retire overseas

On a hill above Cotacachi, at a bend in the road overlooking an impossibly green valley, someone has painted a sign on a post. It says " Dios esta aqui." God is here. No matter what your religious beliefs, this place makes you believe in a higher power.

As the clocked ticked its way from 2012 to 2013, we gathered around the bonfire and ceremoniously offered our human-size effigy to the flames. That's the Año Viejo (or "Old Year") tradition here in Ecuador, and one worth adopting no matter where you live.

Think you'd like to retire overseas but don't know what you'll do once you get there? Many people who retire abroad use the opportunity to not only reinvent themselves, but to become helpful resources in their new communities.

More and more baby boomers are opting for a retirement filled with travel and adventure overseas.

My husband, Dan, and I will soon celebrate 11 years of living the expat life. We've lived in seven different locations (in Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and Ecuador) and spent a considerable amount of time in many, many more - especially Belize and Costa Rica.

I'm just back from vacation in the U.S. Good for me, but not so good for friends who confided they are suddenly on "permanent" vacation. As in "laid off" and with no prospects in sight.

No matter what happens this November or in the four years that follow, one thing is for sure: your Medicare coverage won't be going with you should you decide to  retire overseas.