Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Choosing a Place to Retire

Choosing a Place to Retire

Placement is one of the most important things when retiring. Distance from family, neighborhood, finances, etc. all come into play when considering your retirement location.

When house hunting for the best place to retire, don't worry about finding your dream home right away. You can always trade up later. If you have benefited from the real estate boom in your first home, you can easily put your equity to work in a second place to retire. Or you can trade down to a smaller home.

Looking for the best place to retire means the best place for you. When contemplating retirement locations, consider factors like taxes, median home price, the local night life, sports teams, golf courses, culture, educational opportunities, crime rates and the overall environment.
Also, keep in mind the distance from friends and family. If you have new grandchildren, you may not want to move clear across the country. Remember, unlike some professional athletes, you're only going to retire once. So make the best choices the first time.

Your search for the best place to retire might include a factor your parents never considered: work. A recent study found that 70 percent of those 45 and older plan to continue working in their "retirement" years, another survey found that the number may be as high as 80 percent. Surprisingly, the pure enjoyment of work or a desire to try something new are significant considerations for choosing retirement locations.

One interesting trend among people looking for the best place to retire is to choose retirement places with appealing cultural and recreational lifestyles, then looking for ways to earn a living there. Some who make this jump end up telecommuting, starting a small business, or working part-time.

The best place to retire for you might be a college town. Many of those wondering where to retire were in college from the middle 1960s into the early '70s and so a college or university areas can be good retirement places. In addition, universities generate jobs and lend a youthful vibe. And they often come with arts centers, medical facilities, and good restaurants.

Philip Jubb

http://www.oldagepensioners.com/dware/
http://www.philipjubb.com/ip/

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