Category: Active adult communities
May 6, 2011 -- What would you do if you were in this situation: Your community's golf course is in terrible shape, even though you and every one else in the community is paying homeowner association fees to maintain it. The developer of the community that owns the golf course is either in foreclosure, or about to be foreclosed on. Would you vote to buy the course?
That particular situation or variations similar to it are unfolding in...
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Published on May 6, 2011
Comments 4
Category: Active adult communities
What shape do you think the market for active adult communities is in -- is it slowly returning to a healthy state, or is it dead in the water? Topretirements.com is compiling some basic research about the state of the active adult communities market (including 55+ communities), and we would love to know what you think.
Please use the comments section below to answer these questions. If you are a potential buyer, we'd love...
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Published on May 6, 2011
Comments 3
Category: General Retirement Issues
by James Stevens
Our flight was climbing to cruising altitude for the long flight back to Atlanta when my wife turned to me and said, “It’s not just about the money, is it?” Being a long-married man, I knew instantly she was referring to the idea of retirement, when society said it was time to move from active working adult to unemployed older person.
“No, it isn’t,” I agreed. “Having money is important, of course, but there’s so much more to a happy retirement. I think this trip confirmed it.”
Retirement had been a major topic of discussion as...
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Published on May 3, 2011
Comments 0
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
Update Sept 19, 2017 - We updated this article. Here is a link to the new one.
May 3, 2011 -- When it comes to selecting your best place to retire the weather, climate, and exposure to natural disasters can have a major impact on your retirement enjoyment. We think these are important factors to consider, along with cost of living, taxes, culture, proximity of friends and family, and recreational opportunities.
Before we discuss some regions and cities that rank poorly for weather, let's talk about the kinds of weather and natural issues that could be detrimental to your retirement. Some of these phenomena are inconvenient, while others are deadly serious:
- Sunshine. It's true, people are generally happier when the sun shines. Rainy day after rainy day does not...
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Published on May 3, 2011
Comments 26
Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
April 26, 2010 -- Most of us find it hard to admit the truth: when it comes to skills that require any degree of expertise, like financial advice, we are amateurs. Just like our skills in plumbing, electricity, architecture, medicine, software programming, or teach golf; it's best to have an expert doing the work for us. This article will explain why hiring a competent financial advisor to help plan for your retirement is a smart move. After all, if you don't have enough money, it's going to be hard to have the retirement you deserve. We'll provide some basic tips on how to find a good investment advisor. At the end of the article we have listed some helpful resources that explore more dimensions on how to make a smart choice.
One of the biggest advantages that financial advisors offer is...
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Published on April 25, 2011
Comments 18
Category: Active adult communities
April 22, 2011 -- Be prepared for the unexpected at Fearrington Village, a unique community just outside of Chapel Hill, NC. So if you are looking for the standard active adult community, you will not find it here. Instead you will see grazing cows, a bookstore, 5 star resort, walking trails, parks, and a wide range of beautiful homes. It's a refreshing development that reflects the eclectic passions and common sense wisdom of its founder, R. B. Fitch.
Full disclosure department: My wife and I were overnight guests at Fearrington Village (which is also a Showcase Advertiser at Topretirements) in mid-April. No one asked us to write this review; we thought you would want to know about this interesting community.
Fearrington Village (pronounced Fairington Village) was founded by R.B. Fitch and his late wife Jenny in 1974. Influenced by their trips to small English villages, they soon purchased the adjacent 640 acre Fearrington Dairy Farm and began developing the property for people of all ages. It still has no age restriction, although the majority...
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Published on April 22, 2011
Comments 6
Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
April 19, 2011 -- It is almost a certainty that as a retiree, housing is going to be the most important item in your budget. Unfortunately, many people will make serious mistakes regarding their housing choices and the way they are financed. We recently were referred to an excellent and helpful guide, Housing and Mortgages for Seniors. It is definitely recommended reading, and here are some of its key points:
Housing Problems
The report details the most common housing/financial problems that people over
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Published on April 19, 2011
Comments 2
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
Updated December 20, 2016 (Originally posted April 18, 2011)
Like most of our members you are probably working on finding your best place to retire. Will your retirement destination will be where you live now, in the same region, or far away - there are so many possibilities! This article is dedicated to a different idea - that your best place to retire might be 2 places. You might also be interested in this companion article for ideas on dual places to live: "Best Places to Retire: Our Ideal Snowbird Pairings".
On the Plus Side - Avoiding Compromises
Perhaps the best reason to consider retiring in 2 places is that it helps avoid compromises. Let's say you hate
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Published on April 18, 2011
Comments 30
Category: General Retirement Issues
Editor's note: Since we developed this one we have added another Quiz, Part 2. It is more financially oriented than this one. Take it and see how you do!
Revised April 6, 2013 -- So you are getting ready to retire - either very soon or in the distant future. It's good that you are thinking about it now, because planning equals success when it comes to retirement. Find out how ready you are with this short quiz. Take it now and get your score at the end.
A few tips about this quiz: Keep track of your "Yes" and "No" answers as you go along (or print it out and write down your answers). We have provided links both within the quiz and at the end for more information about specific parts
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Published on April 11, 2011
Comments 6
Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
April 5, 2011 -- Our friend Robert Powell over at WSJ MarketWatch never fails to publish a useful and interesting article about retirement planning. His latest, "Five Retirement Plan Tax Mistakes to Avoid", is well worth the read. Here are the 5 mistakes:
1. Fund your 2010 Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) from your IRAs. If you haven't done it already, he tells you how to mitigate....
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Published on April 5, 2011
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