Want to retire abroad? Here’s what you need to know
1 min read
Chris Smith, 63, and his wife Jane Klaassen, 62, knew they wanted to retire somewhere hot. But while it was easy enough to agree on a move to Alicante in Spain (“We love the lifestyle, the weather and the people”), the financial side of becoming an expat was not as simple.
Smith, a financial adviser, retired in September and they sold their house in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, three months later, buying a four-bedroom villa a ten-minute bike ride from the sea in the town of Xabia (or Javea). Klaassen, who retired from the police in 2019, has joined a local book club and a group where Spanish residents and English expats teach each other their respective languages over coffee. Smith spends his days by the pool