Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
October 19, 2011 -- It was announced today that starting in January 2012 some 55 million Social Security beneficiaries will receive their first cost of living adjustment (COLA) in almost 3 years. The increase will be 3.6%, or about $516 year for the average recipient. Some seniors are upset that the increase doesn't match the corresponding health care cost increases they have been paying, and they might have a point, since they are heavy consumers of that service. However, the government calculates the COLA based on a range of costs, some of which do not typically
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Published on October 19, 2011
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Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
October 17, 2011 -- Bulletin: Today (October 19) it was announced that Social Security benefits will increase 3.6% starting in January, 2012. It is the first such increase in almost 3 years, amounting to about $516 per year per beneficiary. See our article on the 2012 Social Security increase for more, as well as What You Think You Know About Social Security Might Hurt You.
If you are a baby boomer or just slightly older (born before 1946), social security is about to become a big part of your financial life. Getting ready to take advantage of that benefit is therefore a critical step in your financial future. Here are some of the top questions asked by visitors to the Social Security and AARP websites, along with the answers everyone needs to know.
1. When can I start taking my benefits?
The earliest you can get your first check is the first full month after your 62nd birthday. But before you rush to sign up, just be aware that there might be significant benefits to holding off (see question 7 below).
2. When Can I apply?
You can apply 3 months before you turn 62. You can sign up for Medicare
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Published on October 17, 2011
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Category: Active adult communities
October 14, 2011 -- Last week we received a request from a member that might strike a chord with you. Horseartist wrote and asked: "In vain I search for the uniqueness I'm seeking in finding that place that will be my retirement nest. I'm NOT into gardeners and condos, golf carts and patio homes. Suggestion: Could you open a forum for the likes of me? I don't even know what you'd call it, except perhaps "Out of the Mainstream: Ideas for People looking for Something OTHER than the gated community lifestyle".
We've met and talked with a lot of folks who have similar feelings. A golf, tennis, or boating community just isn't for them. Neither is a cookie-cutter approach with a gated community consisting of identical townhomes spread around a clubhouse, usually with a swimming pool and exercise facility thrown in. What they want is something a little more interesting, more in keeping with communities in the real world. There is undoubtedly a range for what makes a community interesting - with one person's idea of retirement community nirvana being vastly
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Published on October 14, 2011
Comments 75
Category: General Retirement Issues
October 10, 2011 -- How is your retirement going? Is it the dream you looked forward to for so many years - with plenty of time and resources to do the things you have always wanted to? Or is it disappointing - are you scraping by financially, plagued by poor health, bored and feeling unfulfilled?
A new poll by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health found a startling contrast between the attitudes of pre-retirees and those who have already retired. Sadly, pre-retirees are much more optimistic about their overall happiness and well-being than people who have already retired. As Robert Blendon of the Harvard School of Public Health commented on
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Published on October 10, 2011
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
October 4, 2011 — If you are like most people, affordability is a key consideration for your best place to retire. We know because so many of our members ask for suggestions for affordable places to live. But we also know that you are not going to choose your retirement location just because it is cheap. That's why we created this list of places to retire that are affordable, AND have enough going for them that you might actually enjoy living there. This is part II - for towns starting M-Z. Part I (towns A - M) has 10 more
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Published on October 3, 2011
Comments 25
Category: Active adult communities
September 30, 2011 -- Once you start looking at active adult and 55+ communities the enormity of the choices hits you. There are so many styles of communities, and so many choices within styles, not to mention possible locations. It is almost enough to freeze a person. The good news is this, however: there is definitely a community out there that will hit your sweet spot.
In this article we will highlight some of the more common choices in types of communities, give a brief summary of the pluses and minuses for each, and provide links to a sample or two. It should be useful in informing you about your choices. You can always search Topretirements for keywords to help you find what you are looking for. Or, you can use our Advanced Search (from the Search link in our top navigation).
Major types of retirement communities
Age Restricted. There are thousands of age-restricted communities. Most tend to be 55+ because
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Published on September 30, 2011
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
September 27, 2011 -- A few years ago one of our members suggested that we expand our lists of "best places" for more lifestyles. We thought that was a great suggestion and our members seemed to agree. This article updates and expands those lists. We are always looking for new things to profile, so if you have suggestions, please let us know in the Comments section below:
Best Places to Retire by Lifestyle:
Top 10 Golf Towns
15 Great Biking Towns
(and don't overlook the exciting stuff Portland, OR is doing to be bike friendly)
Great Towns for Bookstores
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Published on September 27, 2011
Comments 13
Category: General Retirement Issues
September 20, 2011 -- This week there were some very good features about retirement. Here is our rundown, with links:
- CNN's 25 Best Places to Retire. You can always count on CNN/Money to come up with a good list. This year's includes some good bargain towns, like Cape Coral, Florida and Boise, Idaho.
- New York Times: "The Company You Keep". A very interesting article from the Times special Retirement Section on neighbors who decided to retire near one another. You might have to log in to see these NY Times articles.
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Published on September 20, 2011
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
September 20, 2011 -- Doing a great job of finding your best place to retire is a process. This article will focus on one of the last steps in a successful best places to retire quest - exploring different communities and forming perceptions based on what it is actually like to live somewhere.
But first, here is a quick review of the steps to help you successfully find your best place to retire (see helpful resources for each at end of article):
1. Identify your location priorities. If you have a significant other, find out and discuss how those match.
2. Work on a budget, which will help narrow your search to the best places that fit you.
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Published on September 20, 2011
Comments 14
Category: Retirement Real Estate
September 16, 2011 -- The good news is that you have been out looking at active adult or 55+ communities. Scoping out different communities, their homes, and the amenities is an important step in the process of finding your best place to retire. But the bad news is that unless you have a good system for evaluating what you are seeing and learning, or if you don't rate the communities when they are fresh in your mind, they are all going to blend together as time goes on. Which leads us to today's article, how to develop an easy-to-use and reliable system for evaluating active adult communities. Note that
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Published on September 16, 2011
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