The Foreign Service Journal, May 2022

22 MAY 2022 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL FOCUS ON LIFE AFTER THE FOREIGN SERVICE Deciding where to settle in retirement, and making it happen, is not easy. Here are tips from some who have successfully navigated this process. BY DONNA SCARAMASTRA GORMAN The Last A ssignment Moving into Retirement Donna Scaramastra Gorman’s articles have appeared in Time magazine , Newsweek, The Washington Post, the Christian Science Monitor and the FSJ . A Foreign Service spouse, she has lived in Amman, Moscow, Yerevan, Almaty, Beijing and Northern Virginia. Formerly an associate editor for the Journal , she recently returned to the Washington, D.C., area with her family after her husband, Embassy Moscow Deputy Chief of Mission Bart Gorman, was expelled by the Russian government. She wishes to thank the members of the Facebook group “FS–Retirement Planning” who very generously shared their best advice and adventures for this article. Y ou’ve put in your 20 years—or more. You’ve saved the maximum in your Thrift Savings Plan. You’ve collected challenge coins in a dozen countries across the globe. You’ve spent way too many hours on inter- national flights to places most people have never heard of. It’s finally time. Time to retire and find a forever home where you can display all those carpets and tchotchkes that have been moving with you from post to post. But is it really time? And if it is, where are you going to go? Many Foreign Service members describe themselves as rootless. Or, if they’re tied to a specific geographical location, it’s one in which they haven’t lived in decades. Deciding where to put down roots after a life on the move can be one of the biggest challenges a Foreign Service family will ever face. We talked to current retirees to find out how they decided where to live after leaving the Foreign Service, and how they made it happen. Make a List What does a good retirement look like to you? Make a list of everything you think you might want. Sunshine? Snow? A nearby shopping mall? Easy access to hospitals, theaters or international cuisine?This list can help you narrow down rough geographical areas to consider. Kurt and KC Rice hit the ski slopes in Montana. COURTESYOFKURTRICE