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1 in 4 Recent Retirees Would Delay Taking Social Security, If They Could

Category: Financial and taxes in retirement

July 20, 2016 -- The decision on when to start taking your Social Security retirement benefits is a very personal matter. Our members report a wide range of answers - from "as soon as I can" to "waiting until the maximum age of 70". This article will give some highlights from a recent survey by Nationwide Insurance on how 50+ adults feel about those Social Security decisions, particularly after they have made them. The Nationwide Retirement Institute Consumer Social Security PR Study polled 3 different groups: people who have been retired 10 years, those who have

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Published on July 19, 2016
Comments 43

As Oldest Boomers Turn 70, IRS Says Happy Birthday!

Category: Financial and taxes in retirement

July 20, 2016 -- The oldest baby boomers, those born in the first post WWII year, are turning 70 this year. To which the IRS is probably saying, "Happy Birthday Boomer", because the U.S. Treasury is about to get billions in tax presents. That's about to happen because Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) from your retirement funds are required in the year you turn 70 and 1/2. To do the math for you, if you were born in 1946 and your birthday is prior to July 1, you will be 70 and 1/2 in 2016. If that describes your situation, you must start taking your annual Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) from your IRAs and 401(k)s. This year (the year you turn 70 and 1/2) you could wait until April 1, 2017 to take it, but if you do you will also have to take your 2017 RMD by December 31, 2017.

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Published on July 19, 2016
Comments 5

Survey Results Show Our Members Will Retire Out of State, Weather is a Main Reason

Category: Retirement Planning

July 13, 2016 -- If you have been curious about how your plans for retirement stack up with other baby boomers, look no further. This article will let you compare your plans and dreams with the 1200+ community-minded members who responded to our recent "How Much Do You Expect to Receive in Retirement" survey. The 11 questions in that survey asked how far you might move, where you intend to retire, whether you would prefer to rent or buy, financing plans, as well as your interest in a home designed for 55+ living. We also provided a space for you to tell us in your own words about your plans for moving in retirement. More than 500 people did, and there is a link to every one of those interesting comments at the end of this article. Note that last week we published these results in 2 separate articles, this article basically combines those into 1, although today's includes 3 separate groups of comments not included before. Highlights One thing we do know for sure, Topretirements members are way more

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Published on July 12, 2016
Comments 99

Survey Results Part 2: Renting is Out and Cash Will Rule

Category: Financial and taxes in retirement

July 10, 2016 -- This is Part 2 of the results from last week's "How Much Do You Expect to Receive in Retirement" survey. In this installment we will report on the questions having to do with renting, financing, 55+ design features, and general comments about finding a place to retire. Here is where you can see the results from Part 1. Here is the link to the consolidated article of all results to the survey - Members Will Retire Out of State and More. The bottom of the article contains links to all 11 of our previous survey reports on a variety of topics.

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Published on July 9, 2016
Comments 0

Survey Results Part 1: Topretirements Members Overwhelmingly Plan to Move

Category: Retirement Planning

July 7, 2016 -- If you have been curious about how your plans for retirements stack up with other baby boomers, look no further. The almost 1200 community-minded members who responded to last week's "How Much Do You Expect to Receive in Retirement" survey have answered your question. We will report on the results in 2 phases; Part 1 concentrates on the "Where You'll Move" questions in the survey. In Part 2 we will explore the renting vs. buying, financing, and 55+ appropriate construction topics - as well as a summary of of the over 500 comments made about your plans for moving in retirement. Here is the link to the consolidated article of all results to the survey - Members Will Retire Out of State and More. One thing we do know for sure, Topretirements members are far more

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Published on July 7, 2016
Comments 7

Wise Words About Retirement: A Roundup of All Our Previous Member Surveys

Category: Retirement Planning

June 28, 2016 -- As we completed our latest Member survey (Where to Next?) it seemed like an excellent time to provide you with a rundown of all the surveys we've done in the past. Frankly, we think they contain an amazing trove of your collective wisdom - not only the insightful comments made in the surveys themselves but also the Comments made after we published the results. You can see the results of the Where to Next Survey at (see "Where to Next Results ". To that end, here is a quick capsule of all these surveys (the titles are links to the entire reports). Even though some surveys were done as early as 2010, they still make for interesting and practical reading! One interesting thing we found while summarizing all of our previous surveys is how the basic results stay so close from survey to survey and year to year. For example

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Published on June 28, 2016
Comments 0

Small COLA in Offing: Otherwise Sober Report from Social Security Trustees

Category: Financial and taxes in retirement

June 23, 2016 -- The 2016 report of the independent Trustees of Social Security is out, and the news is nothing to be too happy about. Both Medicare and Social Security will soon be paying out more than they take in. The only small blessing for those currently receiving Social Security benefits is that it looks like there might be a small COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) of 0.2% headed their way in 2017. Here are some other takeaways from the report, which make it clear that action is needed to keep benefits at least at current levels: - Trust Fund reserves in the Social Security program that pays benefits to retirees, spouses, and their survivors (OASI) are projected to become depleted in 2035 (unchanged from last year's report). At that time income

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Published on June 23, 2016
Comments 12

Are You Moving in Retirement – Please Take Our Quick Survey

Category: Retirement Planning

June 22, 2016 — Where will you live in retirement? Will it be in your current home, or something completely new in a very different region? Would you ever consider renting? Please take this quick 10 question, multiple choice survey and let us know. We will use your responses to…

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Published on June 22, 2016
Comments 3

Best New Tech Products for the 55+ Crowd

Category: Home and Garden

June 22, 2016 -- We can all use help in the art of staying youthful for as long as we can. Especially if getting to be 55+ has brought a few physical limitations along with our increased experience. The list of helpful products reviewed recently by NextAvenue.org runs a wide gamut. Predictably it includes computers, tablets, and smart phones. It also reviews portable music devices (with the advent of wireless, just about anything is possible), smart watches, and cameras. At least one, such as the Garvin Nuvi-Cam, would be great additions to your car when checking out possible places to retire (in addition to navigation, it includes in-dash camera and driver awareness features). Electric bikes are another innovation that is game changing for many people. We experienced

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Published on June 22, 2016
Comments 5

If A Town Has a Great Bookstore – It’s Probably a Wonderful Place to Retire

Category: Best Retirement Towns and States

June 22, 2016 -- Most everybody has a drop dead requirement for their best place to retire. For book lovers, that can mean living in a town where there is an interesting bookstore. Sure you can buy books online at Amazon, but for many there is no substitute for being able to settle down in a comfy store where the staff knows their books, and the selections carefully vetted. In this article Lucy Burdette and her best-selling writer friends at JungleRedWriters.com review their favorite bookstore towns. As writers touring the country to give book talks and signings, they know book shops! As we hoped, most of these towns are great places to retire - and not just because of their wonderful bookstores. The kind of town that cultivates and supports a good book shop is a place that has many other things going on too - good restaurants, shops, cultural events, interesting

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Published on June 21, 2016
Comments 32

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