Edd:  Our latest article for MarketWatch about reasons you probably shouldn’t retire abroad was just published. That may seem like a curious subject for us to be writing about, but we know expat life is not for everyone.

Cynthia:  Let’s clarify up front that “expat” isn’t a shortened version of “ex-patriot.” Sure, some leave the country and go so far as renouncing their citizenship. I think most expats, like us, love their home country and have moved abroad for other reasons, quite often financial. We wrote an in-depth special report about this subject for anyone interested in knowing more.

E:  After 14+ years in Cuenca, it’s easy to take for granted all the reasons we’re so glad we did leave the country. Climate is always at the top of the list. While the Arctic blast swept across the U.S. last month sending temperatures into single digits along with tons of snow, we were sitting on the terrace enjoying a warm sunny day.

C:  Friends in Atlanta and Charleston, places where we used t...

Cynthia:  After railing about the mainstream media using sensational headlines in our last blog, that’s the title you come up with? “Shocking revelation?” “Addicted?”

Edd:  Ha! I did it on purpose as a spoof of what we wrote about. The idea came from a recent conversation we had while sitting on the terrace enjoying breakfast. It was a pleasant sunny morning—in the middle of February I might add—and you said, “You know what? We’re addicted to this weather in Cuenca.”

C:  We had just returned from a long family visit that included two snowstorms at our daughter’s home in New Jersey and a Caribbean cruise. So we were exposed to both ends of the temperature spectrum. Maybe “addicted” was a little strong, but over the years we’ve developed a preference for what we call “Goldilocks weather.”

E:  I actually think that “addicted” is spot on. What’s the harm in having a positive addiction that supports a rewarding and healthy life?

C:  There’s also nothing wrong with getting clear on what ...

Edd:  Finding ourselves in Cuenca to start 2022 is the most unexpected thing we’ve done in quite some time.

Cynthia:  Two months ago we were talking about spending the winter months in South America, but going back to Ecuador wasn’t even on the radar. Yet here we are.

E:  When we left last March I couldn’t wait to get on the plane. We’d been in Cuenca for 11 years and I felt so ready to move on. Which makes my happiness to return incredibly surprising to me.

C:  I’m pleased to be here as well. Maybe your feelings are a variation of the old saying that “absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

E:  Yeah, quite possibly. It’s all too easy to take things like Cuenca’s ideal year-round climate for granted, isn’t it? The frigid temps we experienced in the States during the holidays were hard for us to handle.

C:  As was the brutal heat in parts of Mexico last year. Particularly in Mérida. When it comes to weather, we’re unapologetic “Goldilocks peeps.” Not too hot and not too cold.

E:  ...

“Hot enough for you?” 

Family and friends tell us it’s been so hot in the U.S. this summer that chickens are laying hard boiled eggs.😄 

Here in the southern hemisphere it’s the middle of winter. Which where we live in the Andes mountains means—basically nothing. 

A bit of nip in the air some days. A few degrees cooler at night. In regards to climate it’s pretty much Groundhog Day all year for us.

We call it “Goldilocks weather”—not too hot and not too cold. Just right!

Apparently, we’re not the only ones who find that idea appealing. By far the most popular report on our website has always been one about affordable locations close to the States where it’s springtime all the time. 

That article highlighted four great spots, including our hometown Cuenca, Ecuador. But we realized there are a lot more places out there to tell you about. 

So we decided to pump up the volume and have just published a new, expanded Special Report called, "Top 10 Affordable Places to Retire with the Wo...