What Type of Retiree Will You Be?

I was thinking about this very question this week. I never planned to retire, but have been forced into at least a temporary “retirement” by this pandemic. As of today, I fit into the category of “The Homebody”, but it is not making me happy at all. If given the choice, I would be a combination of “The Worker Bee” and “The Culture Vulture”. I am told that even once the vaccine is available to me, I will still be at high risk for at least a couple of years. So, I am in the process of rethinking what the rest of my life will be like living with the risk of Covid. Planning has now become much more difficult.

Love all these categories and jealous of the examples given in The Adventurer. I would have to put myself in the Nana group although I also fit into the Volunteer and The Professor, or the Culture Vulture, but of course everything has been put on hold this year. I think having a hobby is important especially these days and there are a lot of interesting ones out there to help keep busy.
I did take your Retirement Preparation Quiz and didn't do as well as I thought I would so that is something to work on.

We have been Keep On Truckin' Hobbyist Travelers until Covid-19 cut out the traveling. We became expert at traveling (whether foreign, cruise or US road trips totalling over 30,000 domestic miles) and feel we've learned enough to travel safely again after there are proven vaccines. Meanwhile this has been a hunker down year and we're getting through it. (BTW, has anyone heard if we will be eventually able to get multiple vaccine types for better protection?). Hunker down, get through it, be well!

I think questions 1, 4, and 5 asking what do you enjoy doing, with whom, and where were the most important for me, and realize my spouse and I just need a warmer winter climate since our joys involve being outdoors walking, cycling, golfing, gardening, and relaxing on a sunny patio. Luckily our daughter’s family feels the same and we are hoping for a mass family move as soon as the ducks align. As for the retirement types, it’s fun to have the freedom and means to morph in and out of any of them at will. Haven’t tried nomad yet, but it’s still on the table.

Daryl, I have spent 15 years traveling to more than 150 golf communities throughout the Southeast, playing their golf courses and meeting with their real estate people. I'd be happy to share with you what I have learned, which I have combined into a new book called "Glorious Back Nine: How to Find Your Dream Golf Home." The first step in any successful search is to decide on location; I encourage you to sit down with your spouse and children and narrow down your preferences to one type of area -- coastal, mountains, lake or the many areas in-between. (If you don't take that initial step, your search will be long and possibly fruitless.) Once you all pretty much agree, the next decision is whether you want/need to be near a city or would prefer the quiet and low-pollution (air and noise) of a remote location -- or a location somewhere between a city and middle of nowhere. There are, of course, tradeoffs, and if you have a pre-existing medical condition, near a city and its medical centers is probably the best call. If you have any questions about the rest of the process, please ask them here so that my responses might be of benefit to others. You mentioned that you play golf, as do I; but for those who do not, please understand that roughly half of folks who live in a golf community never pick up a golf club. They move there for the other amenities, the social life, the landscaped green space and the idea that a community with a stable and high-quality amenity like a country club solidifies their investments. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Thanks, Larry. Half of the in-laws have just this fall relocated to Murrells Inlet, SC, so the rest of us are waiting to see how they survive a summer down there. (Not to mention the political climate since we are rabid liberals with big mouths.) I liked Vero Beach, FL, and wondered if the summers are really any worse than the Lowcountry, the winters are definitely better. My daughter hates Florida and her current job might get us only as far south as Virginia Beach, so you see we have some negotiating and lots of research to do.

Daryl, I enjoy your comments - they make me chuckle. I think you are from New England and if you or anyone could comment on RI vs. MA. Thinking of eastern MA or RI for retirement in 3 years or so -- to be within an hour of the ocean. I read conflicting info as to RI having a lower cost of living yet being least tax friendly to retirees. Not sure we can afford either but if I can choose, which side of the border makes more financial sense? I miss the greenery back there and we're hoping that with global warming, the winters won't be as bad as they once were. Also looking for good health care, diverse culture. Would love a home with yard space for hub to have an art barn for painting and year round (indoor/outdoor) tennis nearby. All on a modest retiree budget. Thought about the southeast but don't think we could handle the heat, storms and politics.

Daryl, Also enjoyed your comments as I moved from Vero Beach FL 18 months ago (after living there for over 48 years) to Aiken, SC. I love Vero Beach, it is the only city in FL I would ever consider living in but unfortunately too many people have now discovered it. The big box developers with their cookie cutter homes started moving in a few years ago and the snowbird season has gotten longer every year choking the roads, restaurants, etc. 8 months out of the year. My children and grands still live there , however my daughter wants to leave FL in a few years when they retire.....however boating is very big with them..so Murrells Inlet SC is one of the places we discussed. Would be interested in knowing how your relatives are doing there. As far as summer weather here in SC compares to FL summers it is definitely hotter in SC but not as humid ...to me, anyway. The big draw for me to Aiken was the beautiful small town , winding roads, hills, mild winters, change of seasons which I missed all the years I lived in FL (having been born and raised in Westchester Cty, NY). BTW .....the “political climate” in Vero Beach is definitely not liberal.

This is an interesting article! I've been retired for 5 1/2 years and live in the Lowcountry of SC. (Daryl: It is HOT HOT HOT in the summer and the politics are hard to take for a Northeast Liberal. It is extremely beautiful and the winters are divine. The good and the bad...) Depending on how long people are lucky enough to be retired, it seems likely we will morph between at least a couple of types. I did the Nomad first (traveled the country in an RV with my 4 dogs). Now I'm a Volunteer Hobbyist Homebody but am ready for something and some place new. I'm currently researching college towns and am wondering if I can tolerate a cold winter again.

I'm a nomad adventurer living full time in my class b Roadtrek. This is not new to me having lived on boats I built myself and sailing down the rivers from MN to the Gulf and over to the Bahamas. Sailing the Great Lakes and road trips to all 50 states, across Canada, plus driving through much of Europe and the Scandinavian Countries. At 71 I've had a lot of adventures.

Bob. Was Single like you as did Sail & played Sports. Lived & worked in both United States & Canada.
Enjoyed Life; met some great people; But!!
Got transferred, in my last working day's, to Alberta overlooking Western Canada. Really, it was being put out to pasture. Ended up joining a Singles Golf Group & met a Lady. The rest is History; as I enjoy every day. It is called "STYLED" as is an Adventure....
Best.
b