George Pieper knows a thing or two about following his dreams. He’s been living in Spain for the last two years after retiring in 2021. On this episode of Solopreneur Money, he’ll show us how we can retire to another country without losing our minds or our money in the process.
If you’re like me and have the itch to go abroad, you won’t want to miss this informative episode from someone who has put in the work to do things right. Press play to hear what you can learn from George Pieper about realizing your dream of moving abroad.
You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in…
- George’s story [1:52]
- What is different about living in Spain [12:08]
- How George feels about living in Spain [16:30]
- Money lessons [19:19]
- Logistics [23:44]
- How to handle taxes [32:46]
- The money questions [44:28]
- My takeaways [54:44]
How George ended up in rural Spain
George Pieper has been planning his retirement ever since he was a kid! Retiring early was a must for him, and with smart financial choices and a career as an entrepreneur, he was able to retire in Spain at age 50.
George’s first smart financial decision was buying his home in a Seattle suburb at age 25. He ran an office supply company for 20+ years, was a civil rights commissioner, and was an executive director for an environmental group. In 2021, he and his partner decided to quit the rat race and move to rural Spain.
Follow your dreams to a life well-lived
George points out that often times things in Spain look similar to things in the States, but they operate very differently. He has had to get accustomed to the way things work in rural Spain. Everything moves at a slower pace and life doesn’t have the same conveniences that people are used to in the United States.
Since the Spanish take family time seriously, there are times of the day and even all day on Sundays when stores and restaurants are closed.
Getting used to the slower pace and the Spanish siesta has been a learning curve, but now George embraces this new way of life. He feels more relaxed with the slower pace and is able to savor his time and create his own rhythm of life.
Careful planning is a must
Today, George follows his entrepreneurial passions as a restaurateur while living on an olive farm in coastal Spain After a year of living the quiet life, recharging his batteries, and getting acclimated to life in Spain, he opened a restaurant. While a year of relaxing sounds amazing, moving to Spain took a lot of planning.
George didn’t move to Spain alone. In addition to his partner and his pets, he couldn’t bear to part with his things so he shipped his entire household and even two cars to his new home.
This didn’t happen overnight. There were the logistics of moving everything as well as the uncertainty of waiting to be approved for a visa.
My takeaways
I got so much from this informative interview with George Pieper that I’ll sum them up with these takeaways.
- Think about how much is enough.
- Consider the lifestyle you want to live.
- Understand how much stuff you want to bring and the costs associated with bringing it.
- Create a budget surrounding the costs of bringing your stuff and living your new lifestyle.
- Research logistics.
- Maintain a US address.
- Understand your tax situation both in the US and in your new country.
- Research the area you want to live in.
- Make sure to have a plan b.
What were your takeaways from George’s interview?
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