Originally Posted by trottytrue

There is another issue with buying your own home in the UK. We have thought about this and are not sure what we are going to do. What happens when we die, our three children all live in the US if we have all our money tied to a house it is going to make it difficult for them also if you end up in a nursing home and you own your own home they did make you sell the house to pay for the nursing home I know that because we had to do that with my Mum but if you rent its very different. There is alot to think about that is why we are going to rent to start with for many reason, to make sure we like the area we buy in and also in case for some reason we need to return to the US.

Originally Posted by windsong

Does anyone know where I can find a comparison of cost of living and standard of living for USA/UK? When I am 60, in two years time, I can elect to begin to receive US social security ($2200 a month) plus a $600 pension from a former employer. I am wondering how far I can get in Britain with $2800 a month. Perhaps I can live like a queen there and not have to work lol! Kidding!

Originally Posted by windsong

Does anyone know where I can find a comparison of cost of living and standard of living for USA/UK? When I am 60, in two years time, I can elect to begin to receive US social security .........

Originally Posted by windsong

Housing over there does concern me. I grew up in a beautiful home over there and have never lived in a council home or flat. The ones I came across in Scotland were pretty crummy. Yet, I won't be able to afford a home as soon as I get there. I will have to save a downpayment - have no idea how much UK requires as a downpayment either - could be 50% for all I know. I don't mind renting a house for a while - a private house, if possible, and one that will take my two little dogs and two cats.

Originally Posted by Mummy in the foothills

I have found that there are so many who blast the UK and all it's faults and sing praises to a country they have only visited on vacation or small business trips and want to hear nothing real or negative about the place they want to go. If you do tell them the reality of life, they stick their fingers in their ears and stat doing the la la la thing.
Yet two weeks before moving they want to know how do I get medical insurance? or I'm trying to find a rental, or other stuff they didn't research, or didn't listen when we told them.
Within a short time of realising the streets aren't paved with gold and the medical insurance that costs half your low wages doesn't cover 100% of anything and they still need to pull out the checkbook at the doctors office and the pharmacy. they start to complain, just a little, and it makes me laugh. Just a little. Then the UK doesn't seem so bad to them anymore. Oh and they complain they can't find bacon and proper sausages Hello! It's a foreign country who happen to speak English (sort of)

Originally Posted by Beedubya

That is one heck of a Social Security payment and pension!!! £1776.00 per month, I think you could live like a queen indeed!! Well maybe not a queen but certainly a princess!!

All this talk of the US working conditions and holidays has changed my view of America I have to say, and yet I come on here today and see this extremely large Social Security pension. I am not sure what the pension is in the UK or Australia but I bet it is NOTHING like this.

Originally Posted by windsong

I haven't had a rum baba since I left Britain 30 years ago! I can't wait

Originally Posted by Mummy in the foothills

Dh has 32 years full time working in the US an his projected SS is Not quite that high but it's based on annual income so if you were always a high wage earner you will get more monthly. Dh's is just under $2000 at 65 but if he waits till 70 he's get $2300 I on the other hand have always worked part time, and looked after the kids so I'll get enough to buy the sunday paper and a pint of milk

Originally Posted by J.J

You can start your US SS pension benefit at 60 ?
Huh, I was under impression 62 is earliest age. Must check that.

Originally Posted by Derrygal

I thought it was 62 as well - I'm almost sure that's what it says on my SS statements - must pull one out from my filing cabinet and check. I know that the longer you delay collecting it the more you get. I'm trying to work for at least another 10 years (until I'm 67).

Originally Posted by Mallory

Reduced benefits can start at age 60 for widow or widower.

Originally Posted by J.J

You can start your US SS pension benefit at 60 ?
Huh, I was under impression 62 is earliest age. Must check that.

Originally Posted by J.J

AFAIK, US SSA annual reports are an estimate on assumptions. They use your earning history as a prediction for the future earnings and calculate a predicted pension upon the whole. The annual report is no guarantee, the final pension will depend upon the influence of future earnings. So if you have a period out of work it reduces your future SS benefits because you have made less than predicted contributions.

The annual report says;
At your current earnings rate, if you stop working and claim the SS:-
at age 66 years , pension will be...
at age 77 years, pension will be...
At age 62 years (earliest age to commence) will be ...

Hence we need to be sure we read the appropriate estimate for the age we plan to receive benefit.


For my DH, he will not achieve even the 62 years prediction because he stopped receiving US salary (and hence stopped making contributions to the SS pension fund) this year, at age 61 and so has low age 62nd year earnings.

On the other hand, I worked until I was 63, so I expect to achieve at least the estimated age 62 benefit because I passed the milestone.
I can't confirm because I haven't taken it yet. We live on DH UK salary, and by not claiming US SS benefits it will increase annually (currently 8%). I plan to start it when he gives up work. (by which time tax levels may have increased to cancel out the growth, oh well, can't predict 'em all and certainly not what the government will do. Many say take what you can at earliest.)

We will be doing the math again once we more settled in UK and know for sure what our expenses are and what we can manage on in retirement.

Allow me to suggest the official SS online calculator. Here you can run different scenario's of future earnings and retirement date to get a more accurate estimate: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator/

Please remember to figure in that pension is income and is potentially taxable above annual personal allowances.

Originally Posted by dontheturner

Hi Windsong, No wonder you could not get on the furniture site. the www.furnishyourhome.co.uk, is the correct detail - so sorry about that. Look at dining room, and scroll down, to the second round table set. excellent price, at £205, in my opinion. - may go up, in January, as sales tax ups to 20% then. dontheturner