Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
July 1, 2013 -- Note: Earlier this spring we asked our members for their ideas for future article subjects. We received some terrific suggestions (see "Downsizing, Renting, Affordability Dominate Your Suggestions"). This article is the second we've written on those suggestions; the first was "12 Steps to Downsizing Success".
Many people's retirement dream features an escape from winter, made possible by timely moves south and north to escape brutal climate extremes. For those who can swing it, snowbirding makes for a great lifestyle, although it does complicate the task of finding the best place to retire. That's because snowbirds not only have to decide where to go to escape the winter chill, but they have to pair that with the best choice to spend the summer. There is a further complication as well: which location lets them experience the charms of autumn or spring to best advantage. This article will explore some of the key considerations for deciding your ideal winter and summer locations, as well as recommend some of our top snow bird pairings. We also encourage our members to use the Comments section to share their ideas on what makes for the best snow bird choices for living in 2 places.
People who live in the midwest, northeastern U.S., or eastern Canada generally have the strongest desire for the snowbirding retirement lifestyle, since that option provides an escape from
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Published on July 1, 2013
Comments 91
Category: General Retirement Issues
(Note: This article originally appeared in July of 2011, but was inadvertently deleted. We are now adding it back to the Blog)
This is Part 2 in our series exploring different retirement lifestyles. Part 1 profiled “The Snowbirding Innkeepers“, don’t miss it! If you know a boomer retirement we should learn about use the Contact Us link to tell us about it.
Retired in Connecticut
Jane and Jack are a most interesting couple, retired or not. Although they were both born a few years too early to be official baby boomers, this vibrant pair is young enough at heart to wear out anyone
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Published on July 8, 2013
Comments 10
Category: Retirement Real Estate
July 9, 2013 -- We continue our series of reader suggested articles with today's installment on renting in retirement. First we will explore the pros and cons of buying vs. renting, then we'll share some tips and techniques for find your best place to retire rental. We hope you enjoy the article, and look forward to your Comments below.
We Americans seem to have been collectively brainwashed when it comes to the belief that home ownership is a cardinal virtue. For sure, owning your home can make a lot of sense. But the truth is, renting a home, particularly for the winter, is often a much better idea for many people's situations. We buy houses in Seattle and flip them on a monthly basis - so we're kind of experts in the field. Let's start off with some tips from us by comparing some of the advantages
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Published on July 8, 2013
Comments 77
Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
July 9, 2013 -- We had a question from a colleague recently which, while mostly pertinent to the Carolinas, is broadly relevant to many retirees looking for answers to which states are the most tax friendly. Here is the question and our response.
Q: I have a relative who is thinking about retiring to either South or North Carolina. He'll have a pension from Mass. as his largest source of income. Thoughts about which state might be better from a tax perspective?
A: In 2013 South Carolina situation appears slightly more favorable to your relative, if taxation is
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Published on July 9, 2013
Comments 99
Category: Retirement Planning
July 16, 2013 -- Note: This is a 3 part series. Part 1 on the "Top 10 Retirement Mistakes" generated a lot (34) of comments. Part 3: Avoid These 6 Retirement-Wrecking Mistakes" was published in 2014.
Since it is so important that you seize the opportunity retirement represents - in essence it's a partial do-over on life - we thought it would be worth revisiting the topic from a fresh perspective. In today's article we first present a revised "10 worst" list, followed by a summary of our member's comments to the original article. We are particularly interested in your new comments - please add them at the end of this article.
10 Retirement Mistakes You Don't Want to Make
1. Start planning your retirement the day after you retire. That's too late. A smart
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Published on July 16, 2013
Comments 106
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
Updated July 21, 2015 (original article was July, 2013. This is part of a series on "Affordable Places to Retire", see Further Reading at end for more.)
-- Finding an affordable place to live in retirement has become a real necessity for today’s retirees. That’s because about half of them say they are worried they won’t have enough money for a comfortable retirement. There are plenty of "best places to retire" sites that offer to help. But would you actually want to live somewhere just because it's cheap? Here is a list of 10 affordable place to retire - communities so nice you might actually want to retire there!
For the record, the NAR reports of the national median to be $205,200 in 1st Q 2015, while Zillow reported $179,000 in mid 2015. Since information on affordable places to retire was a top request in one of our member surveys - Downsizing, Renting, Affordability Dominate..., here we go - "10 Affordable Places to Retire Where You Might Actually Want to Live".
Criteria
In developing this list we decided to adopt some fairly strict
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Published on July 23, 2013
Comments 270
Category: Retirement Planning
July 29,2014 – One of the top requests in our recent member survey was for more information about member experiences and expectations with selling their home, downsizing, and moving. Lots of folks are looking to learn from what you think. So please, take just a couple of minutes to fill…
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Published on July 29, 2013
Comments 68
Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
July 30, 2013 -- We were shocked to read recently that 86% of Americans couldn't ace a simple financial IQ test. Fortunately, we are pretty sure that Topretirements members are like the children in Lake Woebegone - you are all certainly above average! This article provides link to that quiz so you can see how well you do on it. We will also provide a recap of 10 commonly held pieces of financial wisdom, along with links to more resources to help get you educated.
Here is where you can take the finra financial literacy quiz. The quiz ask simple questions about how much interest you would earn at different rates, safety of stocks vs mutual bonds, and what happens
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Published on July 30, 2013
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