Where should I spend my "Golden" years?
Since this forum has plenty of educated and opinionated people.....I'm curious what you'd advise.
If you think I should stay in the US, which state should be my primary residence? If you think I could find a better life in another country, where would that be?
P.S. it's a loaded question
I don't know if this is a trick question, but assuming it isn't: what do you want in retirement? You should be looking for the cheapest place to live that will give you access to everything you want. Consider weather, population density, access to services, proximity to family, etc. Depending on how much you have saved and how much longer you expect to live, you may need to make sacrifices on some fronts. You'll also need to make plans in the event that you eventually become incapable of taking care of yourself. Also consider how aggressively you want to extend your own life in the event of medical conditions, since that may require setting aside money for that.
Yeah, it's kind of a trick question. I want everything.
What is it you are looking for? Kind of hard to answer without knowing your criteria other than being able to travel/visit your family inexpensively (this implies you really want to stay in the US) and not the South.
We're stuck in a bloody snowglobe.
Again, it's a loaded question.
For example, southern states may lure me with low housing costs, but don't reflect the price of hurricanes, or flooding. Midwestern states like to pose as "affordable" living until the next tornado flattens entire communities. West coast states have lots of perks, until years of drought challenge their existence.
I think that without more data into what it is you want this is an impossible question.
I mean, I (or anyone else) can tell you about stereotypes of regions, but those are fairly obvious.
For what it's worth, I don't think Georgia is a good choice - climate and politics are both pretty dreadful.
We're stuck in a bloody snowglobe.
There's no right answer it depends upon what you personally want.
Given everything you've written here I'd have thought what's most important to you is being close to your family and friends.
Originally Posted by Ominous Gamer
I'm a little curious about the political aspect. Is it about protest or about intellectual/emotional discomfort or are there also important political differences in matters that affect you directly as a person?
I don't know if your life would be better in another country unless your kids move abroad as well. Are there any countries in particular you feel may suit you?
"One day, we shall die. All the other days, we shall live."
Its not a simple question of saying "I want to live in another country", depending upon what country you're talking about you would most likely as an American need a visa to do so overseas.
I think Canada accepts American retirees so that's a possibility so long as you can self-fund but for most other countries you'd need to get a visa and that's more complicated that simply deciding to do so and booking it.
Not really. My family is quite small, and there's no "extended family" to consider. My friend circle (or "BFF") is also very small. The most important relationships aren't based on physical proximity....
I'm just weighing all my options....including tax implications. I don't intend to spend the last years of my life making a "political statement", or personal protest, if that's what you meant?
But I'll admit there's a "political" aspect to my question. One that I (and my children) have a hard time answering, because it encompasses so many things....and depends on so many public policies that are up for grab.
If anything is true it's that I have the "luxury" of asking the question.....
There is no way any of us can give you meaningful input without more information.
But I am curious - are you actually unhappy where you are, or just considering other options?
We're stuck in a bloody snowglobe.
I'm not unhappy where I am....but the property taxes are becoming prohibitive. When I look at other places, it's clear that taxes are part of the potion. But I don't want to be a "snow bird". And I don't want to declare one home as my "residence" simply because it has lower taxes.
If your only issue is the property tax, why not simply move to a neighboring town with lower property taxes?
Hope is the denial of reality
Because those lower property taxes wouldn't mean a better quality of life. In fact, it might mean less funds for things like public water/sewer, or sidewalks....or public schools.
What do property taxes where you are go to? This is curiosity unrelated to your dilemma
In my county there is an exemption for people over 65 - and our property taxes make up a large portion of school funding. The exemption makes my county popular with retirees, though, so you can see where things go from there.
We're stuck in a bloody snowglobe.
No, I don't see where you're going.What do property taxes where you are go to? This is curiosity unrelated to your dilemma
In my county there is an exemption for people over 65 - and our property taxes make up a large portion of school funding. The exemption makes my county popular with retirees, though, so you can see where things go from there.
I could not claim a 65 or older exemption, I'm not that old. I couldn't claim ANY exemption using my childrens' ages, even though they're both over 18 yrs.
Last edited by GGT; 06-07-2015 at 05:32 AM.
Prioritize. It's what all people do.
Hope is the denial of reality
You make it sound so easy, Loki. If it's so easy to "prioritize"...then why are financial advisors and loan originators making so much money at the expense of everyone else?
And why have politicians been asked to explain their policies?
Unless you're filthy rich, you should be competent enough to make the decision yourself. There aren't that many moving parts. Figure out what your priorities are, and then decide how each reasonable option can help you maximize them. It's not rocket science. If you like everything except for property taxes, look for nearby towns with lower property taxes and reasonable levels of service. And many of those services (i.e. quality of public schools) shouldn't be relevant towards your decision.
Hope is the denial of reality
I'm not filthy rich, but the choices are still pretty hard. No, it's not "rocket science"....but the choices are still hard. If you can't "advise" me as you would your own parent, and can't put yourself in the dilemma, then maybe you shouldn't post at all?
I don't know that quality of public schools shouldn't be an issue even for someone without children still enrolled in them. It's part of my issue with property taxes here, even. Quality public education benefits everyone.
The problem is that you left this extremely vague. There's no realistic chance of making applicable suggestions.
We're stuck in a bloody snowglobe.
Unless you're willing to state your priorities I fail to see how you expect anyone to advise you further.
So, what we're looking for is a smallish town or city in the US with low property taxes but a reasonably well functioning society, and preferably with good connections to major hubs, airports etc.
"One day, we shall die. All the other days, we shall live."
Are apartments at all exempt from property taxes?
"One day, we shall die. All the other days, we shall live."
https://www.google.se/search?q=town+...CYGuswHF6YLoDw
Interesting... there are other important taxes to consider besides property taxes: http://money.usnews.com/money/retire...aces-to-retire
What portion of your retirement income would have to go towards paying each kind of tax? From the looks of it, you'd at least want to find a state with low (or no) taxes on your retirement income. Some of these should have low property taxes (like Delaware). Sales tax can be high in those states, but perhaps you can compensate for That in each of these states there should be at least one town that isn't completely fucked up.
Last edited by Aimless; 06-07-2015 at 11:58 AM.
"One day, we shall die. All the other days, we shall live."
Lots of things benefit everyone. But when you're making an important choice, you have to limit the variables to things that benefit you more than most.
Hope is the denial of reality
The renter usually doesn't pay property taxes directly, but the landlord will build it into the rent. I haven't heard of anyone exempting condos from property taxes either, and they usually have additional fees for living there.
Move to Cyprus. And why would you care about good public schools? Have any plans of having some more children with a random stranger?
Congratulations America
Bingo!
In my golden years, I won't need to buy a house based on the K-12 school district, or even state college/university gravitas. I can find low cost of living places.....but at what price?
In a way, I envy people who make their life choices based on family, or proximity to family, and/or extended family.
Proximity is relative. What's much more important is easy access to facilities like airports, high speed rail connections and in the long run even public transport. In a year or 2 traveling from my house in Istanbul to Ankara isn't going to cost me much more time by train than visiting one of the further out suburbs.
Congratulations America
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
