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It seems that at least 90% of the discussion on this retirement forum is about money with maybe another 10% of the discussion involves healthcare - and that usually degenerates into a lament about healthcare costs.
I still have plenty to learn about managing my finances as I transition into retirement, but there has to be more in life. It seems to me that retirement involves a major change in lifestyle and we should be examining the possibilities. I really don't understand why those issues are so infrequently discussed. Are they just too personal for the internet? It seems that we are all anonymous and should be able to examine any issue.
For me the lifestyle changes are moving to the top of the list in importance. The house is under contract and as soon as we hear about the buyers loan approval, I can give a 4 week notice. I will soon be leaving years and years of a stressful job with another 40+ hours/month of commuting. I will be leaving 20 years in the same house. I will be leaving the area --- and that cute, 10 month old grandson. I will be starting over with a new life and trying to understand how to retain some of the old attachments. Sure money is involved. I am moving largely because I cannot afford to live on Long Island. I would rather not dwell on that. I would rather hear about how others have made the transition to retirement with major changes in lifestyle, location, friends, and new activities and advertures.
It seems that at least 90% of the discussion on this retirement forum is about money with maybe another 10% of the discussion involves healthcare - and that usually degenerates into a lament about healthcare costs.
I still have plenty to learn about managing my finances as I transition into retirement, but there has to be more in life. It seems to me that retirement involves a major change in lifestyle and we should be examining the possibilities. I really don't understand why those issues are so infrequently discussed. Are they just too personal for the internet? It seems that we are all anonymous and should be able to examine any issue.
For me the lifestyle changes are moving to the top of the list in importance. The house is under contract and as soon as we hear about the buyers loan approval, I can give a 4 week notice. I will soon be leaving years and years of a stressful job with another 40+ hours/month of commuting. I will be leaving 20 years in the same house. I will be leaving the area --- and that cute, 10 month old grandson. I will be starting over with a new life and trying to understand how to retain some of the old attachments. Sure money is involved. I am moving largely because I cannot afford to live on Long Island. I would rather not dwell on that. I would rather hear about how others have made the transition to retirement with major changes in lifestyle, location, friends, and new activities and advertures.
It may be missing that grandson that will be the big downer that makes you wonder why. We did all you did but we were moving to a grand child who was born a year after we transplanted. It is awesome.
It seems that at least 90% of the discussion on this retirement forum is about money with maybe another 10% of the discussion involves healthcare - and that usually degenerates into a lament about healthcare costs.
I still have plenty to learn about managing my finances as I transition into retirement, but there has to be more in life. It seems to me that retirement involves a major change in lifestyle and we should be examining the possibilities. I really don't understand why those issues are so infrequently discussed. Are they just too personal for the internet? It seems that we are all anonymous and should be able to examine any issue.
For me the lifestyle changes are moving to the top of the list in importance. The house is under contract and as soon as we hear about the buyers loan approval, I can give a 4 week notice. I will soon be leaving years and years of a stressful job with another 40+ hours/month of commuting. I will be leaving 20 years in the same house. I will be leaving the area --- and that cute, 10 month old grandson. I will be starting over with a new life and trying to understand how to retain some of the old attachments. Sure money is involved. I am moving largely because I cannot afford to live on Long Island. I would rather not dwell on that. I would rather hear about how others have made the transition to retirement with major changes in lifestyle, location, friends, and new activities and advertures.
Like you, we decided we couldn't comfortably afford California's cost of living in retirement. At the very least, we'd be house poor. So we packed up and moved 2,000 miles away, bought a home on a lake and settled-in.
That was the easy part. The more difficult one was leaving a combined five children and six grandchildren behind in CA. Thankfully, two other children and two more grandchildren (with a third visiting from yet a third state) moved just a few states away (700 miles) so we see them periodically and can fly back to CA from time-to-time to visit. Of course, there's nothing stopping them from visiting us, either.
We chose our retirement destination carefully based upon a great deal of research as well as past experience living near or in somewhat similar locales as where we ended up. As a result we didn't undergo any culture shock while we were able to maximize our retirement incomes. In the end, while family is certainly important to us, we weren't ready to let it rule our lives or limit our possibilities. It all comes down to very personal choice and we're content!
Bouncing the grandkid on my knee is way more fun than I thought, but there needs to be more, much more. I envision the grandkid later in life looking back and remembering grandparents who had a sense of adventure and accomplished things in their retirement years.
I look at my retirement as similar to high school kids going off to college. They will face big changes and challenges. They will become homesick and wish they could return to their childhood years. But the changes and growth are necessary and important. Later on there will be additional moves, career changes, marriages, etc.
By comparison to the past, moving in retirement is not as traumatic as many of the past changes in my life. Now I also seem to have more choices. So aside from visiting the grandkid what are you doing, planning and dreaming of experiencing? What new places, people and activities are becoming a part of your life? What are you going to do with your remaining years?
Travel. It has always been our goal and still is. A long (30 days or more) trip to Europe is at the top of the list and we will probably do that before we move anywhere. No children and little family so those ties have never been there. We are now strongly considering an active over 55 community. We were up in the air about it until we visited Sun city Anthem in Henderson, NV. The number of opportunities for meeting others and enjoying those things we have always done is wonderful. Cards, ceramics, woodworking needlepoint, exercise, swimming, theater, etc. LV has an airport that will get us pretty much anywhere so that works for the travel side. We enjoy gambling on occasion, so LV would be a good fit. In the short period we were there we met many very nice people.
So now Las Vegas (Henderson) is on our radar for retirement. Lack of green and summer heat are our two biggest concerns.
So now Las Vegas (Henderson) is on our radar for retirement. Lack of green and summer heat are our two biggest concerns.
Glad to hear that you're considering Vegas. As for your concern with the lack of greenery, there is plenty here if you know where to look. The newer areas of Vegas & Henderson, such as Anthem, all have desert landscaping, but some of the older communities have grass, man-made lakes, and mature trees and other greenery. Spanish Trail, where I live, is one such community. Here is a short video on the Springs community within the Spanish Trail development on the west side of Las Vegas:
These are just a couple of areas where you can find all the greenery you could want. As you may recall, my house for example, is surrounded by pine and palm trees.
jrkliny, thank you for this topic. I was thinking the same thing about this forum yesterday.
After I retired, I stayed in the same place while I decided what I really wanted to do. Instead of getting up and going to work every weekday, I started taking walks in the morning. It was such a great feeling to know that I was walking along the waterfront while my former colleagues were sitting in their cubicles, attending stressful meetings, and enduring a reorg! I loved discovering that instead of running errands and doing laundry on the weekend, I could take care of these chores on weekdays. I loved having more time to do what I enjoy.
Finally, after much thought, I began wanting a drastic change. I wasn't bored, but I felt I was in a rut and needed to be shaken up. I decided to move back to the midwest where I'm from and where I have family. Last summer I bought a home and moved out of my San Francisco apartment. I won't take up space going into detail, but I soon realized that I'm a fish out of water here. This move was *too* drastic a change. So I'm making plans to do yet another interstate move, this time to the Pacific Northwest, to a place I had considered early on but rejected as not being a sharp enough change from SF.
I had a good, satisfying career. I don't regret quitting when I did, although there are a couple of things that can't be replaced in retirement. For example, I miss the ego satisfaction of competing with smart younger colleagues. I wouldn't want to go back to work -- in fact, I sometimes have nightmares that I'm starting a new job. Overall I'm very happy in retirement.
Thanks, MMOB it's appreciated and I will share this with Mrs. Tek. BTW we forgot to ask you about summer there. As a recent transplant from a clime similar to ours what was it like for you?
I would strongly suggest renting if you are moving to a place you've never been to before.
Give yourself a year to see if "it fits". Don't trap yourself by buying a home too early on.
Use that time to explore and get acquainted with the area.
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