Any USC Successfully working in RP before retirement ?

[lbounds 16]

Just wondering if any US citizens have successfully moved to the Philippines and found sustainable income ?

I'm an IT worker for the last 18 years. I have at least another 18 years to go before normal retirement in the US.

There's a lot that is appealing to me in RP to live. I just wish I could have a sustainable income to move there.

As I start to think about retirement planning in the US for our future I have a very long way to go as far as US retirement expenses, etc.

I wish I could live a more relaxed lifestyle in RP that my current one in the US. I guess everyone does..

The area's I have been interested in was either some place in Cebu or Davao City maybe..

[A and T 82]

I'm living and working in the philippines on a 13a visa, sustainable income is questionable as I don't really make a lot of money.

[rlogan 2,036]

Just wondering if any US citizens have successfully moved to the Philippines and found sustainable income ?

I'm an IT worker for the last 18 years. I have at least another 18 years to go before normal retirement in the US.

There's a lot that is appealing to me in RP to live. I just wish I could have a sustainable income to move there.

As I start to think about retirement planning in the US for our future I have a very long way to go as far as US retirement expenses, etc.

I wish I could live a more relaxed lifestyle in RP that my current one in the US. I guess everyone does..

The area's I have been interested in was either some place in Cebu or Davao City maybe..

With IT maybe you can work online for US contracts, which is what I do. Then you can work for first world income.

But there are some laws that make it difficult to pursue some US contracts while sitting in front of a computer in the Philippines instead of sitting in front of the very same computer in the USA. Philippines is on the edge of this stupid human trafficking designation that will prohibit me absolutely from doing any kind of work from there. I would not be able to run a call center for example to do any surveys in the US. Their logic is that if too many girls go to Japan to be Japayuki, then we will punish Philippines by putting the call centers out of business, which brings us to a clearer understanding of who is actually pushing for these kinds of laws. Follow the money.

Cebu is good, yeah. Davao too. Dumaguete.

[lbounds 16]

thanks for both your comments.

Adam and Thet - your blog is interesting.

I did meet a USC once on a flight back from RP more than a year or two ago. He said he was on his final trip back to the US to sell his truck and property to return to RP for good. He said he had a sport fishing business that was doing good. He said he was very happy to return to make RP his permanent home.

I don't remember where he said he was living. I only talked to him briefly for a few minutes. I think every person that moves there may have a different story depending on what is sustainable income, what savings they may be living off of etc.

I read on a blog a while back that if you do move to RP the last thing you want to do is run out of money with the average wage being less than $5 a day...

[dirtsquirter 7]

A word of advice from someone who has been here for almost 2 years - I tried 3 different businesses here, and none have worked out as planned. I don't regret for an instant my decision to come here, marry my wife, have a beautiful baby boy, and experience this place - which is unlike any I have ever been to. I only have a savings, I have no salary, or pension. I see my account dropping steadily, so I have reached a point where it's time to move out, and back to America, where I am still young enough to earn, and my son can have more opportunity. Would I ever move back here? Hell yes! But I will know what to expect next time, and be ready for it. The Philippines is a wonderful place, but it's not America even by a very looong stretch of the imagination. You need to come here for 6 months or more, then decide if it's right for you. Most family and friends of mine could never hack it. The brownouts, ants, cockroaches, lack of first world amenities, choices of foods that are readily available, and just the whole culture shock is enough to send many expats running to their private "compounds" and staying behind closed doors 99% of the time. I think many foreigner's drink heavily here for lots of these same reasons. You should research it as much as possible, but nothing will ever replace coming here and living it for yourself. I will give you one bit of advice though, don't try any business where you are in direct competition with the locals, they can survive on next to nothing, where you will always need more income than them to survive. Another thing - the air pollution in the city's are brutal. I live in a province, and it's still very dirty, the busses and trucks are especially bad, but even the tricycles and multicabs are big polluters. Good Luck!

[lbounds 16]

Thanks for your interesting comments from your experiences. I'm headed back for two weeks soon but that's the max I can stay right now because of work..

[A and T 82]

Thanks for your interesting comments from your experiences. I'm headed back for two weeks soon but that's the max I can stay right now because of work..

I got a job working for a us based business , work from home. I love it so far.

I'm not rich by any means the pay is of course low by my standards, but its enough to pay rent, electric, food etc and live in the philippines well enough. I couldnt really ask for more

Low pay in the philippines is better than no jobs and no unemployment back in the usa

[TripleG 3]

I have lived as an expat in the Oil industry with a good U.S. salary and have lived with no income besides business income. One of the problems with running a business in the RP is trust. Who can you trust besides your wife? NO ONE!!! Never make the mistake that you can. This makes running a business in the RP very difficult. You will never be able to keep your Filipino employees from stealing, skimming, or scamming you in some sort of way. This frustrates some Americans that try. The most you can do is try to control it. Remember its not personal! In their eyes, you are a rich Kano and don't need or won't miss that 2000 pesos here or 5,000 pesos there. This is part of the culture, you cannot break it even by paying them well. Go in knowing that they are going to take some for themselves and try to manage it to a small amount you can live with. Treat your business contacts and employees like an auto mechanic with lots of overhead. He might consider it ethical slipping in an extra charge for specially torqued high pressure oil pan bolts if he thought he could get away with it. If your going to do business, its a good idea to learn the language, if not you are at a HUGE disadvantage. Okay next is cost of living, you need to work out a realistic budget. The only way you can do this is to stay there a while. If you think your going to live in paradise for 40K a month with wife and child? Think again. You can live on that and probablly a lot less but, you will have to figure out through experience if you would want to? I won't live in the RP for less than 85K a month and as the my boy gets older, that would get tight. I have went as low as 30k a month in the province, but wouldn't want to do that long term.

I am not an expert....these are just my opinions based off of my experiences.

Wyatt

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I got a job working for a us based business , work from home. I love it so far.

I'm not rich by any means the pay is of course low by my standards, but its enough to pay rent, electric, food etc and live in the philippines well enough. I couldnt really ask for more

Low pay in the philippines is better than no jobs and no unemployment back in the usa

I'm glad it's worked out for you so far, Adam, but 6 months is hardly a blip on the big screen of life. I think most Filipinos who've made it to the states would disagree with that sentiment. However bad the economy gets in the states, it will never compare to the kind of dire, persistent poverty that most Filipinos live in. It's probably the single, biggest motivator as to why so many of them work and live abroad. I think it's courageous and great to see a young American like you staking out his existence in such an impoverished country, but you must find some comfort in knowing that if things get really difficult for you there in the Philippines, you could always come back home to the states. Most of Filipinos don't have that luxury.