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Thread: The Retirement Thread

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    Member jake's Avatar
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    The Retirement Thread

    Following on from the 'Damn I'm Old...." thread, and assuming we all make it through the next few years - many of us aging proggers will soon have to think seriously about retirement - either by choice or by force of circumstance.
    I've been looking closely at real estate sites and retirement sites, trying to wade through the b.s and scam artists and fake 'retire abroad' newsletters, to find somewhere I can afford to live where I would actually want to live.
    I live on Long Island New York and if I am sure of anything it is that I don't intend to retire here with 5 figure real estate taxes.
    I have at various stages given serious consideration to upstate New York, Vancouver Washington, Montreal, Baie des Chaleurs in Quebec, Chiang Mai Thailand and the Iberian Peninsula - mainly the North of Spain or coastal Portugal. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. I speak fairly fluent French and not bad Spanish, no Portuguese or Thai - although I do have an affinity for languages and would likely learn the local language wherever we end up.

    I had been looking at Connecticut - many of the houses for sale there are beautiful and I can't believe how low some of the prices are - but I have read on many boards, that the cost of living in Connecticut is extremely high, which may be the reason these houses are so reasonably priced.

    So who has been looking around and what things have you been considering? Anyone already retired and care to share your experiences - what to do and what not to do etc.

    edit - updated as needed : Resources found in this thread:

    http://www.bankrate.com/retirement/s...0Center_link_3

    http://www.greatretirementspots.com/index.htm

    https://wallethub.com/edu/best-and-w...-retire/18592/

    http://www.city-data.com/forum/

    http://www.city-data.com

    http://www.bestplaces.net/city/Default.aspx

    https://www.kolterhomes.com/new-home...t-lake-lanier/
    Last edited by jake; 03-25-2017 at 11:10 AM.

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    Outraged bystander markwoll's Avatar
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    I will keep an eye on this a my time is approaching, although I plan on putting the actual date off as much as I can.
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    Member Vic2012's Avatar
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    I'm thinking another 8-10 years, I'll be approaching 70. The house is paid for but not sure what the property tax bill is gonna look like this year.

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    Member adap2it's Avatar
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    We talked about this subject many years ago and the general consensus was that some kind of prog retirement home would be ideal.
    Dave Sr.

    I prefer Nature to Human Nature

  5. #5
    Outraged bystander markwoll's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by adap2it View Post
    We talked about this subject many years ago and the general consensus was that some kind of prog retirement home would be ideal.
    Endless bickering, really?
    "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
    -- Aristotle
    Nostalgia, you know, ain't what it used to be. Furthermore, they tells me, it never was.
    “A Man Who Does Not Read Has No Appreciable Advantage Over the Man Who Cannot Read” - Mark Twain

  6. #6
    All Things Must Pass spellbound's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jake
    I had been looking at Connecticut - many of the houses for sale there are beautiful and I can't believe how low some of the prices are - but I have read on many boards, that the cost of living in Connecticut is extremely high, which may be the reason these houses are so reasonably priced.
    I don't know anything about Connecticut, but many places I have been (in the Western US) where the cost of living is high, the cost of housing is also high. And where the cost of living is low to middling, the cost of housing is high.

    I have been forced by the jobless "recovery" to retire. I live in a pretty decent, but devolving (local government are greedy idiots), place. So I have considered other places to retire. My preferences are: not expensive, surrounded by like-minded people, warm climate, not overly geologically (earthquakes, volcanoes) or meteorologically (tornadoes, hurricanes) hazardous, good schools, and I can drive there. The latter is because my legs are too long for regular sardine air travel and I can't afford to fly first class. That limits other countries to Canada and Mexico. Or remain in the states and watch it continue to circle the drain. This may help if you are considering other states:

    Where are the best and worst states to retire?

    Right off the bat, the table is suspect, because they consider the weather in Wyoming reasonable...

    I have been to Vancouver, Washington, but none of the other places you considered. So I can't be of much assistance unless you have questions about the West. Here's another pretty good "places to retire" site:

    Great Retirement Spots

    I'll "stay tuned" to this thread.
    We're trying to build a monument to show that we were here
    It won't be visible through the air
    And there won't be any shade to cool the monument to prove that we were here. - Gene Parsons, 1973

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    Member adap2it's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by markwoll View Post
    Endless bickering, really?
    In the true spirit of retirement!
    Dave Sr.

    I prefer Nature to Human Nature

  8. #8
    I am approaching my late 50s and my real worry is a decline of the industry I am a part of. So I have been thinking that my retirement is not that far fetch reality.

    I lived before in a couple of European countries, Australia, Texas and I live in New Jersey. I know, for sure, I do not want to retire in New Jersey.

    Now the food for thought. I am considering to sell my house, invest money in the financial market. Then, instead of settle down in a location, I would get rid of majority of my bulk possessions and moving light I would hop from the place to place renting properties at different locations on the short time basis (6 months or so) . As far as destinations I like Colorado, Carolinas, (what the hell) even Texas (Austin). I would be also open to overseas destinations Spain, Southern Italy, Costa Rica, Australia, maybe Caribbean Islands...
    Any opinion? Pros and cons?

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    Geriatric Anomaly progeezer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jake View Post

    I had been looking at Connecticut - many of the houses for sale there are beautiful and I can't believe how low some of the prices are - but I have read on many boards, that the cost of living in Connecticut is extremely high, which may be the reason these houses are so reasonably priced.

    So who has been looking around and what things have you been considering? Anyone already retired and care to share your experiences - what to do and what not to do etc.
    Regarding Connecticut. About 10 years ago the company that I work for was downsizing and cutting a bunch of jobs. The company has another location in Groton Connecticut and quite a few of our friends opted to take transfers there. Once there, they ran into a bit of sticker shock. Although the area is really nice, the cost of living was way higher than here in Southwest Michigan. One of our friends paid around 300,000 for a house that here in my part of Michigan would be probably less than half that price, and the house was kind of old and run down. Our other friends all experience similar housing / rent shock, and just the general cost of living was about double what it was where they were from yet the wages about the same. Of all of our friends that moved to Groton, not a single one is still living there today. All of them are either back in Michigan or Ohio. My wife and I took a trip to Groton / Mystic area after NEARfest one year to visit. I thought both were very cool towns and the area was beautiful in places, but there is no doubt that pretty much everything was significantly more expensive from where we live. I don’t have any experience with any other parts of the state.

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by SteveSly View Post
    Regarding Connecticut. About 10 years ago the company that I work for was downsizing and cutting a bunch of jobs. The company has another location in Groton Connecticut and quite a few of our friends opted to take transfers there. Once there, they ran into a bit of sticker shock. Although the area is really nice, the cost of living was way higher than here in Southwest Michigan. One of our friends paid around 300,000 for a house that here in my part of Michigan would be probably less than half that price, and the house was kind of old and run down. Our other friends all experience similar housing / rent shock, and just the general cost of living was about double what it was where they were from yet the wages about the same. Of all of our friends that moved to Groton, not a single one is still living there today. All of them are either back in Michigan or Ohio. My wife and I took a trip to Groton / Mystic area after NEARfest one year to visit. I thought both were very cool towns and the area was beautiful in places, but there is no doubt that pretty much everything was significantly more expensive from where we live. I don’t have any experience with any other parts of the state.
    Look up Greenwich. LOL

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    Member jake's Avatar
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    Yeah it seems they have very high taxes there and no breaks for retirement income - in fact the northern states are all pretty bad for retirees - the furthest north I could find a sympathetic state was Delaware - I have a few friends looking to retire there.
    Here's one of those sites which are probably just b.s. click-bait - but this list does seem to bear out what I have been finding in my search - e.g. Connecticut ranks 48th among states overall and Delaware 9th.
    https://wallethub.com/edu/best-and-w...-retire/18592/

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by jake View Post
    Yeah it seems they have very high taxes there and no breaks for retirement income - in fact the northern states are all pretty bad for retirees - the furthest north I could find a sympathetic state was Delaware - I have a few friends looking to retire there.
    Here's one of those sites which are probably just b.s. click-bait - but this list does seem to bear out what I have been finding in my search - e.g. Connecticut ranks 48th among states overall and Delaware 9th.
    https://wallethub.com/edu/best-and-w...-retire/18592/
    North Carolina seems to be a place with a lower COL that many NYers move to also.

  14. #14
    Member jake's Avatar
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    Another take-it-with-grain-of-salt resource I have been using is the forum here
    http://www.city-data.com/forum/
    like most public fora it's usually pretty easy to see who is there just to cause trouble and who is there to help. This site is really good for getting a look at things from the local level.

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    Member jake's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by musicislife View Post
    North Carolina seems to be a place with a lower COL that many NYers move to also.
    I know a few ex-NYers who moved there with my company and loved it - also seems to be a budding tech hub.

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by jake View Post
    I know a few ex-NYers who moved there with my company and loved it - also seems to be a budding tech hub.
    Absolutely. A lot of companies have either moved there or set up their back office operations there. Be careful about Delaware. I've heard people complain that it is an extremely greedy state as far as resident costs go (even though there is no sales tax there). Just look at the ridiculous toll they charge on their "blink and you miss it" section of I-95. There's also a ton of traffic congestion there. I used to travel to Maryland a lot. Anytime I hit crazy traffic, it was in Delaware. Also, be careful about Connecticut. It's my opinion that it is the most racist state in the Northeast.

  17. #17
    My goal is to live in a state where I can buy some apartment or small house with little work to be done, is good monetarily for retirees and near an international airport because I hope to do a lot of travelling. I hope this place exists in 20-25 years!

    Quote Originally Posted by markwoll View Post
    Endless bickering, really?

    Don't worry. They will have seperate sub-sub-genre Prog buildings.

  18. #18
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    Hi Jake,

    I also live on LI and retired early a year and half ago at 57. When I retired I began researching and writing a blog called The Retirement Diary. It's kaput now (not enough readers after a year) but I found out a ton of information that will help me in the years to come about Social Security, saving for retirement, spending in retirement, relocation, etc.

    We took 3 months after I retired and rented a place in Raleigh, then used that as a base to travel all across NC and SC to see where we might want to move. In a nutshell, the coastal areas are beautiful, with many areas catering to retirees. But other than beaches and restaurants and bars, and good weather, there is little else. The city areas, like Raleigh and Charlotte and Charlestown have more to offer, but (coming from LI) they just didn't feel like home. Out heart wasn't despite the fact that they checked all the boxes on our list of things that were important to us. Asheville is also a big retirement place, in the mountains. It can be beautiful, but is getting hugely crowded. The town itself looks like Levittown, so not my cup of tea. The cost of living all through the Carolina's is about 30% cheaper than LI.

    So we decided to snowbird this winter in Sarasota, FL. Great town with lots to do and beautiful beaches. Winter is fine here, but summer can be brutal I am told. And, we are young for retirees, so most everyone here is 10 years older than us, and up. No, we aren't ready to move here permanently, but maybe in 5-10 years. The cost of living here during this season is about the same as LI, but gets cheaper after April 1 when the snowbirds leave, I am told. All prices go down quite a bit.

    Our search goes on. But we learned a lot from our travels and living around. I highly suggest you do the same for whatever place you consider before buying anything and moving permanently. You will learn a lot about yourself, your spouse, what you think you want vs whet you need, and the area and its residents. Remember, good friends will make you happy, so find a place where people with like interest live.

    Good luck,
    Bob
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    Member Garyhead's Avatar
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    Im working on this too. I retired 12 years ago. Before looking for a new location....you may need to think about HOW you want to spend your retirement. Your goals? your interests? Remember, the weather will be more important now that you no longer have to spend 8 hours a day in a cubicle. I'm TIRED of all the traffic especially rush hours.......looking to move AWAY from commuters.
    Vancouver WA? Really? I'm born / raised 100 miles north of there.......better like rain and HATE the glare of the Sun! We go 90+ days at a time Without seeing the Sun.......and a few years ago everyone got their nickers in a knot for 90 days without rain.
    I'm looking to buy out on the coast. Oceanfront property in WA state is still reasonable. Underdeveloped coastal towns keep it that way.....Weather can still be crappy but a storm out on the coast is still a cool thing to see....until your house washes away!
    Also looking to spend a few months every winter in maybe AZ.
    Financial standpoint......get set up in a small beachouse in WA State....Approx...$150K.
    RENT property in AZ in winter Approx $3.5K per year. WA state has No State Income Tax. Use as a primary residence. Renting properties you live in only 3 months / year is cheaper than buying.

    I do not need movie theaters.....sports events....schools / universities.....commuters.....coffee shops......malls......close to Family (I have no spouse / offspring)
    I do need......fresh air........no crowds.......outdoor activities.......electricity to run the stereo and Bass amps......roads to ride the Harleys..........

    Maybe you should Start with the above lists......Do Need / Do Not Need.......then you have a better idea HOW you want to spend your retirement. AVOID RV's and timeshares.........you can spend DECADES renting for the price of an RV. This can be a good thread to learn from each other.
    Last edited by Garyhead; 03-22-2017 at 08:51 AM. Reason: punctuation
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    Member jake's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BobM View Post
    Hi Jake,

    I also live on LI and retired early a year and half ago at 57. When I retired I began researching and writing a blog called The Retirement Diary. It's kaput now (not enough readers after a year) but I found out a ton of information that will help me in the years to come about Social Security, saving for retirement, spending in retirement, relocation, etc.

    .........
    Our search goes on. But we learned a lot from our travels and living around. I highly suggest you do the same for whatever place you consider before buying anything and moving permanently. You will learn a lot about yourself, your spouse, what you think you want vs whet you need, and the area and its residents. Remember, good friends will make you happy, so find a place where people with like interest live.

    Good luck,
    Bob
    Funny I just turned 57 last week. I have not been to the Carolinas but, like I say I do hear good things about life there from my workmates. I work from home so I could actually move somewhere pre-retirement and Charlotte has been in the back of my mind - I didn't mention that I am a former airline employee and have world-wide flight benefits for the next 20 years - so proximity to an interational airport is high on my list which brings us to.....

    I also spent a lot of time on Jacksonville Fl and a very short time in Miami - enough to let me know that Florida is def off my list - too hot.
    Quote Originally Posted by Garyhead View Post
    Im working on this too. I retired 12 years ago. Before looking for a new location....you may need to think about HOW you want to spend your retirement. Your goals? your interests? Remember, the weather will be more important now that you no longer have to spend 8 hours a day in a cubicle. I'm TIRED of all the traffic especially rush hours.......looking to move AWAY from commuters.
    Vancouver WA? Really? I'm born / raised 100 miles north of there.......better like rain and HATE the glare of the Sun! We go 90+ days at a time Without seeing the Sun.......and a few years ago everyone got their nickers in a knot for 90 days without rain.
    I'm looking to buy out on the coast. Oceanfront property in WA state is still reasonable. Underdeveloped coastal towns keep it that way.....Weather can still be crappy but a storm out on the coast is still a cool thing to see....until your house washes away!
    Also looking to spend a few months every winter in maybe AZ.
    Financial standpoint......get set up in a small beachouse in WA State....Approx...$150K.
    RENT property in AZ in winter Approx $3.5K per year. WA state has No State Income Tax. Use as a primary residence. Renting properties you live in only 3 months / year is cheaper than buying.

    I do not need movie theaters.....sports events....schools / universities.....commuters.....coffee shops......malls......close to Family (I have no spouse / offspring)
    I do need......fresh air........no crowds.......outdoor activities.......electricity to run the stereo and Bass amps......roads to ride the Harleys..........

    Maybe you should Start with the above lists......Do Need / Do Not Need.......then you have a better idea HOW you want to spend your retirement. AVOID RV's and timeshares.........you can spend DECADES renting for the price of an RV. This can be a good thread to learn from each other.
    I think that do need/don't need list is a great idea. Here's mine:

    I do need - walkable town/city center....some live music scene preferably a classical or opera house (my wife is a classical musician) - international airport - a bit of land to grow vegetables( I'm vegan and my wife is vegetarian) - multi-cultural mix (high on my list, I'm an immigrant myself and tend to befriend people from other countries - plus a mix of cultures probably means a mix of nice restaurants) - good wifi - good medical facilities ( we are both fit just now, but this is retirement so....)
    I do not need - the sun ( after Johnny Winter, I am the whitest man ever to sing the blues and turn salmon pink when the sun comes out) - sporting arenas (my only sporting interest is soccer and my teams are all overseas - a house near the ocean -

    As for Vancouver VA - About 3 years ago, I took an online poll to determine which place would be best suited for me to retire, lots of questions about what is important and what is not etc - much like your lists. The answer for me was Vancouver WA which I had heard of but never gave an thought to. Then my wife took the same poll before I told her my result and whaddyaknow - she got Vancouver WA as well.
    Of course I though this poll might be from the Vancouver Chamber of Commerce so I had a few of my friends at work take the poll and they all got different answers. I have a feeling it pointed me there because of my answers to questions like 'do you mind above average rainfall' - as a Scotsman rain is in my DNA so the PNW is not unlike Scotland in that sense. Also the proximity to Portland OR probably pointed me to Vancouver also.

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    Jefferson James
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    I'm thinking at the very worst I can pitch a tent here.


  22. #22
    Member Lopez's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jake View Post
    I also spent a lot of time on Jacksonville Fl and a very short time in Miami - enough to let me know that Florida is def off my list - too hot.
    Hi Jake,

    Other than the heat, how is the Jacksonville area? She-who-must-be-obeyed and I have given that area, specifically that piece of Florida that juts into Georgia, some thought. We would definitely go there and look around before making any decision. Retirement is about 3 years away for us. My mom lives in Ft. Myers, and I like that area alot, but it is getting built up and things are far apart. You have to drive everywhere, and I like to walk. We have little desire of getting into a home-owners-association situation.

    As a pie-in-the-sky idea, we've toyed with the idea of moving to where our son lives; Yangon, Myanmar (formerly Burma). Our money would go a long way there, and he told us there are three pizza parlors near him and they are terrible. The wife (and she's not even Italian) does great pizza; we could open a little pizza place. Though maybe pizza is terrible there because of lack of the right ingredients. As I mentioned above about Ft. Myers booming not being appealing, Yangon already has over 7 million people.
    Lou

    Looking forward to my day in court.

  23. #23
    Member adap2it's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lopez View Post
    Hi Jake,

    Other than the heat, how is the Jacksonville area? She-who-must-be-obeyed and I have given that area, specifically that piece of Florida that juts into Georgia, some thought. We would definitely go there and look around before making any decision. Retirement is about 3 years away for us. My mom lives in Ft. Myers, and I like that area alot, but it is getting built up and things are far apart. You have to drive everywhere, and I like to walk. We have little desire of getting into a home-owners-association situation.

    As a pie-in-the-sky idea, we've toyed with the idea of moving to where our son lives; Yangon, Myanmar (formerly Burma). Our money would go a long way there, and he told us there are three pizza parlors near him and they are terrible. The wife (and she's not even Italian) does great pizza; we could open a little pizza place. Though maybe pizza is terrible there because of lack of the right ingredients. As I mentioned above about Ft. Myers booming not being appealing, Yangon already has over 7 million people.
    Hi Lou, my wife and I winter in St Simons Island in Georgia and can attest to it's feasibility for retirees. It's not crowded, has great beaches, lot's of good restaurants and is still affordable. The climate is similar to Northern Florida with mild winters and hot summers. Temps are moderated as we are surrounded by water and therefore does not get as hot in the summer as inland. We love this place because driving and walking are stress free. There are lots of places to cycle too. The big advantage over Florida is definitely the lack of congestion and ease of getting around. The people are real friendly too.
    Dave Sr.

    I prefer Nature to Human Nature

  24. #24
    Member Lopez's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by adap2it View Post
    Hi Lou, my wife and I winter in St Simons Island in Georgia and can attest to it's feasibility for retirees. It's not crowded, has great beaches, lot's of good restaurants and is still affordable. The climate is similar to Northern Florida with mild winters and hot summers. Temps are moderated as we are surrounded by water and therefore does not get as hot in the summer as inland. We love this place because driving and walking are stress free. There are lots of places to cycle too. The big advantage over Florida is definitely the lack of congestion and ease of getting around. The people are real friendly too.
    Thank you for the information, Dave. I looked up St. Simons Island on Wikipedia, and it looks mighty inviting.
    Lou

    Looking forward to my day in court.

  25. #25
    Member jake's Avatar
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    My company had an office in Jacksonville so I have been to the area a lot. I found it too be way too spread out for my liking - the downtown was quite modest - not a lot going on - I believe there was a Superbowl in Jax a few years ago and, by many reports, visitors were not too impressed with what was on offer. It does of course have lots of beach and some great barbecue places - as for residential living I can't really say I know much - I just found the heat so oppressive that I was always glad to leave from JAX airport which is actually one of the best airports I have experienced - not fussy and quite well laid out. A bit of a stretch calling it Jacksonville International airport -I think there are a handful of Caribbean flights from there. Most of the employees in our office commuted from southern Georgia, or were spouses or former military - which also has a strong presence there.

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