some of which was “go where the money went – China.” I realize this was meant as solid, practical advice, and many people will no doubt heed that call and find a better life in China. But there’s a dark side to chasing the money in China, or Indonesia, or any other pseudo-democracy where corporations can operate on the cheap without having to worry about annoying things like human rights or environmental regulations. Yes, there may be incredible opportunity in China (as long as one does not run afoul of the ruthless and corrupt authorities). But is the answer really to migrate to one of the world’s most notorious abusers of human rights? For many people, the answer will be yes. There are many many places if you’re willing to sell your soul. Maybe everyone is just drooling over the “opportunities” in China because they see it as the new United States, the new land of opportunity. But I suspect the Butchers of Beijing did not embrace American-style cut-throat capitalism because the massacre at Tienanmen Square made them re-examine their priorities. Rather, they embraced if out of greed, and out of realizing the U.S. and other industrial giants would look the other way at their appalling record of abuse in order to have a trading partner with 8 gazillion gullible consumers to sell to.
Maybe I’d feel differently if I was some US firm wanting to re-locate. When money is all that matters, why not consider cities in China, or Sao Paulo, or Jakarta, where there are no environmental regulations, people work for a few dollars a day (but can’t afford what they are manufacturing), etc. True, that’s just not an issue with many people, perhaps most people, as long as they can afford a better gig than they can by waiting for the dying U.S. economy to turn things around. But the single-minded pursuit of the Almighty Dollar is exactly why we are sinking, since a social system based on greed and competition is as sure to fail as one based on greed and government repression.
Here in corporate America, working human beings are nothing more than debits or liabilities on a ledger. True, I want to stop struggling for every dollar like I do here, but not at all costs. I’m not stupid, I know that life is better when you have money than when you don’t. Still, if money were ALL that mattered I’d be packing for China or Jakarta right now. To paraphrase a line from “Citizen Kane,” it’s not difficult to make a million dollars, if the only thing you want is to make a million dollars. But I’d like a little more. I want to remember what it feels like to be proud of the country I call home. It’s been a long, long time since I felt that way.
America has been the biggest abuser of human rights my friend, have you forgotten slavery, Guantanamo bay? Abu graib? torture in recent secret prisons? America always thinks they are squeaky clean, but they have NO right what soever about giving lessons about human rights!
I live in China and will never go back to the USA and it isnt for moey, it is for a nice peaceful lifestyle…..
I am not afraid to tell the truth about america, you are. too bad
all you are worried about is money?? poor YOU! I am a teacher here and I save 3000 dollars per month adn live with a maid and my family….
The myth of the 50s:
http://www.college.columbia.edu/cct/sep_oct08/features1
“The idea of the Fifties that America still holds — the happy, “greasy” Fifties — was an “invented History.” Up until 1969, quite an opposite cultural memory held sway. When Americans remembered “the Fifties,” they thought of Joe McCarthy witch hunts, of an “age of anxiety,” of the “shook-up generation” diving under their desks during A-Bomb drills, of the Man in the Gray Flannel Suit selling out and Holden Caulfield cracking up, or Allen Ginsberg ’48 and Jack Kerouac ’44 too “beat” to fight back. Nothing to get nostalgic about there.”
I think a little balance is in order. Yes I believe in International travel and the expatriot lifestyle. However you can enjoy incredible romantic travel and live in the United States on $20 a day, safely and forever. It is call Vanabode. Google it if you are unfamiliar with this.