For decades, many of us left home in search of opportunity, worked tirelessly, raised families, and sacrificed much so that our children could enjoy lives that were often beyond our own dreams. We measured success by their achievements, their education, their careers, and their stability.
But as retirement approaches, a difficult question quietly emerges:
Where should we spend the final chapter of our lives?
Should we remain in North America and Europe, close to our children and grandchildren, even if retirement means living carefully on a limited budget? Or should we return home, where our pensions and savings can often provide a more comfortable and relaxed lifestyle, but at the cost of being far from the people we love most?
In this thoughtful and deeply personal article, Dr. Fundi explores what may be one of the greatest dilemmas facing first-generation immigrants everywhere. It is a question that (in Dr. Fundi's words) cannot be answered by calculators, spreadsheets, or financial advisors alone.
It is a question of the heart.
As you read Dr. Fundi's article, please ask yourself:
If retirement were tomorrow, where would your heart lead you?
/ZNK
Above:The man who has been working in America for more than 4 decades is now retired. He is back home in Africa and he is very comfortable. The scenery of his home is what we all aspire - beautiful. Life is peaceful. Yet he is holding a tablet and looking at his family thousands of miles away. That is exactly the dilemma Dr. Fundi is describing. The man looks happy... but is he really happy?
For many immigrants who spent decades raising children in America, Canada, Europe and elsewhere, a second great question emerges after the children have grown and begun lives of their own:
Should we remain in America to be close to our children and grandchildren, living on a modest retirement budget, or return to our homeland where our retirement income can provide a far more comfortable lifestyle?
It is a question with no easy answer.
For years, we lived in motion. We rushed through predawn mornings packing lunches while coffee brewed in the kitchen. We sat on metal bleachers under Friday night lights, shivered through soccer practices in the cold, and spent endless weekends driving from dance recitals to music lessons, swim meets, tutoring sessions, and summer camps.
We paid for daycare when the children were too young to stay home. We paid for braces, college applications, dorm rooms, textbooks, graduation gowns, and study-abroad programs so they could experience a world larger than themselves. We watched our paychecks disappear month after month, year after year, not into luxury cars or lavish vacations, but into the future of our children.
