Category: Snowbirds
June 15, 2022 -- One of the most frequent questions we get from Members is how to find a snowbird rental for the winter as a snowbird. Their questions usually center on where to go, and how to find a good one. In this article we will share some basic steps on how to get started. Best of all, we will highlight some of the most interesting and useful Comments from our Members on this topic.
Two Keys to SuccessThe keys to success in finding a good snowbird rental are quite simple: get started early, and use every option you can think of. One strategy that rarely yields good results is hoping to luck into something at the last minute.
How to Find a Snowbird Rental - Many Advantages
There are many advantages to finding a snowbird rental in a warm place for some or all of the winter. There is the obvious one: it gets you out of the frozen Midwest, icy Northeast, or the dark/dreary/wet Pacific Northwest for a pleasant interlude in the sun. Another big advantage of snowbird rentals is that they give you a chance to see and experience different parts of the country with very little risk or expense. If you ever decide to purchase a place either as a snowbird or for year-round living, you will be a much more educated buyer. Yet another advantage: it provides an opportunity to be visit friends and family without overstaying your welcome.
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Published on June 14, 2022
Comments 5
Category: Active adult communities
June 8, 2022 — It is fascinating to see which of the thousands of 55 plus and active communities reviewed at Topretirements attract the most attention from our Members and visitors. After examining site visit data from the first 5 months of 2022, here are the 15 most popular communities…
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Published on June 8, 2022
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Category: Social Security
June 6, 2022 — Social Security Trust Funds are now projected to last one year longer, as outlined in the latest Trustees Report. High employment rates and lower disability claims, it seems, have increased contributions to the retirement fund (OASI). Thanks to those, instead of the…
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Published on June 6, 2022
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Category: Retirement Planning
June 4, 2022 – Five years ago we opined about the 10 things we think we learned after ten years of being retired. We took another look at that article, and it all still makes sense. But we couldn’t resist adding three more that hadn’t occurred the first time. Here…
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Published on June 3, 2022
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Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
May 31, 2022 -- Many of America's most hated companies are the cable, internet and telephone giants - Comcast/Xfinity, Century Link, Sprint, etc. People dread calling these behemoths for customer service, because they know they will get into a never-ending telephone tree that make it very difficult to speak to a human being. They also don't like the bills that come along with telephone, cable and internet service. The bill starts out looking reasonable, but after you add in the modem and cable box rental fees, broadcast and sports fees, and 6 different kinds of taxes, the total tab can easily approach $300/monthly. Adding more sports packages and HBO can send it north of that. And of course, every year the bill goes up. For retirees on a budget, these bills can become just too much.
After talking with friends your editor decided to cut the cord - or at least 2 of the cords - home phone and cable. Here is how he did it.
Alternative to cable TV
There are several good alternatives to cable TV.
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Published on May 30, 2022
Comments 14
Category: Adventurous retirement
May 26, 2022 -- Sooner or later the "what are you going to do" question comes up in conversations about retirement. For a whole lot of people their answer is: "Maybe we'll take a river cruise". Then the big question is where? There are so many great possibilities. For sake of conversation, here are 10 of the best ideas for river cruises, and we would love to hear Member suggestions as well. We will publish another article on other types of cruises in the future.
What kind of river trip?
For the purposes of this article we are breaking these cruises into 4 categories: American, European, International, and Adventure. In addition to where you take your river trip, you also need to decide what company will take you down that river, and in what kind of style. There are a number of companies that offer river cruises for a host of different budgets and tastes, so you don't have to stick with the brand names you might have heard about. Talking with friends and your travel agent is a good way to find the one best suited to your needs and budget. We will list some of those operators under each category, but if you search the Internet you will be pleased with how many options there are.
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Published on May 25, 2022
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
May 17, 2022 — People pick places to retire for a lot of reasons. How pretty it is, closeness to family, climate, low taxes, having a college, access to recreation or the wilderness, etc. But another really excellent reason is finding one that offers the amenities that match your lifestyle…
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Published on May 17, 2022
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Category: Retirement Real Estate
May 10, 2022 — People living in a retirement face a new and growing problem – short term renters. While the problem is more acute in resort communities, it can occur almost anywhere. Imagine living in a peaceful community where you know your neighbors on a first name basis. Then…
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Published on May 10, 2022
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
May 3, 2022 — You’ve worked hard to earn your retirement. So why not retire to a place where you are likely to be welcomed with open arms. To help with that we published a list of “10 Very Friendly Places to Retire” back in 2016, and it generated…
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Published on May 2, 2022
Comments 5
Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
April 27, 2022 — Of all the current demographic generations, Gen X is the one most worried about its retirement, according to a research study from the SOA Research Institute. They are the folks born between 1965 and 1980, and are the next demographic group to…
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Published on April 25, 2022
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