The change of life of many North Americans towards Portugal has one thing in common: the search for a more viable retirement, in a country where health and daily life do not require impossible bills. The case of Jack Stone, a 60-year-old American woman, shows how the financial pressure linked to aging in the United States is pushing some people to make radical decisions, including selling almost everything and starting from scratch elsewhere, as in his case, in Portugal.
Jack Stone moved from Maryland to Portugal last year, taking his cat Olive with him and making it clear he has no plans to return to the United States. The decision, he told the website specializing in economics and business Business Insider, was born mainly from the fear of not being able to sustain a comfortable retirement in his country, even with Social Security, at a time when health and transport costs are increasingly weighing on the budget.
Reform accounts no longer make sense
Stone explains that she tried to understand how much she would need to age safely in her Maryland home, factoring in medical expenses, possible age-related care and the normal cost of maintaining a stable lifestyle. The estimate he arrived at was at least two million dollars, an amount he considered out of reach for the life he had built.
“I realized that even with Social Security I wouldn’t be able to survive in the United States,” he said. “The math just didn’t add up.” From that moment on, he says he no longer saw staying in the USA as a realistic option for the future.
Visit to Portugal and decision to move forward
The change began to take shape after a trip to Portugal in 2023. Shortly afterwards, he began the visa process and went ahead with the change in August of the following year, explaining that he wanted to do it while he still felt relatively young to face bureaucracy, cultural adaptation and total routine reorganization.
Stone moved on a long-term visa and maintained a remote job in the United States, working as a clinical analyst at a technology services company. Despite continuing to earn a high annual salary, he has switched to a service arrangement, which means he no longer has typical benefits like paid vacation or a corporate retirement plan, according to the source cited above.
A late journey that held back savings
The American admits her retirement savings are limited, largely because she only started earning better later than most people. She dropped out of school, went back to school as an adult and only at the age of 43 managed to earn what she describes as her first truly decent salary.
“I went back to school at age 38 with a high school diploma and third-year math,” he said. “I graduated at 43 and it was the first time I made more than seven dollars an hour.” For Stone, this reduced the time available to accumulate savings, even as he began trying to do so with more discipline.
The article itself mentions several data that show the uncertainty surrounding the issue of retirement in the USA, with estimates that many people would need around 80% of their pre-retirement income to maintain their lifestyle. It is also mentioned that many Americans believe they need more than a million dollars to retire comfortably, while average balances in retirement accounts can be well below that amount.
“I did everything they told me, and it’s still not enough”
Stone doesn’t just point out the lack of savings as a problem and leaves a harsh criticism of his country’s economic system, according to the same source. He argues that many workers have followed the recommended path, worked for decades, and continue to feel like they are left behind while wealth is concentrated at the top.
“I wish our country was fulfilling the promise made to the people, instead of favoring the billionaires,” he said. “I worked hard and did everything I was told to do, but I still fell far short of what was needed.” It is at this point that the phrase that stood out most in the story appears: “I made my life alone and, even so, I still fall far short of what is necessary.”
The strategy was to cut two key expenses
Before moving, Stone identified two costs that he saw as decisive for the future: health and transportation. In a video shared on social media, he explained that he believed that by taking these expenses out of the equation, he would have a better chance of aging comfortably.
“And it’s true. I have to say that taking those two things out of the equation made a huge difference,” he said. In Portugal, he says he is saving more than he did in the United States, even while maintaining a stable standard of living.
Life without a car and public transport as a basis
One of the first decisions was to sell the car, because you don’t want a car-dependent lifestyle. In Portugal, he pays around 40 euros per month for a metro pass and attaches importance to living in a place where public transport allows autonomy over the years.
She explained, cited by the same source, that this choice also has an emotional and practical side: she wants to avoid being isolated and dependent on others when she is older, something she feared in the USA if mobility became more difficult.
Health insurance and everyday expenses
In health, Stone says he pays around 89 euros per month for private insurance, with no deductible or additional payments, and claims to spend less on medicines than he spent in the United States. It also mentions reductions in expenses such as food, internet and telecommunications.
Regarding VAT in Portugal, he highlighted that the normal rate is 23%, but even so he says that the supermarket bill was around 30% lower than it was in the USA. It also highlights that the tax is already included in the price presented to the consumer, which makes the purchase more predictable.
Stone is renting out his Maryland home, which he purchased with a loan linked to veterans benefits, but says he hopes to sell it. This intention reinforces the idea that the change is not temporary and that returning to the USA is not part of the plan.
Even so, he admits that he misses some aspects of the country, especially the snowy winters and some natural landscapes. “I lived a very rich life and had the opportunity to visit incredible places,” she said, quoted by the same source, remembering memories linked to the mountains and several states where she lived.
Adaptation and a new life in Portugal
Stone explains that she is used to change, remembering that she had already lived outside the United States after 9/11 and that throughout her life she also traveled between several states. “I’m very comfortable with changes,” he said, adding that integration in Portugal was simpler than he expected.
Today, he says he balances remote work with creating a consulting business and an active social life, taking advantage of local meetings and ease of travel. “I love leaving the house, taking the subway, crossing the river and meeting up with a group at a local meetup,” she said.
Advice for anyone thinking of doing the same
The American leaves practical advice for other Americans who are considering moving to another country. He argues that it is important to speak to the employer to confirm whether remote work is possible, visit the destination before deciding and not take everything you have, because the change can be made more lightly.
It also warns that one should not expect the new country to be like the United States. “The objective of moving to another place is precisely to experience the way of living in that country”, she stated, quoted by , defending an attitude of adaptation and respect for the local lifestyle.
In the end, Stone says he wants to send a message to anyone who feels anxiety about retirement. From his perspective, many people have “played the game” and followed the rules, but still feel like it’s not enough, and that doesn’t mean they’ve failed. The American believes that there are still alternatives, even for those who start late, and that thinking about a change could be one of the ways to make the future more sustainable. For her, the essential thing is to realize that there are options and that you don’t have to face the problem alone.
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