Paris1972-Versailles2003

Well, I have written several posts on retirement in France but now that I am finally retired its time for an update ho ho ho ! As the minimum retirement age is 62 years, if you can understand minimum and full are two different words,,, Choosing where to base yourselves even consideration for leaving takes place seriously, Let me bring you up to date at least on my situation as it is a complicated subject with differences depending on personal circumtances, Hope you enjoy the post and can get some information out of it. Update no takers! but fyi decided to stay up in my Morbihan breton, love it!!! Cheers

I did it a bit different than most as was in a high director’s position only my CFO (DAF), and President (PDG) above me in the multinational company, I negotiated with my boss CFO an early exit or early retirement or retraite anticipée that can be done here and is wonderful if you can negotiate it which I understand is limited to many, This in a few words is when your company feels that they can save on your salary more by paying you a lump sum and discharging you than continue to pay your salary for probably a lot longer…I did it ! Discharging you of course, allows for unemployment benefits as well, This is very good in France as a senior person like me get 57% salary net of your gross pay for 36 months ! i.e. if you make 1000 gross pay per month unemployment here pays you 570 net per mont etc, There is a monthly limit of 6750 euros per month::) I took this route…..

I had mentioned before some of the favorite retirement areas of my belle France ! In recap these were the Var department (83) to enjoy the Mediterranean climate that bathes this department of the region Provence-Alpes-Côte d’azur. The Charente-Maritime (17) interested in its vast seaside and the beauty of its landscapes. The Hérault (dept 34)with cities like Montpellier, Agde, Béziers, etc. The Alpes-Maritimes (06) is the ideal place to spend a peaceful retreat in the sun with large cities like Nice, Cannes, Antibes and Menton, And of course, my own neck of the woods is showing up right up there, The Morbihan (56) is also interested in a large number of retirees who appreciate the authenticity and beauty of its typically armoricaines landscapes. With vibrant, human-sized cities such as Lorient and Vannes, this is the ideal destination for those who no longer want to live in the big cities. Its rich history and cultural life are suitable for many seniors.

Some things to consider by all is security, access to care, Estimation of the cost of living;  Estimated from 4 weighted sub-criteria: The average price of m², the housing tax, the water price, the garbage disposal fee.  The quality of public transport ,Cultural offer with criterion: The number of museums, the number of theatres and places of culture, the number of active cinema screens, the number of festivals; Potential access to an active social life, the living environment. According to these criteria the best cities were: Limoges, Le Mans, Nice, Bordeaux, Perpignan, Saint-Étienne, Caen, Nancy, Angers, Clermont-Ferrand, Grenoble;  Dijon Marseille Aix-en-Provence; Metz ,Tours, Toulouse, Reims, Brest, Rouen, Lyon, Montpellier, Nîmes, Nantes, and Rennes.

And after much consideration and digging into my French sources ,I am finally in retirement !! My last full year of my working life was sad, as many thought retirement is great but after been a busy director finance for many years, sitting at home is well lousy. However, I put it off for almost a year to get better full range of retirement benefits. I eventually got my full retirement on January 2024 !!! yes ! And decided along with my 3 young men to stay in our beautiful Morbihan, and lovely Bretagne. I have been thru many sad events in France as well losing my Mom Gladys in Versailles 2007, then my wife Martine in Pluvigner 2018 and last my dad Elio also in Pluvigner in 2023 ; all ashes at sea in Honfleur, Normandie. We understood, we had a lot of nostalgia in this area so we decided to stay put in laid back quant naturally French or Breton ,Pluvigner !!! The country kind of living in the real France as the saying goes. You are welcome to stop by or let me know if nearby for a get together of whatever! always nice to do me think. The travel long distance will be less and concentrate more in Europe and my two babes ,France, and Spain.

Some basic background as it is huge and different to many tell us according to the DREES (Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics Department), the gross average pension is 1,531 € per month. If we consider that we are rich when one belongs to the 10% of French people who earn the most, this threshold falls to 3,200 € net per month for a single person, indicates the observatory of inequalities , The legal age of Retirement varies depending on the date of birth. It is set at 62 years for people born between 1955 and August 31, 1961. For the following generations, it increased by 3 months per year, From 67 years, retirement is calculated at the full rate (50 %), whatever of the number of quarters earned. A parent can benefit from an increase in the insurance time up to 8 quarters per child ,and an insured person who raised 3 children for at least 9 years before their 16th anniversary benefits from an increase of 10 % of the amount of his pension. This increase is granted to each parents holding a retirement pension. This is my case but just to brag my benefits are higher ho ho ho !!!

If you are more need we have the solidarity allowance for the elderly (ASPA) a monthly service granted to retirees with low resources and living in France. This is a differential allowance, the amount of which depends on resources and the family situation. There is another benefit for folks in management or supervisory positions privately run by Agirc-Arrco, (Agirc= L’Agirc est l’Association générale des institutions de retraite des cadres) (Arrco= l’Association pour le régime de retraite complémentaire des salaries), This complementary scheme for private sector employees, and complementary retirement is compulsory for all employees subject to compulsory purposes to the old age insurance of the general social security scheme.I too fall under this extra benefit, Also, as an American I quality for the US social security benefits which is another layer of income, As said each situation is different, mine have a pay from the French Social Security, another from Agirc-Arrco and one from the US social security. Cheers!

The retirement insurance or Assurance Retraite for official information : https://www.lassuranceretraite.fr/portail-info/home.html

The management (cadres) retirement insurance or Agirc-Arrco for official information : https://www.agirc-arrco.fr/

For some readers, the USA Social Security Adminstration: https://www.ssa.gov/retirement

ps. I will throw this info in here its a survey but good outfit me think, choices choices for many. The 10 most pleasant European cities to live for retirees according to 6media (6media is a French agency created in 1999, owned by Dioranews, which produces white brand content for many websites.) As list goes this one follow and have been consistant in their surveys, I put up the list for choices, differences, and more place to live in retirement, From 1 to 10 these are : Zurich (Switzerland) The infrastructure and the quality of life offered by the municipality are suitable for the elderly, Rostock (Germany) The ideal city for the elderly, especially thanks to its area. Small cities are perceived as a better place to live for seniors.
Luxembourg (Luxembourg) The quality of life and the offer of leisure activities are assets for retirees. Piatra Neamt (Romania) There too, the small size of the town is a real asset. Aalborg (Denmark) known for its revitalized seafront and its quality of life, Malaga (Spain) with its mild temperatures and its proximity to the sea, Bialystok (Poland) located in the north of Poland, it is one of the largest cities in the country. Oviedo (Spain) This town located in the northwest of Spain is known for its medieval old town in particular. Its mild climate throughout the year makes it an ideal place of residence for the elderly. Braga (Portugal) known for its religious heritage and Mediterranean climate, it is a comfortable city for the elderly. Strasbourg (France) its cathedral, the Rhine river and its architecture with German and French influences make it a perfect city for retirees

There you go folkw, thank you for reading me over the last over 14 years in my blog, really appreciated. It has been a pleasurable ride indeed. So there, gave you some information and news ,if you have general questions glad to answer them , This post will be on my black and white series,no pictures of course. Again, hope you enjoy it as I

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!