Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
April 20, 2022 -- Highways are filling up with snowbirds headed north right now. Those trips provide the perfect excuse for exploring the many wonderful East Coast towns along the way. Here are 10 towns that we think are definitely worth a detour, either for a night in a B and B, or a leisurely lunch to break up the drive. In this installment we will concentrate on charming or interesting towns near the coast. But if your trip takes you along the western route, see our 2 part series on great retirement towns along that route through western Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia.
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Published on April 19, 2022
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Category: Social Security
April 14, 2022 — As anyone who reads this Blog regularly knows, Topretirements is a big fan of waiting as long as you can before you start to collect Social Security. But that is not to say there aren’t many good reasons to take it early, or at least not…
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Published on April 13, 2022
Comments 23
Category: Adventurous retirement
April 13, 2022 -- People often say that the most memorable things in our lives are our experiences, and we believe that is really true. You have worked hard to earn your retirement, so why make it really special with some once in a lifetime experiences. Here are 10 fantastic ideas for adventurous things to do in retirement - and we bet you could come up with even more.
10 once in a lifetime adventures:
Hike on the Camino de Santiago or some other famous trail. One of the best is the Camino de Santiago in Spain and France. You hike along a path that pilgrims of St. James have been taking for centuries and stay in inns along the way. You can hike one of its many routes or just a part of one. Or, hike a section of the Appalachian Trail, which runs from Georgia to Maine, or another famous trail in England or Ireland.
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Published on April 12, 2022
Comments 17
Category: Family and Retirement
April 7, 2022 - A few weeks ago I attended a concert by Ellis Delaney, a folk singer and songwriter with a lovely voice and inspiring lyrics. “You’re Royalty to Me” is one of her best songs, in my opinion. It is a tribute to her grandmother, her main source of support growing up. Ellis spoke about the great times they had together, playing cards and enjoying each other’s company, and most of all experiencing unconditional love. The song’s message gave me goosebumps, particularly from this line: “I am who I am because I was loved by a queen”. You can read the beautiful lyrics to the song here.
Wow, that song seemed like a direct message about our potential as grandparents. Sure, savoring the joy these kids bring to life can be pretty great. But this song is a message that grandparenting is bigger than just enjoying them. To me, it shows that if we can be a reliable source of unconditional love and support, we might make a difference in their lives, just like Ellis’s grandma did. That extends to supporting the parents, who face incredible pressures in trying to raise children in this age, even before Covid.
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Published on April 6, 2022
Comments 6
Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
April 3, 2022 — For many people entering retirement, the holy grail is to find a state where their hard earned money won’t get taxed. When it comes to the 8 states that have no income tax, that's easy: nothing will be taxed at the state level: not Social Security, pensions from any source, distributions from 401(k)s and IRAs, or interest, dividends, and capital gains.
But of the remaining 43 states and District of Columbia, a complex patchwork exists. Each state seems to have a unique approach to taxation, levying taxes on some of these items completely or partially, while exempting others. Finding out which states tax what can be confusing, made more difficult because every retiree brings a different package of earning sources to the party. Because the states frequently change what is taxed and what is exempt, it is best to check state websites and or your accountant before basing any decision on this information, which should be used as a survey rather than a definitive guide.
8 states with no income tax
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Published on April 2, 2022
Comments 16
Category: Medicare
March 26, 2022 -- Signing up for Medicare presents a lot of anxiety for most people. When do you have to apply, how do you do that, what does it cost, what is covered, and what's with all those different parts (Parts A, B, C, D, and more)? But one of the most vexing questions comes for people who hit age 65 and are still employed. What happens if they have health insurance from either their job or a spouse's employer? We will try to explain how to negotiate these questions in this article.
The easiest way to explain it is by looking at coverage by the various Medicare Parts.
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Published on March 26, 2022
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Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
March 23, 2022 - A worrying study by the University of Michigan’s Retirement and Disability Research Center found that many workers tend to overestimate how much they will receive in Social Security retirement benefits. That is concerning because that overconfidence has a negative impact on how much people save getting ready for retirement. About half of the survey takers noted that they wished they had done a better job of planning. Note that about half of Social Security recipients rely on it for at least half of their income. The average Social Security retirement benefit in 2022 is $1658 monthly. The maximum is $4194 (for someone who takes it at age 70).
Among the findings in the study:
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Published on March 22, 2022
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Category: Active adult communities
March 21, 2022 - A while back we heard from one of our Members, Debby, who asked about apartment living. She wondered why we don’t ever write anything for people who want to retire in an apartment. She has always lived in that type of housing, and being a single senior, doesn't want a house now either.
In particular she would love "a senior community of apartments that is gated and has washer/dryers in the apartment, plus an attached garage. She is not particularly interested in other amenities that she won't ever use. She lives in Scottsdale, AZ now, but apartment prices have gone up so much!"
Not alone
We are sure that Debby is not alone in seeking apartment life. Although we assume she is interested in rentals, many other apartments are owned as condos. The good news is that there are many communities that provide apartments suitable for baby boomers. Using Advanced Search for Communities at Topretirements, we came up with almost 1,000 apartment communities across the U.S. in our database. That list can be made more selective by choosing parameters like expense (if we delete higher cost the list goes down to 775). Other amenities might include covered garages, swimming pools, fitness centers etc. Using a state parameter narrows it even further; e.g., choosing only Arizona results in a list of 43 (we will explore some of those choices later in this article).
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Published on March 21, 2022
Comments 17
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
Updated in June, 2025 (originally 2022) -- Everybody looking for a place to retire has a list of must-haves. With the arrival of summer upon us, today we explore possibilities for a hypothetical couple that has the three priorities listed in our headline - sandy beaches, lots of culture, and hassle-free biking. They also have a fourth consideration, having a nearby airport with good connections. Both people in this couple had average working careers, and now collect the average (2025) Social Security benefit of about $3,000 each month combined. Adding income from their retirement savings, they have a combined income of just over $5,000 per month.
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Published on March 14, 2022
Comments 12
Category: Active adult communities
March 10, 2022 – In a move that is sure to be controversial, a softball commissioner at the Del Webb Village at Deaton Creek has banned Linda Evans, a female, from participating on a men’s softball team at that community. Ms. Evans, 70 years young, is an experienced player, whose…
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Published on March 10, 2022
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