To those who have been retired at least ten yrs, what % of original criteria do you still have & would you do it again. (55, beach)

[Montana Griz]

Retired at 62 (in late1993)..salary over 39 working yrs varied from apprx 30k to 60k w/ company car furnished and travel expenses covered.....traveled approx 70% of the time in western U.S., B.C. & AK.
Wife could travel w/ me during last 20 working yrs.........Loved my job....(engr/mkt'ing & p.r.) responsibilities.

Bought retirement property and built retirement home at age 48, moved cross country into it..........then continued working until age 62...........NO trust funds, no parental help (father passed at age 13), lived a modest life style ........wife worked as receptionist for 14 yrs.
Criteria for retirement location:......A Rocky Mountain State, located in a valley immeadiately adjacent to foothills. Elevation approx 3400 to 3600 feet.
Property to be rural, 12 to 16 acres, forested w/ a stream, no immeadiate neighbors, abundant wildlife, privacy & no road noise.
10 to 15 miles to local doctors, small excellent hospital & decent shopping.
Approx 45 miles to city of approx 70,000 with 2 excellent hospitals, excellent shopping, state university, etc, etc....international Air Port 52 miles away.
4 season climate, mild winters, very low humidity.
Good to excellent big game, upland bird, waterfowl hunting, stream and lake fishing any where from (10) minutes to 45 minutes away...........excellent downhill and cross-country skiing 55 minutes away.

To date ALL criteria have not been compromised,.......the extensive and detailed research over many, many months that it took to find the right location for OUR (not anybody else's) retirement desires,
all that effort resulted in being 100% satisfied in this my 25th year of retirement.

Patience, intelligent planning, extensive research over many, many months, living within one's means, hard work and common sense.............can result in a great, satisfying retirement!

[JBtwinz]

I am four years from retirement and we planned early and our location is where they will spread my ashes on the beach. We are a block from the beach on a small barrier island that has, medical, grocery stores, plenty of places to eat, all this within a few minutes.

On the other hand our location has been found out. Ten years ago this was a quiet sleepy beach town, not anymore. It is becoming very affluent with home prices rising every day as retirees are discovering us.

If we sell we could not afford to come back.....if we had waited to buy we would not have been able to afford now and certainly not in four years.

I know your question was directed at those being retired, I chimed in as while all our criteria is still the same here we could no longer afford to choose this location again.

We love it here, not quite sure where we would have lived if we had not jumped when we did though.

[V8 Vega]

I retired at 62 as soon as you can collect SS and never regretted it one second. I have hobbies to do. That was 12 years ago.

[BucFan]

I retired 2009. I've read a little about retirement and was aware of the three phases of retirement (GO GO, SLOW GO, NO GO) and realize that early on I'd be off and running and doing a lot (which I have). Now, just short of ten years into retirement, I find that I'm slowing a little (although exercising more) - but the need to "do stuff" away from home all the time is diminishing.

I was an avid golfer for 30 yrs and did golf a lot initially, but that has died down tremendously. My home borders a golf course but I'm no longer interested in going out there. I like doing other things (hobbies, exercise, travel).

The criteria (BEING AROUND GOLF) is no longer important.

Guess the only recommendation is if you have a passion and buy a home related to that passion - (ie needing to be near water for sailing, fishing; being near mountains for skiing) - you might change during retirement and find other passions. Just a word of caution about that sort of thing.

[brightdoglover]

Just two months in for me. I am moving to mountain Colorado for the fresh air, stars and beauty. An hour from one of the world's major ski areas (Telluride) and I don't ski, don't smoke weed, and barely drink craft beer. I am going for the environment and don't expect that pleasure to change. It is getting gentrified and I am part of that, apparently, but the lack of work, zoning and very progressive area managers will probably prevent my town from becoming a jam-packed resort town. If anything, it has become less religious and more liberal (not that it was that different before) and that suits my mind. I wouldn't want to barge in and be one of few transplants.

I do see myself doing less horseback riding with age. It's really not an old-age plan! It does appear that people leave the town for health reasons when more frail. They seem to either move downhill to a bigger town with a hospital or "go back" wherever they transplanted from or near family (neither of which are an option to me).

If I leave, it'll depend on why I leave- frailty? Unable to drive? Where I go would depend on why I leave, but I do keep a CCRC in the back of my mind in financial planning.

As I've said before, if I hadn't discovered this town years ago when vacationing, I probably would have stayed in my dream house outside Boston and looked for a way to escape the sticky summers. I could afford to stay, just don't feel inspired by doing so. Too bad my dream life isn't here- I've left three times for dreams and flopped back three times. (Work being the primary issue each time). Retirement in good health is the time for dream plans if one can. Heavens, for me not working is a dream come true.

[StealthRabbit]

12 yrs into my 3rd retirement (hope to live to SS age)

Next time.... not gonna plan any great aspirations, as there is plenty of fun to be had and things to do. And... your life, friends, relationships, and interests change (as do abilities).

Retire ASAP, make the best of it.

I envy my friends who had most their retirement “to do list” done before they retired!

House built, cleaned, roofed, painted, or sold.
Cars fixed or replaced
Retirement cabin all built and ready to move in!

1m + miles accumulated for free travel.
All credit cards issued
No more loans to get
Everything on auto-pay and auto maintenance.

This stuff is much easier to fit in while you are still on the clock.
When you are off the clock, there is little time available for ‘burning daylight’.

[mateo45]

Retired at 60, 72 now, and after discovering I had throat cancer on the very week I retired (and since recovered), have finally understood the wisdom of the old yiddish saying, "if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans!"

[alpineprince]

Retired 31 years ago at 34, 15 years in I moved to Peru, got remarried and had two Son's age 3 & 12.
Found my perfect retirement spot!

At 67 we will move to the USA (for at least) five years, so that my non US spouse will collect my SS survivor benefits.

By 80, when my youngest is launched we will probably move again, most likely back to Peru!

[jaminhealth]

I retired totally at 65 and I'm 80 this year and pretty meager senior income. I'm fortunate to live in a rent control small apt and love it...don't own much of great value and got rid of car this year...due to knee issue stuff. I'm fine and don't need much to make me happy...good health, good food and good friends and family and not much left there. I planned some and it's all worked out for me and want it to continue. And I don't spend my savings or SS on tech toys.

[matisse12]

Originally Posted by JBtwinz

I am four years from retirement and we planned early and our location is where they will spread my ashes on the beach. We are a block from the beach on a small barrier island that has, medical, grocery stores, plenty of places to eat, all this within a few minutes.

Just wondering if you worry about severe hurricanes - or have had to evacuate from the island due to hurricanes.....