Category: International Retirement
May 17, 2011 -- Maybe you've been wondering about the best places to retire in the world. Perhaps for you that means buying retirement property on a beautiful tropical beach in the Caribbean, or maybe a small European village. The attractions of retiring abroad are many - the low cost of living, the charm and high standard of living, interesting cultural opportunities, and warm climate. Tens of thousands of Americans decide to retire overseas, and maybe you will be one of them. Retiring abroad can be exciting, cost-effective, and totally enjoyable. But before you decide to retire south (or some other direction) of the border, you had better think about these ....
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Published on May 17, 2011
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
May 10, 2011 -- Late last year our list of the "10 Worst Retirement States" caused a surprising uproar. Much excellent discussion came from it, and the experience gave us a new appreciation for the complexity of assigning factors to any "best" or "worst" list. Six months later, and with fresh data in from the Pew Center on the States, it seems like it's time for an update. This article will list the states that are in the most fiscal trouble from the Pew Center's viewpoint. In the second part of the article we will provide a recap of how these poor performing states stack up when it comes to taxes for retirees. We will not include any rating for weather/climate, as we did in last year's list. Climate is so personal and so widely understood that we don't feel the need to rate that factor for you.
The Pew Center recently published data on the unfunded liabilities of the states, The Widening Gap, for pensions and for promised future health care. The results are frightening, and carry broad implications that could affect your retirement if you live in one of these states (but more about that later). Although a few states are beginning to take action, the vast majority of states have chosen to ignore their looming pension problems. Many of them also have large deficits, which are equally as concerning. As we will see, most but not all of the states in trouble are low-tax states; some might argue that unwillingness to raise taxes has contributed to the mess some states are in. Here are some of the Pew Center's findings:
As of Fiscal Year '09 the states had a $660 billion
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Published on May 10, 2011
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
May 9, 2011 — We thought it would be a good idea to put the links to our recent “Best” and “Worst” states articles in one place: – The Wall Street Journal reported on our “Best States for Retirement, 2011 Edition” article today, saying it was a “…nice…
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Published on May 9, 2011
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Category: Active adult communities
May 6, 2011 -- What would you do if you were in this situation: Your community's golf course is in terrible shape, even though you and every one else in the community is paying homeowner association fees to maintain it. The developer of the community that owns the golf course is either in foreclosure, or about to be foreclosed on. Would you vote to buy the course?
That particular situation or variations similar to it are unfolding in...
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Published on May 6, 2011
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Category: Active adult communities
What shape do you think the market for active adult communities is in -- is it slowly returning to a healthy state, or is it dead in the water? Topretirements.com is compiling some basic research about the state of the active adult communities market (including 55+ communities), and we would love to know what you think.
Please use the comments section below to answer these questions. If you are a potential buyer, we'd love...
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Published on May 6, 2011
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Category: General Retirement Issues
by James Stevens
Our flight was climbing to cruising altitude for the long flight back to Atlanta when my wife turned to me and said, “It’s not just about the money, is it?” Being a long-married man, I knew instantly she was referring to the idea of retirement, when society said it was time to move from active working adult to unemployed older person.
“No, it isn’t,” I agreed. “Having money is important, of course, but there’s so much more to a happy retirement. I think this trip confirmed it.”
Retirement had been a major topic of discussion as...
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Published on May 3, 2011
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
Update Sept 19, 2017 - We updated this article. Here is a link to the new one.
May 3, 2011 -- When it comes to selecting your best place to retire the weather, climate, and exposure to natural disasters can have a major impact on your retirement enjoyment. We think these are important factors to consider, along with cost of living, taxes, culture, proximity of friends and family, and recreational opportunities.
Before we discuss some regions and cities that rank poorly for weather, let's talk about the kinds of weather and natural issues that could be detrimental to your retirement. Some of these phenomena are inconvenient, while others are deadly serious:
- Sunshine. It's true, people are generally happier when the sun shines. Rainy day after rainy day does not...
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Published on May 3, 2011
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Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
April 26, 2010 -- Most of us find it hard to admit the truth: when it comes to skills that require any degree of expertise, like financial advice, we are amateurs. Just like our skills in plumbing, electricity, architecture, medicine, software programming, or teach golf; it's best to have an expert doing the work for us. This article will explain why hiring a competent financial advisor to help plan for your retirement is a smart move. After all, if you don't have enough money, it's going to be hard to have the retirement you deserve. We'll provide some basic tips on how to find a good investment advisor. At the end of the article we have listed some helpful resources that explore more dimensions on how to make a smart choice.
One of the biggest advantages that financial advisors offer is...
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Published on April 25, 2011
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Category: Active adult communities
April 22, 2011 -- Be prepared for the unexpected at Fearrington Village, a unique community just outside of Chapel Hill, NC. So if you are looking for the standard active adult community, you will not find it here. Instead you will see grazing cows, a bookstore, 5 star resort, walking trails, parks, and a wide range of beautiful homes. It's a refreshing development that reflects the eclectic passions and common sense wisdom of its founder, R. B. Fitch.
Full disclosure department: My wife and I were overnight guests at Fearrington Village (which is also a Showcase Advertiser at Topretirements) in mid-April. No one asked us to write this review; we thought you would want to know about this interesting community.
Fearrington Village (pronounced Fairington Village) was founded by R.B. Fitch and his late wife Jenny in 1974. Influenced by their trips to small English villages, they soon purchased the adjacent 640 acre Fearrington Dairy Farm and began developing the property for people of all ages. It still has no age restriction, although the majority...
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Published on April 22, 2011
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Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
April 19, 2011 -- It is almost a certainty that as a retiree, housing is going to be the most important item in your budget. Unfortunately, many people will make serious mistakes regarding their housing choices and the way they are financed. We recently were referred to an excellent and helpful guide, Housing and Mortgages for Seniors. It is definitely recommended reading, and here are some of its key points:
Housing Problems
The report details the most common housing/financial problems that people over
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Published on April 19, 2011
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