Category: Downsizing
June 7, 2023 - Now in their 80s and 90s, our friends Jane and Jack knew that they were going to have to downsize from their 3 bedroom townhome. They both had health problems, and the stairs to the upstairs MBR was becoming a problem for Jack's knees. But, they had a LOT of stuff, which pretty much kept them frozen for years.
Jack had hundreds of tee shirts from tennis tournaments he had played in. Thousands of recordings -- in vinyl, CD, and cassette. Hundreds of books. Cases and cases of nice wine. And confidential records from his psychology testing practice. Every wall of the home was crowded with original artwork. Did we mention that Jane was a successful potter, with a basement full of beautiful pottery? It was hard to part with anything. Downsizing was not going to be easy.
Then the health problems got really serious. Both of them fell, and one or the other had a cancer scare and cardiac issue. They simply could not live there anymore. Fortunately, a nearby Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) accepted them.
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Published on June 6, 2023
Comments 6
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
May 31, 2023 — Condo boards in Florida are reeling from a one-two punch. Quotes for insurance renewals are literally through the roof, and that is if the condo association can get coverage at all. Year to year rate hikes of 50% are common. The Jade Winds condo complex in…
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Published on May 30, 2023
Comments 16
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
By Yolande - Topretirements Member
Editor's Note: Yolande was kind enough to share her impressions of this popular retirement destination in southern Utah. You will see she has concluded it is not for her, but she did share 30 positive reasons (see end of article) why others might like retiring here. We have condensed her comments due to space limitations.
May 23, 2023 -- As for St. George, this place sucks! I've never lived in a more BORING place in my entire life! If you're an outdoors person than it's great, but I'm not. I don't hike or bike. My beach cruiser is in storage because I don't live near any bike paths. It's not for people like me. I like the arts, opera, ballet, museum exhibits, concerts and guess what? None of that exists here. If that's your source of entertainment SG is not for you. Don't get me started on the lack of medical care and inability to find doctors. That's another nightmare story.
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Published on May 22, 2023
Comments 19
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
May 17, 2023 -- Pickleball is exploding in popularity among all groups, but especially with people of retirement age. Participation almost doubled in 1 year, going from 4.8 million players in 2021 to 8.9 million in 2022, according to the Sports & Industry Association.
With that amazing growth comes the accompanying challenge—where can you retire where it's easy to find pickleball playing companions and get a court when you want to play? To help answer that question, we have assembled a list of the best pickleball places to retire in the country. While researching these destinations, we discovered that many retirees are also exploring other leisure activities that complement their active lifestyles. One trend that stood out was the growing popularity of platforms where people can ohne Verifizierung online spielen. These platforms offer a convenient way for retirees to enjoy games without the hassle of lengthy sign-up processes, fitting seamlessly into their relaxed and flexible schedules. By integrating both physical and digital recreation options, these communities are truly catering to a well-rounded lifestyle for retirees.
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Published on May 16, 2023
Comments 5
Category: Social Security
May 9, 2023 — Topretirements.com just named a Republican Senator and a Democratic Congressman as 2023 National Legislators of the Year. Senator Bill Cassidy (R.LA) and Representative John Larson (D. CT) were selected for the honor in recognition of their bi-partisan efforts to forge a solution for the impending Social Security crisis.
According to the Social Security 2023 Trustees Report, its reserves will become depleted by 2033, with continuing contributions sufficient to pay only 77 percent of scheduled benefits. As they do every year, the Trustees Report urged legislative action to avoid a funding shortfall that will eventually hurt every working American’s retirement security. Check this out" "What Is Your Social Security IQ?"
Representative Larson has developed the most specific bill seen so far to fix Social Security. Social Security 2100: A Sacred Trust, addresses 15 specific points to improve this popular benefit, and includes a strategy for shoring up its finances. Some of his ideas include making up for past COLA adjustments with a modest benefit bump, repealing the Windfall Elimination Provision, and providing caregiver credits. His plan to bolster the Trust funds includes a payroll tax on wages over $400,000 per year (currently that stops at $160,200).
Senator Cassidy is co-leader of a Senate group that is trying to protect Social Security. A joint statement made earlier this year by that group said that they are considering dozens of ideas to protect Social Security. The group stresses that it’s important to look at all the components of a solution together, especially in the context of the crisis we face if nothing is done. There are dozens of considerations being weighed to protect Social Security, including locking early retirement at 62, an ironclad protection for lower-wage workers, and seeking avenues to increase benefits immediately.
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Published on May 9, 2023
Comments 8
Category: International Retirement
With Elizabeth Varadan
May 8, 2023 -- Special thanks to the expat writer Elizabeth Varadan for this fascinating interview about how she loves her retirement in Portugal. It sure makes it seem like Portugal is a great place to retire.
Q. Why and when did you decide to have your retirement in Portugal?
A. We vacationed for many years in Galicia, a region of Spain north of Portugal. On one visit, I decided to write a cozy mystery and set it in Portugal, since so many cozies abroad are set in France or Spain. A map showed that Braga was only about 2 to 3 hours away from Galicia, so I decided to set my story there. After an exploratory trip, we fell in love with Portugal, and after repeated trips and two books, we decided to retire there. In the midst of our research, I also stumbled upon casino zonder cruks beste uibetaling — a topic that caught my interest due to its connection to the growing gaming industry in Europe. We liked everything about Portugal: the art, museums, and events. People are welcoming and friendly. It’s very family-oriented. Parents take their kids everywhere, and you can see the mutual affection and closeness. The cost of living is reasonable, and it’s also a non-violent culture, which resonated with us, given the escalating gun violence in America.
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Published on May 8, 2023
Comments 11
Category: Health and Wellness Issues
May 2, 2023 -- May is National Stroke Awareness Month, so this is a good time to think about what you can do to prevent one from happening to you. After all, you have worked hard to get ready for the retirement you deserve, don't let a stroke rob you of your reward.
A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts (or ruptures). It is the number 5 cause of death in the U.S. (#3 for women) and the leading cause of disability. The good news is that many strokes may be prevented through blood pressure control, a healthy diet, regular physical activity and smoking cessation. Each plays a big part in decreasing your risk for stroke, disability or even death.
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Published on May 1, 2023
Comments 2
Category: Active adult communities
By Anonymous One of our long time Members and his wife visited Embrey Mill recently. We thank him for sharing his observations on the visit! May 1, 2023 — We’ve been in our present home for about 20 years and have been considering downsizing for a while. We…
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Published on April 30, 2023
Comments 8
Category: Active adult communities
April 26, 2023 -- By now most people thinking about retiring have heard about The Villages, the huge retirement complex that spans over 3 Florida counties. It has more amenities and features than anyone could ever enjoy in their retirement. But what about its other large Florida competitors - how does The VIllages compare to On Top of the World and Solivita? In this article we will summarize and contrast The Villages with two of its major competitors in Florida - On Top of the World and Solivita. For the record, there are some other large competitors too, Century Village and Sun City Center, among others.
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Published on April 26, 2023
Comments 3
Category: Active adult communities
April 20, 2023 -- It is always fascinating to explore what 55+ and active communities at Topretirements garner the most attention from our Members and Visitors. Fortunately, by looking at the data from Google Analytics, we can get a pretty good picture. And if we had to offer one big conclusion about what we learned, it is that there is no predicting which community listings will attract the most attention. Interestingly, while analyzing trends, we noticed increased interest in topics related to digital currencies, such as Tron, as some retirees are beginning to explore alternative investment options, including cryptocurrency. Household names like The Villages and On Top of the World always show up high on a list like this, but most of the rest of the winners are surprises. Since everyone knows about the really big communities, we will not include them on this list in the interest of variety.
Here are the 15 most popular (non-brand name) communities visited at Topretirements in the last 6 months. They offer a range of choices: some are 55+ while others are open to all ages; in waterfront, mountain, and desert environments; manufactured homes; and one life care community. They represent a range of 9 different states. Please let us know about any you think we should have named!
15 Best Active Adult Communities
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Published on April 19, 2023
Comments 12
