Retirement: Lappy Labor Life!

Cynthia:  First conversation we’ve done in a while and it’s called “Lappy Labor Life?” I can’t believe I’m okay with such a silly title.

Edd:  Well, we said we’d be focusing on fun and the alliteration seemed kind of catchy. Anyway, Labor Day weekend. The last hoorah for summer. It’s an odd holiday, right? To celebrate work by—not working.

C:  Hah! And just another day in Casa Staton. Ecuador has more than its share of holidays, but Labor Day isn’t one of them. Wow, talking about this subject makes me realize neither of us has had a real J-O-B in over a decade! How do you feel about that?

E:  Is that a trick question? I feel absolutely great about it! Yeah, we consulted with a tour company here. I wrote for International Living for 5 years and we spoke at their conferences. And now we’re doing our thing with Retirement Reimagined! But since retiring abroad it’s all been on our terms.

C:  I think that’s probably a hard concept for most people to grasp who are still caught up in having so many of their decisions dictated by outside forces. Jobs, bosses, even society.

E:  Agreed. When we got on the plane to come here we had no idea what our new life would be like. Gosh, Cynthia, think about what we now take for granted. Our “new normal” has very little if any stress, and provides the freedom to make daily choices that serve us. That’s a far cry from the train wreck we left behind!

C:  And maybe this is something we should point out more often. Of course, the lower cost of living, great weather, and affordable health care are huge benefits to retiring abroad. But those features are external, right? 

What we’re talking about now is what this outside-the-box solution is really about—eliminating the worry about your future. How am I ever going to retire? What if I run out of money? That kind of financial stress is so debilitating.

E:  Well said. And honestly, that’s the underlying reason we created Retirement Reimagined! in the first place. We kept reading all these horror stories about a retirement crisis looming for millions of Baby Boomers. 

Meanwhile we and so many other expats are enjoying a comfortable, secure lifestyle on a Social Security budget. We decided we’ve got to spread the word that there’s another way. A different choice than working forever that’s not being talked about.

C:  Wow, we kind of got sidetracked, but we are passionate about our mission! Readers might not realize we actually have these conversations, then write about them. 

I think what this all has to with Labor Day is we want to encourage you to not be content year after year taking just one day off work, and then jumping right back into the grind on Tuesday.  

As subscribers to our website you’re already exploring retirement options that will allow you to leave the workforce sooner instead of later. Good for you!

E:  After a lifetime of employment and a decade of retirement, I can safely state that work is entirely overrated. 😏 Enjoy the rest of your Labor Day weekend and thanks for your interest in what we’re doing!