Former treasurer\u202fVictoria\u202fKjos,\u202f71, sold her Phoenix home and convertible to fund a one\u2011way ticket east. Her journey shows that reinvention is possible long after retirement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once a fixture of upscale theater nights and gallery openings in Arizona, Kjos began questioning the pricey rhythm around her. \u201cI wondered if I wanted to spend the rest of my life here,\u201d she recalls. Soon after, the self\u2011described \u201cnumbers person\u201d liquidated her assets and stepped onto a plane bound for India.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First, Kjos listed the house, the sporty drop\u2011top and nearly every possession. The proceeds\u2014undisclosed but comfortable\u2014became her travel budget. Who hasn\u2019t dreamed of wiping the slate clean? By late\u202f2012 she no longer owned property in the United\u202fStates, a move that startled friends yet thrilled her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Six\u2011month temple tour across India showed her money was not the only currency. Armed with a backpack and a yoga mat, the septuagenarian criss\u2011crossed 13 Indian states, meditating in gardens and volunteering at ashrams. The experience, she says, made her \u201ckinder, less critical.\u201d After India came four months in Thailand and a spell in Nepal, each reinforcing the idea that fulfillment isn\u2019t for sale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The table squeezes a decade of decisive moves into a few lines\u2014pretty handy, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kjos heard fellow travelers rave about Bali\u2019s \u201cenergy vortexes.\u201d Intrigued, she visited in\u202f2019 and was smitten by Sanur\u2019s calm beaches and volcano views. Some might call it wanderlust; she calls it coming home. By May\u202f2022 she held a Kitas retiree visa and had settled into a modest apartment near the shoreline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How other Social\u202fSecurity\u2011age Americans can follow her steps without costly mistakes? Thinking of copying her playbook? Start by tallying fixed income\u2014from Social\u202fSecurity to pensions\u2014then research long\u2011stay visas, health coverage and local cost of living. Below, the key tips:<\/p>\n\n\n\nYear<\/th> Location<\/th> Milestone<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> 2012<\/td> Phoenix<\/td> Sold house, car, belongings<\/td><\/tr> 2013<\/td> India<\/td> Traveled 13 states, six months<\/td><\/tr> 2014<\/td> Thailand<\/td> Lived four months, continued yoga studies<\/td><\/tr> 2019<\/td> Bali<\/td> First visit, felt instant connection<\/td><\/tr> 2022<\/td> Bali<\/td> Permanent move on retiree residence visa<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Why Bali\u2019s energy vortex convinced the retiree her search for belonging was over<\/h2>\n\n\n\n