@compmom, I think after a period of residency, one can typically join the national health care system. After six months in Canada, I think one is eligible to enroll. He is a Portuguese citizen, so he can be part of their system. Portugal had or has a preferred program to attract expat retirees.
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I assume immigration formalities if there are any (green card for the spouse) would be carried out abroad? If the spouse wants US citizenship then I’m not sure how you accomplish that without moving to the US. And without residency/citizenship US inheritance tax can be very problematic. I don’t see Portugal on the list of countries with inheritance tax treaties with the US:
Also if the child ultimately decided to live in the US then the mother could find it hard to move here after her husband had died.
After that I’d think about cost/standard of living. As far as I know, Portugal is very cheap for people with dollar wealth. The places in the US that are least affected by current politics tend to be more expensive, especially if you want a moderate climate suitable for bike rides etc.
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Today is a more “social” day for me. Got out with the dogs, then my regular Pilates class and coffee after with a few classmates. Definitely felt a bit more limber. Sunny and warmer today, so planning on some outdoor work. Weeds seem to grow faster than anything else.
A few years ago we went to St. Kitts and the driver we had was explaining how easy it was to obtain citizenship. I’ve seen quite a few adverts recently on the subject. I always think it unfortunate when people who could make a difference in the US retreat elsewhere, but that’s a topic for the politics forum.
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Reminder that this is not the political forum. Please feel free to move the current conversation there. TIA!
OK. I tried not to be political, but I guess not everyone agreed.
@Twoin18, the wife is a naturalized US citizen from an African country. So, no problem coming back and no estate tax issues. The kid is now dual US/Portuguese.
My favorite exercise advice was “don’t wait until you feel like it, because you never will feel like it”
also, I find it useful while rowing to occasionally yell “I hate this and I want to be done” 
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I do find it hard to motivate myself to exercise when the weather is bad. We do the two days a week with core exercises, and when the weather permits, we cycle. We have an indoor cycle and a rowing machine, but it is really hard to motivate myself to hit either.
I used to play squash in the winter, which was a) scheduled; and b) social so it was harder to not do it because the weather was bad. But I can’t play squash anymore. I used to go to the gym, but that was also a solo, unscheduled thing.
@greenbutton, I love sculling. I live on a river, but it winds too much for sculling (and gets shallow in the summer). The nearest rowing club is probably 40-60 minutes away. Probably my favorite form of aerobic exercise. If it were closer, I would row several days a week.
@sabaray posted earlier (post 580) about not minding being alone, especially with the companionship of dogs. I posted about not having been alone in a very long time (and my great, mutually supportive, symbiotic relationship with ShawWife, which would make being alone hard to imagine). I was thinking about that again this morning. The few male friends who have become single quickly were overwhelmed by interest (including my friend above in Portugal) and rapidly lost single status (sometimes too quickly in my judgment). We did meet one single guy at Renaissance Weekend (a former client of a friend) who is not doing well on the dating front, but I think that has something to do with his personality, which ShawWife and I found offputting enough that we chose not to make introductions.
This has been a frustrating week dealing with health insurance issues. For the past fifteen or so years I’ve been existing on a diet of twigs and sticks and frenetic exercise. I was thin and in good shape. When I turned 60, it was like a switch went off. Now I am hypertensive, diabetic and have high cholesterol. The usual therapies have been ineffective so my doctor referred me for a surgical consult. Evidently, there are bariatric procedures that can resolve diabetes etc. Guess what. My health insurance won’t cover it. My health insurance that is nearly $1000 a month. They seem to believe that…drum roll…my health issues will resolve with diet and exercise! Who knew! So now I may be back to the drawing board. I think I’m going to start eating steak, drinking martinis and red wine, and just sitting on my rear end. To kick things off, we are going out to dinner tonight. At a steakhouse.
D and her friend are coming on vacation with us which will be fun. I booked some spa time for D & myself which sounds ridiculously indulgent, but it’s something I never had time for when I was working. I’m starting to doubt my longevity!
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At the end of last year I had to deal with a health insurance broker to figure out our healthcare for 2025. It was a huge nightmare which took months to resolve and many many phone calls.
Since January 20, I’ve been dealing with our new healthcare insurance trying to get my husband the medication he’s been on for 2 decades approved. Had to use a new speciality pharmacy, get new prior authorization. Many phone calls involved. His medication came today.
This afternoon, the broker we have to use for my husband’s Medicare which he goes on in September called. To set up a call so he can enroll in Medicare and when to call social security.
Really? Today? My poor husband was confused by the entire situation. And wondered why I was in a bad mood.
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That is the frustrating part - finding the plan. I want to call Anthem and say, point me to an individual plan that will cover everything I could possibly need. My guess is it doesn’t exist, unless it’s a plan available only to employers.
We had a nice meal. A vegan sweet potato bisque, filet, crème fraiche potatoes. Plus, no cleanup!
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@shawbridge, much like you, I haven’t been alone in a very long time. I’ve been married for nearly 38 years. Perhaps that is why I don’t mind when I find myself with time to myself. I think, in general, that men are more uncomfortable with being alone, particularly when they’ve previously been in a committed relationship. And silence - H could talk all day - and there are times I just really appreciate quiet. It has been harder to find that time alone and that quiet time with both of us retired.
Today will be a drive over the mountain for one of the last times, then a stop for a few groceries, and possibly stopping at an art store. Amy Tan did a book on backyard birds and I’ve been inspired. My photography is terrible, but I do like to draw and I thought I could explore a new hobby.
Have a good day, everyone!
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When one of us is out of the house for any reason, we call it “quiet house”, a time to chill and recharge without the other being around. It’s true–absence does make the heart grow fonder!!
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My college roommate’s ds has recently retired. She has had to tell him to hold off talking to her in the morning for an hour. She needs her hot tea, scrolling time, and a bit of morning news time before she wants to be chatty with him.
I think it’s important to communicate those kinds of needs. Retirement is definitely a time of transition. Dh retired and then returned to work. I gotta say that I like having the house to myself during the day.
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DS or DH? I’m having a hard time picturing any of our kids retiring yet. Man, would THAT make me feel old!
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Oops. Husband.
They have no kids
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Husband’s last employment at the end involved 12+ hour days, including commute time. Then he retired from the company and started consulting, which was a mix of work at home and international travel. He took over the downstairs study, which had no door, so his phone calls could be heard everywhere.. At the time I was work from home - almost 10 years of working from a corner of the guest room. So it was a mix of having to do everything myself and him deciding he should take over stuff, like paying bills. He seemed to forget I had been doing stuff solo for 20 years! So a lot of aggravation on my part as he kept finding ways of doing things that were “better” than the way I’d been doing them.
He did develop an excellent relationship with the cat, who had him wrapped around her little paw.
Now in San Diego, he’s off several times a week for his athletic activity like weekly tennis, basketball, and the health club. Plus he spends a lot of his time in our master bedroom “wing” in his easy chair in front of the tv. The house isn’t very big, but we have lots of outdoor space so can be private when we each wish.
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