August 23, 2023 — Where should I retire”… it’s a very common question. Many popular websites try to answer that question for you with their sometimes puzzling lists of the best places to retire. But do those compilations make any sense for you?

“Random lists of best places are not a great way to find out where to retire”, according to John Brady, founder of the popular retirement planning website Topretirements.com. “Retirement is too much of a personal decision for that,” he continued. A strategic approach is a much better way to find the retirement place that’s right for you. By just asking some simple questions, you can narrow down the possibilities much more efficiently.

These 10 questions will help you figure out where to retire

1. What type of environment do you want? Mountains, beach, urban, college town, or desert? This is the biggest driver for most people, so deciding on that will immediately narrow down the possibilities.
2. Do you have a climate preference? Many people tend to want a place with warm winters so they can experience summer all year round. But how warm do those winters have to be?

3. Do you want to live near your family or friends? Being near your children or grandchildren can be great. But it can also be a double edged sword – sometimes you can be too close.

4. What kind of activities do you like to do? If you want to be outside year round, then a place with a milder climate might be a better option. The important thing is to pick an area to retire where it is easy to do the things you like.

5. Are state and local taxes a consideration? People with hefty incomes after they retire (lucky them!) sometimes choose a state that is tax friendly, maybe one without any state income tax. But for most retired people, state income tax will probably only be minimal. Property tax might be much more important.

6. Do you have budget limitations? If it looks like your retirement budget is not going to be up to snuff,, you still have options. You can move to a less expensive state, downsize, or sell and rent instead.

7. Have you done much scouting to find areas you might like to retire in?  Until you actually spend some time in one of these places you won’t know for sure. So start checking out places now to see what you like, or don’t enjoy that much.

8. Does the political environment of an area matter to you? Sadly, this didn’t use to be much of an issue in our country, but it is today. Conservative leaning folks might not like living in a Democratic hotbed, and vice versa. Check it out before you decide!

9. Do you need to be near major medical facilities? If in the future your health requires frequent trips to medical specialists or big hospitals, it wouldn’t be wise to choose a place too far away from them.

10. Would you like to be able to walk, bike, or take public transportation for what you need day to day? Don’t make the mistake of moving somewhere only to realize you have to drive everywhere for everything.

Bottom line
Finding the best place to retire is a very personal decision. The only way to find out your answer is to identify what it is you are looking for. Once you do that you can start looking more efficiently. 

Topretirements has many helpful tools to help, It has reviews of over 6,000 retirement towns and 55+ communities in its Best Places link to help narrow down the search by State, City, and Lifestyle — and then generate some great ideas. The Topretirements Blog has hundreds of other practical articles like this to help make your retirement better.