rapidfire Retirement Living
Expat Plunge Y
ou’re in love with an exotic land. But before you take the expat retirement plunge, consider
the culture and cost of living, says George Eves, founder of Expat Info Desk, a support resource for Americans living abroad. Cost of living: “Cheap” countries might
not be inexpensive places to live. Calculate the costs of health care, flights home, and vehicle purchase and maintenance. Figure in currency fluctuation, especially if your pension is in U.S. dollars. If you retire to India but want to live as if in the U.S., it’s probably just as expensive. Undeveloped countries are only cheaper if you adjust to local cultures. Friends and family: Don’t count on
loved ones’ visits. Prepare to integrate with the local community.
Health care: Assess medical services,
costs, and availability, especially outside major cities. Legalities: You’ll continue filing U.S.
tax returns. Decide how you’ll move your money. Some countries have specific retirement visas with restrictions, like bringing a certain amount of money to prove you can sustain yourself. Also re- search visa requirements. Do you have to provide financial statements? Refer- ences? How long is the process? Finally, ask whether it’s easy for foreigners to buy homes. Are there capital gains taxes? Language: Be prepared to learn the local language. The more attractive desti- nations (based on cost of living, weather, and activities) are not English-speaking. — Heidi Russell Rafferty
Family
Matters A student who is not eligible for a Pell Grant but whose parent or guardian was a member of the U.S. armed forces and died as a result of service performed in
Iraq or Afghanistan after Sept. 11, 2001, might be eligible to receive the Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant. Students must be
under 24 years old or must have been enrolled in college at least part-time at the time of the parent’s or guardian’s death. The grant is equal to the amount of a maxi- mum Pell Grant for the award year — not to exceed the cost of at- tendance for that award year. For more informa- tion or to apply for the grant, visit http://stu
dentaid.ed.gov/PORT ALSWebApp/students/ english/IraqAfghanSer viceGrant.jsp.
2 8 MI L I T A R Y O F F I C E R S E P T EMB E R 2 0 1 0 IMAGES: LEFT, DAVID MOORE; ABOVE, SHUTTERSTOCK
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140