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My wife is itching to start working after being holed up with the baby for quite some time. We were thinking about her going back to get an associates degree or some sort of certificate like IT. And then literally the next day her friend who works at a Chinese restaurant calls to tell her that her restaurant is looking to hire someone - apparently she averages close to $25/hour (!) per week with cash tips, scheduling is flexible (weekend-only work possible for example), and the clientele is generally easy to work with, mostly college students. At this point we're thinking she can just work part-time for 40 quarters so she's eligible for some social security and medicare, and then call it a day. My salary more than covers our living expenses, so whatever she makes we'd basically throw at our mortgage. Also my wife will turn 40 this year, so whatever further education she decides to pursue, well, there's not a ton of time for a large ROI. I know there have been a few job threads over the years here, but I'm curious how you all have handled this issue.

Hi, Just got back from a month over in Chengdu. Main topic by the entire family and especially the wife was that they wanted me to retire early (will be 62 next year in May) and live in China for an undetermined amount of time. My wife's parents are 87 and 78 and not in perfect health so us being there to care for them in these latter years is important. OK with me but was just wondering what stipulations the US Government makes for doing such a thing and still receive SS benefits. Do we have to retain an address here in the States? We plan on just traveling for a few months each year back here and live in Chengdu the remaining time. I'll leave the question at that. I went on ssa.com but to me it's confusing so was thinking maybe someone else has gone through this and could offer some suggestions. THANKS!

I hear ya Andrew, and Credzba's thoughts. I've read of and seen th e photos of a few get togethers the California guys had with their wives same with the Texas guys. Never seen one on the right coast...lol Anytime I go anywhere here I think of who I'd like to meet that lives in that city. Like Sam, I'd love to meet Sam and his wife in or near NYC (now Feathers lives there too) for a few laughs. Now if we went to Niagra Falls I'd like to meet Dan and his wife (I can sale NYC easily enough to momma-san but I haven't figured out a way to explain to her about driving a few hours to watch water fall over a cliff, much less get a hotel room and stick around.....although in the coming years that will work out where we'll most likely take the hike up there.) I'm open (and hopefully can talk momma-san into it too) for anything in the DC/Baltimore/Northern VA area, but with older, frail in-laws most of our traveling is stuck going to China. Hopeful, when PreZiDent Zhang is in university in 2015 we are going ot be more open to travel when he is in school. I really want ot make another trip in a September back to Vegas...got lots of friends from an indistry I used ot be heavily involved in and they have a convention there in September, as well I have some friends I met during the visa journey that would come out from their left coast states for a pow-wow in sin city. All in time, I guess. We really can't even justify going back down to Australia or New Zealand until the boy is in school, as the summer vacations are all to China to see ma and ba. Another idea I really see as important inside this thread is the tought of what happens to our familys if and when we should pass on to the big party up yonder??? With bobby's untimely passin' it REALLY struck a never with me, and my family was years away from even coming here. It has been on my mind, and back a long time now. I am finally lining up everything I can to make things easy for my mail order bride and son. We went ot the SSA office today on some matters with my son recieving some of my SSDI benefits....it looks like he can get half of them up until he's 18....I never knew this until I read about it on a veterans website. I asked hte lady questions about me passing aaway and what my wife could expect, or need to do. I'm in hte process of chasing down answers for SSA information on this, as well as VA information....it is VERY COMPLICATED to say the least. Even the SS women I talked ot today couldn't give me many answers about a spouse with a greencard. We have an appointment on the 31st of Jan about our son's benefits from my SSDI AND to get down to the bottom line about Wenyan's benefits should I pass away. This is highly critical stuff to me and in the next two months I'm getting the answers and will have EVERYTHING written down for Wenyan....procedures to do in what order, who to call, and their phone numbers, etc etc etc etc. Nothing is straightforward, no one person seems to have a direct answer, even for their own agency. Does anyone here have anything like that? Does your Chinese wife have a clue what to do? Bobby truly put the fear of God in me for my family's well being should I do like him and pass away suddenly. Candle sprung up out of the blackhole for a place to help others get their familys over here. Yes, most folks dump Candle when their women or men get here, maybe come back for a brief time to ask questions about removal of conditions or citizenship. Well Mr. what if your butt drops before your wife becomes a citizen or whatever? My wife has told me of 3 or 4 women she has seen on 101 whose husbands died and they are scared to death with no clue of what to do. Unless I get myself banned, or Candle moves into another direction, I plan on sticking around and helping others, and laughing with friends or soon to be friends. It seems like a good bunch of us are in their 50's and 60's here, and believe it or not, folks even younger die too. Usually quickly. Everybody got their family set up if it happens to you? I wonder what Bobby would tell us if he could step back and talk to us? Am I the only one with no knowledge , and no plan? I don't know...Carl, do you think it is much trouble to maybe put in a sub-forum (Dead Candle or Lights Out or something) tied in with another forum that would address this issue? Maybe it's not such a hot idea and everybody is set anyhow??? I just know that Bobby's passing woke me up, and since I am in the middle of putting together a kitchen sink for Wenyan to do....maybe I am too high on my horse by suggesting it. At any rate, I need answers NOW and I need specific answers for a wife and son with greencards...and I AM in the process of hanging out with my local SSA office as well as the VA and getting them for us. Be happy to help any others once I get definate answers, forum or not. Only problem is boys, once yore dead, you ain't gonna be able to ask me or anyone else....OPPPS Know wudda mean? As you can see, I'm just starting to get some answers and put together a procedures list for Wenyan, it's complicated as hell to me, and lots of stuff for Wenyan to do should I kick the piss pot for the last time. Something I have found and what was told to Wenyan by a Chinese man who had immigrated to America but was sitting next to Wenyan in the waiting room as we waited for her physical. He told Wenyan..... "American people have many benefits, but most of them don't know what all they have, nor are they even aware of most of them." I would have denied that until the day I died but I found out I fit into that observation like a finger in a soft leather glove. By my own ignorance of the SS code and the VA code I have found personally that that is one of the truest things I ever heard. Good luck yawl. Don't bring your beloved family here and leave them in a world of hurt if your number gits punched out of the blue. tsap seui Old dawg must learn new tricks