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The New American Dream
There's now an evolved concept of living the dream. Unfortunately, too many accept the "new nightmare" as normal.
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I almost feel guilty.
Just seven weeks outside of the United States, and I’m experiencing more contentment and relaxation than perhaps ever before.
Over the last 20 years, I’ve always felt instantly better when I left the States. And not just because I was on “vacation.”
It was because I had escaped an unwell culture. A toxic environment where the absence of its effects was immediately notable, much like stepping out of a smoke-filled room into fresh air… suddenly you realize how hard it had been to breathe.
Being in the U.S. is like swimming in a soup of anger, anxiety, and aggravation. It permeates the entire experience of living as if it’s normal. That doesn’t exist here in Baja, and it doesn’t exist in any of the other places I’ve lived for extended periods.
There’s no obvious anger here. No road rage. No aggressive behavior toward pedestrians or cyclists. It’s all “muchas gracias” and “por favor” in social and commercial contexts.
I've not had a single thought of being shot in seven weeks. And certainly not in a church, or a school, or at the supermercado.
Obviously, the news from the States is disturbing, and it’s likely to get worse. But the volume is so turned down here that I can be more calmly objective and simply plan how to help loved ones join us at the right time.
Plus there’s the beach, and the breeze, and the general laid-back Mexican vibe. But I have to say, if I didn’t have work to do, I’d be bored out of my mind by now.
It’s not like I’m grinding over here. I work most days, but never all day.
(Well, to clarify: I do spend more time reading, which is technically for work, because you never know where your next cool idea will come from when you read just about anything. But you get the idea.)
I’m very blessed that I enjoy my work. And isn’t that a curious thing to say? That it’s a privilege not to spend day in and day out doing unenjoyable things? That to me seems like we’ve messed things up fairly badly.
So many people have negative feelings about work, it’s no wonder people dream of “retirement” as an escape. And then it turns out to suck for most people. What a disappointment.
The False Promise of the “Golden Years”
We’ve already talked about the loss of purpose and rise in depression and suicide rates following retirement. Beyond that, most of the unpleasantness is economic.
According to Schroders’ 2025 US Retirement Survey, 19% of retirees are “struggling” or “living the nightmare” while just 5% said they were “living the dream”.
Channeling James Carville, it’s the economy, stupid. The top three concerns ruining retirement for Americans are inflation (92% of retirees are at least slightly concerned), rising healthcare costs (85%), and the potential for a major market downturn (80%).
All of these concerns are very real. And these days, the most common activity for the retired (watching TV) may give way to obsessively checking account balances, worried about market dips.
How can you be living the dream when you’re terrified about outliving your money? This is what retirement is for many already, and will get worse for Generation X:
Ralph Spielman, who retired in 2016 from a career as a corporate travel administrator and lives with his wife in New York City, calls retirement “terrifying.” Anxiety about running out of money in retirement “was always a worry and still a worry,” Spielman said.
This is not a case of “old people worrying too much,” in case your brain went there. Almost half of retirees are projected to run out of money in retirement… that’s highly disturbing!
A 2024 Morningstar study predicted that 45% of Americans will run out of money in retirement. Data from the Alliance for Retirement Income reveals that 54% of baby boomers and Generation X (combined) are fearful about outliving their savings, up from 48% last year, and a Vanguard study said the average 401(k) balance for Americans aged 55 to 64 is only $271,000.
That brings us right back to the original premise of Further: Most Gen Xers can’t afford to retire anytime soon. But the other part of the premise is whether that’s actually a bad thing or not.
Retirement wasn’t something I ever thought about. It was only after people started asking me if I was going to retire after selling my company that I started wondering what the attraction was.
Again, I like what I do. I don’t want to stop doing things I like, and I don’t see why I would need to at any point in the next two decades. That would put me at 78, and hopefully that’s still too soon.
Look, I'm not telling you not to retire as soon as you can. You do you.
Just make sure you do the math carefully before you commit. Plus, the battle right now is maintaining uninterrupted income and stable investments on the way there.
How Old is Too Old?
Retirement was originally intended to protect people who were too old to work. This was when decades of backbreaking manual labor had taken their toll on much of the labor force, and life expectancy was only 62.
But what does “too old to work” even mean for knowledge workers?
Warren Buffet says he didn’t start to feel “old” until he hit 90, and he still went another four years before announcing his retirement. Fine, we’ll aim for 90. 😉
(Fun fact: 95% of Warren Buffett’s wealth came after 65. Just saying.)
The key to that attitude is enjoying what you do, but also being in control of your ability to keep doing it. So even if you love your job, keeping it will likely not be up to you.
That’s why starting your own business is step number one in escaping the Longevity Squeeze. But it’s not the only step. Being constrained by geography also limits living the dream when political division, cost of living, and access to healthcare all continue to spiral out of control.
One way or another, you’re going to have to work hard in your 50s, likely harder than you expected. Spend a few years of that time starting your own location-independent thing, and then your 60s may well resemble the “golden years” you were promised.
And perhaps being outside of the toxic soup of American culture might just add a bit of extra enjoyment to your life as well. One can merely dream, or one can act.
Keep going-
P.S. If you’re ready to do more than dream, Further Premium is here to help. Join us here.
further: destinations
I’ve put together a handy table of contents for all the various locations I’ve profiled here at Further. It’s weighted toward Mexico, Costa Rica, and Panama so far, with Costa Rica having the most articles. That makes sense, given that it’s likely to be the country where we obtain residency as a new home base.
But you’ll also find two pieces on Uruguay, six articles about European locations, and one straggler from down under. This new page will grow as I expand into new regions for exploration, and you’ll always find it in the top navigation of the newsletter home page.