Category: General Retirement Issues
The conversion of the Topretirements weekly Best Places to Retire eNewsletter to a new email provider is now complete. Our new service should provide greater reliability and graphics - IF - you confirm your subscription. That's because our new provider (aweber) requires that every name from our subscription list confirm that they really intended to subscribe.
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Published on December 21, 2008
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Category: Retirement Real Estate
Regardless of when the economy turns back around, the financial crisis has put just about everyone's retirement lifestyle picture a little bit askew. If there is any silver lining, it just might be that it forces us to look at the retirement paradigm in a new way.
Remodeling
Common wisdom and AARP surveys show that at least 80% of people would like to retire right where they live now. The problem is, most of us moved into our homes with different lifestyle requirements than what we have now. Whereas we were once looking for more room for our families, a smaller footprint (with reduced energy consumption and property taxes) might be more appropriate today. Another consideration is that our future mobility will not be what it once was. So if we are to stay in our homes, remodeling them to fit our future might be a good idea.
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Published on December 16, 2008
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
Most of the experts think that our economic mess could continue for the next few years. If you have just retired and are trying to figure out how to adjust to life with a smaller portfolio, this article might help with some perspective. That is, if you get over what was our first reaction to the crisis, wanting to just stay home and mope!
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Published on December 9, 2008
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
Every so often US News & World Reports goes through its database and comes up with another "Top 10" List. This time their efforts have produced one dear to all tax-fearing hearts, the 10 most tax-friendly towns in America. After all, you can't do anything about federal taxes, but you can vote with your feet and move to a low tax town or city.
The US News list is an interesting one, will almost all of the towns in the west. Most made the list because there is no
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Published on December 2, 2008
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Category: Active adult communities
The press has been filled with reports of financial troubles in the retirement housing and real estate markets.
Faced with unsold units, vacant lots and empty condos, the reaction of some active adult communities has been to try to expand their base. The obvious way to do that is to let in younger buyers. Many active adult communities are age-restricted to at least one resident who is at least 55 years of age. Typically, unless the community has at least 80% of its population 55+, they do not meet federal regulations that allow developments to exclude children. At the many other active adult communities that have no official age restrictions, the fact is that most of their residents are 55 or better.
On the one hand letting in younger buyers might be able to fill more units, but it could have ramifications on the other side. Existing residents, for example, often chose to live with people their own age; away from noisy children and rushing commuters. Neighboring towns that lobbied to attract these active adult communities feel betrayed, since the communities were let in with the expectation that their older
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Published on December 2, 2008
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Category: Baby Boomer Retirement Issues
It seems like an oxymoron to think that, just when you were beginning to think about down-sizing, you could actually soon outgrow your existing home. Worse yet, you could do the same for the home you are about to build or buy for retirement.
The more precise statement is that you probably won't outgrow your home, but if you are not careful, your needs will change to the point that your home no longer fits you. Anyone's health and/or mobility can change quickly - and when it does your choice is either to move, or put in expensive and inconvenient renovations.
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Published on November 24, 2008
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Category: Active adult communities
Bulletin: 25 Best Places to Retire (follow this story to find link). If you are one of those folks who loves Martha Stewart, your new retirement community dream just got a lot more interesting That’s right, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and KB Home have teamed up to create an active community for adults 55 and over in La Quinta, California. LaQuinta is one of the fanciest neighborhoods in Palm Springs.
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Published on November 18, 2008
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Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
---By now you have probably received your November 401k statements, and maybe you even had the courage to open them. If you haven't lost 40% of your portfolio since last year, cheer up - you're a winner!
This article will explore strategies for how you can weather the depressing economic turmoil that has engulfed us in late 2008. We would love to hear what you are doing and thinking about it too. Just go to our Forum and join the thread on "Retirement and the Economic Mess".
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Published on November 11, 2008
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Category: Retirement Real Estate
This is not to say that the bad news in housing, particularly for retirement communities, is over. But there have been some rays of good news popping up here and there. Thank goodness, we are tired of writing about the same old bad news!
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Published on October 28, 2008
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Category: Green Retirement Communities
The #1 green priority in baby boomers’ retirement homes is solar power, according to a recent survey. Capitalizing on this interest, Shea Green Certified homes at Trilogy now offers solar powered roofs as a no-cost option in its Victoria Gardens active adult communities. The builder’s website claims savings of up…
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Published on October 27, 2008
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