Born in 1947? You’ve Been Notched, Baby!

May 25, 2010 — Social Security recipients born in certain years have been notched before – notably those born in 1917-1921. Those unlucky souls didn’t receive social security benefits quite as generous as those born in 1916 and before. Individuals in both groups, however, if they lived long enough, probably received far more in benefits than they ever paid into the system.

Now, according to the Boston College Center for Retirement Research, a new notch has been created – one affecting people born in 1947. The Center calculates that (more…)

Most Retirement Friendly States

May 25, 2010 — You’ve probably been at a party where you discovered you didn’t know a soul. Remember the feeling you got when a total stranger came up to you with a friendly smile and welcomed you? With that one warm greeting your anxiety probably went down, you stopped second-guessing your decision to come, and you started to enjoy the party. When it comes to retiring to a strange place, states and towns that seek out retirees might give you that same warm feeling. This article will explore what we think makes for retirement-friendly states, cities, and towns.

Types of friendliness
States (and towns and cities) have several types of friendliness that they could offer:
- Economic. This is mostly available in the form of tax relief, of which (more…)

The Best of the Best Places to Retire

May 18, 2010 — Nobody loves a good list more than we do. To that end we decided to come out with our own 10 Best of the Best List. Our goal here is to assemble the best of Topretirements in one place, making it easier for our visitors to find our best stuff, quickly and easily. In this list you will find:

- The best places (towns and cities) to retire
- The best places in the world to retire
- The best under-rated places to retire
- The best active adult and 55+ communities
- The best retirement feature articles
- The best retirement blog stories (more…)

Buy…Rent….or Stay?

May 11, 2011 — The sky is falling in Greece and Europe, the stock market went so crazy last week that blue chips went from $30/share to 1 cent in 15 minutes, the Gulf of Mexico continues to spout millions of gallons of crude oil – and amidst this encouraging backdrop you have to decide what to do about your retirement. You might be excused to be a bit uncertain about whether you should you buy…rent…or stay. This article will discuss some of the important factors you should consider in making your decision.

Buy?
Buying a place for retirement is a dream and a plan for many baby boomers. Here are some of the factors (more…)

How North Carolina Climbed over Florida as Favorite Retirement State

Florida and Arizona have long been the favorite 2 states for retirement migration. A new study from Del Webb, however, finds that the Carolinas, North and South, have usurped FL and AZ’s traditional positions as the favorite retirement destination states. This new preference is so significant that Florida is no longer experiencing a net gain in retirees. This article will concentrate on how and why North Carolina overcame Florida to become the number 1 retirement destination. In addition to trying to explain how this important shift has come about, we will also review some of the top places to retire in this diverse state. A future article will explore South Carolina.

North Carolina’s Secret Sauce
A warm winter climate has traditionally been the most important reason (more…)