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...Please excuse this cross post ...I've tried to change forums after realizing I should be posting here, but couldn't copy and paste until the thread was posted.
I've been checking out the retirement forum to see how others are planning their retirements. My wife and I are considering Missouri, Alabama, Tennessee, Washington, and Oregon as possible places to retire. I've got about ten years before I'm ready to leave my job ..but could possibly transfer with my company before retirement (very large international company). I've been maxing out on 401k for a while but will have to cut back if we decide to purchase retirement property before retirement (possibly land first -then build after selling California house).
I will have a small pension of about $1100, SS appox. $1200, draw from $401k $2,000 (4% of bal.), draw from other investments $800 (4% of bal.). Wife's retirement will kick in 5 yrs. later ..no pension, SS appox. $800, draw from 401k $200. I will have to provide health insurance as my employer does not offer that with my retirement package.
Would appreciate *advice on health ins. and *it's cost for retirees, the *pros and cons of living in above mentioned states and cost to live in said states, and *other recommended places to retire. We prefer not to deal with extreme weather. We are in Northern California now. We were in Southeast Missouri a few weeks ago to watch my son play football and visited Branson while there. We really liked the area and think we could find a good fit somewhere near Springfield and Branson. On this same trip we were in the Birmingham area to watch another football game and really liked it there too. In the past I've traveled through Tennessee and liked it ..and the people there were very friendly, much like those we met in Missouri and Alabama on our recent trip.
Would appreciate any feedback/advice. Thanks.
Last edited by Poncho_NM; 11-03-2014 at 06:15 AM..
There is so much information online that you could keep yourselves busy for the next ten years reading all of it, lol.
We moved from SoCal to Ashland, Oregon. It's lovely but not cheap. We might pull up stakes when our last daughter is finished with high school in three more years.
Many retirees seem to be flocking to TN. It has a friendly tax climate and nice people. It's too far away for us or we'd have considered it. Branson, Missouri and Sandpoint, Idaho seem to be mentioned frequently in retirement articles, as well as Ruido, N.M. and Durango, CO. Enjoy your search and good luck.
I'm very happy in Knoxville, TN. Nice livable little city surrounded by beautiful country and rural areas. Your retirement income would give you a very nice lifestyle here: downtown condo or big house, travel, eat out a lot, etc.. We have some pretty amazing condos around the suburbs if you want to give up some of the maintenance.
I seriously considered Birmingham. Very pleasant city. Much too hot in the summers for my taste. August is brutal there. I had enough of that living in southern Georgia.
Missouri is nice scenery, too rural for me. I want Borders, I want a Starbucks, I want Thai and Indian and Cuban restaurants. Knoxville suits me.
We moved from SoCal to Ashland, Oregon. It's lovely but not cheap. We might pull up stakes when our last daughter is finished with high school in three more years. ............Idaho seem to be mentioned frequently in retirement articles, as well as Ruidoso, N.M. and Durango, CO. Enjoy your search and good luck.
Thanks Kathleen ...I'm a bit familiar with Ashland, OR. My parents moved to Central Point, OR in the early 70's. Love the area ..you're right, it's now very expensive to live there. Have also thought about Bend and Brookings. Both are so different from each other, but each beautiful in it's own way. Brookings real estate is out of range for my retirement budget ...so we'd probably have to settle a few miles out of town -perhaps up the Chetco <sp???> River a ways.
I'm very happy in Knoxville, TN. Nice livable little city surrounded by beautiful country and rural areas. .............. considered Birmingham. Very pleasant city. Much too hot in the summers for my taste. August is brutal there............Missouri is nice scenery, too rural for me. I want Borders, I want a Starbucks, I want Thai and Indian and Cuban restaurants. Knoxville suits me.
Hi Knoxgarden ...I agree, the area around Knoxville is beautiful (have driven through a few times over the years), and from what I've been reading ....very affordable for retired folks, and I do like the idea of being near a town that offers what Knoxville offers. I'd be interested to know where people from the Knoxville area retire to. If it's in the vicinity; then maybe that would be a part of Tennessee to put on my list.
Hi Knoxgarden ...I agree, the area around Knoxville is beautiful (have driven through a few times over the years), and from what I've been reading ....very affordable for retired folks, and I do like the idea of being near a town that offers what Knoxville offers. I'd be interested to know where people from the Knoxville area retire to. If it's in the vicinity; then maybe that would be a part of Tennessee to put on my list.
They seem to stay in Knoxville. No reason to leave. They may sell the big house and move to a loft downtown or to a condo, but they tend to stick around, especially if they've got family here. I live in an older condo complex and about 1/4 of the owners/residents are older and have been here since the complex was built 30 years ago.
They seem to stay in Knoxville. No reason to leave. They may sell the big house and move to a loft downtown or to a condo, but they tend to stick around, especially if they've got family here. I live in an older condo complex and about 1/4 of the owners/residents are older and have been here since the complex was built 30 years ago.
A number of Californians are retiring in New Mexico ....nice dry climate and not too expensive ....places like Las Cruces....Alamogordo.....Silver City.... Rio Rancho....Deming....and as mentioned before ....Ruidoso
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