I reach "retirement age" soon. Like in fifteen minutes. So, now what?

[DFW]

I heard I'm eligible fr Medicare, but not covered outside the USA (so, not covered). Am I supposed to somehow stop working? I've been looking for a replacement to train for years. Cool job. All you need is a thorough ability to spot counterfeit money (anything made from 1792 onward), and both speak and write English, German, French, Spanish, Italian and Russian. Dutch, Swedish and Catalan would be a bonus, but are not requirements. As you might imagine, the line of applicants does not extend around the block.

So, what does "retirement age" mean? I "can" retire? I guess. I'd be leaving some people who have treated me very well over the years in a tight spot. Worse, yet I'd be putting myself in extreme danger of a horrible demise--being bored to death. Yes, this James Bond/Jason Bourne job of being in a different country every day gets tiring, and it is WAY more so at 65 than it was at 25.

But, dammit, I LIKE the travel, the people, the change of scenery, the different foods, cities, cultures, etc. If I had been imprisoned in some office on some 18th floor from 9 to 5 for forty years, I think I would have found an open window and jumped out of it long ago. I used to think 65 was OLD. Now, I'm thinking, hell, I'm not used up, I'm not ready to be declared obsolete, and I'm not feeling like I don't want to do this any more. I just got back to Germany today from two wonderful days in my old temporary home town of Barcelona in Spain, where I had lived as a teenager for a while.

By now, I'm station chief for Europe for my outfit, too. I do bust my ass, but I'm also largely my own boss. I take vacations when and where I want, as long as I want, plan out my own travel schedule, and have a great support team back in the States. My European people are tops to work with, too. My job pays me a ton of money to do something I LIKE? Hell, who am I to stop them?

Now, all this has come at a price. I have heart problems, although I might have gotten them anyway (hereditary). But they showed up in spades 13 years ago. Still, I've successfully kept them in check since. My wife is a German citizen. She has had cancer twice, but her insurance has covered it. I have had to cough up €400 a month for her health insurance since she took early retirement 5 years ago, but it has been well worth it. She worked for a German employer before, so the rules are different for her.

I did ask about Medicare. I was told there are two types. One costs me nothing, and does next to nothing. The other one is complicated, and won't cover me when I'm outside of the USA, which is almost always. So I stick with my Blue Cross, which, like John Grisham's fictitious "Great Benefit," denies just about every claim, but it beats the $33,000 a year a German health care provider quoted me due to my heart issues (Germany does NOT have single payer, and pre-existing conditions ARE taken into consideration--the "Germany is paradise" posts are pure BS).

So, as I see it from my own small (and surely somewhat unconventional) viewpoint, retirement age is one very nebulous milestone. I DO figure I'll retire at some point. Maybe in 20 years or so. Or I'll drop dead on the job (STILL better than bored to death). Whatever. As long as I'm alive to kick, I'll kick. And write. And play my music in the sun, even if I'm not a joker, a smoker or a midnight toker.

And now it's ten minutes. Tomorrow, I'll go down to the Black Forest, where my wife is in her last week of rehab from her cancer surgery of last year. She comes home on Thursday, right around when I get home from something I have to do in Geneva, Switzerland that morning. She has gotten us an early dinner table at some local place near her rehab facility. The rehab spa is letting me spend the night.

I think I'll make myself a cup of tea and wait out the last five minutes I'll ever be under 65. It's all cool so far.

See y'all on the flip side!

[malaise]

1. Hey

Happy Birthday - do what makes you happy!

[yeoman6987]

2. It's a double edged sword

One. You earned time to retire and it would help someone else get the job shen you retire. Young people are waiting for employment from baby boomers. Congratulations now enjoy life. You deserve it.

[DFW]

6. I would LOVE for someone else to take this job

If you know any American who fulfills the necessary basic requirements listed in the OP and has a valid EU work permit, I'll spend six months showing him/her the ropes and hand it over with a smile. I just can't find that person. It's not like I haven't looked. Besides, you'd think 6 weeks vacation, great travel, and a fat six figure salary would lure some serious prospects out of the woodwork. So far, not a peep. I have painted myself into a corner. The ironclad job security I have built for myself has become an insurmountable obstacle to finding a clone.

[yeoman6987]

9. Those requirements are tough. It takes a special person like yourself

Americans are really bad with languages. Maybe Melania can take the job. She apparently speaks 5 of 7 languages. Just kidding. She'd not be qualified in other areas.

[DFW]

17. I think you're too hard on us

It's not that Americans are any better or worse at languages than anyone else. It's just that we are not TAUGHT how important it is to learn and be good at foreign languages. If exposed to them, and sufficiently motivated, I don't think it's your nationality that stands in the way of being a polyglot, but rather the twin obstacles of opportunity and motivation. It's a school's job, and OBLIGATION, to provide both.

[Warpy]

34. If you want a polyglot with an EU work permit

you're just going to have to broaden your search to the EU.

American polyglots are like hen's teeth and frog's hair, largely mythical creatures unless they grew up in the EU.

[DFW]

40. I don't THINK I'm a myth (though conceivably ugly enough to be mistaken for a hairy frog)

I not only grew up in the States, I'm from the South, and we're all supposed to be idiots. I read it somewhere on DU, so it must be true.

I will say that when I was at my "prestigious (yeah, right)" Ivy League college, inquired about a major in oral fluency in various languages, instead of offering me counseling, the professor in charge of the program stuck his nose in the air and told me "we are not running a school for tour guides."

Well, I use between five and eight languages a day for my work, and I am most definitely NOT a tour guide. However, just to make sure this prestigious university wastes no money on training tour guides, that is exactly how much I have given them in donations since graduating, despite regular brochures trying to lure me to my checkbook. They haven't yet thanked me for saving them from inadvertently training a tour guide, but I'm sure that is just a mere temporary oversight on their part.

[panader0]

3. Happy Birthday!

I can't answer your questions--our circumstances are very different.
I guess I'm lucky that I own my house and land. My expenses are small.
I'm happy with little, all I need is a pint (or two) a day. Best to you!
Welcome to 66, that's my age too.

[DFW]

7. Don't jump the gun!

I just turned 65!!

[malaise]

10. I retired two Septembers back

It was one of my best decisions ever.

[DFW]

12. If I did that, I'd be gone within a month

Maybe I'll run out of gas and see things differently some day?

[malaise]

14. You'd be surprised

There's a lot to do.

[alfredo]

39. I thought that when I was retired due to disability in 2001

I've enjoyed my time, caught up on my reading, and returned to an old love, photography.

[yeoman6987]

11. Oh yeah others have mentioned it but definitely sign up for Medicare now

If you wait till you come back, you will be penalized for life. I think it's 20 percent per year or some outrageous amount.

[DFW]

13. I will be back in Dallas in 3 weeks

I will take some action then. Thanks for the advice!

[BamaRefugee]

32. Ditto

Sign Up! you never know. you don't have to use it.
My Medicare provider supposedly will reimburse for health bills incurred abroad, I haven't had to try that yet, remains to be seen if it's true. (HealthNet)

[peacebuzzard]

41. I see where you suggest Healthnet may cover overseas Medicare expenses. Is t

Is that the Part B? Or medigap?
Is it available for all applicants or an employer benefit?

[BamaRefugee]

74. I can't give you an authoritative answer but

when I was shopping around, I told each company that I go to Europe with my band sometimes, and what would happen if I got sick in Europe. I was told that I would send all the billing to HealthNet and they would pay for it.

But those phone people are often rife with misinformation. I basically went with HealthNet becuase they did my Obamacare and I had no bad experiences.

[DFW]

103. I'll have my office check this out

Thanks for the suggestion. I have to make sure any insurance understands that I don't just go to Europe on work trips. I live here. I'll have to hear if that makes a difference in how they would classify me. If they have half a brain, with the lower medical costs here, you'd think they'd be fine with it, but I don't want ascribe too much common sense to an insurance company--it doesn't always work out well.

[Jim Beard]

25. Medicare at 65, SSI at 66.

I retired at 69, last year and love it. I could use more money but then, most of my expenses are lower, especially auto & gas.

[TexasTowelie]

4. Congratulations!

At least you have options to consider. A lot of people count the days for years before they are eligible for retirement. You apparently have a job that you enjoy and nobody is forcing you to quit it either.

While I would get weary of the travel, there are other people such as yourself that relish the variety. Whatever decision you make, enjoy yourself and the time with your wife and family. You are luckier than most.

[DFW]

20. Luckier than some, anyway. I realize that.

And the "where do I go from here" milestone I have just reached is only an artificial one we have set for ourselves. I have met a great many people that I felt was far older than I was, even though they are still in their 50s. I have also met some very young people in their 70s--our own California Peggy being a great example. The actor Tom Berenger, who will be 68 this year, is another great example. Yeah he plays action heroes on film, but he is an avid reader, a scholar, settled in South Carolina (he is from Chicago) because he was filming there, and just liked it. He is thinking of writing a book for the sole reason that he has never done it before--pretty much the same reason I wrote mine (we compared notes). Some people just don't get lucky, and my heart goes out to them. Some people get luck handed to them on a silver platter, and they ignore it. I have no patience for them. What luck I have had, I try to make the most of it and NEVER take it for granted.

[Jim Beard]

28. If you wait until 70 to retire, you will get an additional 8% per year until 70. Thats an extra

32% above your normal calculation. Do it if you love your work.

[DFW]

29. Sounds like a plan

I do love the work, and don't need the money at the moment.

[pnwmom]

5. If you're ever planning on coming back to the US, you should sign up at least

for the Medicare that costs nothing -- and make sure you know about the possible consequences of not getting the more "complicated" Medicare. I've heard that there is some reason it's important for you to sign up on time.

[DFW]

8. I have heard that, too

I have to be back in Dallas briefly next month, and I'll look into it when I'm there.

[Hamlette]

23. if your job provides insurance, you can't get Medicare

I've been told I need to sign up 3 months before I actually retire, or start the process three months before.

Be careful where you get info re Medicare. I went to a "presentation" at my credit union, they guy made it sound like there was one expensive stupid option and one cheap smart option. I was convinced by the time I left but since I still had time, I set about to dig a little deeper and learned my Credit Union owns/sells/has some financial connection to the cheaper smarter option. I was disappointed and surprised.
Everyday I think of something new I want to do when I retire. If I'm bored, it will be because I'm lazy (which I'm afraid I am), not because there is nothing interesting to do. (learn to play the fiddle, or piano, spend more time at silver smithing and glass blowing, give bridge lessons in my house for my kid and friends, clean my damned closets, make a modern quilt for each of my nieces and nephews, build a house on our property in Moab, or sell the property in Moab and design and build a home in Italy or France. . . .

[DFW]

30. On paper it does

But it's Blue Cross/Blue Shield, or, as we patients call it, Double Cross/No shield. They deny just about everything.

[LeftInTX]

61. I have Medicare A&B and am also on my husband's policy

Medicare is secondary. I don't think co-insurance with Medicare is unusual. Maybe double check the facts. Sometimes it is hard to coordinate the benefits, but usually it works out.

[Hamlette]

63. odd, maybe I got it wrong. Or maybe because it is government health care?

I'll check it again. I work for the state. Double coverage would be nice.

[BlueMTexpat]

50. I'm glad that pnwmom

mentioned that because I was about to bring it up too. But if you are covered by other health insurance and can prove that, you should be OK, if for any reason you return to the US full-time and want to participate in Medicare. Still, do check it out because things change - and God knows what Trump and his cohorts will do.

My husband and I are among the weirder expat cases. We are both US citizens - no dual nationality issues - although I am eligible for Swiss citizenship. I retired from working in an international organization located in Switzerland, which entitled me to retire here as a permanent resident. I also had worked in the US for long enough to more than qualify for SS and Medicare. Working with an IO outside the US doesn't require putting money into US SS, nor did it require putting $$ into the Swiss version of SS ("AVS&quot . So while I qualify for US SS, I don't qualify for Swiss AVS. I have a pension from one IO and a "Provident Fund" from the other. The PF is similar to a 401K, but it didn't qualify for a rollover into my US IRA plan so I took the lump-sum distribution that I was entitled to and invested it. Fortunately, we had been paying US tax on PF amounts all along, so I didn't have a tax hit on the lump sum.

As for health care, unfortunately, I worked for two different IOs - with slightly different health care programs - for a total of 13 years, but with neither for the requisite 10 years to be vested in one of those programs. Switzerland does not have universal health care; it's basically an employer-mandated benefit. Otherwise, it works a lot like Obamacare in the US. The terms of my residence permit require that I show proof of insurance coverage. As you correctly note, Medicare coverage does not apply here in Europe. So I have to purchase private insurance. The Swiss plan I chose has a deductible of CHF 1000 and the premiums run about CHF 450/mo - for GLOBAL coverage, although the presumption is that the global coverage applies primarily to accidents, force majeure, etc., rather than to routine prevention, etc.

My husband retired after several years at a US company and it was after his retirement that I followed my dreams to Geneva and he was my "support spouse." But he is decidedly anglophone and feels more comfortable generally in the US (MD), while I REALLY love Europe. So since my retirement, we have compromised with a "commuter" lifestyle. I am a "permanent resident" of Switzerland; he is not. So, just to hedge my "healthcare" bets in case circumstances ever require that I return to the US full-time, I have the Medicare A premiums deducted from my SS and we pay a modest additional premium for the additional Medicare coverage through the program established by my husband's former employer. I began seeing a GP in the US even before Medicare coverage. This is because we had been warned that some physicians will not take Medicare patients if they haven't had a relationship before then. This strategy paid off when a routine mammogram in Switzerland showed early stage breast cancer. As I was due to "commute" to the US at the time, having maintained Medicare allowed me to receive full coverage in the US for a confirmatory mammogram (that was easier and less costly than having to have an official translation of the Swiss results), easy and immediate access to specialists, and all resulting tests, surgeries and follow-up. I can't say enough good about the experience and only wish that all could have the same! Being located within the Johns Hopkins system in MD REALLY helped.

The "fun" thing about this particular lifestyle is taxes. As a US citizen, I am required to pay federal income taxes. Because my husband is a resident of Maryland and we file jointly (it works out better financially), I also pay MD state & local taxes. While working for an IO, I was NOT subject to Swiss taxes. But now, as a permanent resident of Switzerland, I am also required to pay Swiss federal, cantonal and communal taxes. The Swiss system does not allow a married person to file a separate tax return. However, they have allowed me a Swiss-like compromise. Because my husband is not a permanent Swiss resident and we make sure that he is never here for six months and a day during any tax year, they tax me only on my income (and "wealth" - something that the US tax system really needs to think about along with "transaction taxes," IMO, so that the One Percent can begin paying their fair share) and not his. I just have to file some previously agreed-to explanatory documents every year. Together with the foreign income exclusion, etc., the combined tax hit works out to about the same as we would pay if I only lived in the US. It's just that we have to jump through a lot more hoops to stay legal.

But please do be sure to inform yourself as much about Medicare as you can - as early as you can. But you really have to register for both SS and Medicare through the regional consular office you are assigned to. As an expat, you should be able to get some info about this from the Department of State - at least until Trump's draconian budget takes effect. You may already have done that. Your regional consular office is probably in Germany; Germany currently is also responsible for US expats in Switzerland who receive SS, etc. So we may be talking to some of the same people.

[DFW]

66. That is a lot to digest, thanks!

I am familiar with Johns Hopkins. When my dad had pancreatic cancer, they did their best to save him, and he lasted longer than they thought he would.

My wife is a German citizen, which puts me in a different situation from yours, and my residence in Germany means I pay higher taxes here than in Texas. For part of my income (and ALL of my Roth IRA, which I have not yet touched for reasons immediately following), it is source-taxed in the USA. But the Germans want to tax it again, meaning an effective 90% (40% USA, 50% Germany) tax rate for me. My German accountants are trying to fight it, but things like the Roth IRA became law AFTER the DTT (Double Taxation Treaty) between Germany and the USA was written. Each is trying to interpret the various clauses to its own advantage, but I am NOT willing to give up 90% of my income just because two sets of bureaucrats want me to help plug their deficits. As it is, I pay an effective rate of about 51%.

We disagree on "wealth" taxes. Of course, I pay 51% on ALL of my income under the best case scenario, and I think that if the state(s) has/have taken THAT much out at the start, they have no right to come back and say I have too much left over, gimme some more. Several years back, Germany tried to institute a wealth tax, but their version of the Supreme Court nixed it as double taxation, and therefore unconstitutional. Double taxation is specifically forbidden in Germany's constitution. A certain segment of German society got picked on with just such taxes in the 1930s, and the postwar Germans put in safeguards to prevent a repeat performance once the Nazis were gone. There is one exception that no one has challenged yet: Germany taxes gasoline with a "Mineral oil tax." They then added on VAT to both the gasoline AND the oil tax, so we pay VAT on the tax as well. A tax court judge here told me it was blatantly illegal, but no one had yet mounted a challenge to it. A well-liked rogue German politician called a wealth tax a "jealousy tax," and I tend to agree with him. I think that if we closed enough loopholes in the States so that people like Trump couldn't boast they are "smart" for paying no taxes, we wouldn't even need such a discussion. Since a wealth tax can only attack money that the state knows about in the first place, all that state has to do is efficiently tax it the first time.

There IS a US consulate in Düsseldorf somewhere. I think they are only open about 45 minutes out of the week, but you're right. I need to consult someone there regardless. Now all I have to do is find a free 45 minutes!

[BlueMTexpat]

87. I think that Dusseldorf will only refer you

to the Federal Benefits Unit (FBU), located at the American Consulate General in Frankfurt, even though it may be able to assist with SS applications. https://de.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/social-security/

The Federal Benefits Unit (FBU) administers federal benefits programs for residents of Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Austria from the following federal agencies Social Security Administration, Department of Veteran Affairs, Office of Personnel Management, Department of Labor, and Railroad Retirement Board.

FBU Contact Information:

The Federal Benefits Unit (FBU) is located at the American Consulate General in Frankfurt. If you have specific questions or need more information, the FBU is open to the public:

Monday to Friday
8:00 am to 12:00 pm, except on German and American Holidays, and the last Thursday of the month.

Prior to contacting our office, please read the information below: most answers are available online.

I was a lawyer for the US DOS for several years in one of my previous incarnations. Many US expats do not realize how many services can be dealt with on-line or by telephone these days. At least, this url should give you a good start.

Until - if ever - Trump's budget is passed and takes effect, in any event.

[Jim Beard]

35. Medicare part A doesn't cost much but it is limited, Medicare Part B only pays 80%

and includes doctors visits. I buy a "Medicare Supplement" that pays the 20%, depending on the policy you buy. I have the AARP United Healthcare to policy and have never, ever had to pay any thing on a bill. Its expensive for me at $201 a year and it increases annually. My 92 year old mother pays almost $500 a month for her supplement but she had two small heart valves replaced and didn't pay one penny.

[llmart]

43. That must be a typo...

$201 a year is unheard of for the type of Medicare supplement you're describing.

[Jim Beard]

64. You are correct, it is $201 a MONTH. My mistake.

[DFW]

67. I got the AARP/United Health Care brochure in my mail sent from Dallas

It seems there is a lot to check out. I am not an "RP" yet, and so still have, nominally, at least, employer insurance, but I should probably register for something anyway for future reference.

[longship]

15. Happy happy, DFW!

[Boomerproud]

16. Happy Birthday DFW!

Enjoy your special day (you are a week younger than my brother) and thank you for your fascinating/insightful posts.

[DFW]

18. Thank YOU for finding them to be so! n/t

Last edited Sun Mar 19, 2017, 01:13 PM - Edit history (1)

[KT2000]

19. Hey - wait a minute

this birthday makes you 65 right? You qualify for Medicare - in fact you should probably sign up for part A in case you return to the states.
You won't qualify for full Social Security until age 66! You have some breathing room yet.

[DFW]

21. Noted, thanks

I wasn't even thinking about Social Security yet. I seem to remember that there is a sliding scale about how the longer you wait, the more you collect? I guess I have a while to look into it.

I will sign up for the Medicare part that costs me nothing. I will not throw away money to some insurance company (enough of them have sent me flyers, all of which have landed in the trash) unless I am convinced it will do me some good some day.

[OldHippieChick]

86. You'll get over 100%

if you wait until you are 70.

[octoberlib]

22. Happy Birthday, DFW!

How did you become a counterfeit specialist? Did you take a course or were you trained through your place of work? Just curious.

[DFW]

26. Very valid question

Soon after I was recruited, I showed an aptitude, and got intensive on-the-job training. You either "have the eye" or you don't. It's probably related to what art history majors go through when applying for jobs at museums or at Christie's or Sotheby's (but my job pays better, I'll bet).

[struggle4progress]

24. I never did become 60. But I did celebrate my 5th birthday for the 12th time ---

and I think I've finally got acting like a five-year-old down to a fine art!

[DFW]

27. That sounds like an art unto itself

Five was a long time ago for me. But don't forget, I own fossils of animals that used to be my house pets.

[brooklynite]

31. I 'm 57 and I could retire tomorrow if I wanted to...

I plan to keep working until the work is no longer fun.

[DFW]

33. Being bored to death is a horrible way to go

I think I'll be sticking closer to your/my plan.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

36. Happy Birthday, my dear DFW!

Sounds as though you have some ideas for your (future) retirement to explore.

Social Security and the bare bones Medicare will need exploring too. But you'll be back in the States soon, and you can take care of those at that time.

I know you'll figure out what you want for your future!

And thank you for the very sweet shout-out. That was nice!

[DFW]

68. You won't BELIEVE what my daughters got me

I got up early this morning, and there on the kitchen table was a birthday card with a hand-written voucher from them for a 4 day trip for two, including hotel and air fare to Dubrovnik in Croatia!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

94. Wow, how amazing! I hope you can go very soon.

What a beautiful and generous gift!

I know you both will have a grand time.

[DFW]

97. We're going to try to steal the time in May

Hrvatska!

Now that my younger daughter earns way more than I do, she's paying a bit back that I paid for her education in the States (she did warn me in advance that she planned to, but we never expected this).

[Mollyann]

37. Social Security

My husband turned 66 in 2014. We figured that he would have to live to be at least 81 to come out even on not taking his benefit. He is still working and has to pay tax on most of the benefit. He had CABG two years ago and other related health issues. I doubt he will make it to 81, so we came out ahead. Other than paying federal income tax on most of it, there are no other penalties to keep working. Since he is covered by his employer's insurance, we only have Part A medicare.

[JetFuel]

38. I LOVE Being Retired, and I Think You Will Too

I kinda got nudged out at age 63, although I could have stayed. That was a year ago. I had no idea I would love it so much. Although I liked my job, I'd rather live in a shoe box on the bottom of the ocean than get back in the harness.

Everyone is different, but my take is that if you have a few good friends, a decent primary relationship, a few things you really enjoy doing, and a moderate amount of financial support, you're gonna love it as much as I do--and as much as EVERY ONE of my retired friends do, as well.

Get out and enjoy life while you can. There's a world of adventure just waiting for you to go exploring.

[DFW]

42. More travel is the one thing that MIGHT lure me into walking away.

There are SO many places my wife and I want to see, and we just haven't yet found to the time for.

[AJT]

44. It sounds like you are lucky to be working at an

exciting job you love. A lot of us counted the days to be able to retire from jobs that were unfulfilling and stressful. I raised 2 daughters as a single mom doing work I was thankful to have but didn't enjoy. I finally stopped 6 months ago, and I would never want to work again. You mentioned that you would just die if you weren't working, so why retire?

[DFW]

73. I don't intend to retire for now

If I were counting the days until I had to retire, I would be like a condemned prisoner in a cell crossing off the days until the execution. It makes a huge difference if you enjoy your job or not. Working always in the same place for decades in a row HAS to be different from being in Paris, Barcelona, Geneva, Brussels and Munich all in the same week. Not every week is THAT crazy for me, but over half of them are. Plus I work with local friends in every one of those cities, and speak every one of the local languages. It's not a typical situation.

[Egnever]

85. The key is clear

If you like what you do retirement is not a goal.

Sadly there are many many people out there that are slaves to their paycheck. They work for the check and nothing more they hate their jobs and wish they didn't have to do them. For many of those people retirement can not come soon enough.

Like you I found something I enjoy. So much so I constantly feel guilty charging people yet the kids do have to eat and my wife is always telling me those folks a grateful they have someone they can trust to do the work right for them. With clients now that keep returning for over a decade I have finally admitted she is probably right...

That said if I stopped getting paid tomorrow I doubt I would stop doing what I do.

It sounds like you are in a very similar situation. Lucky US!

Far too many out there never find a way to get paid doing what they enjoy. I myself spent a good portion of my life dreading work. If only I knew what I know now 25 years sooner....

Oh and a Very Happy Birthday to you DFW!

[cilla4progress]

45. You are SO COOL!!

My BIL turned 65 on 3/17. You sound like him...super stoked.

My best to your wife. Loved your post

[Hoyt]

46. A wise man or woman said, "No one lies on their death bed saying, I wish I had worked more."

Although I'm a few years ahead of you and still working and will probably do so till I just can't get up anymore. But I do think I can cut back to special projects. Expect to move out of the city to smaller digs within next year. That might make a difference.

Good luck, sounds like you are in a good situation. You may have to leave them with a few people to take your place.

[DFW]

75. You are probably right about the last part

We recently opened a new representative office in the Netherlands, with some really good people there. I am looking into trying to train a couple of them to do aspects of my job. I like working with all of them, so there may yet be light at the end of the tunnel. They were wary of working with an American, but were completely cool with it when they heard I spoke Dutch, and was in tune with them and their country. BIG ice-breaker. Now, when I'm there (maybe 3 times a month), they just accept me as one of them, and not the big evil overseer from the USA coming to look over their shoulder.

[sarcasmo]

47. If your healthy work until 70-75.

[Hekate]

48. Happy birthday, DFW. Long life and improved health to you and your wife. Keep posting, too!

[DFW]

76. Thanks Hekate!

We intend to try for all of the above!

[yardwork]

49. Happy birthday, DFW.

[greatauntoftriplets]

51. I hope that you've had a very happy birthday!

[lunasun]

52. You are not getting older your life is just getting longer . Enjoy your birthday and keep on truckin

[furtheradu]

53. Happy Birthday, Peace to YOU!

You're a goood man, You've done goood Work, You Bless this World. Trust YourSelf & follow Your Heart.
My intuition is You might enJOY selecting & training/mentoring Your own 'replacements'.. & it may take a bunch to replace YOU.
Family, Wife, & fun travel, maybe some political activities, Writing, I *know* You would stay bizzy, doing what means the MOST to YOU & Yours.

"This ain't no dress rehearsal.."! DFW!

[peacebuzzard]

54. I am facing a similar situation

Turning 65 in a few months and because of a long term medical issue I am on an inactive status from my travel heavy job. I will have to sign up for Medicare but can still carry my employers insurance as a supplement which covers out of country medical health coverage after a deductible of 2700 dollars. If I do return to work (seems unlikely: medical restrictions) I can be covered with the employer benefits as long as I am active at work. Work was a heavy non-stop marathon of international travel, and the sleepless nights and sodium laden food really wrecked havoc. Because of customs inspection on agricultural restrictions you cannot carry certain food items so you are always dependent on local fare which most of the time is unacceptable for special healthy diets. There is a milestone at 65 for sure because so far I do not see coverage for international use as post 65 in a foreign country. Unless you have residency in another country and a foreign insurance policy is available in a particular country. But, the likelihood of international coverage would be slim to none.

[LittleGirl]

55. Happy Birthday DFW

I just left Basel to live back 'at home' in Arizona. My spouse is still there and is looking for work locally eventually this summer. He wouldn't qualify for your job but if I had known you were looking for someone like that, I would have suggested him. He speaks English, German, French and can understand Italian and some Dutch. He's got a knack for languages and is detail oriented. I loved living in Europe again, (we lived in Stuttgart for a few years) but it wasn't paying enough for us to enjoy Switzerland. Amazingly expensive for no sense of value for money. Good luck and I hope your wife improves every day. Cheers.

[MarianJack]

56. I turn 62 in late June of this year.

I'm awaiting an appeal on a BS denial of SSDI late last year and I'll be taking early Social Security then. I have an appointment to sign up o. April third.

Our "glorious" Maine governor, Paul LePage, considers it to be Welfare. Grand Wizard Donald Rump considers cutting Social Security to be his "moral imperative".. They can both go f**k themselves.

Good luck to you, and this almost 29 year cancer survivor wishes all the best to your lovely wife in her recovery as well as my best wishes for many more happy years together.

PEACE!

[PoiBoy]

57. Happy Birthday DFW..!!

With the purge happening at the State Department, the pool for multi linguists and EU familiar folks may have deepened a bit...

Don't know about the counterfeit spotting ability though...

Best wishes to you on this milestone...!!!

[rtracey]

58. what now?

Enjoy your retirement life, that's what....Trump is not going to be in charge for ever, maybe even less then we think, so just enjoy....

[Docreed2003]

59. Happy Birthday!!

Hope you have a lovely day! Thanks for sharing your fascinating stories and congrats on your wife's homecoming!!

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

60. Congratulations on turning 65!

Do go ahead and sign up for Medicare Part A. If you are in this country and need it, you'll be totally screwed if you didn't sign up for it.

I have one of the Advantage plans, which is just perfect for me. I pay zero additional, other than what's already deducted for my Part B coverage (which I paid out of pocket before I started collecting SS) and covers a whole lot of stuff, including free prescriptions for the few drugs I've taken, and so on.

Having a job you love is wonderful. Being paid well is a fabulous bonus. I never had a job I particularly loved. For me work was always going into the workplace, putting in my time, and getting a paycheck. Not working -- and I retired just about exactly three years ago -- is fabulous. I do have less money than I'd like, and I periodically think I should take some sort of temp job, but so far I've only done that once. And even though I enjoyed that experience reasonably well, by Wednesday (I only worked one week) I was desperate for the week to end.

Americans and foreign languages. You are right that the reason we suck at them is because we're not taught them, and when we learn them, have very little opportunity to use them. We're not like Europeans who only have to travel a hundred miles or so to be in another country -- except for the English who life on an island where everyone else speaks English, and they're almost as bad at languages as Americans are.

One of my few regrets in life is that I never had, or didn't make, the opportunity to live in another country. I've travelled a decent amount, but never lived abroad. Oh, well. In my next life . . . .

[gwheezie]

62. Happy Birthday 🎂

I kinda retired a couple months ago. Up until 3 months before I retired I figured on working until 70 because I really did love my job. But I had an epiphany that I had been doing this work for 45 years & maybe I could love something else. So I still go to my old job a few times a month but I also started working as a school nurse part time in my community. I like the kids. I had been a psych nurse for adults the past 40 years so working with elementary school kids is turning out to be fun.
Each time I do go to my old job I realize 2 things, they're no better or worse without me & I can't train experience into the new nurses, they will learn the way I did.

[DFW]

77. I've only been doing this job for 42 years

Maybe that's why I'm not bored with it yet?

I couldn't "go to" my job a few times a month, either. My job is somewhere else every day. I suppose I COULD tell the French that I didn't have the patience to deal with them any more, but then I'd have to give up my weekly lunches in Paris and the occasional free hour there to laze at an outside café, and people watch. Who would want to give that up?

[ornotna]

65. My father worked till he was 78

Not that he had to, he just enjoyed it and it kept him busy. When he retired he went down hill rather quickly. I think work kept him alive because he loved it more than anything that retirement offered. I expect I will work till the end, I don't really have another choice.

[DFW]

71. My father also worked until he was 78

He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at 77, but defiantly kept working until 8 days before he died, eleven months after diagnosis, when his last column appeared. Though barely able to function, about 4 months before he died, he saw that some proposed adjustment to Medicare would end up costing the government more, where its sponsors had intended it to save the government money. He arranged a conference call between himself, the office of then-Senator Moynihan on NY and the (Clinton) White House, laid it out for them, and the proposal was taken off the table when they realized he was right.

I could stop working tomorrow, but to be financially secure, I'd have to move back to the States in order for my Roth IRA to be accessible. I need it to live on if I stop working, and while I paid the taxes (39.6%) on it up front, as designed under US law, the Germans don't recognize that, and want to tax it again (51%), in violation of the double-taxation treaty. At 10% left over, and me living in an expensive country, I might as well donate the rest to charity and sell pencils on the street.

[Mr. Ected]

69. I'd like to know if you receive any actionable suggestions

As we've discussed in the past, I'm a dual citizen, now back in the States, but considering prospects of retiring in Europe, if that scenario ever arises (I'm about 8 years behind you!)

I worked for about 7 years in Germany and Holland and paid taxes to those countries, so I may or may not qualify for "Rente".

My greatest concern is my American health insurance and its transportability to the EU. Sounds like Blue Cross is taking care of you. I wonder if my Humana would take care of me abroad?

In any case, HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Don't let a number make a decision for you. You obviously haven't lived your life by anyone else's design. Do what suits you best, every time!

[DFW]

78. I think it's different everywhere here.

If you are a dual citizen of a country like France, that has pretty much universal coverage, you should be OK, If it's somewhere like Germany or the Netherlands, that do not have universal coverage, you have to do some serious CYA. Blue Cross is most definitely NOT taking care of me. They try to deny every single claim I send over, saying they don't know what this is or that is, and don't know why I needed something, or the physician/medical facility isn't approved by them, ANYTHING to deny a claim. The only reason I keep them is because it is my company plan in the States, and the Germans quoted me €30,000 a year to insure me here. Not a typo--that's THIRTY THOUSAND euros!

My wife is a German citizen, and will be eligible for "Rente" in June. Since she took time off from working to raise our daughters, and German "Rente" is based on how many years you worked, she's looking at maybe €800 to €850 a month if she's lucky. That's adequate, I guess, as long as you need neither food nor shelter.

[Mr. Ected]

80. I hold a German passport but am considering a move to the Netherlands in the future

So the lack of universal coverage would certainly pose an impediment. Dang it.

[DFW]

83. The German passport MIGHT help you in Germany if you're over 65

I have been paying €400 a month for my wife since she left her job 5 years ago. Her German medicare kicks in this June when she turns 65. My longest standing Dutch employee, who turns 71 this July 4th, gets his gross salary sent over from Dallas, since we had no Dutch entity at the time he started with us (1990). He consulted with both his accountant and the Dutch government on how to do this, and this is what they agreed on. He pays his income taxes out of what we send over. We don't do any withholding. He has to pay a healthy sum to some Dutch health insurance agency as well (not sure whether private, government, or somewhere in between like in Germany). As his wife was just diagnosed with stage 3+ ovarian cancer, and has been undergoing some radical and heavy treatment these past few months, he is very glad he kept it current. Unlike in the States, when you have the coverage in the Netherlands, they honor it fully. The insurance doesn't try to duck out of covering you if you need treatment or medicine.

I'd use your German passport and check with some insurers here or over the border in NL, and ask what your options are. Leave your American passport at home when you consult--you already know the price range for people with that little document.

[BlueMTexpat]

88. WOW - I am aghast

to hear about your EUR 30,000 per annum insurance quote, because I too wondered why you didn't go with a German insurance co! Now I KNOW!

It sounds as if German insurance cos are every bit the gougers that US cos are!

Swiss insurance companies are somewhat constrained by the federal government (like Obamacare currently does), although the insurance itself is administered through the cantons. https://www.ch.ch/en/health-insurance-foreigners/

For any who are interested, more information is available at this site: http://www.expatica.com/ch/healthcare/Swiss-health-insurance_693473.html

What does Swiss health insurance cover?

The basic state health insurance coverage is set by law and identical across all providers, including:

-Outpatient treatment
-Inpatient treatment from hospitals on the official list
-Emergency services including transport contributions and treatment
-Medicines prescribed by a doctor
-Pregnancy services such as antenatal classes, childbirth expenses and abortion
-General healthcare (such as vaccinations and gynaecological check ups)
-Rehabilitation services after an operation or serious illness
-Illness when travelling abroad, although conditions apply.

By law state health insurance can not be reliant on any personal factors, and any fund you choose is required to accept your application regardless of age or health risks and without stipulating any conditions or a waiting period.

Until my retirement, I fell under the exception for staff of international organisations, embassies and consulates.

We also have comparisons of companies available on-line, e.g. Comparis (https://en.comparis.ch/comparis/info/wir.aspx), available in English, German, French and Italian.

If anyone else who is reading this thread is interested about learning what services are available abroad for US expats/retirees, they should do google searches using search words such as: "US embassy (name country of interest) US federal benefits abroad" and "health insurance requirements for resident foreign nationals in (name country of interest)"

Those searches will help to provide LOTS of information right now, without even having to leave home.

The EU also has an informative website that will help EU nationals/resident to get started: https://europa.eu/european-union/life/healthcare_en

It is NEVER to early to begin retirement planning - even if you don't actually retire.

[DFW]

89. The Germans figured I was a bad insurance risk

For that matter, I probably am. But €30,000 a year is insulting. They should just have said, forget it, you aren't worth it, go away (which is what I did).

[OldHippieChick]

70. Not sure who told you that regular Medicare pays

next to nothing, but that is untrue. I just qualified last year and landed in the hospital 5 months later. I only had regular Medicare because I was moving and offerings differ for the "gap". Was in hospital for 8 days and saw over 6 specialists. Total out of pocket was less than $2000.00. Medicare pays 80%, but they also negotiate down the remainder. It is a pretty good deal.

[DFW]

79. I heard that from people who asked my particular situaton

I still work, have employer-based insurance (in theory, anyway), and work and live overseas for most of the year, where most of my medical expenses are incurred. I'm sure that if you live in the USA and are really retired, it's a different story entirely.

[NBachers]

72. Keep your work up for as long as you want, but get a bit more serious about self-preservation.

I'll be 68 in a few weeks, and I've got the health, aptitude, and employer to keep going- at least four more years; maybe more. As everyone knows, it's all about the money.

I go out hiking and exploring with my girlfriend, and we say, "This is what every day should be like." Maybe it would be if we were retired; she's still working two jobs, and I'll need the full Social Security benefits, and a bigger nest-egg when I finally quit.

Some weekends, I'm a zombie- get up out of bed late, stumble to the couch, take a nap, eat something, watch TV and fall asleep again. I really need to do this to recharge my batteries. But then I think, "If this is my life when I retire, I'll die early."

Other weekends are filled with activity and productivity.

I'm paying more attention to the food I eat, and I'm doing more strenuous walking and exercising. I know that "travel food" isn't always conducive to maintaining a healthy body. If you do retire, then a "getting in shape" routine might be something to consider. If you don't retire, "getting in shape" may be something to take on to preserve yourself into your retirement years. It takes a little commitment, and a regular schedule of effort.

And, yes, get on the Medicare. You'll be penalized more, the longer you wait.

Oh yeah - Hey - Happy Birthday, DFW. I really enjoy your world perspective, and your history with the Democratic icons and interesting people. I still remember your bringing of Helen into our fold.

[DFW]

82. Thanks for that

I don't always get the exercise I should, but I do watch my diet more than most. No red meat, lots of fish, some poultry, lots of salads and veggies. My life being what it is, I have no possibility of any kind of "regular schedule" for anything. Just the nature of the beast. It's why I make a point to chill out on Cape Cod back in the State for 4 weeks every summer. Batteries go dead if they are not recharged on a regular basis.

I still miss Helen. I think the word "feisty" was invented purely for her benefit. There hasn't been another of her caliber since.

[steve2470]

81. Happy Birthday!

I'm glad your wife is getting better! I wish you and your family all good things, and one day I'll make it to Germany

[DFW]

84. You know where to find us! n/t

[DFW]

90. Here is the birthday card my wife left me to open today.

[URL=.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL]

We both know Stan, so this was not a casual selection on her part

She knows that flattery will get her everywhere with me.

[steve2470]

95. one day I hope to meet a woman as awesome as your wife

You are a very lucky man, indeed

[DFW]

98. Don't think I don't know it!

I've known that for forty years now.

[Liberal In Texas]

91. You should definately sign up for Medicare and you don't need an Advantage Plan.

I'm 67 and been on Medicare for 2 years, it's wonderful. The Advantage Plans are all HMOs, and basically you are signing Medicare over to a private insurance company.

And you do have to pay for it, it will come out of your social security check when you get on that. At least sign up for it so you have it.

I don't know what country you are getting your health care from when you need it, but as I understand it, their national health care should cover what you have done for perhaps small co-pays. But this is kind of only what I've heard other people say when they've been out of the states had had an emergency. Thom Hartman tells a story about his daughter breaking her arm in Germany and when he went to pay the bill it was next to nothing.

I'm still working as well, as a freelancer. I enjoy the work and as long as I can do it I'm going to keep doing it. My job takes me to many different places in the Metroplex and it's always different. (I just wish business was a little better in my field. But that's another story.)

Happy Birthday and many many more.

[DFW]

92. Thanks for the HB wishes

It sounds like Thom Hartmann's daughter got a break. I once needed an ambulance ride to Düsseldorf last year, and the bill came to €680 for the ambulance ride alone. Operations are cheaper here--about a third of what they cost in the States. But stories of complete freebies are from fantasyland. The Germans sometimes not always) take in stride that emergency patients from the USA are difficult to collect on. It's a big difference from the States, where the bill collectors will send you paperwork to the depths of the Marianna Trench if they have an address for you. If the bill is big enough, they'll even send a diver.

Most of my health care costs are in Germany, although I do most of my routine checkups in the States. The exception is my twice a year cardiac checkup and echo stress test. That comes out to about a €900 bill twice a year. It's sensible preventive medicine, so of course, Blue Cross covers none of it.

[Liberal In Texas]

93. Wow.

Expensive ambulance ride. And these insurance companies will always figure a way not to pay.

Thom Hartman's story is probably from many years ago, it's probably changed a lot since then.

[DFW]

104. It was only my second ambulance ride, and they both cost about the same

Last edited Tue Mar 21, 2017, 08:01 AM - Edit history (1)

The only other one was 4 years ago, when I got carted from the US Senate (of all places!) to Georgetown University Hospital with a suspected (but not) heart attack. The bill was similar.

Side note--after my D.C. ambulance ride, I got a call a couple of days later, saying "this is the Washington ambulance company with a bill for nine hundred dollars for your ambulance ride." It was Howard Dean! Howard was joking, but he was only about two hundred dollars high from reality.

[Rhiannon12866]

96. Wishing you a most Happy Birthday, my friend!

It sounds like you have the best of all worlds - you're happy, enjoying life and exactly where you want to be! Hope that you had a wonderful day and wishing you many, many, many more!

[DFW]

99. Thanks, Rhiannon!

The company couldn't have been better!

She comes home Thursday from the rehab clinic. It seems she made some interesting friendships while she was there. We had breakfast with her new friend, a native of Rome. She now lives right near us in Düsseldorf with her partner, who I think is a German woman. Her German was excellent, anyway. We had a lot of laughs at the breakfast table, and we plan to get together as a foursome after everyone's rehab is done.

[Rhiannon12866]

100. That sounds like a wonderful birthday!

I'm so glad to hear your wife is coming home! And bringing a new friend with her... I was in the hospital in 2008 and made great friends with my roommate, in fact we were released on the same day, and it really made a huge difference. You certainly live an international life! I've been to several countries, but my Dad was the world traveler. That became his hobby and he'd decide what he wanted to see, then spend the better part of a year planning it. He had great stories - some a little scary - I wish now that I';d recorded them. He was a great storyteller...

[DFW]

101. It was indeed tha!

She hiked through the forest for four hours to meet me for dinner in the town of Gengenbach: http://www.thetraveltester.com/gengenbach-germany/

We do have some lesbian friends, but none that live locally, so this should be interesting. I hope the partner doesn't mind an "odd man out" in a literal sense! The woman from Rome and I became fast friends, anyway (my wife had warned her that I speak Italian), and she had nothing but high praise for my wife, something with which I concurred, obviously.

Germany is a country that borders on something like ten other countries, so you have to be pretty insular here NOT to get around a bit.

[Rhiannon12866]

102. Wow! Kudos to your wife!

I don't think I could do that on my best day!

I have some lesbian friends, including a best friend I grew up with. Turns out all my childhood friends turned out to be fellow liberals, but this friend is the most accomplished. She ran the health department for a major city and she's now teaching law - she's a liberal lawyer...

When my Dad first started traveling, Germany was the first country he chose to visit. He'd been there as a student a few years after the war - and Munich in particular had made a huge impression on him. He wanted to see how things had changed. And he returned several times, was so elated to hear when they really did "tear down that wall!"