Five (or Ten) Year Plan

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Reedster
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I am a fairly new member of this group.  I married a wonderful Filipina almost three years ago, and we have a daughter, who is almost two.  I also have twins (boy and girl), almost sixteen, from a previous marriage.  We all live together in one big happy (mostly) family.  The twins love their tiny sister, and she has made our family life much richer.  My wife is cheerful, kind, loving, and non-judgmental, which is the opposite of my ex, and which is such a great example for the older two.

I am 57, and thinking about retirement five or ten years from now, with an eye on moving to Cebu.  I have a whole lot of things to balance between now and then, such as getting the twins through college (if they choose that path), and beginning education for my two-year-old.   

I need advice from anyone with insight into the hidden issues I may be facing, so I can fully consider them.  Here is a list of things I am trying to get my head around.  Any additional issues and any comments on them would be greatly appreciate.

  • My wife thinks it would be hard for the little one to grow up in the Philippines and then transition back to college and work in the US, should she choose that path
  • I am worried that moving there would separate me irreparably from my older two.  If I am a long plane flight away from them, I am concerned I would loose connection with them, and I would not "be there for them" if they needed some Dad time.
  • Retirement scares me, I want to be able to fill my time with interesting things.  Although I've visited the Philippines, I've never been in country for more than a couple of weeks at a time.  Do things get a lot different long term?
  • Both my parents have passed.  I want my youngest to be able to spend time with her maternal grandmother (grandfather has passed).  I think this is a very important factor, because she needs to understand her Filipino roots, and bask is some of the great Filipino love only her grandmother can provide.
  • Education for my young daughter is important.  I've piggybacked on another post to ask a couple questions on home schooling.  Any advice on schooling (at-home or in-school) would be appreciated.
  • Visits back home - how often do people go, and do you miss your home country.
  • I am a big Soccer and American Football fan.  I will want to follow the Seattle Sounders and the Seattle Seahawks teams, plus several college teams, including my Alma Mater, the University of Washington, and the University of Hawaii (my adopted home).  I know the Internet will help with this.  Should I consider a satellite dish, and would you recommend it or is cable sufficient?
  • Are there things I would never think about until living there that I could easily plan for that are not even on my radar?
  • Is living in the province (in this case Catmon Cebu) preferable or should I stick somewhat closer to a larger city (such a the greater Cebu City area)?
  • What issues with Banking should I plan ahead for?
  • What items are unexpectedly expensive?
  • Are there any dangers that would be of concern once living there?

Thanks in advance for any advice and comments you all may offer.

 

Edited by Reedster
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OnMyWay
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It sounds like your wife would prefer to stay in the U.S.  What would be the main reason for retiring in PH?  Financial?

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Reedster
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2 minutes ago, OnMyWay said:

It sounds like your wife would prefer to stay in the U.S.  What would be the main reason for retiring in PH?  Financial?

One of the reasons is to give my daughter a chance to bond with her maternal grandmother (the only living grandparent she has).  Another is because my wife, although she is a great sport about it, misses her mother, brother, and extended family.  Another is my view that with high tech and the Internet, the location one lives is getting less and less important.  Financial is also an issue.  

 

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stevewool
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And I thought I was the only one with worries.

Joking aside ,5 - 10 years is a very long time ,but also a very quick time too, our plan was 10 years and now out of the time just 17 months are left.

We don't have any children between us  so it's just the two of us , so the only proper advice I can give you is SAVE , save as much as you can because time will catch you up and those ten years will  go bay so quick.

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Queenie O.
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1 minute ago, stevewool said:

And I thought I was the only one with worries.

Joking aside ,5 - 10 years is a very long time ,but also a very quick time too, our plan was 10 years and now out of the time just 17 months are left.

We don't have any children between us  so it's just the two of us , so the only proper advice I can give you is SAVE , save as much as you can because time will catch you up and those ten years will  go bay so quick.

Good points Steve. My only observation is that concerns and issues over the years having to do with the Philippines might  possibly change dramatically over time, and how it is presently might be very different in 5 to ten years. All the more reason to keep abreast of happenings as you go along. 

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Reedster
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3 hours ago, Queenie O. said:

Maybe in the meantime,  you and your wife and youngest could possibly just fit in some more visits to the Philippines to try to help gauge your future situation too, and give your youngest daughter a chance to get to know her grandmother a little.

 

Definitely!  We've already been once and are coming again soon.

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Reedster
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3 hours ago, AlwaysRt said:

You are talking 5-10 years making them 21-26. That puts them off to college or off to do their own thing. That may make them a long flight away or a longer flight away. Either distance you are more likely to be on the phone or video chat on Skype etc. which would scratch this off the concerns list. If you have a good relationship with them already moving here shouldn't cause any harm, much less irreparable. Heck, they may look forward for an excuse to visit the Philippines.

Good point! 

I know once I finished college I never looked back and was on my own, with infrequent visits to my parents, and took off working in Hawaii, then soon Asia, and they stayed in the city of my birth.

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