I have a friend who is coming to a crossroads: she either continues her comfortable life here or she goes abroad to start a new life. This is not an easy decision because she is middle aged and has worked at the same company for 20 years. If she stays where she is, and works for another ten years, she will get a decent retirement pension. It seems best for her to stick to the status quo. Nevertheless, she longs for a new life in a totally new country. Now, she has an offer to study in the US, which means she will have to quit her job here and won’t get that retirement money after all. That will be very risky at her age. Even if her study in the new country goes well, she will be nearly 50 when she graduates. Then, it is is not clear that if she starts her work there at 50, whether she will receive a pension when she is 60 or 65. So she and I discussed this and she asked me to put the question out to this community for information or advice. Thank you in advance for your help.