Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
November 8, 2012 -- Weather is a critical input in the retirement happiness quotient for most people. Back in September we provided a list of resources where members could research the best weather conditions to fit their personal tastes. This month we've taken a different approach -- we've selected the top 10 places to retire based on our own weather criteria. And because there are lots of good choices, we've also included a few honorable mentions. Note that although our choices are numbered 1 - 10, the choices are so subjective it is better to view them as all good choices rather than one is better than another. This article was prepared in cooperation with WSJ MarketWatch, who published a beautiful slideshow version of the 10 Best Places to Retire for the Weather.
The places on this list all offer good
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Published on November 8, 2012
Comments 43
Category: Health and Wellness Issues
November 4, 2012 -- Note: This is Part 2 of our Medical Insurance for Retirement Series. See Further Reading at end for links to Part 1 through 5.
The result of last month's member survey about Medicare are in. We are pleased that you have ideas on a plan to fix Medicare, something that differentiates you from our elected leaders in Washington. When asked to rank your ideal fix from a list of 9 choices, limiting benefits to the most affluent was the number 1 choice, closely followed by 4 others (see detailed results below). Vouchers and lifetime benefit caps were the least popular choices in the survey. Elsewhere in the survey results, most of our responders have opted in to Medicare and its component parts. The sole exception is Part C (Medicare Advantage), where more folks are not in the program than are.
We are so grateful to the more than 550 people who took to the time to answer our 9 questions about Medicare. While we can't say that any of the findings are particularly surprising, the results do shed
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Published on November 4, 2012
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Category: Retirement Planning
Nov 2 — Our thoughts and prayers are with all our members in the Notheast who have been affected by Subtropical Cyclone Sandy. The pictures of the devastation are horrible but do not do justice to the tragedy and hardship many of you are suffering. As of this date the…
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Published on November 1, 2012
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Category: Active adult communities
October 16, 2012 -- Few topics can generate strong opinions like Home Owner Associations (HOAs). There are people who have a visceral reaction to them, while others see them as a necessary and beneficial part of living together in a community. In today's update to our original 2009 article, Joe West, one of the most knowledgeable people in the country on HOAs and CEO of Community Associations Network, shares his expertise on the basics everyone should know before they commit to living in any
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Published on October 15, 2012
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Category: Health and Wellness Issues
The Obama and Romney campaigns are both keeping their plans for fixing Medicare a secret. So here is your chance to tell them how it should be done – if you were in charge how would you fix Medicare so this cherished benefit is there for the next generation? Take…
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Published on October 10, 2012
Comments 19
Category: Health and Wellness Issues
Updated May 17, 2016 -- Note: Although the basics about Medicare are unchanged, the amount you pay in premiums and deductibles changes over time. This article is both Module 9 of our Retirement 101 Online Preparation Course and the first in a series on Medicare.
-- Believe it or not, there is some good news about your turning 65 - you are now old enough to be eligible for Medicare! Cheer up, the worst of your medical insurance worries are over, particularly if you retired early and are not covered by an employer plan. Most people in the Medicare system are grateful for the coverage and peace of mind it provides.
This 101 article, part 1 in a series, is meant to address the concerns we know many of you have about how to get started with Medicare. Using information from the very helpful Medicare.gov site and in particular its FAQ feature, we'll explain exactly what the program is and outline the many options it can provide, so you can both rest
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Published on October 8, 2012
Comments 118
Category: Retirement Planning
October 2, 2012 -- Remember when you were in your 30's or 40's and some guy at a party would ask people "What their number was?" As in, how much money do they have to have stashed away before they could take their job and shove it. Those days might seem pretty far away now, as our natural dates for retirement get closer and closer. This article will ask you some questions to help you determine if this is the right time for you to retire.
Retirement is a big step. Once retired, it is hard to reverse that decision,
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Published on October 2, 2012
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Category: Retirement Planning
October 1, 2012 -- If you are one of the more than 25 million single women over 45 then you might appreciate a new and essential reference that hits bookstores this week, "The Single Woman's Guide to Retirement," by Jan Cullinane. Many of our regular readers will recognize this name - Jan has been a frequent contributor to this site, both for her articles (see list at ebd) and for her many insightful additions to Blog posts and Discussion topics.
Jan's new book (her previous one in this area was "The New Retirement") is just the kind of read that we look forward to opening. It is practical and entertaining at the same time. Jan doesn't waste
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Published on October 1, 2012
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Category: General Retirement Issues
Sept 25, 2012 -- The NY Times does a great job of writing helpful features for its readers. This month's special Retirement section is no exception, so we are passing along links to some of the more interesting stories, which are difficult to find unless you know the exact title of the article. We hope you find them useful in planning your retirement.
Heading South, but Stopping Short of Florida. This piece profiles several couples who thought they would retire to Florida, but who decided for a variety of reasons to retire along the way. Indeed there are many parts of the mid-South where the 55-64 and over 65 population is increasing by 60% or more. You will find
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Published on September 25, 2012
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Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
September 25, 2012 -- The overwhelming majority of baby boomers are going to face a painful budget squeeze as their retirements start to become a reality. Used to the high life as many of us are, it will be a very big challenge to support that lifestyle without the income stream we are accustomed to.
This article was an idea from Linda, a member who asked us to try to get ideas from our members on different ways of raising cash in retirement. We've listed some ideas we've seen, including some nutty ones from a recent Wall Street Journal article. But we are really hoping that you, our members, will share what you are doing to bring in extra cash to support your retirement. Please add your ideas to the Comments section below, whether they are tried and true or just a wild idea that you think might work.
Best Ideas for Making Enough Money to Survive Your Retirement
1. Turn what you love to do into a business. So you like to make
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Published on September 25, 2012
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