The Fun Side of the Wall: Baby Boomer Retirement in Mexico

We surveyed over 500 retired expats in Mexico to find out where they live, what it costs, what they value, and why they stay. Their answers are unexpected and astounding! The Fun Side of the Wall is not just a book about how to retire in Mexico, it is also a critique of the way retirement has been commodified in the United States. This push for commercially structured senior living has left many Baby Boomers in search of more authentic surroundings. In Mexico, they’ve found something special - authentic community and a true sense of purpose and belonging.

• 8 of Mexico’s Fastest Growing Expat Communities
• How You and a Spouse Can Live on $1800/Month (with full-time housekeeper and pool)
• Getting Your Temporary vs. Permanent Residency
• Choosing the Right Mexican National Healthcare Program
• Your Employment Eligibility
• The Expat Dating Scene
• Mexico’s 200% Lower Cost of Living
• How to Retire Earlier with Less Money

“People were begging me not to spend my life worrying about money, not to let others hold me down, and to go and experience as much as I could for myself.” - Jan, 54-year-old hospice nurse.

“What I’ve really found is freedom. I have my own time to pursue my own interests. I can write. I can walk. Most of my day is spent doing whatever it is I feel like doing. That is why I’m here. That is why I stay.” - Fabian, 59-year-old yoga instructor.

“In the beginning I felt guilty, like I was betraying my country. But medical expenses were gouging our savings, and most of our income was going to copays. In the end, we weren’t running. We were just trying to live in a place we could afford.” - Richard, 62-year-old retired salesman.

“Here is a fun fact: Before 1960, our “Golden Years” did not even exist. The term “Golden Years” was actually coined in 1959 when it was used to sell homes in a brand-new retirement community called Sun City. Located in the heart of the Arizona desert, Sun City was one of the first large-scale 55+ “Active Retirement” communities launched in the United States.

Today, most of us take for granted the idea that we need to go somewhere to retire. But just 50 to 60 years ago that concept was totally brand new and, like most tightly held beliefs about retirement, totally invented.

Today, a dynamic financial and employment landscape makes it a little harder to pinpoint what, exactly, retirement will look like for all of us. But even though we differ on how we’ll actually do it, the present expectation for retirement sounds something like this: Work until you’re 65 or 67. Make a voluntary withdrawal from the workforce. Collect your Social Security and retirement contributions. Sell the family home. Pocket some cash and downsize to a smaller place in a hip retirement community. Golf. Travel. Maybe volunteer. Have a heart attack in your sleep and die. Finally, cash in that funeral insurance. Memorial. Ground. Over.”

Travis Scott Luther is a Denver, Colorado writer, speaker, and entrepreneur. He received his Masters in Sociology from the University of Colorado Denver. He is a former Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at MSU Denver. He is a member of Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) where he served as National Chair for the 2019 Global Student Entrepreneurship Awards.

Luther first became interested in Baby Boomers retiring in Mexico during graduate school. His Masters Thesis research contributed to the content in this book. He continues to be interested in U.S. expatriates retiring all over the world and continues to monitor those who have chosen Mexico.