Just as there are many good reasons for moving far from home, there are plenty of strong arguments for staying in the town or area where you live now. Here are some of the major ones:
- Family. In our book this our children and close relatives are always the best reason for choosing a retirement destination. The ties we have to family are usually what make us the happiest. Grandchildren, if we are fortunate enough to have any, are usually a great source of joy, but without all the work associated with raising our own children! So sticking close enough where you can see our kin without a long drive or plane flight will be a regular source of happiness.
- Friends. While not as powerful as family ties, your friends are not something you want to give up easily. Sure, you can come back and visit, or they can come to see you in your new location, but it just won’t be the same once you move away. More than that, there is the problem of making new friends in a new community. For some folks that’s easy, but for others it is not. Making friends in an active adult community is usually quite easy, but it can take time.
- Other social contacts. You might belong to a church and not want to give up the personal connections you have built up over many years. Likewise you might belong to a country club, or act as a volunteer in your community. Moving away from those connections could cause a sense of loss that only becomes apparent once you have moved away.
- Intangibles and culture. You know the neighborhoods and region you live in now. You know what the people are like. Uprooted, some people might not like what they see in a new community. Your new neighbors won’t have the same social and cultural customs and attitudes. They might be more or less liberal, conservative, or religious than your old contacts. You might not think they are as friendly as the folks where you live now. So staying close to home can help you avoid unnecessary change and agita.
- Moving hassles. We don’t know anybody who likes to move. It’s expensive and it is a horrible, drawn-out hassle. Once you have retired, downsizing usually means selling, giving away, or throwing out much of what you accumulated over a lifetime. So if you never move, there is a lot of stress that you won’t have to experience.
Strategies for optimizing your retirement – without moving far
So if you decide not to move far from where you live, what strategies should you take to maximize your happiness?
- Cut your costs. OK, so you are going to stay in the town or neighborhood where you live now. But that doesn’t mean you should continue to live in that energy guzzling, oversized home where you raised your kids. Moving to a townhome, apartment, or smaller new home could save energy and dollars. And, since property taxes are usually the biggest taxes anyone pays in retirement, when you downsize to a less expensive home you will save money on that expense too.
- Make life easier for yourself. Do you really want to be up on a ladder cleaning gutters when you are in your 80′s? Or replacing water heaters, roofs, furnaces, septic tanks, etc. when you are on a tight budget? Moving to a community or building where maintenance is included is going to help you avoid hassles and expenses.
- Prepare for the next phase. When you first retire you are probably most concerned with being active – travel, golf, hiking, or the like. With luck you will be in perfect health into your 80′s and 90′s, and continue to do the active things you love. But on the other hand, your knees might give out or you could have a stroke at any time. Living in a home with universal design features will get you prepared for whatever shape you are in, without compromising your lifestyle. For example, eliminating steps and putting counters lower will let you stay where you are if you develop mobility problems, without expensive retrofitting or moving to a new place. The same goes for a first floor master bedroom.
- Get near public transportation. If we are lucky enough to live a long life, the day will come when we can no longer drive. So if you plan ahead and move to a place that has access to public transportation you will still be able to get out and about. Better yet, try to live in a neighborhood where you can walk to the library, downtown, stores, etc.
- Think about the social aspect. We are social creatures. When you are thinking about a neighborhood, consider how you are going to interact with people on a daily basis. There might be enough fellow baby boomers where you live to create your own retirement neighborhood. You can share services with your neighbors. Or, you can move to an apartment or condo building where your neighbors are close and daily social interactions are easy.
- Go somewhere warm for a month. Florida, Arizona, and the Carolinas have all kinds of rental deals in the current distressed market. For less than $1000 a month you can stay in a nice place and ride out the worst of winter. It’s almost as cheap as staying home, so why not experience the best of both worlds by renting.
For further reference:
Jane and Jack: Retired in Place
What Baby Boomers Want in Their Next Home
What Are the Must-Have Features in Your Next Home
Cooperatives Help Aging in Place Movement
Source: http://www.topretirements.com/blog/great-towns/best-places-to-retire-the-case-for-staying-right-where-you-are.html/
| 6 Comments » |
| Jan Cullinane says |
|
A study by Lynn Giles, PhD, found that people with extensive
social networks outlived those lacking social support by 22 percent.
Interestingly, it was friends and not relatives who had this effect.
(Not to say relatives aren’t important; they just weren’t a factor in
increasing longevity in this study). The effect of friends increasing
life span persisted, even when those in the study experienced huge
changes such as the death of family members or a spouse. So, when wondering “should I stay or should I go,” think about this study. If your friends have all moved away, and you want to stay where you are, you should build up a new social support system. Jan Cullinane, The New Retirement: The Ultimate Guide to the Rest of Your Life (Rodale) |
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December 21st, 2011 | # |
| Admin says |
|
We received this comment from a member this morning: You are wrong. My best retirement place is the one that lends me an opportunity to really mingle and form strong bond with people. I am a single man and definitely need a soul mate for companionship. |
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December 22nd, 2011 | # |
| Dave says |
|
Seems like the #1 suggestion for retiring where you live is to
move to a smaller home. Moving is moving, with all that stress and
disposing of property that won’t fit in the downsized home, regardless
of whether it’s around the corner or another state. So I’d say that the
social network you want to have is the most important decision factor
on retiring locally or in a new location. |
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December 22nd, 2011 | # |
| Tracey Lyons says |
|
My husband and I are in our pre-retirement planning because we
are only 52. I think my biggest concern would be taking on a new mortage
at age 60 or 65 or even the new retirement age of 55. We’ve only been
in our current home for 4 years so having enough equity to put a large
downpayment on a new home will take us at least 10 more years in our
current address. I do, however, love the idea of renting in a sunny
state for a month. We’re forutnate to both have jobs where we work out
of home offices. |
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December 22nd, 2011 | # |
| Chris says |
I feel a need to comment about the ties of friends not being as
important as family. This clearly isn’t always the case. Ever hear the
expression, “you can choose your friends but not your relatives?” 
Our friends are in our lives because we WANT them to be, not just
because they are related to us! Of course some people have wonderful
relationships with their family and that’s great but don’t downgrade the
importance of friends. You should live where you want to live because
YOU want to live there, not just stay where you are because of family.
If you are happy there, great! But people come and go — pick a place
where you would like to live and if at all possible, just go. I’ve
stayed in CT longer than I wanted because my Mom was getting old. But
you can’t put your dreams on hold because of someone else. I love my
Mother but at some point you have to do what is right for YOU. And I
have known people who moved to be closer to their kids and grandkids —
who then up and moved somewhere else a short time later. |
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December 22nd, 2011 | # |
| Jan Cullinane says |
| That is why the study referenced above is important. Social support outside of family is vital for most people. |
