Why Retire in the Philippines?

If you are reading this article, I assume you have already recognized there has rapidly developed over the past 10 years an extreme difficulty in creating a retirement life in your home country. The problem has only become greater over the past two years, as we have all witnessed the world economic collapse. As retirement assets have been hard hit or completely disappeared, people are looking for a place where they can have the retirement they have dreamed about all of their life. Increasing more so, people are looking to Southeast Asian countries as an answer to their needs.

There are many reasons to focus in on Southeast Asia, the main ones being:

1. Retire twice as rich and five times happier
2. Escape those cold US, Korean, Japanese and European Winters - how about winters like Hawaii or Florida?
3. Escape the rat-race America and the UK have become - how about a place where things move at a slow pace?
4. Have 2 maids and a driver
5. If your retirement income is not enough to provide a retirement with dignity and financial freedom to have fun, what would it be like to wake up every morning and go to bed every night free of frustration and anxiety over money?
6. Live healthier with less stress
7. Live with a beautiful and exotic lady - how about a beautiful Asian who completes you rather than competes with you?
8. Start you own business - after working for someone else all your life, wouldn't it be fun to start you own business in a beautiful tropical paradise, at a fraction of the cost of starting a business in the USA.
9. Travel and make life one big adventure - location, location, location!
10. Reinvent yourself - it is never too late to start over again in the game of life and really start having fun for a change.

Any ONE of the above is reason enough to consider retirement in the Philippines.

Now, assuming you have one or more of the above reasons solid in your mind, why the Philippines?

1. English language - this is at the top of the list, especially for Americans and Europeans. Also, if there is a second language learned by Koreans and Japanese, it is English. Filipinos are fluent in English, and English signs are prevalent everywhere you go in the Philippines. You will feel very much at home speaking in English.
2. Korean and Japanese language - with the large increase in visitors from Korea and Japan over the past several years, more Filipinos are also becoming fluent in these languages.
3. Food - The Philippines is heavily influenced by Western culture, and you will find American and European food everywhere. Further, local Filipino food is well received by foreigners. It makes heavy use of seafood, chicken and vegetables, and is extremely inexpensive.
4. Transportation - The Philippines is an island nation of over 1,700 islands, yet transportation to all the significant population centers is readily available by cheap and high quality air travel. Airfares are downright cheap compared to the Western world.
5. Cost of Living - As a general "rule of thumb", you can retire in the Philippines from one-fourth to one-fifth of what it would cost you for the same retirement lifestyle in your home country.
6. The People - out of inbred politeness and restraint, Filipinos are very tolerant of foreigners. In a dispute situation, they will go out of their way to avoid any direct confrontation. Of all the cultures I have experienced, the Philippines has been the most inclusive and open.
7. Communications - The Philippines is the "text messaging capital of the world!" Cell phones are used by nearly every Filipino, and cellular support systems are in place in all but the most remote areas of the country. Internet cafes are widespread, and DSL service is readily available.