Drawn by sunshine or a lower cost of living, a growing number of Americans are choosing to live their golden years outside the US, in the hope that it will better suit their financial or lifestyle needs and wants.
While official numbers aren’t available, companies and organizations that specialize in assisting people move abroad have seen a massive post-election uptick in traffic and enquiries over the last few months — anecdotal evidence, some say, suggesting a “momentum, a movement taking shape” among Americans, including many retirees, seriously considering (or already undertaking) a permanent move abroad.
“I don’t think (it’s) going to just dissipate the way it has in every previous election that I’ve been doing this,” Kathleen Peddicord, founder and publisher of Live and Invest Overseas, told CNN Travel. “I don’t think this is going to fade away. They’re asking pretty serious questions about this country versus this country, and ‘What would my residency options be, and what will my tax burdens be?’ So they’re not dreamy questions. They’re very practical.”
Established in 2008, LIOS publishes regular content related to moving abroad, such as questions about taxes and health care. In the days following the election, web traffic was about 250% higher than normal, Peddicord says, and the sustained interest has helped fuel “the greatest growth in our readership in our history.”
