Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
May 6, 2013 — Like we did in 2012, it is time again to ask our members to share their retirement plans. But we would like to ask the question in a little different way. Specifically, where do you think is the best place to retire, based on what you know now. When we asked a similar question last time ("Where are you thinking about retiring") the results were incredible - you provided over 700 thoughtful responses. Our new question is a little different - you can either answer where you intend to live in retirement, or where you would retire if you could. We are anxious to see what you all say!
For our part, we promise to analyze and
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Published on May 6, 2013
Comments 153
Category: Active adult communities
May 7, 2013 -- Note: This is an updated version of an article we ran in early 2012. It is basically the same content as before, but this update allows us to start over with fresh set of Comments. Our goal is to portray a variety of active baby boomer retirement lifestyles for our members, including different places to live.
Len and Ann are the kind of people that don’t like to stand still. And that's a trait which perfectly qualifies them to be residents of The Villages, that giant, non-stop fun active community of 107,000 people near Ocala, Florida. Here is their story - we hope you find it useful to learn more about how they came about deciding to living here, and what it is really like to live in The Villages.
What They Did Before Retirement
Len had a long career as an IT guy at SNET, the former
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Published on May 7, 2013
Comments 12
Category: Retirement Real Estate
May 14, 2013 -- Here you are in a strange, not yet "rediscovered" town. You can see there are some obvious problems. But look - here's a pleasant street lined with stately Victorian, Queen Anne, and Georgian homes. Some are proudly restored, and others are in various stages of rejuvenation. You keep walking through the old downtown, past quirky shops and nice looking restaurants. By the time you reach the waterfront with its bobbing sailboats and beautiful views, you can feel your attitudes changing.
We're willing to bet we're not the only folks visiting a possible retirement town who've been surprised to find themselves going from "no way" to "maybe" and perhaps all the way to "why not". First we are skeptical - there's no way we could retire here... too many negatives... empty storefronts on main street... pockets of poverty and crime. But then as the place grows on us and we see baby boomers proudly planting flowers in their beautiful front yards we start to ask - could this become a great retirement spot?
Just this week
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Published on May 14, 2013
Comments 24
Category: Eldercare
May 20, 2013 — On our sister site, BestAssistedLiving.com, we just posted a pair of interesting articles. The first explores an option to assisted living when budget is a problem. Some facilities in Mexico offer first rate care at a fraction of the cost in the U.S. The…
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Published on May 20, 2013
Comments 0
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
May 21, 2013 -- The heck with what all the so called "experts" think with their fancy best places to retire lists - you've told us what's most important - where YOU think those places are. So thanks to the more than 130 members who took the time to answer our recent survey - "Tell us where you think the best place to retire is, and why". Your answers are always so rich with details and interesting reasons! It was fun to look at your choices and understand your reasons for selecting them.
We will do our best to summarize and make sense of the amazing data you so generously provided. While we should caution that 130 responses do not make for a statistically reliable sample. On the other hand, your rich comments do provide some deep insights and solid indications of regional preferences.
Conclusions
1. Best Regions. No surprise, the South and the West are by far considered to have better places to retire than
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Published on May 21, 2013
Comments 82
Category: General Retirement Issues
May 26, 2013 -- We are very big fans of the periodic New York Times supplement on Retirement. Every time it comes out we find at least 5 really interesting and thought-provoking features about different kinds of retirements.
Here's what's in the May 15 Retirement issue:
How They Do It Elsewhere - A look at how and why many other countries do a far better job in their retirement programs. In fact man folks agreed the U.S. gets a C grade, compared to Australia, England, and even Chile.
Making a Move Abroad - And Working There Too - A profile of Patrice Wynne, former bookstore owner who started a Mexican themed fabric and more shop in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
How to Travel the World on a Very Slim Travel Budget - Meri Murphy is usually twice the age of her fellow hostel travelers. Here goal is to travel the world while she's able. And she's doing it on
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Published on May 26, 2013
Comments 2
Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
May 27, 2013 -- Several recent surveys of current and prospective retirees paint a very disturbing picture about retirement in America. The data made us realize that we American workers are kidding ourselves- with potentially dire consequences for our retirements. The studies drew us to come up with 7 dangerous retirement fantasies. Following those we have included the supporting data from the surveys.
The 7 biggest lies that workers tell themselves
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Published on May 27, 2013
Comments 21
Category: General Retirement Issues
May 29, 2013 — Jeanne, one of our members, suggested that we do more reader input stories like we had last week on the best places to retire. We have a few ideas for topics to poll on, but would really like to hear yours! Please give us your suggestions…
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Published on May 28, 2013
Comments 60
