Category: International Retirement
December 4, 2011 - Note: This profile is one of many in our “Adventurous Baby Boomer Lifestyles” series.
Stephen Anderson and his wife retired to Mexico seven years ago. Speaking to Topretirements recently by phone, Steven told us this was the biggest mistake of their lives. For the last year they have had their home on the market. They intend on returning to the USA as soon as it sells, as many of their friends have already done.
There are currently something like 1,000,000 expatriates that have retired to Mexico and many, many more coming. They are under the sometimes false impressions that it is far cheaper to live here; that it is nothing but beaches, mountains, and margaritas; and they can live better in Mexico than in the US or Canada. The truth is that it is not always less expensive to live here; it is also a country where crime and corruption are rampant. Indeed expatriates are not only the prey of choice, but crimes perpetrated against
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Published on December 4, 2011
Comments 163
Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
By Mike Brady
The power of cocktail party conversations should not be underestimated. Countless decisions on investments and other matters have their roots in the chit chat made over a glass of chardonnay and mustard soaked mini hot dog roll. But when it comes to choosing a retirement location, this advice could be hazardous. The financial and tax issues that affect retirement choices are particularly difficult and confusing, yet of critical importance. This article is intended to help you identify and prioritize them.
Choosing a location as a great place to move for financial reasons based on one piece of information might be a very big mistake. For example, an individual might hear
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Published on December 6, 2011
Comments 11
Category: Active adult communities
Note: Don't miss the related articles in this series: "When Good Communities Go Bad", and "When Bad Things Happen to Good Communities - Fairfield Harbor"
December 9, 2011 -- Perhaps the biggest concern of someone making a retirement decision is, what happens if my new community goes bankrupt? Just last week that became a real-life concern for residents of The Village of Penn State, a well known Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) community located in State College, PA. The Village is one of a growing number of university-affiliated communities; in fact it is frequently consulted by other universities who are considering their own retirement communities. According to published reports, the Village has apparently been struggling with its debt load for
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Published on December 9, 2011
Comments 4
Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
By Jay Mills
A few years ago retirement used to be about--well, retiring. Perhaps you moved to somewhere warm, bought a condo, and enjoyed the slow, relaxing pace of retirement.
Today, baby boomers are living more active, goal-oriented retirements. They're starting new businesses, traveling the world, and pursuing new hobbies. A common thread among many boomers is a desire to continue their passion for "lifelong learning." In fact, according to U.S. News and World Report, the number of baby boomers enrolled in some type of post-secondary education has increased by 20% in the last decade(1). And many are opening 529 Savings Plans and naming themselves as the beneficiaries in order to prepare
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Published on December 12, 2011
Comments 4
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
December 19, 2011 -- While not every Topretirements member is interested in moving to a new place once they retire, most are at least open to the idea. That is why we have devoted so many resources to this question, particularly on factors like where to live and what should be considered in such a move. But, tempted as we might be by the lure of low taxes or sunnier skies, probably three-quarters of us won't move more than a few miles away from our current home in retirement. This article will explore the case for sticking close
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Published on December 20, 2011
Comments 34
Category: General Retirement Issues
December 26, 2011 -- It's that time of the year when we review what featured stories were read the most during the outgoing year. Not surprisingly, most had to do with the "best" and the "worst" lists of various kinds. One article from late 2010 explored "Dueling Retirement States - North vs. South Carolina". A personal favorite that made the top 10 is "What Sandy Learned from 8 Years of Looking at and Visiting Active Communities".
A limitation of this survey is that articles published
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Published on December 26, 2011
Comments 0
Category: Health and Wellness Issues
By Billy and Akaisha Kaderli
The ever-present question
It is such a fatiguing topic and one that is filled with emotion and fear. As a nation we can hardly get past it and present solutions are sometimes as hard to handle as the problem itself.
I’m talking about the price of the administration of health care.
High cost and obstacles
We know a couple who pays $1,200 a month for a catastrophic, high deductible plan in the States and they have never had a claim. Another couple pays $2,000 a month just for the husband’s ability to be insured with his pre-existing heart condition. Some people are not able to be covered at all with US insurance companies due to a completely cleared up medical condition that
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Published on December 30, 2011
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