Retirement Planning, Elder Law, and Senior Finance Retiring Overseas 4/26/2023 | By Elaine Silvestrini The United States may be the world’s No. 1 superpower, but people living in a multitude of other wealthy countries can expect more financially secure retirements citizens of the U.S., leading many Americans to consider retiring overseas. That’s according to a retirement security index by Natixis, an asset management and investment banking firm. The United States ranked No. 18 in retirement security in the 2022 survey, slipping from the 17th position in the year before. Here are the top 10 retirement countries based on finances, material well-being, quality of life and health. 10 top countries for retiring overseas 1. Norway: The life expectancy is nearly age 83, compared to the world average of 72 and 77 for the United States, according to the World Bank. Norway has a robust private and public pension system, ranking seventh in the Mercer Global Pension Index. 2. Switzerland: Another country where life expectancy is 83, Switzerland is known for having a high standard (and high cost) of living and low taxes, as well as beautiful places to visit. The country has established a special Retirement Residency Program to accommodate retirees who want to settle there. 3. Iceland: Also with 83 years life expectancy, Iceland has Mercer’s No. 1 rated pension system for its local retirees. 4. Ireland: Life expectancy is 82 in Ireland, a country noted for the charm of its people and its landscape, says Internationalliving.com. According to Shannon Raisor at Wise, the money transferring tech firm, Ireland is also known as having a very low crime rate and a low-cost government health care system. 5. Australia: Life expectancy is 83, and Raisor describes the country as featuring beautiful beaches, friendly people and universal health care. 6. New Zealand: Life expectancy is 82 here. Wise says the country is known for a high quality of life and a relatively low cost of living. 7. Luxembourg: The country has a life expectancy of 82 and a high cost of living, even for Europe. According to Expatica.com, Luxembourg “boasts a wealth of nature, culture, art, and history.” 8. The Netherlands: Life expectancy here is 81 years. Raisor says the health care system is one of the best in the world. The country is friendly to expats, and the culture is “immersed in nature.” 9. Denmark: Life expectancy is 82. According to Raisor, the country’s quality of life is “notoriously great,” although the cost of living is high, but about average for Europe. 10. Czech Republic: Life expectancy is 78. According to Expatarrivals.com, while the cost of living in Prague is comparable to the rest of Europe, it’s more affordable to live in the rest of the country. Five tips from Kiplinger Finance for retiring abroad Elaine Silvestrini is associate personal finance editor at Kiplinger.com. For more on this and similar money topics, visit Kiplinger.com. ©2023 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Read similar retirement and financial articles on Seniors Guide like this one: Free Yourself of Stuff: Decluttering and Downsizing Read More Elaine Silvestrini Elaine Silvestrini is senior retirement editor at Kiplinger.com.