About Me

Hello fellow dreamers!

I’m Dee and I retired in Mexico at the age of 50. I am passionate about helping you:

·     identify fabulous low-cost destinations to retire, and 

·    to plan for early retirement.

Are you a busy professional who is itching to break free from the cubicle farm at work? Do you feel like you are stuck on a treadmill working hard to get somewhere yet getting nowhere?

Are you stressed out because there is always so much to do but never enough money to save for retirement? Or perhaps you are frustrated because you spend so much time working, but never achieve the savings results you are hoping for? Or maybe you want to quit your work before conventional retirement age, but you are just not sure if you have enough or don’t know the best way to go about it?

My fellow freedom seekers, Retire at 50 is for you!

What if you could break free and live your life at the beach, bag the highest peaks, or paraglide camp your way around the world instead?

What if you stopped letting excuses hold you back from creating the life you want?

Because you absolutely have the power to do so!

And, I'd love to help! 🙂

My name is Dee Lynn and I retired at 50 in Lake Chapala, Mexico.

Since then, I have used several methods to make my savings stretch while I await my pension at 65. I want to share tips and tricks that work and potential pitfalls that I encountered along with valuable lessons learned from doing it the wrong way.

Why will I share the things I could have done better? In a nutshell, I want it to be easier for you. My strongest and most sincere desire is for you to succeed.

Why follow me and take my advice at all?

Well, my father was a diplomat and I have spent over half my life living abroad. I grew up in Germany, South Korea, Scotland and Jamaica, along with our home base of Canada. The experiences of my youth awoke a lifelong passion to live abroad and explore new countries. I love being fully immersed in traditions, food and language. The most amazing experience of my life was attending a small international school in South Korea with less than 500 kids from over 100 nations.

Together, we shared and tried foods from countries around the world. We learned one another’s languages and cultural norms. We built friendships that bridged 1,000s of miles and have lasted through the years.

As an adult I have sought a similar experience and found that same camaraderie in the expat community. We are a group of globe trotters who have a natural curiousity about the world and a need to immerse ourselves in language, culture, and beauty that is offered beyond our own doorsteps.

Before I found my international family, we returned to life in Canada where I was a fish out of water. Society dictated that I should settle down and be content living in one home for the rest of my life. I should have a 9-to-5 job and enjoy my three weeks of vacation.

Every time I returned to the office after vacation, the noose tightened just a little more, and the desire to escape grew stronger.

I raised my wonderful family in Canada. All the while I wanted to pack us all up and move to a place that didn’t require snow boots, shovels, and snow tires. Unfortunately, I was married to a man who did not feel the same way, and I slowly died inside.

After raising my children, seeing them settled in their own lives, and leaving my career with the federal government, I retired at 50, waved goodbye to Canada, and headed to Mexico.

If you are like me and feel like the “right path for everyone” is the “wrong path for you,” you are in the right place.

As a young adult it became apparent that I needed to travel as much as I needed to breathe. When I visited international destinations, I came to life. My brain fired on all cylinders and my happiness meter would be off the scale.

Can you relate to this?

In my late 40s I found myself working for a bully, who worked very hard to eject older women from the workplace. I gave in and quit my job. At first, I was devastated. I floundered about not knowing what to do.

Then I realized she had shown up at the right moment in my life. To this day, I think of her with gratitude. Without her bullying, I would have kept working and never would have realized the freedom of early retirement.

When I quit and moved to Mexico, my friends and family were convinced I would get hurt, be kidnapped, or die. They did whatever they could to talk me out of it. I overcame my desire to please others and began to please myself.

I couldn’t continue living 9-5. it left me emotionally drained, physically exhausted and in pain and miserable.

I made a decision to pursue my dream and now I live MY LIFE.

Today I split my time between Mexico, Canada, and on the road. I travel somewhere new almost every two months, and I am slowly ticking off all the places and activities on my very long bucket list.

What will you learn on Retire at 50?

Retire at 50 offers an honest look at known and lesser known retirement destinations, travel and financial planning advice.

Who will benefit from Retire at 50?

Whether you’re a 40 year old single woman who wants to retire in style, or a young couple struggling with a mountain of debt in your 20s, or you are already in your 50s and have a small nest egg set aside, this retirement destination blog is for you.  

The main goal is to help realise your dream and get you away from a job that is sucking the soul out of you. 

I share real life experience, costs, and resources for deciding where you want to wander, and perhaps where you will decide to settle down in this big old world.

You will meet young and old retirees and find out how they were able to pursue their dream retirement.

There isn’t a single solution. Every person has a unique set of circumstances that form retirement. For example, I retired and moved to sunny Mexico so I could reduce the pain from serious arthritis. I no longer take medication and I regularly hike mountains that would have defied a healthy me at age 30.

Perhaps you want to open a bar on the beach and hang out with your new friends. Or perhaps you are an introvert and sitting in a beach chair with a pile of books is more your speed.

Some want to dance the night away; others wake up at the crack of dawn and swim 5 miles.

Whatever your passion, you can do it in your early, planned retirement.

For those of you who want to leave your desk behind and still need to earn some income, you can learn how to become a digital nomad. I will share recommendations for ways to earn while travelling full time or living abroad.

Ask yourself this one very important question and answer it honestly.

What life do you want for yourself?

When you have your answer, take the first step towards fulfilling that life. Once you do, the second step will be so much easier, and one day your dream life will be YOUR LIFE.

Even if you’re not able to take the plunge right now, you can enrich your life by laying a plan and exploring the world. Who knows, you may find that special place that resonates with you and sets you on a path to early retirement.

Check out the blog and find advice to help you reach your goals and start planning your dream life.

Happy travels!