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Retired to a lower tax state. Left Minnesota, a very high tax state (I believe only trails CA, NY, and MA), a state that even taxes SS. Moved to a state with no state income tax and closer to grandkids. Win-Win.
Husband hates winter weather and complained until Iagreed to leave a town in Illinois that I truly loved. I don’t know how we could’ve compromised. He was determined to go south and I knew it was a bad idea for me. Every day I regret moving. (and we can’t afford 2 homes)
1.) Tired of winter - wanted Mediterranean climate.
2.) Tired of urban/suburban life - moved to a semi-rural part of the state.
3.) Closer to family and life-long friends
4.) TIred of tired republican policies and knowing the state would never change.
Husband hates winter weather and complained until Iagreed to leave a town in Illinois that I truly loved. I don’t know how we could’ve compromised. He was determined to go south and I knew it was a bad idea for me. Every day I regret moving. (and we can’t afford 2 homes)
My husband wants to live in a city and I want some land for a garden. It's so hard to compromise and someone has to lose.
I think it takes courage to make such a move. Kudos to those who make that transition. We will probably keep our home and get another place in warmer climes. Too much history, family, local knowledge, security for us to feel comfortable moving from entirely. The main issue for me is the winter up here. Too long and too cold.
Retired to a lower tax state. Left Minnesota, a very high tax state (I believe only trails CA, NY, and MA), a state that even taxes SS. Moved to a state with no state income tax and closer to grandkids. Win-Win.
I don't get the whole "high tax" thing. When you do the math, it often doesn't align with reality.
My plan is to retire to my coastal summer house in Massachusetts. With my retirement math, I don't get the "high tax" thing. From age 70-onwards, Social Security is going to be a large component of my income. Massacusetts doesn't tax Social Security. There's a 5.05% flat income tax on everything else. I won't have much of a state income tax bill. The state has Proposition 2 1/2 that amended the state constitution in the 1970s. Property taxes are reasonable. I picked a $10 per thousand valuation mill rate town with moderate housing costs. My property tax bill isn't particularly burdensome. There's a 6.25% sales tax but food and clothing aren't taxed.
Massachusetts is high tax only if you live in an affluent town near Boston where your house is worth $1 million+. Those towns tend to have a $12.00 to $15.00 mill rate so you're looking at a big property tax bill. Once you're outside reasonable commuting distance to the high wage metro Boston jobs, housing prices drop considerably and Prop 2 1/2 keeps your taxes low.
With the modest taxes I expect to be paying, I'm getting bluest of blue state services. I'm a mile from the town senior center with social workers and community nursing. I can hop on commuter rail to Boston. I just paid the mooring and town waterways fee for my boat. $148.00. I belong to a private beach but I have several town and state beaches I can use. The local health care is pretty good. At the other end of that commuter rail line in Boston, I have world class health care.
If you don't like where you live, by all means move. I like where I live and I don't have a particularly high tax burden in a state that has a reputation for having a big tax burden.
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