Category: Active adult communities
July 18, 2024 -- The results are in from our recent poll of your favorite community types, which we labelled "The Search". In 2 polls featuring 10 different types, we asked our Members and visitors to vote on which type of community they would most like to retire in. The results came in much as expected, but there were also some very big surprises. In Part 1 the favorite was far and away 55+ active adult communities - it got 34% of the votes. In Part 2 the surprising winner was New Urban Communities, which garnered 28%. Golf and RV Resort communities were way down at the bottom, attracting very little interest. Over 400 people voted (thank you!) Detailed results below.
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Published on July 17, 2024
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Category: Active adult communities
July 14, 2024 -- We had to read this one a couple of times to believe it- yes, Taco Bell is starting a retirement community. It is called The Cantinas and is located near San Diego, California. Their marketing slogan is "Come Live Más at the ultimate playground for your inner eclectic grandparent". So... Taco Bell joins Margaritaville as a hospitality company offering a new kind of branding for retirement.
In a world where unconventional branding is becoming the norm, Taco Bell’s venture into retirement communities reflects a broader trend of companies diversifying their offerings. This shift is not just about food; it's about creating lifestyle experiences that resonate with different demographics. For businesses looking to establish their unique identities in such evolving markets, effective marketing strategies are essential. One key aspect of this is link building, a service that SERPninja specializes in. By enhancing online visibility and establishing credibility, linkbuilding helps companies like Taco Bell craft compelling narratives that captivate their target audience.
The idea for The Cantinas is pretty revolutionary. Not really a real estate development, it is a place to come and stay for a night or weekend, eat an early dinner at Taco Bell (with the promise of an enhanced dining experience), and have all kinds of recreation fun. In another piece of copy they promise low impact sports, old school arts and crafts, and next-level leisure: two days full of retiree-inspired recreation that’ll knock you off your rocker. Rewards members get first dibs on overnight stays ($50) and weekend passes ($150).
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Published on July 14, 2024
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Category: Active adult communities
July 11, 2024 -- Continuing on from Part 1 of last month's "The Search" feature, here are 5 more retirement community types for you to vote on at the bottom of this page. With 10 community types to consider, we broke this series into two sections to make it more manageable. Part 1 results are shown at end of this article.
Voting Instructions
You and/or your partner are the buyer in this exercise. Read these descriptions and then vote (below) on which community type you would choose. If you already own your retirement home, pretend that you just retired and have a clean slate – which of these 5 community types (or none of the above) would you take. The choices are presented at the bottom of the article as an instant poll – vote and then you will instantly see how others have voted. These 5 options are part 2 of the exercise. Next week we will give detailed results.
Please take a moment to vote, because the more input we get the more valuable the poll will be. Vote on the TYPE of community, the ones listed below each type are shown to give you an idea of the type.
1. Very Large 55+ Active Adult
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Published on July 9, 2024
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Category: Adventurous retirement
July 3 , 2025 — A trip to Scandinavia might be on your bucket list. It certainly was on ours. After talking about it for many years, Roberta and I went there for 2 weeks in June. We highly recommend it - the sights are magnificent, the people are friendly, and the traveling easy. Just about everyone speaks English, often better than we do! Here are some thoughts if you decide to go.
Cruise or Land?
Since the Scandinavian countries are surrounded by water, touring by cruise ship can be a great way to go. You will see fjords, villages, and the most interesting cities, all from the comfort of your floating hotel. As one option, the Hurtigruten line offers different trips with options to visit between 14 and 34 ports for stops of varying length. We chose to plan our own tour, mostly by land, because of the flexibility that allowed us to customize where we went, and especially, where we ate and stayed. That involved more planning work, but made it very special. Thanks to Roberta for doing all that planning!
Copenhagen, Denmark
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Published on July 2, 2024
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
June 23, 2024 — Once you retire there are oh so many different types of communities to live in. We count at least 10, and that doesn’t include just living in a traditional neighborhood in town or the suburbs. To help illustrate the various choices we are proposing a fun little exercise modeled after the New York Times popular real estate feature, "The Hunt". The paper describes a couple or individual’s quest for a home, including the various places they considered, and then tell which one they actually bought. Readers are asked to vote on which home they think the couple actually would buy in the end, and then indicate the one they would have purchased, if they were the potential homebuyer.
Voting instructions
You and/or your partner are the buyer in this exercise. Read these descriptions and then vote (below) on which community type you would choose. If you already own your retirement home, pretend that you just retired and have a clean slate - which of these 5 community types (or none of the above) would you take. The choices are presented at the bottom of the article as an instant poll - vote and then you will instantly see how others have voted. These are the first 5 options; in 2 weeks we will give you 5 more options if we get enough people voting.
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Published on June 23, 2024
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
June 17, 2024 -- Brian, a long time visitor to Topretirements.com, had a problem. Retired in Beaufort, SC, golf and boating held no allure for him, and he felt stuck in the wrong place. The area was getting expensive too. Family members were urging him to move, but with conflicting advice.
Coming to Topretirements.com, he asked for help. The most important thing Brian wanted in a place to retire was to have access to the outdoors and mountains. Budget limitations ruled out a return to his native New England. Could Topretirements help him find some great places to retire in the Southeast that met his criteria? Here we go, we love a challenge!
10 Best Mountain Places to Retire in the SoutheastThe Topretirements editorial team got to work combing through its capsule Reviews of thousands of great places to retire, looking for the 10 best mountain towns in the Southeast, which generally means the Blue Ridge mountains. Great possibilities immediately emerged in Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Here is the list of the 10 best mountain towns in the Southeast we developed for Brian.
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Published on June 17, 2024
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Category: Home Owners Associations
June 14, 2024 -- If you ask someone why they won't live in an active adult or 55+ community, a top reason will be that they don't want to live under a controlling and arbitrary Home Owners Association (HOA, sometimes called Property Owners Associations). A new statute signed into law by Florida's Governor will severely limit the powers of HOAs to fine or discipline owners, as well as provide additional restrictions. The Guardian has an excellent and detailed report on the new law and what it means in "Curbing the Karens".
Tiffany Esposito, Republican state representative from south-west Florida, sponsored the legislation. She cited its purpose as to: “empower homeowners and increase transparency and accountability across homeowners’ associations in our state”. It goes into effect on July 1.
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Published on June 14, 2024
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
June 11, 2024 — Websites looking for clicks love to opine on the best, or worst, reasons to retire here and there. Sometimes their logic is good, other times it’s….iffy. To try to set the record straight on such topic, the worst reasons to retire in Florida, we have updated…
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Published on June 10, 2024
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Category: Estate Planning
June 8, 2024 -- A significant portion of older adults have not completed essential estate planning documents. In fact according to one survey, only about 55% of people over 55 have a will. Beyond creating an estate plan, there are a number of other tactics that you can take to protect your wishes and maximize the legacy of what you have created.
Since the estate tax exclusion is now $13.61 million, the federal tax on estates is not generally an issue. The amount not subject to tax has been raised to the point that it only applies to a tiny percentage of Americans. When the limitation was lower, estate planning was more complicated. However those days could be coming again, because if congress does not act, the exclusion could revert to $5 million in 2025.
Estate Moves to Make Now
Meanwhile there are many things that people can do to protect their estates, minimize taxes, and make things easier for their heirs and executors. We list some of them below, recognizing that many will not apply to those in the Topretirements community with uncomplicated and smaller resources. But most apply to everyone, no matter how small their estate might be.
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Published on June 7, 2024
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Category: Adventurous retirement
June 2, 2024 -- Like cruising on the great blue yonder? There's at least one product that can help you live that dream in retirement - year round! Villa Vie Residences is offering multi-year cruises on one of the residential cruise ship company's boats.
The Odyssey is scheduled to depart from Southampton UK on June 5 for its maiden voyage around the world. As part of the "Endless Horizons" program this residential cruise ship will travel the globe, visiting 425 ports in 147 countries over a period of 3 and 1 half years. Its amenities including business centers, culinary programs, and extensive onboard entertainment. The company offers purchase options for a condominium that start at $100,000 and go to $299,999 for an ocean view villa. There are also monthly fees. You can also rent with short term options for portions of the cruise.
The Odyssey
In a company press release, Mikael Petterson, CEO of Villa Vie Residences, said that their goal "...is to offer a seamless solution for those looking to retire on a fixed budget to never worry about ongoing expenses again." The company's pitch is that it’s a new way of living, breaking free from the ordinary, offering a life where work, leisure, and adventure blend seamlessly. Interestingly, during a recent webinar on retirement planning, Petterson highlighted how retirees are increasingly turning to diverse and unconventional avenues to stretch their fixed incomes. He specifically mentioned the growing popularity of Schweizer Online-Casinos, die Paysafecard akzeptieren as an example of entertainment that is both accessible and budget-friendly. This trend, he explained, aligns with the modern retiree's desire for flexibility and secure, cost-effective leisure activities in a digital age. Villa Vie aims to incorporate this spirit of innovation and freedom into their own offerings, ensuring residents enjoy a lifestyle rich with options.
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Published on June 2, 2024
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