I didn’t move to Mexico to save money. I moved to buy back my future

I wasn’t sitting on a beach when I decided to move to Mexico. I was sitting in my car in California, thinking about what would happen to someone I loved. 

My former partner of 38 years, Sanders—whom we called Sandy—was experiencing dementia-related symptoms. Although we were no longer a couple, we shared a daughter and remained family. I remembered the extensive care his aging parents had required, and wondered what Sandy might need in the years ahead. 

After more than three decades in California real estate, I was also contemplating my own future. I wasn’t ready to retire, but I wanted to change how I lived and worked. That day, I realized I didn’t need a better retirement plan. I needed different variables. 

I decided to establish a home base in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where I had been visiting for nearly 25 years. 

I thought I was planning for a future caregiving challenge. I had no idea how quickly that future would arrive. 

Rethinking the retirement equation 

Americans are encouraged to focus on a retirement number: How much have we saved, and will it be enough? 

But where we live can influence how much we need, the healthcare we can access and the communities we build. 

I understood real estate from both sides of the transaction. Alongside my brokerage career, I had owned rental properties and other investments. I still own real estate in Sonoma County, California, and Texas. 

For approximately a year, I rented a two-bedroom San Francisco apartment for $3,800 a month while considering a transition. In Puerto Vallarta, I found a much larger four-bedroom home with a pool for approximately $3,000. 

I wasn’t abandoning my investments. I was discovering that where I owned property didn’t have to determine where I lived.

I should disclose that I continue working in California........

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