Where to move when you're ready to retire

Panama City, Panama Photo: Game of Light

So you’ve worked your whole life in order to build yourself a bit of a nest egg and its getting closer to the time of life when you want to call it a career. With retirement on the horizon, you’ve started wondering if it might also be time to move outside the United States and take advantage of that nest egg. You want to sample the society of another country but you’re just not quite sure how, where and if you should move.

Luckily for you, we’ve done the research for you and it turns out there are a couple of places that are at the top of the list if you’re looking to spend your golden years somewhere other than the good ole’ US of A.

Australia

There are a number of reasons why Australia has made the list. For one thing, the culture there is different enough that you will get a completely new experience. On the other, it is similar enough to the United States that you aren’t going to feel like a fish out of water. Long life expectancy, per capita GDP and incredible scenery and truly exotic wildlife are just a few of the reasons why deciding to settle down there would be a good choice.

Panama

Panama made the Forbes.com list of best places to retire thanks to a number of different economic factors. There is also plenty of sandy beaches and very, very temperate climates. Obviously, you’re going to want to invest some time and energy into learning the language, which can be a bit of a drawback for some. Still, this is one of those countries plenty of people would kill in order to spend their senior years.

France

It’s not surprising that France is on Business Insider’s list of most popular tourist locations. There are a million things to do and see in and around Paris alone. There are plenty of other Parisian villages that are worth someone’s time when they are visiting. Just imagine if you got to spend more time there because you relocated. If culture is one of the top reasons you want to move to a new country, then France needs to top the list.

Austria

One of the draws of retiring in Austria is certainly that is has a nice high GDP. There is also plenty of culture and plenty to take in if you decide to resettle in a city like Austria. The place is a big time tourist location but it’s also a big time business destination. One recent poll said that 90 percent of the population are happy with where they live and how they live. A country with that many content people is a going to be a nice place to settle.

Canada

The United States’ “Neighbor to the North” is routinely mentioned as one of the best places in the world to live for a variety of reasons. If you’re looking to take in a new culture, but really don’t want to suffer from culture shock, then Canada would certainly qualify. There’s plenty to see and do, the populace is healthy and well educated and it’s quite a bit safer as far as factors like gun violence when compared to the U.S.

Making the Move

Even if you feel like you know where you want to go, pulling the trigger on the actual move can still seem like a daunting task. There are processes you can go through to better prepare yourself for the move, and once you have pulled the trigger you’ll be able to have peace of mind in knowing that you’re prepping the right way.

When it comes to choosing where you want to move and how you want to move, you want all the resources you can muster. The process will Change a bit depending on the country and what steps need to be taken, but the preparation will always be easier the more you prepare and the more investigating you do. Learn more about international relocation services if you're moving abroad.