Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Almost everything you need or want to know is at your fingertips having a computer. I've done my homework and don't mind sharing but all this information is public and online.
The town I spoke of is in NE KY, not close to the New Madrid fault, but if that one goes all bets are off. Even NY will be shaking according to some experts.
Also, regarding flooding and the Ohio River, this town has a flood wall that protects it. No flood has yet breached the wall.
Good to know. I've not researched KY, but areas around such as TN, AK, and NC, parts of SC. I have also checked out ID, CO, UT, OR, WA areas. My 2nd choice from AZ was CO, but due to the boom, property is out of my reach financially, and the prices there are climbing to live so...still researching.
If I had unlimited funds, I'd keep this place and get one somewhere else during summer.
I would think Florida would be bad state to retire in because of cost of living so high like property taxes and insurance.
Think Florida is the ideal spot to retire? There are far better, according to Bankrate. The Sunshine State came in only at the No. 17 spot on Bankrate's list of the best states for retirees, based on cost of living, quality of health care, crime, weather, and other factors. Unfortunately for sun worshippers, the states that came out on top tend to be a bit chilly.
Maine came in at #3...Give me a break, as much as I love Maine, even resided there at one time, better hold onto your purse; if your upper income, the state income taxes are high, I’m talking 7+%.
I wouldn't consider living in 4 of the top 5. Florida is not bad if you don't mind humidity (I do) and love good beaches.
For me, Arizona is tops.
It sure is tops. It's summer temps top the charts. It was so hot last summer that my friends' dog would't even go outside to go potty. New Mexico has lots of retired transplants from AZ.
I did plug in my pension, it came up with the same level of taxes as here in Maine, zero.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bgrasser
Maine came in at #3...Give me a break, as much as I love Maine, even resided there at one time, better hold onto your purse; if your upper income, the state income taxes are high, I’m talking 7+%.
We have been in Maine 14 years. We love it.
If we are talking about retirees, I am not sure how many retirees have an upper level income.
For all the bad press on New York , we actually pay very little in state and local taxes ....social security is not taxed , federal , state and city pensions are not taxed , the first 20k in private pensions is not taxed , the first 20k in retirement money is not taxed , our treasury bond interest is not taxed , we get up to a 1600 tax credit for having long term care insurance....
Real estate taxes are lower in nyc because we have a local income tax but much of that income is exempt from state and local tax
That is nearly what I pay for my 2400 sq ft house in Maine.
I did plug in my pension, it came up with the same level of taxes as here in Maine, zero.
We have been in Maine 14 years. We love it.
If we are talking about retirees, I am not sure how many retirees have an upper level income.
I pay zero taxes on my pension.
I failed to mention the folks that reside on coastal property...yikes, the RE taxes on Maine coastal properties,
well, let’s say there through the roof.
I picked South Carolina. It's tax friendly for retirees and it's about the farthest north I plan to go.
SC has a very high income tax rate that kicks in at a fairly low income. I'm not sure how it exempts typical retirement income sources, but it's brutal for working people.
I've said this before, and no one wanted to hear it. And I'm going to say it again.
While you're planning your ideal retirements, remember this:
Of the approx 10,000 people in The US who turn 65 every day, approx 50% of them are already not working due to illness/injury and the vast majority of them will never work again.
The vast majority of the other 50% of us will start to have major health problems in their 70s (early 70s). The average 70-year-old in The US today is on FIVE meds.
The vast majority of us on this Retirement topic will be dead by 80 (93% of the man before by 80, and 87% of the women before 85).
You don't want to retire in a place with long, snowy winters -- you don't want to be driving in heavy snow when you're 75. And what will you do when you can't drive anymore? Over the past few years, many states have introduced legislation (my state and some other states have done it twice) that would require anyone to take an in-car driving test every single year after age 70. Some are trying to add reaction time/reflex tests to that. The problem has been this: if the legislation passes, than the cities will be required to provide free transportation (my state/city already does) to anyone who cannot drive, and THAT is going to take A LOT of money that they really don't want to spend.
You don't want to be in a remote area. You need a place close to good medical care, grocery stores, etc.
I understand VERY WELL that for decades everyone dreams of retirement and "NOW it's MY time". In all those decades of working, we built up some pretty good fantasies. We see all the 'stuff' in the media: young-looking, happy retirees, on a cruise -- and we think, "YEAH -- that will be ME TOO." Well, it isn't. And if you don't plan for the REALITY of retirement and old age, you're going to wake up one morning at age 72 and go, "WTF! I'm in a really bad spot!"
I just happened to 'luck out'. I always knew I would get old. I just didn't know that I would lose more and more strength and stamina every year no matter how much time I spent at the gym. I didn't plan on not being able to drive (I still can -- but I may not be able to drive SAFELY for many more years). I didn't plan on suddenly getting sick and it lasting for three years. I certainly didn't plan on breaking major bones -- I did twice since I've retired, and, although both breaks were severe, one was so bad that I required a PT caregiver for two months, because I could not drive, do housework, do laundry. I know MANY retirees (mostly women but some men too) who didn't plan on rather suddenly losing a spouse -- or becoming a major FT caregiver for their spouse -- and they did -- and financially it sent most of them into a downward spin, emotionally AND financially.
I don't know about you but at age 65, I still felt young, still had energy, still felt that the world was my oyster. At 70, I'm in better health than most retirees my age, and I don't feel nearly as 'young'. I am SO grateful that I (really accidentally) moved, at retirement, to the state/city where I am now.
But, but, but -- you say -- yes, there are Super Agers. We all know some people in their 80s who are still leaping tall buildings with a single bound. However, the odds are OVERWHELMING that we won't be one of them. Again, the vast majority of men die before age 80, and the vast majority of women die before age 85 -- and the last 10 years of life can be very difficult.
When I've posted this in the past, people have accused me of being a curmudgeon who is miserable in retirement and wants everyone else to be the same way. That's BS. I am in pretty good health, I have more than enough money, and I still find life literally fascinating. I am so grateful, every single day, for my life as it is today, that I can't see straight -- and part of that gratitude comes from seeing so many of my peers who are not nearly as fortunate. However, there are realities of older age that I didn't plan for -- as I said before, I just happened to 'luck out'. If I hadn't lucked out, I could easily have been in a world of hurt in old age.
So -- listen up and pay attention -- and plan WISELY. Not according to your fantasies and your life-long hearts' desires.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
