By Carol Stanley

Contributing writer to Latinworld.com

You are finally retired, and want to find a new and exciting life. The house is sold, the family is spread out, and frankly you feel like it is time for you to kick up your heels.

There are many attractive places to relocate south of the border. This is the time to investigate, check out real estate prices, and find your perfect lifestyle. Almost anywhere you look there will be a wide selection of homes to choose from. Most cities in Mexico boast of economical living in comparison to the United States real estate prices. Generally speaking food costs, utilities, transportation, entertainment, and health care are fairly reasonable.

Be aware that moving to a foreign land has some challenges. The language is probably one of the biggest challenges. In Mexico many people speak English, but there will be times when you struggle to communicate. Also, there are cultural differences with regards to time. Things move a little slower in Mexico so don’t be surprised if 9am is really 10am. Things are different south of the border and you will have an adjustment period to go through, however, this is part of the learning experience.

Some of the things you will have to look into are as follows:
1. Laws of the country and how they apply to U. S. citizens
2. Banking in a foreign country and where to have your direct deposits go
3. Pet laws
4. Taking your automobile to a foreign country and costs
5. What you can bring, and what is best left behind
6. Papers that need to filled out before entering your place of choice
7. Medical care including medicare benefits
8. Learning the new language
9. Finding affordable housing that suits your needs
10. Activities
11. Traveling (back and forth to the U.S.) flight availability and costs

There are more things to look into, but this is a beginning. All relocating experiences offer challenges and can be exhausting; and moving to a foreign country will just offer a few more things that need to be addressed.
Here are some suggestions for retirement destinations in Mexico:

San Miguel de Allende
Puerto Vallarta
Loreto
Lake Chapala
Cancun

Check out the many websites, make some calls, find expat forums and ask questions. The best advice is to spend some time living in one of these exciting places. Actually it is a good idea to visit several places, and the longer you stay you will get a true feeling for the place. You may be willing to give up certain comforts, but there are some things that are important to you, and those things should be addressed.

You could very well have that adventure of a lifetime.

Featured Blog Contributor:
Carol Stanley is a well known speaker and author. She writes frequently on baby boomer and retirement topics. Her latest book, For Kids 59.99 & Over can be found at all online bookstores. www.babyboomerpower.com, www.boomercarol.com

Many people move or retire to Mexico to take things down a notch and relax. The pace of life here is slower and schedules aren’t all that important. Of course, there are many differences between Mexico and the U.S. and Canada; some have their advantages, others disadvantages, but overall it is about embracing the experience. In the United States, Canada and many other countries around the world, it is not very common to hire someone to do laundry, cook, and clean for you on a constant basis (unless you are on the wealthy side). Perhaps you have someone who comes by and cleans your house twice a month.

Many middle and upper class Mexican families have someone that either lives in the house full time to take care of cleaning, laundry, and cooking or spends the day tending to these duties returning to their own home at night. This kind of employee is known as “un empleado de servicio” o “empleado interno.” They are usually considered a part of the family. Maybe you like doing these types of daily chores, but if you don’t, it is a good option that is relatively inexpensive (and a good way to practice your Spanish). You may have much more time on your hands and don’t find a need to have someone help with these tasks, but if you are like me and hate doing laundry and cooking, then this is something to consider.

What can you expect to pay for this type of service?

In Mexico, minimum wage is broken down into 3 different zones – A, B and C, but they are all right around $5 a day depending on the exchange rate. You are going to want to pay more than minimum wage. If you are in a big city, the cost of living is also much higher so you will want to pay accordingly. Wages in Mexico are considerably lower than the United States or Europe and if you can afford it, be generous. Ask around about what other people are paying.

AMAR, the Mexican Association for Retirement Communities (Asociacion Mexicana de Asistencia en el Retiro) is a non-profit organization that serves as a link for active seniors and their advocates to inform and advise them on high quality lifestyles, access to services and to help anybody in need of life enjoyment after retirement through independent and assisted living opportunities in Mexico.

According to AMAR founder, Javier Godinez-Villegas, there are over 1 million American retirees and expats living in Mexico. He projects that in the next 10 years there will be approximately 3 million more. In an interview he mentioned that during 1946 and 1964 every 8 seconds a baby was born. His theory is that after 55-60 years every 8 seconds someone will retire. Sources say that there are 76 million baby boomers in the United States so 4 million retirees in Mexico over the next 10 years seems logical. It is in the best interest of the Mexican government to take initiatives to prepare for this boomer avalanche. Infrastructure will be a top necessity in order to take care of the retirees already in Mexico and those to come. This infrastructure might include airport expansions, more highways, hospitals and medical facilities on par with those in the United States. With demand for top quality assisted living communities outpacing supply in the United States there are dynamic opportunities in international real estate development, resort and health care services throughout Mexico that retirees abroad are going to want to hear about. This will likely contribute to enormous job creation in Mexico as these new residents will look for services like someone to cut the grass, re-model their home and fill other needs that are bound to come up.

Javier’s suggestion for real estate developers looking to cater to this market segment is to build communities with lots to do. In the interview he said, “Many people have the image of retirees in wheelchairs sitting around, but today’s retirees are more active than ever. It is not enough to build a big beautiful house. Housing must be accompanied by activities.”

His organization has hosted an event they call AMAR CONFERENCE. It brings together entrepreneurs, investors, developers, land owners and operators to network, share information, form new business relationships and discuss how investments in this industry can be brought to Mexico, and the ’2B Alive’ event to promote the quality life in Mexico, it brings together retirees from North America and promoters of “Pueblos Magicos & Pueblos Coloniales” all over Mexico.