Retirement Primer

In my book, Retire In Luxury, I begin by saying that Dick’s and my retirement starts a little unexpectedly.

Oh, sure, we knew retirement was coming.  We had known that for years, but to choose a day when an actual paycheck would no longer be coming in… that was scary to say the least.

Through Dick’s work career, we had always matched the employer’s 401K contribution fully toward our eventual retirement.  We had managed to save a little money from the building and remodeling of houses that we had done for years — although back in those days, we congratulated ourselves when we walked away from a sale with $5,000 profit in our pockets.  And we did almost all of the physical work ourselves.  But we were young and strong, and now Yikes!  Well, we still feel young.  We are still fairly strong, and we were going to need that strength now.

Barbie and Dick

Talking About Retirement

The whole process started with a lot of talk about retirement – I mean a lot of talk.  What did we want to do with the rest of our lives?  Where did we want to spend the rest of our lives?  How in the heck would we pay the bills?  And just how long might this “retirement” last?… Oh my gosh, that’s right… the rest of our lives… hopefully for many, many years!

Remember… this was a little over 10 years ago – so I grabbed pencil and paper – yes, I had computer, but I was still relying on the good old tablet and pencil for the first-round.  It took a bit of work, but I finally had a list of bills – debits, and the list of income – credits.  Darn, the debit list is a whole lot longer than the credit list.

On the debit list, there were utilities, there were insurance payments, there were credit card payments (luckily years ago we had learned to pay off that debt monthly), we had a very small payment for the maintenance fee where we lived in Louisiana, and every little bill I could think of was placed on the list -I wanted no surprises in our retirement.

Retirement …or Mortgages

I want to tell you now that if you are still making mortgage payments on your home or if you are still making payments on a vehicle, you may not find retirement very rewarding.  But, maybe you’re just one of those few souls who happen to absolutely love your work – then, keep it up – and enjoy – you’re not really retired – you’re just enjoying working.  Or then again, maybe you have a whole pocket full of money – if so - that’s good too!

However, if those big payments are still coming due, you will most likely be one of the many who take up a second career – or just continue your original.  So if it is at all possible, get those two bills paid off… you will be very glad you did – if you actually want a good and enjoyable retirement.

It’s strange, but once you have all this information down on paper, a lot of those spooky clouds and worries started to disappear.  We realized if we were careful – frugal — maybe downright tight, this retirement just might work out.

Even if you’ve already taken that big step and retired – go ahead and get those lists down on paper (or on the computer).  They’re not nearly so scary in black-and-white.

The “where” choosing portion of our retirement, I’ll delve into later.

Retirement article by Barbie.

You all know,

I love a discount!

I’ve received many emails wanting more information on these handy little discount cards, so, here are some more specifics.

First of all, let me explain a couple of acronyms:

DIF:
The State System for the Full Development of the Family
(Desarollo Integral de la Familia)

INAPAM:
National Institute for the Greater Adult People
(Instituto Nacional de las Personas Adultas Mayores)

INAPAM, the Senior Discount Card I’ve already written about, is for both natural residents of Mexico and for foreigners (legal residents) holding an FM-3 or an FM2 visa, over 60 years of age. (This is about the same as the older INSEN card – so, update to a new INAPAM card for maximum discounts.)

To apply at your local DIF office for the discount card, found in the state of your residence, you will need:

1. Passport,
2. Photo ID (passport or driver’s license),
3. Valid FM2 of MF3,
4. Proof of current residence in Mexico (utility bill in your name, deed to your residence, rental lease,
5. Three photos (similar to your passport and usually there is a person within the area to take those photos, so they fit the requirements),
6. Emergency contact information,
7. Birth Certificate.
Make at least two copies of everything to take in to the office.

I do list the Mexican Embassies, located in the United States, in my book, Retire In Luxury. The list is found on pages 67,68 & 69.

There are a few handicap parking places in Mexico

The DIF office in Mexico City: 
Sistema Nacional para el Desarrollo Integral de la Familia
Zapata 340 P.B.
Sta. Cruz Atoyac, 03310
México D.F. (Districto Federal)
Tel. (55) 30032200

The Mexican Embassy in D.C. is:
Embassy of Mexico
Consular Section
2827 16th Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20009-4260
202-736-1000

Discount card article by Barbie.

Senior Discount, Please

Well, Christmas is almost here. Only a few more days to go. All of the family will be getting together for Christmas dinner… and of course to open presents! 

I just received this email and it prompted me to write today’s blog post. It’s from Barbara B. in the Yucatan. She writes: 

HI, Barbie. Well here we are in the Yucatan.  Can you tell me, can we buy a pickup here and put the title in both our names?   

In one of your letters you said something about people over 50 could get a card for senior discount on busses and tours etc. Can you tell me where I can get a card?  I am 81 and my husband is 86 years young. Thank God there are people like you who can help us old folks! Thank you so much. Barbara B. 

First of all, Yes, Barbara!  You can buy a pickup and put the title to it in both names. 

Now, let’s delve into one of my favorite things – saving money!  Yes, even in Mexico, residents and retirees can say “Senior discount, please” and be rewarded.

The National Institute of Older Persons (I prefer “senior” – Barbie), a Federal program administered by DIF (Desarrollo Integrál de la Familia) was designed to enhance the quality of life for all legal residents, Mexican and foreign, who are over the age of 60.  This “Senior Discount Card” was originally issued only to Mexican citizens and foreigners holding an FM-2 immigrant visa, but now it is now available for anyone holding FM-3’s also.

You’ll receive various discounts… on your pharmacy purchases…. discounts on your water bill, discounts to concerts, transportation, clinics, bus fare, festivals, movies, restaurants and lots more. You can read more about the whole program here.

Enjoy the fres sea air

Here’s how you get your senior discount card:

First find the DIF office in your part of Mexico. If there isn’t one, ask at the local government office where you should go to apply.  As with any office in Mexico, hours may be limited –and even their supplies. Try to go early and take a book or something to fill your time in case you have to wait. Be sure to bring with you: 

• passport
• birth certificate
• valid FM-2 or FM-3 residence visa
• photo ID such as your passport or driver’s license
• proof of residence (a utility bill in your name, deed to your home, or rental lease, etc.)
• 3 photos in “infantile” size (smaller than passport size. Any passport photographer will know the correct dimensions)
• contact information for someone to be contacted in case of emergency;

Make sure you bring least two photocopies of everything on this list.

With all this in hand, you should be able to obtain and physically walk out of the office with the senior discount card in your hand.  You’ll find the constant use may wear them out, so laminate your cards.  You’ll probably want to make a couple of copies of them for future use too.

And that’s how you can get your senior discount! 

So what do you think, folks? Do you have a question about life in Mexico? Are you ready to retire? Would you like to make a comment or a suggestion? If you don’t see the “COMMENT” field below, simply follow this link to the complete article and tell me what you think! 

Senior Discount article by Barbie

Retire to Mexico?

Let me help!

Just in case you’re wondering: Yes, you can retire early, reduce your cost-of-living, and live better than you do now, in Mexico.

Rest assured thousands of people have already done it. Mexico is where they live, work, and play. People from all walks of life are living the good life for a lot cheaper than they could do it anywhere else.

Indeed, Mexico has it all: Lower healthcare costs, pleasant weather, idyllic lifestyle, and so much more. Mexico will help you save money on practically everything you need right now. Imagine slashing your living costs by a third… or even a half. That’s a lot of money in your pocket!

So what will your life be like in Mexico?

How much does it really cost?

Most importantly, how do you get started?

This article answers all of these questions for you. My newsletter, my free reports and my books provide you all the information to retire to Mexico that you need.

Dick and Barbie

If you’re looking for the perfect place to retire… a place to vacation to… a place to escape the winter months, you’ll discover why more and more people are choosing Mexico to make ends meet — and getting more bang for their bucks.

So read all about it! I’ve got lots and lots of information waiting for you right here, so dig in and enjoy.

Oh yes… and I almost forgot! If you feel like commenting on any article, please be my guest.  At the end of each article, there’s a little “add comment” feature — so feel free to make use of it. I *do* get a lot of email and keep pretty busy, but I guarantee you will always get a reply from me!

“Retire In Luxury” by Barbie

Lake Chapala

I just received a wonderful email from Verl, a retiree who is considering Lake Chapala for his retirement paradise.

Verl writes: “Thanks for your correspondance. We are planning a trip in July to possibly purchase in the Lake Chapala area. It is difficult from here to get the real scoop on the most desirable retirement spots and then the best neighbourhoods, we’re shooting in the dark.  And we think we should purchase now before prices go through the roof.”

Shopping the native markets

And so, I introduced him to Charlie after assuring him that to hurry the process is not wise – prices have leveled off just as they have in the States – relax – shop around.

Charlie has  rented a three bedroom, two bath home, with a maid’s casita and bath, garage, patio and nice yard about 30 miles south of Ajijic on the other side of the Lake Chapala for $200 a month.

He lived in Ajijic while looking for a permanent place and paid the Ajijic prices for everything and out here it is about half.  Even the food, and pharmacies are cheaper a little distance from the Lake Chapala, because it seems that here everything is priced for the economy of the town.

A few months with the Gringos in Ajijic and it was an easy decision, Charlie said. It wasn’t an economic move but being away from the Gringos who do drive the prices up where ever they go it certainly turned out that way.

You may remember the article in AARP magazine that offered Lake Chapala at $800 a month.

Well the Gringos drove it up to an easy $1200 to $1400 a month at Lake Chapala.

Charlie is here to tell you that if you don’t desire the hubbub of the crowd and you don’t mind a 25 or 30 minute drive to the larger towns tell your folks that $800 a month is a breeze.

He writes, “You know the climate & beauty here, the people in the country, like in the U.S., are more friendly and helpful than city folks and the only thing we don’t have out here is the noise of the city.

 ”My advice to a prospective person coming to Mexico is to rent for a few months and look around for what fits their economic and social desires. There is something here for every one. In my community I don’t spend or act like a Gringo and I am accepted as a member of the community.”

Lake Chapala/Ajijic article by Barbie.