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Westport, Ireland

How an Expat Retiree Fought to Stay in Ireland

By Joshua Wood, LPC

Mondly by Pearson
Mondly by Pearson

Summary: Expat retirees David and Maura Woods were given 7 days notice to leave Ireland. David shares his story, why they were asked to leave, and how they found a way to stay in the adoptive land they love.

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About the Author

Joshua Wood Joshua Wood, LPC joined Expat Exchange in 2000 and serves as one of its Co-Presidents. He is also one of the Founders of Digital Nomad Exchange. Prior to Expat Exchange, Joshua worked for NBC Cable (MSNBC and CNBC Primetime). Joshua has a BA from Syracuse and a Master's in Clinical and Counseling Psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Mr. Wood is also a licensed counselor and psychotherapist.

Some of Joshua's articles include Pros and Cons of Living in Portugal, 10 Best Places to Live in Ireland and Pros and Cons of Living in Uruguay. Connect with Joshua on LinkedIn.


Mondly by Pearson
Mondly by Pearson

Mondly by Pearson
Mondly by Pearson

Comments

craigandmicki
Mar 7, 2016 05:56

Smart decision to highlight this article! The observations and advice of this strong couple hold true for all of us, wherever we're going. We have faced changing requirements in Portugal, as well, especially in the last 3 years. Those of us contributing 23% of every Euro spent to these economies should be seen as a bit more valuable to the economy and international community, with some 'grandfathering' factored in to regulatory changes. Regardless, a helpful, wise and interesting article. Congratulations to the Woods!

proactiv
Mar 7, 2016 07:09

My wife and I have been following Dave and Maura's story on the expat forum, as we would like to retire in Ireland in 4 years. Wondering what we can do at this time to assist Dave and other expats in the effort to get the current rule changed.

stgibson
Mar 7, 2016 10:02

Excellent article and really "so true" anywhere you go.

guest
Mar 7, 2016 15:34

I live in Medellín Colombia and I'm amazed that the Colombian government has just imposed worldwide wealth taxes on all residents who remain here for any 183-day period out of any 365-day period. Plus an income tax, which for Americans will be a double tax. (There is not yet a double-taxation treaty between the US and Colombia.) No one is quite certain how this will shake out, but there's the rub: Uncertainty. That will give even the most daring retiree pause before transplanting his or her life to their countries. It's fair to wonder whether these countries actually want to attract (relatively) prosperous retirees, or whether we're simply a cheap and easy target for their taxation agents.

collaroygal
Apr 5, 2016 10:16

Hope you can continue to find ways to stay. We had tried to move to Australia after living and working there for 4.5 yrs. during that time they changed the rules and due to our age and no kids, we didn't have enough points when it came time to apply for perm. residency. We did return to the USA and made that work out but I miss AU every single day still.

Pebz13
Jun 13, 2016 06:18

I am currently investigating options to retire overseas. I am looking at other countries as well. I am wondering if the minimum income is unique to Ireland, or if any other countries have implemented such a rule. Any help or reference is appreciated. Thanks!

Joshuak
Jan 10, 2017 08:53

My Wife and I moved to Enniscorthy Ireland for ~ one year. We did not buy a house, but found a small rental house in a retirement Village of 54 houses that were built during the "boom" times to be finished about the time the bottom fell out of the economy. The project went into Bankruptcy and the house sat there until 2013 when the Banks foreclosed and started thinking about renting again. I rented the third house in the development which was a 2 bedroom, single bath, living room and kitchen. I would say it was about 900 sq ft. Lease was one year at 500 Euro per month for everything except power. However, the big difference between me and Mr Wood is that I am an Irish citizen by birthright. I am a "dual" and my wife got residency as she was my legal spouse. If our income was 10,000 euro a year, they still had to accept me. Of course it was not, as we could afford to retain our home in US and stay in Ireland for that year. I might suggest to those reading about Ireland that what the Dail Eireann was doing was hoping to get more income tax money from "those Rich Americans". A husband and wife can have an adjusted income of about 36,000 Euro before they need to pay income tax. But at some level, the tax can be as much as 40%. That is the reason we stayed one week short of one year and besides, we filed our taxes in US and there is a agreement that income tax is only due in one country. I could write many pages about our experiences, but probably not room here. .............Jon

Westport, Ireland

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