Category: Retirement Planning
October 2, 2012 -- Remember when you were in your 30's or 40's and some guy at a party would ask people "What their number was?" As in, how much money do they have to have stashed away before they could take their job and shove it. Those days might seem pretty far away now, as our natural dates for retirement get closer and closer. This article will ask you some questions to help you determine if this is the right time for you to retire.
Retirement is a big step. Once retired, it is hard to reverse that decision,
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Published on October 2, 2012
Comments 19
Category: Retirement Planning
October 1, 2012 -- If you are one of the more than 25 million single women over 45 then you might appreciate a new and essential reference that hits bookstores this week, "The Single Woman's Guide to Retirement," by Jan Cullinane. Many of our regular readers will recognize this name - Jan has been a frequent contributor to this site, both for her articles (see list at ebd) and for her many insightful additions to Blog posts and Discussion topics.
Jan's new book (her previous one in this area was "The New Retirement") is just the kind of read that we look forward to opening. It is practical and entertaining at the same time. Jan doesn't waste
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Published on October 1, 2012
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Category: Retirement Planning
By Betty Fitterman
Note: This is Part 2 of a series. Part 1 is "Retirement Reality Check"
September 18, 2012 --- Now I don’t want to scare you, but whatever you have saved for retirement, it probably won’t be enough. That’s the opinion of the New York Times, anyway, and I’m here to tell you that I agree.
When I was a little girl, I never thought I’d be a millionaire. Millionaires were rich, for heaven’s sake, and I never thought I’d be rich. Some 50 years after that insight, I was indeed a millionaire, so how come I felt so poor? Too poor to retire, anyway, given that the economy was tanking and some of my friends had many times the
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Published on September 18, 2012
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Category: Retirement Planning
Sept. 17, 2012 -- The fun thing about this series of member surveys on retirement is that the results never come out exactly like we predict. Our most recent one, "The Best and Worst Things About Your Retirement" is no different. Its most pleasant surprise: the runaway worst thing about retirement is... "Nothing"! That makes us happy that so many of you are enjoying your retirements. Equally interesting were the hundreds of write-in comments provided by our members, full of insights about the best and the worst aspects of retirement planning. One typical example of a planning tip: "Find meaningful activity you absolutely adore doing and develop a circle of uplifting friends".
But we need to start by thanking the more than 250 members/subscribers who took a few minutes to answer our most recent 8 questions. Without your input, these incredible retirement insights wouldn't have happened - thanks! And to you who are coasting along on this input from your fellow members - next time
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Published on September 17, 2012
Comments 50
Category: Retirement Planning
September 11, 2012 — Our surveys have produced some absolutely wonderful suggestions for future surveys. The most support came for this one – What is the best…and the worst.. thing about your retirement. We extended the idea a bit to include questions about retirement preparation as well as actual retirement.
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Published on September 11, 2012
Comments 12
Category: Retirement Planning
August 20, 2012 -- As we increasingly find out, members and visitors at Topretirements are not typical retirees (actual or future) by any means. Last week's 5 question poll made it clear that you are more prepared to retire, have better resources, and are much more willing to relocate in your retirement than comparable baby boomers nationwide.
The response to our poll was once again fantastic, with almost 400 people taking the time to respond. Your input is incredibly helpful in understanding your retirement concerns and hopes - thanks! This post will provide an analysis of what we learned.
1. What are your top concerns about retirement?
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Published on August 20, 2012
Comments 12
Category: Retirement Planning
August 13, 2012 – As part of our ongoing research into our members’ concerns about retirement, we have just developed a new survey on your retirement plans. Please take this very quick poll and give us your input. Your anonymous inputs will help us develop a future article about retirement…
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Published on August 13, 2012
Comments 5
Category: Retirement Planning
July 9, 2012 -- Your editor started work on Topretirements,com 6 years ago this month. Since the site went live in late 2006 we have written hundreds of articles and created over 2500 reviews of potential cities and communities. You would think we would have learned a few things about retirement during that time, and in fact we think we have. This article, which seems to focus mostly on retirement mistakes, will provide a brief rundown of some of the major lessons we have learned during the incredibly fun and rewarding time it has been our pleasure to serve as your unpaid and, hopefully, helpful retirement advisor. Each surprising lesson also comes with a corresponding piece of advice to deal with it.
What I've learned:
1. Most people are seriously unprepared for retirement
Folks like you who visit and contribute to Topretirements are the exception - most people
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Published on July 9, 2012
Comments 34
Category: Retirement Planning
Update: September, 2013. A year later the Shoreline Village is alive and well. Definitely beginning to make an impact on the Shoreline community, although perhaps slower than they would like. In 2013 they were sufficiently far along to hire an executive director, a step the board felt strongly they had to take. Unfortunately that didn't work out, and they are now searching for a new director. Meanwhile they are getting good publicity with many public programs they are putting on in the towns of their target market - East Haven, Branford, Guilford, and Madison. Looks like the hard work of the founders is going to pay off!
May 29, 2012 -- The Retirement Village Movement - For Those Who Really, Really Don’t Want to Leave Home
Are you one of the people who wants to stay living where you do now? For whom the idea of moving to an active community, over 55+ community, or assisted living is just about the worst idea you ever heard? If so, you will probably be interested in the so-called “Retirement Village" Movement. This idea, which started with Boston’s Beacon Village in 2001, features cooperative societies that create a virtual support network to help with all of the life tasks that get in the way of staying in your home as you age. We recently attended an informational meeting for a new village being created in Branford, Connecticut, the Shoreline Village CT. This will report on that meeting and why you might want to know more about this movement.
The meeting we attended in Branford was hosted in a lovely condo in Branford. Dr. Randy Reinhold, one of Shoreline Village’s 8 founding board members, captured the spirit of the movement with this opening statement: “I love my home in Branford, and I never want to leave it”. The thought clearly struck
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Published on May 29, 2012
Comments 9
Category: Retirement Planning
February 8, 2012 -- Some weeks much good retirement advice comes in that we can't possibly write about all of it. Since we didn't want you to miss any of it, we've put together capsule summaries and links to all the great stuff. Here goes:
5 Myths About Retirement Homes. This story from Time Magazine's Moneyland is essential reading for any baby boomer who is willing to be
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Published on February 7, 2012
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