Category: Retirement Real Estate
April 24 -- Oh what a contrast from 4-5 years ago. In the dark days of real estate reporting in 2008 and 2009 there was a steady drumbeat of foreclosures, short sales, record home inventory backlogs, and falling prices. There were no buyers, it seemed, and although there weren't many sellers, it wasn't from lack of trying.
Something to (Grouse) About
Fast forward to the March sales report from National Association of Realtors (NAR) that came out this week. Sales are up 10.3% above the year ago month, and the median price of a home, $184,300, increased 11.8% over
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Published on April 23, 2013
Comments 80
Category: International Retirement
Updated January, 2020 -- (originally published April 23, 2013) -- Note: This is Part 7 of our "Retirement 101" series.
You have probably seen articles on the Internet that promise an international retirement as your ticket to paradise. A place that includes maids and gardeners at your beck and call, cheap but glorious real estate, doctor house calls for
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Published on April 23, 2013
Comments 34
Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
April 16, 2013 -- Millions of baby boomers have been forced into earlier than intended retirement. Surviving that experience has become a brutal challenge. A study from the Urban Institute, a Washington think tank, found that it took more than nine months for half of those over 50 to find a job. Many have not been able to find a job, and have either given up the search or gotten creative about how to survive on their reduced incomes.
3 Boomers Profiled
The Squared Away Blog from the Center for Retirement Research recently profiled 3 baby boomers who are experiencing the struggle to survive. The profiles will sound familiar to many.
Kevin Milligan, an economics professor at the University of British Columbia, determined that two-thirds or more of jobless Americans between
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Published on April 16, 2013
Comments 9
Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
Updated Oct. 10, 2020, originally published April 15, 2013 -- For a significant percentage of retirees, finding a tax-friendly location to retire is very important. But, while indeed there are many states and localities that are very tax friendly, making a decision based simply on taxes could lead you to a poor choice. For example, how your personal situation interacts vs. different state scenarios might be surprising. And more importantly, lifestyle and other considerations might be a lot more important to your retirement happiness.
This is Part 1 of a 2 part series: In this article we will explore the various kinds of taxes that might affect you as a retiree; Part 2 is "Finding a Tax Friendly State for Retirement: A Checklist", and it features a helpful checklist for you to evaluate your tax situation vs. states you might be considering for retirement. See also this MarketWatch article on "Tax Friendliest States" for a slightly different perspective.
Major Taxes in Retirement
The major state taxes you need to be concerned about are property taxes, income taxes, sales taxes, estate and inheritance taxes, and how your pensions, IRA distributions, and social security will be taxed. All of these factors
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Published on April 15, 2013
Comments 28
Category: Retirement Planning
April 6, 2013 — We have just updated our April 2011 “How Ready Are You for Retirement Quiz” article. There are 20 questions and if you keep track of your Yes and No questions, we’ll give you a score at the end. Take the Quiz, it will be fun!…
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Published on April 6, 2013
Comments 0
Category: Retirement Planning
April 2, 2013 -- Congratulations, you are getting ready to retire. You've done the hard part - spent a life time getting out of bed and getting into work, took care of your family, and saved for this day. But have you thought about what happens if retirement turns out to be too easy for you (as in, not enough to do)? This article is designed to stimulate your thinking and get you started planning now, so that when your retirement finally comes you are set up for a happy transition from the working life.
In our experience the busiest people are usually the happiest. Call us old-fashioned, but we think human beings are hard-wired for some kind of purpose. Your job probably gave you that, and now it is history. We strongly recommend not retiring without a clear idea of what you are going to do to stay busy and engaged with life. Perhaps some people can manage a fulfilling retirement with only an idea "to do some projects" or "take a few trips", but this approach doesn't work for many. Without some kind of structure to your days you run the risk of becoming bored (or boring), depressed, or worse - turning into a grumpy
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Published on April 2, 2013
Comments 78
Category: International Retirement
Updated August 4, 2014 -- Editor's Note: In 2013 one of our Members, Glenn, shared his thoughts with us about his extensive travels in Puerto Rico. We think they give an interesting perspective about what it might like to retire there. A slightly edited version of his comments is published below. At the end of his comments we've added a few our our own, and then in August 2014 Glenn provided yet another update (see Comments) And Thanks Glenn!
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I have been visiting Puerto Rico about every three years from 1989 to 2012. I live in the Bronx with a wife of Puerto Rican descent, though she was born here in U.S. I am about as white/Anglo-Saxon as they come, growing up in a Queens, N.Y. neighborhood. When I moved to the Bronx to work for Social Security nearly 40 years ago, it was like moving to another country. I met many beneficiaries from Puerto Rico and learned much about the people of the island from my professional and personal contacts.
We wanted our children to learn much about their
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Published on April 1, 2013
Comments 13
Category: International Retirement
March 26, 2013 -- Note: This is Part 1 of a 2 part series on international places to retire. Part 2 is "The Pros, Cons, and Considerations of an International Retirement".
Our friend Dennis asked us recently where we thought the best place to retire was - internationally. The question took us by surprise, partly because it came from a man who has traveled the world extensively, and who also has a home in Costa Rica - wouldn't Dennis have a better grip here than us? The question got us thinking and looking back through our past Blog articles - just what do we think are the best places to retire internationally?
It turns out that, although we have written many articles about international retirements, most of them have to do with the issue of whether or not to retire abroad, rather than where to do it (see end of article for references). You will note that our list is quite different than what you might see from the usual providers of "best international places to retire", especially those aggressively promoted by International Living. We can't figure out what is so great about retirement in Latin America, other than perhaps the cost of living - so our list is much more Euro-centric. Call us conventional, but we like: stable
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Published on March 26, 2013
Comments 109
Category: Retirement Real Estate
March 19, 2013 -- The nation's builders think they know what you want as a home buyer, or at least they are trying to understand. A new study conducted by the National Association of Home Buyer's Economics and Housing Policy Group found that buyer's preferences are changing (Note: the study was conducted among people of all ages, not just retirement age).
What do home buyers really want?
-- Energy efficiency. Buyers are interested in features like energy-star rated appliances and windows, and an energy-star rating
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Published on March 19, 2013
Comments 31
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
March 19, 2013 -- We were pleasantly surprised by the high ranking our members gave to walkability in our retirement preferences poll of a few weeks ago (See full report in "Our Members Speak"). So that in turn gave us the idea of providing a list of 10 towns where walkability is excellent -- but are also swell places to retire.
Our criteria
If you research "most walkable towns and cities" on the Internet you will find a number of results - but almost all of the lists have the same cities on them. Yes, New York (rated #1 most walkable large city by walkscore.com at 85), Washington, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, and San Francisco are great cities for walking. But, because they are expensive and congested, they will only appeal
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Published on March 18, 2013
Comments 50
