WHERE TO RETIRE

The Best Places to Retire

(as well as The Cheapest Places to Retire)

The AARP's Best Places Where to Retire in the U.S. for Healthy Retirement Living

According to the AARP The Magazine, the following are the 10 best places where to retire in the United States if you want to remain healthy:

1. Ann Arbor, Michigan
2. Honolulu, Hawaii
3. Madison, Wisconsin
4. Santa Fe, New Mexico
5. Fargo, North Dakota
6. Boulder, Colorado
7. Charlottesville, Virginia
8. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minnesota
9. San Francisco Bay Area
10. Naples-Marco Island, Florida

The AARP's Best Places to Retire in the World

A few years ago AARP The Magazine sent researchers to exotic locations around the world to determine the absolute best places to retire - a home away from home or as a retirement haven for North Americans.

A place belongs forever to whoever claims it hardest, remembers it most obsessively, wrenches it from itself, shapes it, renders it, loves it so radically that he remakes it in his own image.
— Joan Didion

The magazine rated each destination using 12 categories, ranging from safety and security, the cost of living, the weather, cultural programs, public utilities housing, communication, public health, medical facilities, environment, and political stability. According to the magazine:

The Top 15 Best Places Where to Retire in the World

1. Costa Del Sol, Spain
2. The Cinque Terra, Italy
3. Provence, France
4. Boquete, Panama
5. St Vincent & the Grenadines, Caribbean
6. County Lare, Ireland
7. NONG KHAI, Thailand
8. Crete, Greece
9. Ambergris Caye, Belize
10.Tunis, Tunisia
11. Algarve, Portugal
12. Cayman Islands, Caribbean
13. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
14. Paphos, Cyprus
15. Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

Almost a Third of British Retirees Move to a Different Residence Once They Retire

Almost a third of retired people in Britain are forced to move to a new home, according to research conducted by Saga Home Insurance in 2008. In other words, they are not necessarily looking for the best places to retire; they are looking for the cheapest places to retire. The researchers at Saga believe that a strong reason behind their findings is the soaring cost of living, with food and energy costs rising particularly quickly.

Saga also found that 38 percent of retirees discovered that their actual financial situation was worse than they had expected. In total 31 percent of retired people have moved to a different residence at least once after retiring, contrasting a mere 8 percnet or retirees who intend to move once they enter retirement.

So where to retire? Besides looking for a cheap place to reetire, the top priorities retired people look for when looking for the best places to retire include a friendly neighbourhood and good shopping facilities.

Where to Retire?

Mexico Is One of the Best Places to Retire for Americans and Canadians

What many Canadians and Americans have discovered is that Mexico affords them the kind of retirement that would be beyond their means in Canada and the U.S. Indeed, many Americans who decided to retire to Mexico have a better lifestyle than they would have anywhere in the United States.

Many Americans move from their homes such as Albuquerque, N.M., to retire in Mexico in cities such as San Miguel de Allende knowing that it is one of the best affordable places to retire. On top of low prices, the picturesque colonial city of San Miguel de Allende offers music festivals, cinema and cultural events. There are now about 8,000 Americans and Canadians who call San Miguel home and most say that is one of the best places to retire in the world.

These Canadians and Americans encounter less expense for everything from groceries to labor due to their decision to retire in Mexico. Some of these retirees particularly like Mexico because they can get a housekeeper who cooks and cleans, six days a week for less than a $100 a week.

What's more, some assisted living facilities in Mexico cater to aging American baby boomers. For many, this makes Mexico one of the best places to retire to. With millions of baby boomers facing retirement just as their funds are getting hammered by the economic turmoil, many are facing the prospect of not being able to retire in the manner they had hoped, especially if they need assistance in their later years.

In fact, an emerging industry is designed to cater specifically to aging U.S. retirees who have decided to retire in Mexico. An assisted-living facility in San Miguel de Allende that offers accommodations, food and nursing care can be had for about $1,400 a month.

Javier Godinez, director of the Mexican Association of Retirement Communities predicts that in ten years  more than 4 million people - mostly Americans and Canadians - will come to retire in Mexico.

Where to Retire in the U.S. for Low Taxes?

Recently, U.S. News & World Report searched for the best cities in the best states to retire in the U.S. if you want to pay low taxes. Of course, low taxes can help retirees on fixed incomes better handle the expenses associated with food, gas and utilities.

The magazine considered more than 2,000 best places to retire that have low taxes but also offer a lot more amenities for retires who don't know where to retire. Other considerations were a reasonable cost of living and fine recreational and cultural choices.

Interestinlgy, some of the low-tax retirement havens, such as Billings Montanna, have no state sales tax. On the other hand, Sioux Falls, South Dakoda has no state income tax. So where to retire for low taxes?

The Top-10 Best Places to Retire in the U.S. for Retirees Looking for Tax Havens:

In short, choosing a retirement city with low taxes gives you more cash to spend exploring the surrounding scenic beauty and taking in local nightlife. You can also save your hard-earned money for future expenses or to give to your heirs.

The Best Books on Where to Retire 

• Choose Costa Rica for Retirement 8th: Information for Travel, Retirement, Investment, and Affordable Living by John Howells
• 50 Fabulous Places to Retire in America by Arthur Griffith(Editor), Mary Griffith (Editor): The best cities and the best states to retire in the U.S.
• Choose Panama . . . the Perfect Retirement Haven by William G Hutchings
• America's Best Low-Tax Retirement Towns 3rd Edition: Where to Move to, and From, to Slash Your Taxes in Retirement! by Elizabeth Niven
• Choose a College Town for Retirement: Retirement Discoveries for Every Budget by Joe Lubow Including the Cheapest Places to Retire 

 British Retirees Want to Spend

Their Retirement Elsewhere

Britons who are retiring are not content to sit at home and relax, according to new research. A survey of people nearing the end of their working life found they had a number of ambitions that they wanted to pursue as soon as they begin their retirement.

Many older people are looking to spend their retirement in a foreign country, another poll has found, and are looking for the best affordable places to retire. Research by Staysure.co.uk found that one in five Britons who are retiring in 2008 intend to purchase a residence abroad, ideally in a sunny location.

Interestingly, the first study found that 19 percent of Britons said that they wanted a new area where to retire as soon as they retire.

Of those who want to move, the majority are not satisfied to stay in England or the rest of the UK. Fifty-two percent said they want to look abroad for best places to retire to.

The polls also revealed that more than half of these people intend to live in their new residence full-time. Meanwhile, one in four said they would prefer to divide their time between their foreign property and home in the UK.

Respondents who did not want to live abroad on a permanent basis did, however, state that they would want to spend at least three months of the year overseas.

The findings come after a survey by Prudential found that just 14 percent of respondents want to relax and put their feet up during retirement, while more than half said they would take the opportunity to do all those things they have always wanted to do.

One of the reasons that people want to relocate is that their cost of living can go down, particularly if they choose one of the cheapest places to retire in the world. Indeed, according to a recent poll by NatWest, nine out of ten British expats are financially better off since relocating abroad.

One in 10 native-born Brits now lives overseas, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research. Although Britain is an island nation that has a long tradition of moving abroad that goes back to the foundation of colonies, today's Brits abroad are not colonists, however. They are retirees, mostly living in Eurozone countries, who consider these cheap places to retire as the best places to retire to.

The overwhelming majority of British retirees living overseas live in Spain, which has become the Florida of Europe. Three-quarters of a million Britons live in Spain year-round, the number swelling to a million at holiday times when those with second homes descend on the country.

Money Magazine's Top-10 Places to Live (and Retire) in the U.S. in 2007 

Here are Money Magazine's top-ten places to live in 2007. Criteria used include economic opportunity, good schools, safe streets, things to do and a sense of community.

More Best Books on

the Best Places to Retire 

• Retirement Places Rated: What You Need to Know to Plan the Retirement You Deserve by David Savageau
• Where to Retire, 6th: America's Best Places to Retire and Cheapest Places to Retire by John Howells
• America's 100 Best Places to Retire Fourth Edtion: The Only Guide You Need to Today's Top Retirement Towns by Elizabeth Armstrong
• Retire in Style: 60 Outstanding Places to Retire Across the USA and Canada by Warren R. Bland

Money Magazine's Top-10 Places to Live (and Retire) in the U.S. in 2008 

Here are Money Magazine's top-10 places to retire to and live in 2008. Criteria used included plentiful jobs, excellent schools, affordable housing

1. Plymouth, MN
2. Fort Collins, CO
3. Naperville, IL
4. Irvine, CA
5. Franklin Township, NJ
6. Norman OK
7. Round Rock, TX
8. Columbia/Ellicott City, MD
9. Overland Park, KS
10. Fishers, IN

Some Important Criteria for

Choosing Where  to Retire

Here are the criteria used by AARP for Choosing The 15 Best Places to [Retire and] Reinvent Your Life

• Availability of jobs, since many in this group will work beyond age 65.
• Affordable housing-many cities have costs on par with or below the national median price of $161,600.
• Culture and entertainment (from museums and opera to shopping and sports events).
• Access to outdoor recreation, from skiing and biking to walking and hiking.
• Safety-personal and property safety, and a generally secure feeling.
• Colleges or universities (for continuing education and a multigenerational vibe).
• Sense of community (often places with a vital and walkable downtown).
• Proximity to comprehensive, well-regarded health care facilities.
• Good public high schools, since many boomers still have teens at home.
• Ease of getting around (public transportation, traffic, access to an airport).

Here are the criteria used by others for choosing where to retire:

• Affordable housing (for retirees searching for cheap places to retire)
• Plentiful leisure activities
• Plentiful cultural options
• Job growth (for retirees looking for retirement jobs)
• Sunny weather
• Short commute time (for retirees looking for retirement jobs)
• Good health care access

   Quotes from Readers of

How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free  .  . . 

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COPYRIGHT © 2010 by Ernie J. Zelinski
Author of  The World's Best Retirement Book
All Rights Reserved