Retirement Surprises No One Warned Me About!

You can plan your dream retirement abroad — but reality has other plans. After one full year of “retirement,” I’ve learned that it’s less about escaping work and more about rebuilding purpose. From residency paperwork to real-life lessons, here are four takeaways from my first year on this journey towards moving to Guatemala and the expat life.

⏱️ Chapters
00:00 – 🎬 Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day, Neither is Your Retirement
00:29 – 🪴 Intro: My First Year of Retirement
01:04 – 🧭 Lesson 1: There Are Plans… and There Is Reality
02:05 – 🧱 Lesson 2: There Will Be Headaches
03:54 – ❤️ Lesson 3: It Isn’t Always a Solo Adventure
04:44 – 🔨 Lesson 4: Retirement Is Always Under Construction
05:30 – 🌅 Recap

💬 QUESTION FOR YOU:
What’s been your biggest surprise — or frustration — in retirement?
Or if you’re not retired yet, what’s the one thing you hope to learn from others before you take that leap?
Drop your thoughts in the comments — I read every one. 👇

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