According to this article in the Telegraph all you nasty expats living in the EU are loaded and being treated too favourably? I like how the writer carefully chooses his time scale I.e. the £/euro rate which for last month or so has gone up also quoting even higher % rate over 5 years. Mmmm yes but of course let's look over say 8 years which would of show the same expats considerably worse off given the rate was around 1.47 v today's 1.25. Also ignoring that in his five year figure how many expats shipped back because Gordon Brown followed by Cameron collapsed the £ in order to keep the UK going. I also like how the writer puts the EU expats against those that retired to countries where their pensions were frozen rather than index linked as with EU expats, does that not come down to choice of where you choose to retire? Or was that information kept secret from them?
The whole article is rubbish as far as I can see just another article to make those that retire overseas out to be the enemy.
Euro fall hands state pension boost to expats - Telegraph

You can't blame people for thinking that expats are loaded, when some in their early fifties,have huge pensions, others to come and eventually will have the state pension as beer and fag money

To be honest that is not what this article portrays. It is just fact that exchange rates go up and down for British expats who's pension from whatever source are paid in pounds. Point is many including me lost out big time when the government intentionally devalued the £ at the start of this crisis. Now because mainly the EU wants to follow a similar line as Mrs Merkel has won her election and the eurozone is heading for deflation they want a weaker euro this writer makes out that expats are better off. If they have been expats I'm euroland pre 2008 they are not as the £ is much lower in Euros than it was then. I am sure you can see that? It also seeks to set certain non EU expats against EU expats, why on earth should someone living within the EU on a EU government or state pension not get their annual increase? If the argument was that all pensioners should get it I would agree. You seem very bitter that some government workers get a pension early? Followed later by a state pension that no doubt they have contributed to. I have had a military pension since I was 40 because I happened to fit the criteria should I not accept that? I also have a second government pension which I contributed a large proportion of my salary to. Later I will get my state pension, be assured though that although some of my pensions will be spent on the odd drink in the sun it will certainly not just be beer and fag money. Many people have more pension than me I just take it that I have what I earned I do with it as I want and live my live as Iwant , I have a clear conscience I have never claimed a penny from the state other than child allowance but have paid plenty in to it.

Good post.

I'd argue that many simply love to hate anyone who could remotely be assumed to be "wealthier than thou" or perceived to have received something they didn't work for...

...and unfortunately that also includes anyone who is lucky enough to live in some sunny location abroad, or receives some small windfall from a favourable exchange rate, pension or some other policy.

NOTHING is easy. These days, if you're doing well, you most likely worked and/or paid dearly for it sometime in your life. That's not a bad thing.

Fact is, precious few of us that aren't "wealthy" would turn down the same wealth if it came their way. It's pretty hypocritical.

Most of us could use a bit of prosperity (especially those complaining the loudest), so it occurs to me that perhaps we should be encouraging prosperity instead of demonising it.

Yes a very poorly written and ill thought through article in my view. Some will take it hook line and sinker i.e. those with green eyed monster syndrome.

I've spent many years helping fellow expats settle into their new country. I'm not anything special, there is an army of volunteers like myself and newcomers can find them in the clubs and charities section in the latter half of the Costa Blanca News, or just by asking around in any place frequented by expats.

What will never cease to amaze me is the number of expats who arrive in a country where half the population work black, corruption is all around and they expect to somehow be treated with honesty by a system that is inherently dishonest?

They buy houses that are illegal and then complain about having to pay a fine to make them slightly less illegal. They actually believe that the many British financial advisers are interested in anything other than their commissions on often unsuitable investments.

It doesn't mean that you can't happily live in Spain for many years, but it's best to copy exactly how Spanish people live in their own country. If you don't want to live as Spanish people do, your life in Spain will be uncomfortable.