Five (or Ten) Year Plan

[Reedster]

2 hours 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.

We are working on the saving part, but with twins heading to college in a couple years, it is hard to save for anything but that...  I know I need to save as much as possible.

[Reedster]

2 hours ago, intrepid said:

Wow.  One of the things I wanted to do later was write a book.  Your post covers about one fifth of the questions I would plan to answer in that book.  Anyway, to help you a little I'll take a short poke at the two above.  We planed or move for about 10 years.  Ten months after my retirement at age 55, we made the move.  Of course bringing along our 10 year old daughter who just finished the fourth grade in the US.  We enrolled her in DLSU for the fifth grade and now she is in the sixth.  The first year was hard for her but now she is loving school here.  Our hope for her is to attend college here and return to the USA for work.  I don't see any issue with that at all.  As of now she still wants to become a specialized vet treating mid-sized animals.  With the cost of college, I would never recommend the USA for college.  But that is me and I'm sure others would have differing ideas.

I also have two children (ages 35 & 37) and four grandchildren(-1 to 14).  We talk as much or more now than when I was back home.  Magic Jack, skype, viber, email, iphone, messaging, and more.  We are all very close.  My daughter is divorced raising a son.  She loves Jeeping and always asking about repair issues as well as home repairs.  The hardest one was my son's wife cheating and there were a few weeks of all night calls because of the time difference.  Between me and his wife parents and more so to one of my best friends who is a pastor, they worked through it and now just had a third child.   All is well.  That has been the only time I heard one of them wish I were back home.  But I know he realizes that dad loves him and will always be there for him.  As I am typing this, I just got word his oldest daughter fell yesterday at the pool and hit her head.  Time to make a call.  Good luck. 

 

*Added note*    from my daughter-in-law FB:         This little lady had a rough day yesterday. She went to a pool party at a friends house, slid off the side of the pool and smacked the back of her head on the bricks as she fell in. The ER did a head CT to rule out a brain bleed. Thank God it's only a concussion (her second one in 6 years). She really scared us. She's going to be taking it easy for a few days which is fine with me because that means I get snuggles which are few and far between from a 9 year old. ❤️

Wow, thanks for a very thoughtful and enlightening answer, Intrepid!

[CoffeeRulzMe]

11 hours ago, Queenie O. said:

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. 

I agree Queenie O, this could be one of, or highest concern in any future plan.  It's the primary reason why we have not driven our 'steaks too far into the ground'....meaning, for example, we rent vs. buying, etc.

 

Edited July 25, 2017 by CoffeeRulzMe

[stevewool]

15 hours ago, Queenie O. said:

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. 

Indeed, looks what has happened in the last few years , it has put a doubt in my mind.

[OnMyWay]

22 hours ago, Reedster said:

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.  

 

Given the information you have supplied, if I were you I would stay in the U.S. if you can afford it.  Philippines can be the backup plan, but you still have a long way to go before making final plans.

Unfortunately my two young daughters don't have any living grandparents and that is a loss for them.  If you do end up staying in the U.S., you might consider bringing Grandma over.  It is doable.

Also, when looking at the financials, remember that your daughter will get SS when you start, no matter where you are.

Edited July 25, 2017 by OnMyWay

[Reedster]

Just now, OnMyWay said:

Unfortunately my two young daughters don't have any living grandparents and that is a loss for them.  If you do end up staying in the U.S., you might consider bringing Grandma over.  It is doable.

Grandma (my mother-in-law) is the one of most down to earth, practical, unassuming, genuine, honest, and caring people I have ever met.  I'd love to bring her over.

However, she does not want to leave her home for more than a couple of days because she needs to feed her goats and cows.  She knows she could get a niece, nephew, cousin or friend to do it while she was gone, but she loves her little farm, rarely ventures far from home.  And far for her is 20 kilometers.

[davewe]

The decision to move abroad or not is totally subjective and there is no one size fits all. Therefore I don't think anyone can really advise the OP as to what to do. It isn't just the factors involved, it's how you weigh them. I have a buddy who likes the Philippines and visits every year but will never move there because of a couple of factors that for him are huge but for me are almost irrelevant.

All this said, I do have one piece of advise. If you do decide to move, make the decision as soon as you can, tell everyone so they get used to the idea, and then work hard to stay the course. There will be a hundred reasons and an equal number of people that will try to sway you.

I speak from experience. We are moving this week. The past few weeks we have been making "the tour", having lunch or dinner with friends. While I am touched that so many people want to see us before we leave, it is also obvious from the questions and doubts that many think I am nuts. OK they're not wrong on that score. One friend grilled me for a half hour unsuccessfully, then turned to me wife, thinking she must have been seduced by the greatness of the USA and asked "So what will you miss in the United States?" She paused and considered the question and answered, "nothing!" I cracked up. But he wasn't about to give up. "Well certainly there are things here that are better than the Philippines? What about food?" "No," Janet replied. "Maybe the steak." "Nothing else?" he asked. She thought hard. "Well maybe the traffic's more organized here."

No matter what, it's a giant change; so is retirement BTW. So there will be well meaning friends and family that will try to talk you out of it. Politely ignore them. 

 

[AlwaysRt]

11 minutes ago, davewe said:

No matter what, it's a giant change; so is retirement BTW. So there will be well meaning friends and family that will try to talk you out of it. Politely ignore them. 

Funny how where to live and what is important is an individual choice but many family members and friends will insist their way is the only correct way, even if they have never been here. Politely ignore them is wonderful advice.

[stevewool]

I use to know this person, who tried to tell me what is the best way to go about the Philippines, how people are , what you should not do and so on, he even went on to say how dirty the place is and he hates the food he hates the people too.

But he is married to one very very very very young lady and he holidays there too.

Did you notice i said "I USE TO KNOW". people like him i dont want to know anymore.

[ponching1986]

Reed. Living permanently and visiting for two weeks is night and day. I suggest that you started planning an extended vacation 1 - 3 months, this way you can have a feel on how to live in the Philippines, start looking for areas you want to settle. I've been away from the Philippines (Pasig) for more than 30 years. The longest I've been back is 1 week. Since you ask about education for your kids and looking for jobs after graduation from college, rather than advise I would like to share my experience as a Filipino looking for jobs in the US that was 30 years ago, now fast forward at the present time, it is very competitive. I have BS degree in Chemical Engineering from Adamson University in Manila. The first thing they asked was, have you had local experience, of course the response is "no", that is pretty much the end of my job application. After so many failed attempts in 1 year, I finally decided to enlist in the US Navy. I stayed for 20 years and 8 days and retired as CPO (E7). After the Navy, I work (still working) for the City/Town as director of purchasing. It is very hard to land a good job if you are a graduate from 3rd world like Philippines. It is what it is, people have their own prejudice. Let me ask you this, if you have 2 candidates, one is a graduate from a US university and the other is from the Philippines who would you hire? It is all about the local experience specially in the technical world - engineering and the like.

I am close to my retirement myself and I'm looking forward to going back to the Philippines and enjoy my golden years, me and my wife, 2 kids are both out of the household and settled on their own.