On Planning for One's Retirement

A new acquaintance asked me a heavy question today, "CJ, what do you want out of life?"

My answer was, of course, "A condo in Luxembourg City".

An answer which led to another question, "Where's Luxembourg City?"

CJ: "In Luxembourg."

NA: "Where's Luxembourg?"

CJ: "In Europe, near Belgium and the Netherlands."

NA: "Oh. Why would you want to move out there?"

CJ: "Just because."

NA: "Do you speak the language?"

CJ: "Nein."

NA: "Are you from there? Do you have family there?"

CJ: "No, my family originates from England and Ireland."

NA: "Do you have friends out there?"

CJ: "Nope".

NA: "Then why do you want to move there?"

CJ: "I told you... JUST BECAUSE!"

NA: "Just... because..?"

CJ: "Yup."

NA: "You're weird."

CJ: "You have no idea..."

OK, so I lied to her. The fact of the matter is, I've had a fascination for the Grand Duchy since I was little... ever since I saw some paintings of the old fortifications at Luxembourg City when I was eight... and have been nearly consumed by the desire to visit for years.

So, when 2010 rolls around and I embark on my European trip, Luxembourg is my ultimate destination. Sure, I'm going to visit Germany and Belgium, but for the three or four weeks I'm there, at least two will be spent in the Grand Duchy (Thanks again to Cherenkov for a previous bit of advice regarding trimming down my itinerary).

Now, part of the reason for my trip is to scout out areas for my retirement. I'm planning to move to Europe when I retire in just under thirty years, with the intention of buying a condo in a major urban center. So, to kill a few minutes on my lunch break today, I hit the Illuminati oracle again...

One condo/apartment I liked was in a mixed-use building, which is something near-and-dear to my heart:

Joli appartement au 1er étage de +/- 86 m2 avec 2 chambres à coucher dont une grande de 19 m2, cuisine équipée ouverte sur le salon, salle à manger, salle de bains avec baignoire et wc, débarras, balcon, cave, parking intérieur mécanique.

Résidence à usage mixte, peut convenir pour une profession libérale.

My translation ---> Pretty apartment on the 1st floor (2nd floor in North American terms), of around 86 square meters, with two bedrooms (one of 19 square metres), fully equipped kitchen opens into the living room; dining room; bathroom with tub and toilet; box room, balcony, cellar, indoor parking. Mixed use residence, perhaps convenient for a liberal professional?

Well, my French is a tad rusty, but you get the idea.

All this for a mere 325 000 € , with an additional 152 € per month in "condo fees".

I have thirty years 'til retirement. Time to start saving.