Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
February 2, 2020 -- For Europeans and residents of the British Commonwealth, the answer to that question might be yes, it is a great choice for an expatriate retirement. The area around Cape Town at the southern end of the Continent is particularly appealing. This article, based on our recent trip to the country, will explore what it might be like to retire in South Africa, list some possible retirement towns, and provide the pros and cons of retiring here. Our visit was brief and with the viewpoint of an affluent tourist, so our impressions are not comprehensive. We welcome those with more experience to chime in in the Comments section.
South Africa has long had the most prosperous economy in Africa. Much of that wealth came from gold, diamonds, and agriculture. Business is strong as well. Since apartheid was eliminated in 1994 the economy has softened, but still strong. Some people believe the Rand, the National currency, is undervalued by as much as 60%.
Nelson Mandela, who was imprisoned for 28 years and then became South Africa's President, was the major force in overcoming the horrible oppression of apartheid (see this link for John Brady's talk about Mandela's inspiring legacy - my talk starts about 16 minutes into the service).
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Published on February 1, 2020
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Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
January 28, 2020 — Having tried to cheat you out of your money in dozens of other ways, hackers are now targeting retirement accounts. Unfortunately it can be very easy for them, and even worse than that, you might not get your money back if they steal it. With retirement…
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Published on January 27, 2020
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Category: Health and Wellness Issues
January, 2020 — One of confusing things about Medicare is that it has two different open enrollment periods. We are currently in the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, which runs from Jan. 1 through March 31. We have previously written about the Medicare Open Enrollment period and which type…
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Published on January 19, 2020
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Category: Health and Wellness Issues
January 13, 2020 -- Many thanks to the over 400 members who took the time to contribute their valuable insights to last week's "Retirement Happiness" survey, We appreciate your spirit of giving back to this community!
As promised, here is a detailed report on the survey. We've included links to hundreds of interesting Member responses to various questions - they are definitely worth reading to get a better understand happiness and retirement. At the end of the article you will find a list of reports to all our previous surveys.
BackgroundThis is the first time we have surveyed on your retirement happiness. Here are the highlights from the 18 question poll. Detailed findings the questions are listed below that.
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Published on January 12, 2020
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Category: Uncategorized
BULLETIN: Software glitch unsubscribed you from our Weekly Best Places Newsletter! We are sorry to burden you with this, but it appears that because of operator error and a badly designed interface, we accidentally UNSUBSCRIBED ALL of our weekly Best Places Newsletter subscribers! If you would like to continue…
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Published on January 9, 2020
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
January 8, 2020 — Our friend Dave Hughes, the creator of the retirement website Retirefabulously.com, has just released a helpful new book. The Quest for Retirement Utopia is designed to help you find your best place to retire. To see…
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Published on January 8, 2020
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Category: Health and Wellness Issues
January 7, 2020 — We are conducting a quick poll here on this Blog and in our Best Places Newsletter. The question is: Did you make a New Year’s Resolution this year? Please answer Yes or No in the Comments section below. And if you care to comment…
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Published on January 7, 2020
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Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
January 4, 2020 -- Who wouldn't want to wake up to a loon calling in the distance. Or the sound from the gentle lap of waves on the shore. Here are 20 great places to retire on a lake where you can do all of these things. Having the grandchildren up to enjoy some fishing or a boat ride. Not to mention the pleasure of an early morning dip in velvety lake water.
Lakes to retire on are everywhere.
The good news is that the country is filled with lakes and ponds of every size and description. Some are edged by major cities (Chicago or Madison WI), while others have bucolic towns on their shores. There are lakes where you can retire that have nothing around them except the occasional camp or cottage. By choosing just 20 lake towns in this report, it means that we have omitted dozens if not hundreds of other great candidates. We have tried to focus on lakes where it is possible to live on or near the lake, and where there is some kind of nearby town for entertainment and the necessities of life. Some of these lake towns were suggested by members.
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Published on January 4, 2020
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Category: Health and Wellness Issues
December 29, 2019 — What makes for a happy retirement… and what are the factors that drive the not so good ones? We would love to find out more about that dynamic. Plus, get a base level reading on just how happy the Topretirements Membership is. So please help us…
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Published on December 29, 2019
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Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
BULLETIN: SOFTWARE GLITCH MIGHT HAVE UNSUBSCRIBED ALL SUBSCRIBERS!
We are sorry to burden you with this, but it appears the company that sends out our newsletter might have accidentally UNSUBSCRIBED ALL of our Best Places Newsletter subscribers! If you would like to continue getting our free newsletter, please go to this signup form and resubscribe. Thanks so much!
December 28 , 2019 — Social Security is the single most important source of retirement income for most people. So it is crucial that you understand how the rules apply to your situation. Here are three important things you need to understand about how Social Security works.
1. Know when to claim
The earliest you can claim is age 62. Your Full Retirement Age (FRA) is somewhere between 66 and 67, depending on your birth year (if born before 1954 it is 66 and increases one month per year after that up to 67). Your benefit maxes out at age 70; there is no advantage in waiting past that. if you file at age 62 you will only get 75% of what you would get if you wait to your FRA. If you claim between your FRA and 70 your benefit will increase by 8% a year. You can file for your benefits online or in person.
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Published on December 28, 2019
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