Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
Editor's note: This is a 2 part article. Part 1 discusses two popular Best and Worst Places to Retire lists. Part 2 explores best retirement states from multiple perspectives - taxation, cost of living, culture, climate, cost of living, property taxes, etc.
May 9, 2017 -- To paraphrase something from the news - "Who knew finding the best state for retirement was so complicated?" Eager to attract baby boomer readers for their advertisers, the publishers of these lists sometimes do it "scientifically", using data to back up their picks, and sometimes whimsically, using 20-something writers for whom retirement conjures up geezers in rocking chairs and old folks homes. The results from these "Best" lists are so all over the place that is
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Published on May 9, 2017
Comments 42
Category: Active adult communities
May 2, 2017 -- If you live in an established 55+ community or an active adult community there is a Homeowners Association (often called Community Associations) in charge. While often maligned, these boards are necessary - somebody has to run the place. Boards need interested and capable people to fulfill that responsibility - and maybe that person is you. This article is based on an association board member orientation provided by David Rogel, Chair of Community Association Litigation for the Miami law firm Becker & Poliakoff (www.bplegal.com). He is the General Counsel for over 200 community associations. Our hope is that our notes of his presentation will help you understand how you and your association can avoid legal trouble, and provide a positive experience for your fellow residents. Note that this article was based on notes taken along with a few minor additions made by your editor; we apologize for any errors we might have introduced.
Fiduciary Duty
If you a board member of an HOA the first thing you need to know is that you have a fiduciary duty to the Association and its members (residents). That means that you have a legal and ethical relationship of trust to the organization and its members. You are in essence responsible for their money and assets, and you must hold their interests above your own.
Avoiding problems
One of the easiest ways for an association to find itself in a lawsuit is to make important decisions with no clear trail as to how it arrived at them. Attorney Rogel covered a number of potential problem areas along with the steps associations can take to avoid them. He pointed out that your underlying condo/association documents control most activities in your association. As a board member you must read and follow those.
Meetings/meetings/meetings
- Proper notice needs to be given of meetings so
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Published on May 2, 2017
Comments 9
Category: Home and Garden
Aging-in-Place Remodeling, Minor Modifications Gaining Popularity, According to NAHB Survey
-- May 1 -The past five years have seen increases in the number of remodelers engaged in aging-in-place home modifications and home owner awareness of these types of remodeling projects, according to a survey by NAHB Remodelers, the remodeling arm of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Released today as a kick off to National Home Remodeling Month, it also revealed that simple and less costly modifications are
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Published on May 1, 2017
Comments 7
Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
By Robert Jones
April 25, 2017 — The good news about retirement is that it can be as much about beginnings as endings. While retirement often means concluding an existing employment contract, increasing numbers of people are grasping the opportunities that open up once they step away from the 9-5.
Today, worldwide connectivity through the internet means that, for most of us, there’s a whole planet of potential enterprise opportunity within easy reach. And many retirees are now considering starting up a retirement business – some to find a source of additional income, others simply in pursuit of an enriching or rewarding experience.
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Published on April 24, 2017
Comments 0
Category: Travel
April 16, 2017 - Travel is one of the joys that most people look forward to in retirement. Unfortunately for many retirees, who find themselves struggling to pay their daily expenses, being able to afford a robust travel schedule is a serious problem.
Here are some practical tips to help even the most budget conscious baby boomer enjoy a lot of great travel experiences in retirement.
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Published on April 15, 2017
Comments 36
Category: Active adult communities
April 10, 2017 -- Retiring to a very large active adult community offers a unique experience to baby boomers. Developments with over 10,000 residents almost always provide an amazing variety of amenities and lifestyle options. They often have hundreds of clubs and dizzying choices for non-stop activities every day. Populated as they are with people of all kinds of backgrounds and interests, you would have to work hard NOT to make a lot of great new friends.
Exact figures are hard to come by, but we estimate that there are at least 20 active communities in the U.S. with more than 10,000 residents, and at least 10 that have more than 10,000 homes (some communities might be below that now but have plans to go over). Because of their size they feature a range of recreational and social options that smaller communities generally cannot provide. Here are some of what they typically offer:
– Wide choice of sports suitable for all ages of retirees (multiple golf courses and tennis courts, swimming pools, softball, pickleball, bocci, etc.)
– Active social program with planned events on a daily schedule
– Wide array of clubs to match many different interests. Sometimes there are hundreds of different clubs
– Planned activities to enjoy such as crafts, woodworking, arts, singing, theater, etc.
– Classes and opportunities for life-long learning on campus
– Clubhouses, community centers, ballrooms, and performance venues that bring people and talent together
– Many of these communities have restaurants, stores, medical facilities,
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Published on April 9, 2017
Comments 38
Category: Health and Wellness Issues
April 4, 2017 -- Most people including your editor would be very pleased to live to 100. That assumes of course we have most of our wits about us and are able to escape afflictions that cause a lot of pain or difficulty managing daily life. So it seems worth asking - what are the keys to living to age 100?
The number of Americans who are 100 or over is increasing rapidly. The number went from 32,000 in 1980 to 77,000 this year. We baby boomers will swell those ranks even further, starting in 2046. The absolute best advice for living to centenarian status is simple - choose your grandparents wisely!
Your editor's mother lived to 102 and was doing
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Published on April 4, 2017
Comments 12
Category: Uncategorized
April 3, 2017 — Our recent article about the Proposed Obamacare Replacement Bill generated some consternation among some of our Members. We had a few emails and comments to the Blog that wished we had remained apolitical (and some more colorful). Many more people were probably upset but did…
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Published on April 2, 2017
Comments 16
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
By Flo Williamson
Part 2 South Carolina (link to Part 1: The Carolinas Revisited - North Carolina)
April 1, 2017 -- After an interesting and enlightening visit to coastal North Carolina, we made a bee-line towards Charleston, SC. As we entered South Carolina, Route 17 took us through the Myrtle Beach area. Myrtle Beach was never on our retirement relocation radar, as it struck us as being too large, sprawling, and “touristy”. The traffic, even in February, bore that out. We passed through the small beach towns of Murrells Inlet and Pawleys Island, and stopped 35 miles south of Myrtle Beach, in Georgetown.
Georgetown, population 9,000, is a town on the Winyah Bay. It is golf cart friendly. Site of the 2nd largest seaport in SC, Georgetown is also home to an abandoned steel mill and a working paper mill that is located
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Published on April 1, 2017
Comments 75
Category: Family and Retirement
March 28, 2017 -- Golf carts are an increasingly popular way to get around. They are inexpensive, easy to park, generally environmentally friendly, and fun too. But just because they are cute doesn't mean you can't get hurt in one.
In communities like The Villages in Central Florida the golf cart is THE transportation mode of choice - with 65,000 carts in residents (1 for every 2 residents!) Many have been customized to look like a Rolls Royce or other exotic car. The Villages has 42 miles of paths which golf carts share with pedestrians and bicyclists. Peachtree City near Atlanta is another community where
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Published on March 28, 2017
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