Retirement Planning – Retiring Abroad – International Living

10 important conversations to have about retirement over the holidays

10 Conversations to have over the holidays . . . about retirement.

Extended families and friends gather to celebrate over holiday dinners.  What better time to start an informal conversation about the serious matter of retirement; retirement planning, retiring abroad, and international living.

Typically four generations are being affected by the retirement decisions of people in their 60’s.  So, the subject is worthy of discussion.  The trick is to not make the discussion about finances.  Make it about choices.

If the subject of limited finances tends to loom over the discussion, here’s how you can be the bearer of hope:

Check out the Google interactive map on the home page of Traveling 4 Health & Retirement where you can see at a glance most of the popular places where others, like yourself, are living better lifestyles requiring less income and enjoying better healthcare benefits sometimes as cheaply as $22 a month.

Does that cheer you up?  It should.  Everyone likes having more choices. (more…)

Traveling 4 Health & Retirement CEO on vacation to explore retiring abroad

Vacation to Explore Retirement in Panama, SA – Panama Central America

Let me tell you about three friends of mine.  I think they are typical of those who would be excited about taking vacation time to join Traveling 4 Health & Retirement on a guided tour to Panama, Central America to explore what Panama might have to offer for the next phase of their lives.

Catherine

Catherine is a nurse practitioner who heads a hospice division of one of the largest managed care companies in the U.S.  She is responsible for instructing hospice nurses and monitoring the work standards of home-healthcare givers in the Seattle area, and she loves her work.

I met Catherine over 30 years ago when she was a sailing student on-board one of the charter-boats I captained.  She and her husband moved to Washington State because I was here.

She’s made her decision to retire in six months to a year.  She told me she’s no longer willing to keep working 12 hours a day just to make mortgage payments on property that the bank owns.  The only way she can scale back her hours is for her and her spouse to sell their acreage and downsize to an apartment close to work.

She feels the change may be difficult for her husband because he needs to be outdoors where there is sunlight and fresh air.  The prospect of him giving up his garden for apartment living; well, it’s just too depressing.

If she could live more affordable abroad, even three months a year in some sunny destination, then the rest of the year living in an apartment might be bearable.  If she stays in Washington State, she’ll have to continue working part-time just to pay for medical benefits.

Kristin

Kristin is a recent friend, an author of three books on medical tourism and a nurse practitioner specializing in Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery.

She’s an excellent writer and writes investigative-style stories about surgeons and surgical facilities.  She’s lived in St. Thomas and Colombia.

She recently took a position as a nurse practitioner in Arizona.  She says, “As much as I love my job as an NP, I find I miss meeting doctors, and seeing facilities, and technologies around the world.  I also miss writing.”

And then there’s…..

Angie

Angie is a vibrant and young-looking grandma who has worked in a leadership role for a global philanthropic company for 19 years.

I’ve known her for five years.  Angie lent me seed-money to start Traveling 4 Health.  She has always been excited about our company.

Angie is a very social Filipina.  Last week she told me she and her friends sat with a reader who encouraged her to decide what was most important to her spirit.  She said it was to travel . . . and her other comment was “I am so done with this job”.

Each of these ladies has loyal circles of friends in their professions and at their jobs who feel the same way and would love to add a little choice into their lives.  It just takes one to show by example that it can be done.  And who doesn’t like the idea of a vacation with friends to see how other Americans are living abroad?

Each one will feel more comfortable living abroad part-time before committing to anything more permanent.  Support from a company culture while people make friends in a new neighborhood is key to making integration into a new country culture less stressful.

The icing on the cake is a company’s ability to offer affordable, transitional housing for short-term or extended stay and home-ownership plans to defray mortgage payments and even provide job and revenue opportunities .

The beauty of such a business plan is that it provides the security of a company culture as well as job and income opportunities for home-buyers who desire to supplement their income while living in Panama.

And that is exactly what Traveling 4 Health & Retirement is going to do.

Vacation to Panama to Explore Retirement Abroad

Why Panama?  Because Panama offers the biggest variety of expat and retirement community destinations that most closely resemble what Americans want and need, especially the excellent medical and health care resources.  Political stability, personal safety, and healthcare; those are the three top criteria that will cause Panama to boom in the next several years.

If you would like to join us on an excursion to Panama, Central America, we welcome you.  Our first tours will be friends and family trips intended to experience all Panama, SA has to offer while blazing new trails of support for those who follow in our wake.

If you have questions or something to offer that will add value to this venture, I’d like to hear from you. Email me (or contact me through out “contact us” page)

Las Vegas as a Medical Tourism Destination

Health and Wellness – Medical Travel – Medical Tourism – Medical Tourism Report

Medical Tourism Report:  The MTA (Medical Tourism Association) has just issued a press release naming Las Vegas as the first city in the U.S.A. they will promote for medical tourism.

However, seasoned health care and medical professionals say there are significant hurdles to overcome, beyond the marketing phase, that will affect the success of domestic medical tourism.

Says Shai Gold, CEO of Internationaltriage.com, an acknowledged authority on medical tourism both in and out of the U.S.A.:

“The continued efforts of the MTA geared towards jump-starting consumer demand are commendable.  At the same time, the challenge of this initiative, and most domestic destinations, lies in the fact that domestic destinations typically do not offer a meaningful discount to the retail consumer.

The wholesale client (self insured group, or insurance companies) doesn’t need this guide as they already purchase healthcare services at substantial discounts via re-pricing networks.

To attract retail consumers, healthcare providers will have to offer Medicaid level fee structures.

Until this will happen (if at all), patients in search of affordable healthcare will need to travel abroad where they can get exceptional quality of care, great customer service and unbeatable value for their dollar.  To this end, our Preferred Provider Network in Panama is a viable option to patients from the USA, UK, Canada and the Caribbean”.

Will the prices of medical procedures in Las Vegas be competitive and the quality of care standardized in delivery and quality?  That’s the question.  However, Vegas has a leg-up for sure when it comes to providing accommodations and entertainment; no one should doubt that!

It’s also good to see a city so negatively affected by the economy get some help from marketing professionals who will think outside the box to promote Las Vegas as a health and wellness destination.  Las Vegas and casinos everywhere provide the “familiarity factor” that will help patients overcome their fear of traveling to an unknown destination for medical care.

Beating the drum of “possibilities” is an effective step in terms of patient awareness and widespread acceptance of medical travel for cost and quality considerations.

Our book “How to Plan a Successful Medical Tourism Trip”, available online and in stores everywhere in paperback and Kindle format, is the only book to include information and guidance to consumers on domestic as well as foreign-based medical tourism.

Read Related article:  “Affordable Hip, Heart Surgery” about one of the pioneers in domestic medical tourism, a hospital in the U.S. with an existing and successful track-record providing high standard of care, ethics and savings on procedures for patients.

Got Back Pain? Pamela Boni Recovers From Debilitating Back Pain

Health and Wellness – Lower Back Pain -Stott Pilates

This is a story of how Pamela Boni, a Florida resident, overcame debilitating lower back pain and regained her youthful strength at 50 years of age without medical intervention.

It’s a story that highlights how each of us can benefit by learning what preventative health regimens will work for each of us personally to combat the negative side effects of aging or injury, even as we experience changes in healthcare and regardless of whether we move away from the health and wellness resources with which we are familiar.

If you’re planning to move out of your neighborhood or out of the country, ask yourself this:  What is your plan for building and maintaining your ultimate wellness profile? (more…)