IL Postcard

"Dream Retirement" Rescue Plan Revealed on the First Day

Date: 10/06/2009 Author: Suzan Haskins

In 2001 at age 49, Lee Harrison took early retirement from his job as an engineer with a power company. Lee had a modest income and moderate savings. He liked his job and what he was doing. As Lee says, "I had no dissatisfaction with my life.”

But he had a revelation about how he could afford to retire early and live very well (what some call a "jet set lifestyle") for the rest of his life without ever touching his retirement account...

I’m Suzan Haskins and I’m your live-from-the scene reporter, writing to you this week from the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas.

I’m in Nevada with over 300 of your fellow International Living members. They’re here because they have Big Dreams. Huge dreams, in fact, of finding the best place in the world to live…for them.

Everyone’s priorities and preferences are different, after all. Some are looking for a tropical getaway on a quiet beach…some for a mountain cottage where the air is crisp and clean. Others are on the lookout for a small acreage where they can grow their own fruits and veggies, and still others are looking for a grand pied-a-terre in a culturally vibrant city.

As of today, they have dozens of places to choose from. Most are places that we at International Living have never written about…because we just don’t have the space in our magazine or daily electronic postcards. But these are the places that our editors and writers have uncovered over the years. And in today’s ever-more challenging world, they just make sense.

Belize, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Italy, Panama, Mexico, Nicaragua, Brazil. We’ll be talking even more about some of these places when our conference reconvenes tomorrow.

How Soon Can You Retire?

But I’m getting off track. Back to Lee and his dream retirement...

“In my father’s generation it was expected you would work as long as you could and save as much as you could,” Lee said. “In my case I started thinking ‘how soon can I retire?’

But, he said, he had a revelation. And it led him to where he is now: living what some may call a "jet set" lifestyle, with an apartment in Montevideo and a home in Punta del Este—both in Uruguay—and another beach home on an idyllic island off the coast of Brazil.

Let me just insert my personal observation here... Lee Harrison is one of the most detail-oriented people I know. He loves to study statistics and analyze data. "Spreadsheets R Lee."

So when Lee says he put a lot of thought into his retirement options, I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that this is exactly what he did.

He studied, analyzed, researched, and ran the numbers. And then he did it all again. More than a few times, I’m sure. And his revelation was that even if he were to live off just his modest savings…without ever touching his retirement account…he could afford to retire early and live very well for the rest of his life. He would do this by retiring to Latin America.

Lee shared some of his charts with those of us in the audience today at the International Living Live and Invest Overseas Conference. They offer all the details you might want and expect from Mr. Detail….

I’ll admit I’m a bit intimidated by charts and diagrams with arrows going this way and that. But even I can understand Lee’s numbers and rationale. It just makes sense.

Lee showed us exactly the amount of savings you will need and how much interest you need to make on that amount to live very well and happily for the next 35 years.

I’ve heard Lee talk about this before, of course, but this time it’s different. He offered three ways to live off dwindling savings or pension plans—all backed up by easy-to-understand numbers. (Of course.) And he detailed 10 steps you need to take to make it happen.

Everything he said resonated with the audience in a big way.

These are challenging times, after all. And the 310 people here (and probably you, too, I’d assume) are worried about what the future has in store. They’re more than ready, though, to rise to the challenge and start making plans. That’s why they’re here.

A quick snapshot of the audience: Many of those here at the conference are either retired or are preparing to retire soon. They want to get their hard-earned money (and themselves) out of harms way while they can. Others want to start new businesses or find moneymaking opportunities in a new location where they have more ‘personal freedom,’ as one alternative health practitioner told me. One couple wants to move with their two-year-old son to a slower-paced place by the ocean where they can ‘live a quieter, less expensive life’ and he can grow up away from the distractions of today’s in-your-face pop culture.

All of them have two things in common, though:

1. They don’t believe the economy will turn around any time soon.

2. They’re taking matters in their own hands and making plans for the future.

“Nobody’s going to take care of us,” one man told me, “Not the government, not the banks, not the companies we work for, and not our kids…they can’t find jobs!”

He’s attended our conferences before and now he’s serious about moving to Ecuador…maybe to the little town where my husband and I recently bought a small condo.

Yep, even I got into the act at this conference. Whatever I said in my presentation about Ecuador must have made sense to people. Ecuador attorney Roberto Moreno and I had a standing-room-only crowd in our workshop this afternoon. When Roberto explained how easy it is to get residency in Ecuador—just prove a monthly income of $800 or more, or invest $25,000 in a property or bank CD. It’s pretty easy to find a home or condo for $25,000 in Ecuador—in my presentation I told people about Ecuador’s best expat locales. There’s something for everyone.

(By the way, as always, we’re recording every presentation and workshop session at this conference. In just a minute I’ll tell you how to get your hands on this valuable information.)

Try Before You Buy, In Belize, Mexico, Uruguay, and More

People are more cautious these days. With dwindling financial resources, they have to be. Margaret Summerfield had everyone’s attention when she explained how to travel at vastly reduced costs (and sometimes for free) to some of the world’s most popular retirement and relocation destinations.

Margaret is Executive Director for Pathfinder, the real estate marketing company International Living works with. She finds the best deals and negotiates the best terms for our readers, bar none. Belize, Uruguay, Mexico…she has negotiated what she calls "Chill Weekends" (and in the case of Uruguay, a Chill Week). These are vastly reduced-price trips…luxury accommodation, airport transfers, food, booze, and fun activities. And they’re offered to International Living readers who want to go check out the places she’s discovered. Sometimes these trips are even free.

Anyone in the audiences today is eligible to take one of these low-cost try-it-out trips. And Margaret has generously agreed to extend this offer to all of you who purchase the conference recordings, too.

Dream Big. Starting Right Now

If there is anything we’ve learned here in Vegas, it’s that a world of opportunity awaits. And it’s time to put all those big dreams into ‘action mode’ and start figuring out where we go from here.

Just to give you an idea about what else we heard today. We learned of the newest, most exciting destinations in Panama and Mexico. (And how to judge whether those places will suit you.) We learned where to buy a $66,000 home on the beach in Brazil. And where in Italy to find a village house for $29,000 or a seaside apartment for $65,000.

That was courtesy of the colorful Steenie Harvey. Believe it or not, she has found a city in Italy where the mayor is selling off homes (in need of renovation, yes) for just $1!

Imagine owning a home in an ancient and historic Italian village and paying just $1 for it! Steenie even gave us the mayor’s email address!

I wish you could have been here. Maybe it’s because we’re in Vegas, where anything goes, but despite the doom and gloom of the economy, there is optimism in the air.

This is a conference jam-packed with information, make no mistake. We’re full speed on the go, in more ways than one. In fact, everyone here hopes to be going somewhere new and exciting very soon. Panama. Ecuador, Mexico, France, Italy, Belize, Costa Rica—so many options! We’ve learned about all these and many more.

The information being shared here will change more than a few lives. And it can change yours, too.

(By the way, Real Estate Trend Alert editor Ronan McMahon is here, too. Today he shared his three hottest investment markets—buy here and make money quickly!)

You have a chance to learn what we’ve learned...

To help you fast track your plans of moving to or investing in your own corner of paradise…wherever that might be…we’re putting together a complete package of nearly everything that's happening at this event (minus the cocktail parties and coffee breaks, of course).

We're making audio recordings of all 28 presentations and 18 workshops—46 sessions in all!

We're also making copies of the handouts, PowerPoint and visual presentations. And you get the complete dossier we give to each attendee when they showed up here at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas.

We call it our Live & Invest Overseas Conference Package. It’s your own personal power pack …your viewing window to every aspect of the 2009 Live & Invest Overseas Conference. And we guarantee it will help you fast track your plans of moving to…or investing overseas. (More about that guarantee in a minute.)

When you order the Live & Invest Overseas Conference Package you can catch up with those of us in the audience here in Las Vegas. In fact, you'll have a distinct advantage over those of us attending the conference: You can to listen to all of the presentations whenever you want, from the comfort of your home or office…and with as many breaks as you need. (You may miss out on the cocktail parties and coffee breaks in Vegas, but you can have your own at home, while you listen to these valuable recordings at your leisure!)

Watch the PowerPoint presentations, read through the handouts, listen to the audio recordings, copy them to your iPod and listen to them any time, any place. Skip around to the presentations that interest you most, take notes... More importantly, you can listen to them as many times as you like, so you don't miss a thing.

RESERVE YOUR Live & Invest Overseas Conference PackageFOR THE LOWEST PRICE POSSIBLE…

I know it isn't always possible to attend our events. After all, your personal and business obligations come first. That's why we're making the information from this seminar available to you even if you couldn't join us in Las Vegas.

The full price to attend this sold-out event was $895—but you can secure yourself a copy of the Live & Invest Overseas Conference Package for only $149… a mere fraction of what attendees paid to join us here in Las Vegas.

Being here in person is more than worth that amount, of course. But we understand that not every can be here. Still, if you’re interested in any aspect of retiring, relocating, or confidently investing overseas we want you to have a chance to hear what conference attendees are hearing this week.

To sweeten the deal, we're throwing in a $100 voucher toward any International Living conference or seminar. Use it to attend next year's Live and Invest Overseas Conference (or any future event or seminar you may be interested in). You see, we do want you to attend one of our events in person some time soon.

But, this is a limited time offer only.

Once the Live & Invest Overseas Conference Package is available for download, we’ll increase the price to $249.

Your discounted price, of just $149, includes:

• Audio recordings of all our overseas experts’ presentations
• Copies of all handouts and dossiers
• Plus a special bonus report, titled: Live Your Dream Retirement: Six Top Destinations Around the World Where You Can Invest for Profit and Enjoy Life for Less. (This report is only available to conference attendees and to you…when you order the Live & Invest Overseas Conference Package.)
• And a $100 voucher toward any of our future conferences anywhere, any time. There is no expiration date on this voucher! (In 2010, we’ll be hosting events in Ecuador, Panama, Mexico, and other favorite locales still to be determined…at least one of these is sure to be a perfect fit for your personal needs.)

And remember: Margaret Summerfield is extending the ‘Chill Weekend’ offers to you, too.

Reserve your copy today by completing our secure online form and save $100 on the Live & Invest Overseas Conference Package.

RESERVE YOUR CONFERENCE PACKAGE HERE

Let me repeat: we’ll only offer this low price until we have the recordings ready to deliver to you. At that point… we'll charge the full price of $249.

Point is: there won’t be a more affordable time to reserve your copy. This is special conference discount is only available for a very limited time.

We'll send the information about how to obtain your conference package as soon as we're finished making copies of the recordings, the handouts, the PowerPoint presentations, etc.

YOUR NO-RISK WAY TO LEARN WHAT WE’VE LEARNED…

The 25+ experts at this event cover every possible aspect of living and investing around the world. After you've heard their briefings, there'll be nothing to stop you from acting on the information they share.

Because of that, we'll return every penny you paid for this information if it doesn't help make your overseas dreams come true.

If This Information… These Tips and Secrets… Don't Work, You Pay Nothing.

You can call us at any time in the future—next month...next year...or next decade—and tell us the information didn't help you. (Or don't tell us anything. Just ask for your money back.) We'll give you back your $149. And your $100 voucher, good toward any future event—and your special bonus report—is yours to keep.

So if you're serious tapping into the opportunities still available for good living and an easy affordable retirement, I urge you to take advantage of this offer and reserve your Live & Invest Overseas Conference Package now.

Suzan Haskins
Your Conference Insider, International Living

P.S. Remember, you get $100 off the regular price of the Live & Invest Overseas Conference Package, and a $100 voucher toward any of our next events or conferences. And you get the special bonus report, Live Your Dream Retirement: Six Top Destinations Around the World Where You Can Invest for Profit and Enjoy Life for Less. But the special conference discount we’re offering is only available until the recordings are ready to be delivered—after that the price goes up.

Don’t wait. Because if you do, you’ll pay more. Learn more about the Live & Invest Overseas Conference Package now.