- Geary Bartmess, 75, moved to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, from Houston and has lived there for 14 years.
- Bartmess retired in Mexico in 2009 after a 35-year career as a lawyer in Texas.
After 35 years as a lawyer, Geary Bartmess III felt exhausted and yearned for a relaxing retirement.
For Bartmess, that meant moving to Puerto Vallarta from Houston to enjoy life on the Pacific Ocean and spend more time focusing on his creative interests in writing.
Bartmess is one of many Americans seeking retirement abroad, hoping for a more affordable and simpler lifestyle. According to the latest available data from the Social Security Administration, as of December 2023, 34,000 retired American workers lived in Mexico.
Mexico is the third most popular country for retired American workers, following Canada and Japan.
Bartmess said he's not rich but not poor and saved for his retirement abroad by contributing to a 401(k), buying stocks, being frugal in his 50s, and putting away a portion of his salary in savings accounts.
Working as a corporate lawyer and saving for early retirement
Bartmess worked for 35 years as a lawyer in the oil and gas industry.
He said he did not start saving substantial amounts of money outside his 401(k) until he was 49. As he neared age 50, Bartmess said he began to think more proactively about saving and building his wealth for retirement.
At that point, he began storing 20% of his annual salary and bonuses in savings accounts. Bartmess also bought stocks, index funds, and bonds to help diversify his portfolio.
He said he lived below his means for the majority of his career, which helped him adjust to saving more. For example, he opted to buy a "nice but small" condominium in downtown Houston instead of a larger home in a suburb of the city, even though he could have afforded it.
Bartmess is also child-free, and he said not paying for college expenses helped him save. He said focusing on being frugal in the decade before retirement also helped him feel more able to move outside Texas. When Bartmess was 58, his mother died, and he also inherited wealth from her estate, contributing to his savings.
He said his job's demanding schedule took a toll on his physical health, and he aimed to retire as early as possible. "I had developed insomnia, chronic migraine headaches, and the loss of my natural voice, all as the direct result of such high stress for 35 years," Bartmess said.
At age 60, he took an early retirement. After retiring, Bartmess lived in Houston for a year but said he wanted to leave the US. After taking two trips to Puerto Vallarta, Bartmess was convinced it was the perfect place to retire.
Deciding on retirement in Mexico and moving to Puerto Vallarta
Bartmess said affordability was not his driving motivation for moving to Mexico.
He said the main factor driving his decision to leave was seeking a more relaxed lifestyle. He said living in Houston did not provide the retirement environment he envisioned for himself.
He also said he wanted to engage with and experience Mexican culture. Bartmess first visited Mexico when he was 9 years old and returned many times. His first trip to Puerto Vallarta was in 1976, and he said he had fond memories there.
Bartmess said he pays more for gas in Mexico than he did in Texas, but groceries and housing are cheaper. He said a fill-up of his Jeep Wrangler costs about $60 in Puerto Vallarta.
Yet, Bartmess said he can have a meal at a nicer restaurant for about $15, and there's good food in regular restaurants for much less. "The street food in Mexico is plentiful, cheap and usually good," he said.
Bartmess began collecting Social Security at age 62, the first year he was eligible. He is a permanent resident in Mexico, but retained his US citizenship.
He said the biggest consideration for American retirees who want to move abroad is whether they are healthy enough to maintain the lifestyle. For example, he said his healthcare options in Mexico are not as good as those covered by Medicare in the US, but he is fortunate to be healthy enough not to be too concerned.
He said he is also comforted by the fact that he is a roughly two-hour flight away from Houston, where he could return to use his Medicare benefits if necessary.
Bartmess said Mexico's proximity to Texas makes it an ideal retirement location for many Americans.
"Puerto Vallarta is a very artsy town with many painters, sculptors, musicians, writers, art galleries, and so on," Bartmess said. "There are churches of many denominations with services in English, a vibrant LGBTQ scene, jungle tours, a botanical garden, endless social opportunities, and virtually every type of workshop you can imagine."
In retirement, Bartmess has spent more time working on his creative writing, and he takes part in a Puerto Vallarta writers group.
But Bartmess said if Americans want to move to Mexico, they should be prepared to learn about the local culture and acclimate respectfully to their neighborhood. He'd recommend taking a trip first to explore the area and better understand whether it would fit their lifestyle.
For example, after visiting Puerto Vallarta, Bartmess said he was interested in improving his Spanish, so he settled in a neighborhood with fewer tourists, to better immerse himself in the community.
Bartmess said he engages in community service by picking up plastic trash twice a week on Playa Camarones, the beach that is just three blocks away from his condo.
Bartmess has lived in Puerto Vallarta for 14 years and said he has no plans to leave.
Are you an American who retired abroad? Reach out at jtowfighi@businessinsider.com