Many Americans approach retirement with a considerable amount of fear and concern about their retirement finances.  The reality is that the average working American lives month to month on a barely adequate paycheck, and finds it difficult, if not impossible to adequately plan and prepare for retirement in America.

Maintaining your current standard of living after retirement may be your greatest challenge. It was challenging enough to pay your bills on your normal paycheck alone.  How will you make ends meet on just social security alone? The likelihood is that retirement is not going to be possible without sacrificing one’s standard of living. On average, Americans will see their incomes shrink to $20,000 in retirement compared to $50,000 while working.

Healthcare issues can lead to high costs for a retiree that have the potential to deplete your savings. In the worst case, you will not only utilize what little wealth you have but will have to turn to your children to supplement your finances.

Farfetched? If you are middle aged, it is highly probable that you already are beginning to see some of your coworkers struggle to provide long term care for their parents. It is not unusual for some to be paying as much as $7000 a month for long term care for just one parent. Other Americans assume the role of the health care provider a job in itself while still maintaining their career.

Not only must the retiree deal with financial and healthcare issues, but often times the retiree will have to deal with issues related to self worth and purpose in life. For most Americans, a sense of self worth and purpose is tied into their work. Unfortunately, it is common for many to lose their sense of purpose and value after retirement. Unfortunately, for many Americans, retirement will be nothing more than sitting in front of the television set. Does this describe what the golden years should be for you?

Retiring overseas is one viable option that a retiree should consider as part of his or her planning portfolio. If you are adaptable, overseas retirement may be a viable option, but it is not for everyone. But when done properly and with the right retirement destination, it is possible for any retiree to live very well on $20,000 a year in countries where the average income is under $5,000 a year.

There are a multitude of options available to those who are willing to explore alternatives. Retirement should be the beginning of a new life rather than an end of life.  Retiring overseas is not without its own challenges. Anything worth having will always take some effort. However, if you still have some adventure in your heart, you might discover that living overseas might actually improve your standard of living and your sense of well-being.

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