Category: Active adult communities
Note: Our 2014 list was published in September of 2014. See "Florida Dominates 2014 List of Most Popular Communities"
September 2, 2013 -- There are some very big surprises in this year's results for the 100 most popular active adult communities. First off, 4 states completely dominated our visitors' favorite active adult communities: Florida (25), Tennessee (16), Delaware (16), and North Carolina (12) amassed 69 of the 100 most popular communities. Within that result, Tennessee's 16 communities in the top 100 demonstrates that it is a state to be taken very seriously when it comes to baby boomer retirement. Of the remaining 46 states, only Pennsylvania (6), Texas (4) and South Carolina (4) put more than a few communities into the top 100.
Florida topped the 2013 list with 25 communities (it had 35 in 2012). Delaware's 16 communities on the list is by far the best representation of any non-Sun Belt state (we are counting Tennessee as a Sunbelt state, although that could be argued).
We take several conclusions away from these results:
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Published on September 2, 2013
Comments 62
Category: Retirement Planning
September 3, 2013 -- So many people would rather stay in their homes than spend their old age in an independent living or assisted living facility. Just ask your baby boomer friends who can't convince their aging parents to move into one of these places - even when they are beyond caring for themselves. PBS had a nice segment recently on the Retirement Village concept, where by pooling resources older folks can get the support they need to safely and comfortably stay in their homes longer. Here is where you can watch the segment, "There is No Place Like Home".
The Village to Village Network also has a list of village neighborhoods across the country, plus more
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Published on September 3, 2013
Comments 5
Category: Work and Volunteering
September 10, 2013 -- It's one of the first questions you will probably get as a new retiree - what will you do all day? A new study from the Bureau of Labor Statistics has some of the answers, which include ... more time on many of the things you do already, but less time on some activities that you might not have enjoyed that much anyway. The Bureau's American Time Use Survey was the focus of today's New York Times article - "Americans at Leisure, or Still at Work". We will highlight some of the key findings of this and some other recent studies. (The Times Retirement section also has several other worthwhile articles, including ones on the Senior Discount, Annuities, and Starting a Business).
Work - or Play?
One of the survey's most interesting findings is that more people today over 65 are working. A decade ago 13.9% of those over 65 were in the workforce, today that is up 18.7%. Some 20% of Americans aged 70-74 are working, which declines to
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Published on September 10, 2013
Comments 53
Category: Home and Garden
September 16, 2013 -- By Angelo DiGangi
As we get older tasks that used to be done without a second thought now require a bit more effort. Luckily, there are some easy do-it-yourself tweaks that baby boomers can use to make our homes safer and more accessible as we age and physical abilities change.
This article will explore some of the easier projects that incorporate the principles of universal design, which means designing the space for accessibility to everyone, regardless of physical abilities.
Baby boomers will be able to live longer in their homes
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Published on September 16, 2013
Comments 6
Category: Family and Retirement
September 17, 2013 -- Plenty of good news came out of last week's Spousal Compatibility Survey - thanks to the more than 600 good people who took the time to share their wisdom! Our members are busy talking about retirement with their spouses - 84% have discussed retirement either "extensively" or a "fair amount". And that talking must be paying off, because of the members and visitors who took our 11 question poll, the vast majority (80%) say that they and their spouses or significant others are "fairly", "very" or "totally" compatible on retirement issues.
The survey also delved into areas of compatibility and incompatibility. By far the biggest problem falls under "where to live", an understandable situation considering the enormity of these type of choices. This article will present the results of the survey, including - best of all - a sampling of
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Published on September 17, 2013
Comments 18
Category: Health and Wellness Issues
September 23, 2013 -- Love it or hate it, Obamacare, otherwise known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, is going into effect. As a baby boomer you need to be prepared for an important first deadline that goes into place next week on October 1. That is the date that you can begin signing up for 2014 coverage at one of the health insurance marketplaces (exchanges) created by the Act. This article will outline 7 things you need to know about Obamacare, so you can be adequately covered and guarantee your rights under the new law. As you can see below, boomers too young for Medicare but not covered by their employer can probably save thousands of dollars on their medical insurance under the new law.
But first, we need to discuss your current health care insurance situation because, based on that status, the new
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Published on September 23, 2013
Comments 22
Category: Family and Retirement
September 30, 2013 -- In our previous surveys we've seen considerable support for the idea of retiring near your children, grandchildren, and/or other family members. But we've also heard the opposite opinion from folks whose dreams head them in another direction. This week we would like to explore retiring near family vs. not so near in greater depth. We'll present results from our past surveys on this issue. And since we found so many relevant and interesting comments in those surveys, those insights will be a big part of the article.
A Complicated Picture
Retiring near family can mean many things, not just being close to your grown children and grandchildren. Depending on your situation. It might mean having an adult child living in your home. Or it might entail taking care of an elderly parent. Sometimes it's not that easy, as seen by the 1 in 7 baby boomers who are "sandwiched" - providing financial support to both one of their children and their parents.
We considered creating a new survey on this question. But after thinking about it we came to the conclusion that it would be a lot more interesting to have you post your experiences and opinions directly in the Comments section at the end of this article. We think that might generate the most discussion, plus make it easy for everyone to see all, rather than a sampling, of the Comments. Please contribute by sharing
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Published on September 30, 2013
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