Published on 12, July, 2020
By that I mean those receiving universal credit/ESA or pension credit(if old enough). Those who live in social housing, and aren't well off enough to be home owners.
I was raised fairly middle class but post university I was on a pretty low wage and although I bought a house back in 1987 I was plunged into 30% negative equity within a year of buying.
Later separation from my partner left me broke but I got another job, bought a really cheap house (mortgaged) and managed to find a job that paid well for a few years where I was also able to buy a second house, end up married to someone who was not working and had a crash in the job market that had me move to Germany for some better paying work.
6 years later my wifes business went bust and we were nearly bankrupt and we moved back to the UK where I got another lowish paying job and we rented.
11 years after struggling through this we bought a "fixer upper" Victorian place (mortgaged) on the south coast and managed to make a decent chunk of cash followed by another a few years later that made a big chunk and I was able to retire to Brazil where I do a mix of property flipping and charity work.
So I've been broke a few times, wealthy a few times and most stages in between. Discipline and perseverence are the keys to overcoming what holds you back in my experience although I realise not all are able to do this
That's an amazing story, Iain! I was just looking at Brazil on the TV last night, thinking it looked like a fascinating place. What's it like to retire there? Is it easy to do from an immigration point of view? I often dream of escaping the UK.
Martyn said:What's it like to retire there? Is it easy to do from an immigration point of view?
It is fairly cheap to live here, great quality available and surprisingly welcoming locals.
Immigration is a bit toughter - I had married a Brazilian woman back in 1999 so I had a right to residency from this (needed to apply to renew every 10 years but now is permanant).
If you have an Italian or Portuguese grandparent then you may have a right to citizenship through this route if you are interested,
You deffo need to learn Portuguese to survive here - English is rarely used or spoken even though it is taught at school - a bit like someone from the UK being taught French at school I suppose.
I would recommend a visit as it is off the track from a UK perspective and there is so much to see here, from the Amazonian rain forests to the wetlands of the centre, the deserts of the north and the huge waterfalls in the European climate of the south.
Food is one of the best things here - huge influences from the likes of Japan, Syria, Italy and the USA but all done with great quality local products. If you eat meat, the steaks here are just incredible and not expensive.
Maybe I should do a autism friendly tourist guide service to the country LOL
Sounds amazing. It's definitely on my travel bucket list.