Surprising artcle negative about paradise

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by McFrostyJ

I finally had time to read the article and I am wondering, why are people who are retired still paying rent or a mortgage payment? Seems like really poor planning to me!

Or just poor luck. Some people, no matter how carefully they plan, wind up facing retirement without a lot of savings for a variety of reasons... a business failure, for example, or a bad divorce. And then there's the #1 cause for personal bankruptcy in the country... a debilitating injury or illness.

[OKfine]

Opinions may vary..
Hawaii ranked top state for retirement by MoneyRates.com - Hawaii News - Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Star Advertiser March 16, 2013 article :

Hawaii was rated the best state for retirement in a study done MoneyRates.com,
a financial information website.
The study looked at factors influencing the quality of retirement, such as cost of living, property taxes,
violent crime rates, property tax rates, climate and life expectancy for seniors.
Rounding out the top five states after Hawaii in order were Idaho, Utah, Arizona
and Virginia. The bottom-ranked state was Michigan, followed by Pennsylvania, Alaska,
Illinois and Massachusetts. Hawaii took the top spot overall on the strength of a
No. 1 ranking for senior life expectancyand a No. 2 ranking for climate, along with
above-average scores in most other categories, according to the study.

Continuing Care: ( separate links not in Star article))
Continuing Care Retirement Communities in Honolulu, HI | Best Honolulu Continuing Care Retirement Communities
A CaringScore can range from 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and provides a quick way to compare cities, counties, and even specific zip codes. With a CaringScore of 5.4 out of 10, Honolulu is on par with
the national average for those seeking continuing care retirement communities.
(Above link has charts explaining factors for the rating)

Nursing homes :
Nursing Homes in Honolulu, HI | Best Honolulu Nursing Homes
With a CostScore of 2.2 out of 10, , the costs associated with nursing homes in Honolulu
are generally more expensive than the national average.
The average monthly cost for nursing homes in Honolulu is $8,882 , which is 51.3 percent more expensive than the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Honolulu
indexes at 94.0 percent higher
than the national average. Average healthcare costs are 22.0 percent more
expensive than the national average, and the cost of housing is 245.0 percent more expensive than average.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by OKfine

Hawaii took the top spot overall on the strength of a
No. 1 ranking for senior life expectancy and a No. 2 ranking for climate, along with
above-average scores in most other categories, according to the study.

Hmmm, wouldn't life expetancy be mostly be skewed by the asian population already living here?

And who the heck took #1 in climate over Hawaii???

[celcius]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

Hmmm, wouldn't life expetancy be mostly be skewed by the asian population already living here?

And who the heck took #1 in climate over Hawaii???

I wonder that too. According to this page, they base their climate rankings on "which states had the least monthly variations from a moderate 68 degree temperature." It's possible California could edge out ahead there but that's really splitting hairs. And if you want to factor air quality, Hawaii would win hands down.

[hunterseat]

My neighbors are in their 80's. He's haole (did I spell that right? I just learned to pronounce it! ) She's native Hawaiian, I believe. They are lovely people. His kids are beside themselves to get them to move to the DC area. They moved once and are now back, happily enjoying hula and ukulele groups weekly. It seems almost cruel to force them to move. They are doing fine.

I agree about the climate. What could be better than this? CA has so much smog... maybe the vog weighs in?

I'll have military, federal and POSSIBLY social security pensiion when I retire. My other half, who has been self-employed forever will build our home and between the two of us we will eventally be debt free but not if we stay in HI. (although he dreams of buying a lot and building here - I'm thinking a tear-down - nother thread) Texas is calling me....

[whtviper1]

I could make a case for San Diego as a better climate - not everyone likes hot weather and San Diego is humidity free and a bit more mild than Hawaii. You can also golf in the morning and do a day trip to go skiing in the afternoon from San Diego.

[OKfine]

People tell me that Cebu, Phillippines is somewhat like Hawaii, but on a retirement income as it is so cheap, less than 45 to a dollar exchange rate, and almost all o/a costs at $ 1000 month, including a maid. Larger family, more. Limited research so far, does show a nice life style, but as anywhere, choices dictate costs. Less need for a car, and, beaches galore. Cebu island area is protected all around from direct weather storm approaches. However, distance is an issue as is Hawaii, from mainland USA needed travels.
Paradise is definitely an individual choice based upon each person's perspective and happiness criteria. The PI also needs voltage transformers for USA electric items, but, people are widely capable of using English it seems. Research is the key for each person.

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by OKfine

People tell me that Cebu, Phillippines is somewhat like Hawaii...Cebu island area is protected all around from direct weather storm approaches.

Cebu sitting directly on the 'Ring of Fire' for earthquakes is dangerous for tsunamis, though.

[hunterseat]

I work with a Filipino lady who would be retired in the PI now except it's too dangerous. Maybe it's a different location than Cebu. (I love that song)

[rodmeister]

The positive side of the high cost of living is that it limits the population. If the prices were low, it would be a no brainer for mainlanders to move to the Hawaiin paradise, and the island would be packed with people.