Category: Retirement Planning
July 9, 2012 -- Your editor started work on Topretirements,com 6 years ago this month. Since the site went live in late 2006 we have written hundreds of articles and created over 2500 reviews of potential cities and communities. You would think we would have learned a few things about retirement during that time, and in fact we think we have. This article, which seems to focus mostly on retirement mistakes, will provide a brief rundown of some of the major lessons we have learned during the incredibly fun and rewarding time it has been our pleasure to serve as your unpaid and, hopefully, helpful retirement advisor. Each surprising lesson also comes with a corresponding piece of advice to deal with it.
What I've learned:
1. Most people are seriously unprepared for retirement
Folks like you who visit and contribute to Topretirements are the exception - most people
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Published on July 9, 2012
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
June 26, 2012 - This is the latest in our Retirement 101 series, which joins earlier reports about retirement in the Southwest, Florida, and the Carolinas (see bottom of article for links). At the end of this article we will provide lists of the 10 most popular California retirement towns and the 10 most popular California Active Adult Communities.
If California is anything it is big and diverse. It has fans and legions of detractors. In our experience California has not had that much success in attracting retirees as new residents. Those who retire here from elsewhere either have family in the state, or they move to a town or area they know about. For those who have spent their working lives in the Golden State, most will continue to live in the state, but perhaps will move to a smaller home or a less expensive or congested area. There are many who say they want to leave as soon as they retire, hoping to escape California's high taxes, cost of living, and crazy traffic. But for people who have
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Published on June 26, 2012
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Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
June 19, 2012 -- No doubt you have heard about Roth IRAs. But if you are like most people, you are confused about what they are, how they differ from traditional IRAs, and most importantly - whether you should convert some or all of your retirement savings to a Roth. This article will provide you with some background to help you answer those questions, along with 5 possible reasons to consider conversion to a Roth. Please note that this is a complex topic - you should not act without consulting with your financial and/or tax advisor.
Differences between Roth IRAs vs. Traditional IRAs
A key difference between a Roth and a traditional IRA relates to taxes. To the extent allowed by law, a traditional IRA is deductible from current income tax, whereas a Roth is not. When the money comes out, however,
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Published on June 19, 2012
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Category: Health and Wellness Issues
June 19, 2012 -- One of our favorite things about baby boomers is that in our minds we think we are young people - even if our bodies might betray us from time to time. On the other hand you have probably noticed that some boomers come across as younger in their mental outlook and personalities than others. The younger seeming folks are a lot more interesting, more fun to be with, and happier. So we thought it would be worthwhile listing a few tips and suggestions that can help all of us keep our youthful aspect, and make us better companions. We welcome your suggestions as well.
1. Be positive. Is their anything more unattractive than someone who complains about everything and everybody around them? Sure there are
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Published on June 19, 2012
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Category: Active adult communities
By Stephen AndersonWhen we first bought our home in Mexico, nine years ago, it was a pretty good decision. Real estate prices were lower than in the US, the Lake Chapala area was known for some of the world’s finest weather, the cost of living was substantially lower, and it was safe.
Unfortunately, even before the recent outbreaks of kidnaps, murder, and extortion in this area by the drug cartels, my wife and I had decided to return to the US. Having to deal with all the corruption, the crooked government officials, the unethical business practices, and the courts that do nothing against crimes perpetrated against
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Published on June 9, 2012
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
Note: This list was updated in April, 2014. Here is the link to our "Best States for Retirement - 2014".
June 5, 2012 -- When it comes to the best states for retirement the southern states dominate our new 2012 list. Every one of the top 10 states was from the southern part of the U.S., from Tennessee at number 1 (the northernmost state to make the list) to Nevada, the westernmost state. This year we've tried to make our selection process more objective. This list of the 10 best states for retirement uses a numerical scale with up to 1 point awarded on each of 7 factors related to economic issues, climate, and health care costs.
As always, we want to caution
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Published on June 5, 2012
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Category: Adventurous retirement
May 21, 2012 -- So you’ve decided to take a cruise. It’s such a marvelous way to travel, especially once you are retired and have the time to enjoy a great vacation. But, with so many choices, how should one go about deciding a cruise that suits your particular interests? Our first article on cruising provided general tips. Now, we will focus on the myriad of specialty or “theme” cruises that are available. These articles are by Patricia Kennedy who has taken and thoroughly enjoyed many cruises all over the world. If you want to share your cruising experience post a Comment to this article.
Start With Some Advice
Truly, there is a cruise for everyone. Before you zero in on a specific option, consider talking to a travel consultant with real expertise in cruising. Why? According to Steve Tanzer at OurCruiseAgent, a CLIA accredited cruise expert who has taken 60 cruises himself, “You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
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Published on June 1, 2012
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Category: Retirement Planning
Update: September, 2013. A year later the Shoreline Village is alive and well. Definitely beginning to make an impact on the Shoreline community, although perhaps slower than they would like. In 2013 they were sufficiently far along to hire an executive director, a step the board felt strongly they had to take. Unfortunately that didn't work out, and they are now searching for a new director. Meanwhile they are getting good publicity with many public programs they are putting on in the towns of their target market - East Haven, Branford, Guilford, and Madison. Looks like the hard work of the founders is going to pay off!
May 29, 2012 -- The Retirement Village Movement - For Those Who Really, Really Don’t Want to Leave Home
Are you one of the people who wants to stay living where you do now? For whom the idea of moving to an active community, over 55+ community, or assisted living is just about the worst idea you ever heard? If so, you will probably be interested in the so-called “Retirement Village" Movement. This idea, which started with Boston’s Beacon Village in 2001, features cooperative societies that create a virtual support network to help with all of the life tasks that get in the way of staying in your home as you age. We recently attended an informational meeting for a new village being created in Branford, Connecticut, the Shoreline Village CT. This will report on that meeting and why you might want to know more about this movement.
The meeting we attended in Branford was hosted in a lovely condo in Branford. Dr. Randy Reinhold, one of Shoreline Village’s 8 founding board members, captured the spirit of the movement with this opening statement: “I love my home in Branford, and I never want to leave it”. The thought clearly struck
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Published on May 29, 2012
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Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
May 29, 2012 -- Of course you really can't buy an annuity from the Social Security Administration - but in a manner of speaking you can do something that has the same effect. Last week we came across this seemingly whacky article from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, Should You Buy an Annuity from Social Security". After reading it we think it turns out to be one of the cleverest ideas we've heard for a long time.
Background
The biggest financial challenge for today's retirees is
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Published on May 29, 2012
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Category: General Retirement Issues
May 24, 2012 -- Ever had that feeling that you've seen an article... but just can't put your finger on it? We know we have, and that's why we have just completed a comprehensive index of all our past featured articles. Now hundreds of our most helpful features are all in place, logically arranged in 13 categories so you can find them more easily. Some of the categories
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Published on May 24, 2012
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