All Over the Map with Retirement Location (taxes, children, places)
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Who's fretting? Who is looking for a place to die? And who's trying to go home again? None of those applies to me, and I didn't write about any of those issues or things.
I merely said it's been (is) a long process to decide where we want to retire, not die nor "go home again". If you're actually reading the thread you'll recall that loveautumn mentioned people who moved to Maine (it's quite expensive to move I'd guess you know) and then changed their minds. That does indeed apply to us.
Sigh. It IS a long process and sometimes fun, sometimes frustrating. Deciding where to retire with the help of a forum like this one at least gives a much richer perspective.
But sometimes, listening to too many opinions can be head-spinning. You just have to trust you gut and go with your instinct, not listening to what you hear and read. When I was a kid, my parents' good friends, a married couple in their forties with a kid, moved to the PNW from New England. They had no friends or family there, they just had a passion for that area. They must have made this decision based on only one or two visits by air, as they were not wealthy, just young and healthy. There was of course no Internet, probably not even any guidebooks to the area or for moving. They did it on instinct, against the protests of family here.
Today, we have so many choices and not everyone has the money to take chances. Even for those who do, making a poor choice (discovering this after the move) can be a major setback for older folks. Many of us are not as resilient as we were in our forties. (Some days I don't even want to go uptown for lack of energy, other days I'm fine.) Add to that all the complexities that weren't there so much many years ago (environmental, climatic, crime, the incredible expense of moving, etc) and it sure does get complicated to contemplate a move. So, if there is any fretting it is probably with good cause, also as time does move us on rather quickly.
Many of us are not as resilient as we were in our forties.
Exactly. Every move takes a little more "oomph" than the last one. We will probably move at least twice more before we build or buy our retirement home because of the economy in the last 5 years. That's true for several of our friends as well. Figuratively speaking: One more transfer to get another salary or level bump and staying at work a few more years than planned has become the norm for a lot of us these days. And continuing to work after we move to our retirement location is becoming common as well.
There is no reason to fret about finding a place to go to die.You can do that anywhere. Home IS where you hang your hat. Of all people, you should not be having such problems, having lived in many parts of the country.?
I too traveled and lived in All 49 states in some manner. What I learned all those years was, Thomas Wolfe , " you can't go home again" , so why try. Find youy place on your bucket list, or by detailed info, like that provided by City Data.
Sorry, I took your comments in a different light. Guilty as charged for not looking back at all the posts, including my own. I was not aware your "process was still in the developing stage. For some reason I got the drift you were older, and getting confused with all the choices.
Sigh. It IS a long process and sometimes fun, sometimes frustrating. Deciding where to retire with the help of a forum like this one at least gives a much richer perspective.
Today, we have so many choices and not everyone has the money to take chances. Even for those who do, making a poor choice (discovering this after the move) can be a major setback for older folks. Many of us are not as resilient as we were in our forties. (Some days I don't even want to go uptown for lack of energy, other days I'm fine.) Add to that all the complexities that weren't there so much many years ago (environmental, climatic, crime, the incredible expense of moving, etc) and it sure does get complicated to contemplate a move. So, if there is any fretting it is probably with good cause, also as time does move us on rather quickly.
I agree. Interesting...when I first retired, the thought of being able to move wherever I wanted (within financial reason) made me feel like a kid in a candy store. I was genuinely excited about the prospects. That feeling has diminished greatly and the practical "side of me" has become more dominant. My wife and I still plan to move, but we've also decided to not focus too much of our energy on it right now. I think we've kind of decided to allow more of our lives to unfold and see where that takes us. Perhaps it's unrealistic for us to be "waiting for a sign," but we've decided to spend more energy enjoying the life we're immersed in right now instead of spending so much energy planning for the future.
And there is so much more information available these days. I'm an analytic guy with a scientific background, and I'm quite capable of analyzing the hell out of data to the point of "paralysis through analysis." In runs in my family. My father just spent about four years trying to decide which faucet to buy to replace the dripping one in his kitchen. I can't imagine ever reaching that point of indecisiveness...but the aging brain is an interesting thing....
And there is so much more information available these days. I'm an analytic guy with a scientific background, and I'm quite capable of analyzing the hell out of data to the point of "paralysis through analysis."
LOL, yes the quest for perfection can be deadly. You can easily waste all your time looking for something that's perfect when all around you are places that are good enough. I truly believe most of us could be just fine and even happy in a lot of different places--and no place will be perfect, anyway.
Follow your heart, your bucket list....that will get you there. Many of us started very early on this,way before retirement. The need was apparent as there was so much to see and so little time to do it !
A little late, but... I'm assuming "Brunswick" refers to Brunswick, Maine.
If only the early settlers had come up with some new local names instead of dragging the Old Country names with them, or tacking "New" in front of the old names.
And there is so much more information available these days. I'm an analytic guy with a scientific background, and I'm quite capable of analyzing the hell out of data to the point of "paralysis through analysis." In runs in my family. My father just spent about four years trying to decide which faucet to buy to replace the dripping one in his kitchen. I can't imagine ever reaching that point of indecisiveness...but the aging brain is an interesting thing....
Funny
Analytical types will analyze everything to death and exhaust themselves in the process. It sometimes pays to be a flake. At least they don't lie awake nights tallying up pro's and con's, they just do it. Maybe you should go against your natural grain and just do it?
A little late, but... I'm assuming "Brunswick" refers to Brunswick, Maine.
If only the early settlers had come up with some new local names instead of dragging the Old Country names with them, or tacking "New" in front of the old names.
Yes, Maine. It is my alternative to here. Brunswick's not cheap, but it's not overly pricey either. And it has everything I want in my life, including my daughter. (But alas, the grandkid will arrive someday near where I am now.)
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