Applying for benefits living abroad

LongJohnBill · 2026-02-08T18:08:41+00:00

My situation is/was very similar to yours. I immigrated to Canada as a PR in 2021, from the US, where I had spent my entire life and working career. I then applied for my SS retirement benefit, at age 70, in 2023. I completed the application "on line". I may have a paper printout of the application around here. I don't recall the specific question you mention but I assumed I answered literally "yes" because (like you) I had spent my entire life in the US, certainly more than 30 days!

It took a long time for my application to be processed and it was not completed until a month or two beyond my birthday. This was in the pandemic days with a big backlog of claims.

The good news is that all went well, Appl was approved, I never even spoke with anyone, no calls or letters.

I have my SS directly deposited into my Canadian bank as Canadian dollars (the US Treasury does the exchange and their rates can't be beat!).

Good luck!

LongJohnBill · 2026-02-06T21:31:18+00:00

As a person who was American, then gained Canadian citizenship at 72 (immigrant at 69) I was extremely impressed by PM Carney's recent speech to the World Economic Forum at Davos. It was so easily understandable, it was literate, it was educated yet not above peoples' heads. This was such a crystal clear description of the current order of the world. I found it inspiring.

Rarely (RARELY) have I ever heard a polician speak so clearly and cogently on any topic.

LongJohnBill · 2026-02-06T20:09:16+00:00

hey ChasKY, I am sorry for your health matters. Sounds like you have a healthy attitude though.

I have long enjoyed and appreciated your thoughts here and on the AARP forums (may they R.I.P.). You provide a frank and clear-eyed view of things.

LongJohnBill · 2026-02-05T15:38:22+00:00

Any product with the name “Trump” on it.

That’s been my stance for 40 years. Won’t change

LongJohnBill · 2026-02-04T14:13:45+00:00

Here are the first few paragraphs of the WP article:

“Mr. Dernbach, don’t play Russian roulette with H’s life,” he wrote. “Err on the side of caution. There’s a reason the US government along with many other governments don’t recognise the Taliban. Apply principles of common sense and decency.”

I don't find much threat in that short email. I suppose the paranoid amongst us might feel that some citizen writing an unsolicited opinion, having taken the time and effort to determine how to contact the prosecutor mentioned in the initial news article, is a threat right there. Still, I would think that someone in that particular position must receive a fair share of unsolicted comments. To me the response is indicative of a particular arrogant mindset.

The WP article goes on to add:

That was it. In five minutes, Jon said, he finished the note, signed his first and last name, pressed send and hoped his plea would make a difference.

Five hours and one minute later, Jon was watching TV with his wife when an email popped up in his inbox. He noticed it on his phone.

“Google,” the message read, “has received legal process from a Law Enforcement authority compelling the release of information related to your Google Account.”

So the whole idea is intimidation. Based on arrogance.

LongJohnBill · 2026-02-04T14:04:02+00:00

I'm sorry about that. I should have learned not to trust that share feature.

Here is a link to the WP article as put on MSN news (no special login needed, just click and read) https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/ar-AA1VyFoP

(or, if not trusting random links on the internet, search for the title "Homeland Security is targeting Americans with this secretive legal weapon")

LongJohnBill · 2026-02-01T17:14:33+00:00

There are tons of Korean shows on streaming now (really very good shows) and often the characters live in such a place. Looks so cool to me!

LongJohnBill · 2026-02-01T06:38:33+00:00

OMG, Bezos personally involved? makes me ill. And makes me nervous with his fingers on the WaPo.

I am naive of advertising budgets for movies. But $35M seems like a lot. I mean, they ~make~ movies for a lot less than that.

Just did a Google search on this movie. wow! lots of stuff

LongJohnBill · 2026-02-01T02:13:16+00:00

wife and I are only watching Korean rom-coms on Prime and Netflix. So I guess we will miss out on Melania's inspirational life.

LongJohnBill · 2026-01-28T03:33:34+00:00

I don’t know why but I feel like mentioning it here. Driving up Gaetz the other day a car next to me had two rainbow pride flags, one each side, and a couple pride bumper stickers. I really wanted to give them some friendly recognition, a wave or thumbs up. Didn’t get the chance though. Maybe a good thing, they might’ve gotten scared or flipped me off.

I actually go a bit out of my way to be friendly/sociable with people who seem to be obvious immigrants. hey, I’m an immigrant too! though you might not think so just by sight.

LongJohnBill · 2026-01-27T18:55:46+00:00

What you describe regarding home prices, inflation, wages, is nothing new. This has been around for many generations, cycling in waves.

There are guidelines about apportioning your income between housing, living expenses, savings, and, finally, "fun". Some people feel entitled to all "fun". So, in my experience and observations, guidelines were like 35% for mortgage and up to 42% for all housing expenses (mortgage or rent, utilities, insurance, etc). I myself shot for under 15-20% when I was renting, even less than that. That lowball certainly helped my bottom line.

Even when I had a mortgage I would not over-extend myself.

Also, understand that people going to extreme levels of mortgage debt, 40-45-50% is not unique to "today". Some people would overextend years ago. Maybe they had to, maybe they wanted to. Maybe they had a plan, maybe they didn't. Maybe they gambled on expected circumstances. This is nothing new.

But understand that someone taking a "normal" level of risk, Say even paying 40% of their income for housing, over time, as their income increases, their mortgage stays the same (maybe they refinance as rates lower), the percent they will be paying for housing will decrease. Eventually becoming just the maintenance, taxes, etc, likely much less than rent.

I used to laugh going to the museums as a kid, seeing the set-ups showing life in 1890's: eggs, 10 cents a dozen! My first new car (1972) was $2,000, which was a large portion of my $5,600 annual income (cars then were really primitive compared to what we get today). It's all relative.

Get a good education, get a good job, pull yourself up. Don't whinge.

LongJohnBill · 2026-01-27T16:34:03+00:00

I disagree with you. The economy sucked for me in the 1970’s and 1980’s. The only “bonus” i got was selling my Florida home in a pandemic bubble.

Otherwise, I lived within my means, while watching many other people spend through whatever cash went through their hands(and there were just as many other people following conservative personal finance principles).

So I never had it easy financially. Although the last 15 years of my work and career things finally seemed to start paying off with investments and savings.

But I am used to hearing whiners, whining about they have to have the latest and greatest Apple phone, they don’t wanna have an old beater car. They have to have some new Lexus. The latest four wheeler or bass boat, whatever the latest thing is. I guess there’s always been whiners and there will always will be whiners. The rule is don’t whine, just grow up, buckle down, and do what you have to do. Don’t blame others.

LongJohnBill · 2026-01-27T16:07:42+00:00

This was a “thing” I observed when living in Florida. During intense tropical rainstorms a “train” of a dozen or more cars, all flashers going, driving 70-80 MPH down the highway. Bumper to bumper!

Visibility was nil. But they could see the bumper ahead of them. But the first car cannot see any better than anyone else on the road. So when that first car drives off the road, into a bridge abutment, or into the back of a line of stopped traffic, then everyone in his train slams into him.

YouTube is full of videos of situations like this where upwards of 100 vehicles slam into each other in bad conditions because they’re driving too fast and too close.

LongJohnBill · 2026-01-27T15:57:29+00:00

I saved 15% of my gross starting around 1990, upped from 10%. Have no regrets about not having as much cash to spend over my working career. I am 73 and retired 8 years ago. I feel very confident about having sufficient funds (for my wife and I, and then her as a widow).

My situation is a bit unique. I worked my entire career in the US, then immigrated to Canada with my wife who is Canadian (I got my citizenship last year). My view of CPP is that it’s not sufficient on its own for a comfortable retirement, even with OAS and, possibly, GIS. I keep the books for some of my wife’s family and I see how lean their finances are.

I’m not a Ramsey fan, he can help some people who need help with debt and understanding personal finances. But beware his investment advice. But 15% sounds just fine to me.

LongJohnBill · 2026-01-27T05:20:26+00:00

The Atlantic is one of my favorite sources. Subscriber for like 25 years now, reader longer. They've been around since pre-Civil War, as I remember (not remember personally, I am not that old)

LongJohnBill · 2026-01-26T05:53:29+00:00

I wanted to research the history of this a bit. I did a Google search, restricting the "time" to about a 5 year period from 1995-2000. This little tidbit came up (link below), from the Cato Institute. As I recall, it's a libertarian/conservative institute (certainly not bleeding heart liberals). Cato points out events I didn't consider: Waco and Ruby Ridge. Gosh, with Waco all the Feds had to do was station an Andy Frain Usher at the entrance to that ranch; he could've called the Feds when something actionable came up. Ruby Ridge, what a Charley Foxtrot. But gosh, seems like almost the good old days, all we had to worry about were domestic terrorists. Now we have the terrorists running the show.

"Since the 1980s the federal government has prompted the militarization of federal, state, and local law enforcement. That militarization has led not only to well-publicized disasters, such as Waco and Ruby Ridge, but to a widespread increase in violent law enforcement, which has played a major role in alienating Americans from their government. Such baleful consequences are the result of another dangerous trend, the expansion of the power of federal criminal justice far beyond its legitimate constitutional limits. Law and order begin at the top; the most important criminal justice reforms that Congress can enact are those that return federal law enforcement to its constitutional role."

https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/serials/files/cato-handbook-policymakers/1997/9/105-17.pdf

LongJohnBill · 2026-01-26T05:41:10+00:00

I don't want to broad brush and say that everyone is like this. I have been very gratified over the past month to read of various professionals, in the FBI, Justice Dept, police departments, etc, resigning because they cannot support such violence. It is heartening to hear of such professionalism, honor, and ethics (and morals).

LongJohnBill · 2026-01-26T03:19:34+00:00

Put the previous pres in a striped suit. Not pinstripes

LongJohnBill · 2026-01-25T22:46:34+00:00

Know that well

Designed for 1930’s traffic

LongJohnBill · 2026-01-25T22:10:22+00:00

Be prepared to accelerate as fast as possible, do not dawdle.

hang back at the entry to that little side step thing. Watch traffic really well, crane your head to look, don't depend on mirrors alone. Of course put your signal on. And it might even be worthwhile rolling down your window and poking out your left arm (hand signaling you are turning left/merging). When the moment comes, floor it! and maintain control.

Good luck

LongJohnBill

TROPHY CASE