Cayon Lake in the Texas Hill Country - A Great Place to Retire

  

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7 Questions to Help You Determine WHERE to Retire

Guest post written by Mary Lloyd, author of Supercharged Retirement:  Ditch the Rocking Chair, Trash the Remote, and Do What You Love.

Thinking about retiring to the lake or the mountains?

One of the big delights of retirement is you can live wherever you want.  But where is that?  It’s easy get this wrong if you’re relying on other people’s assumptions and last winter’s weather.  Before you start collecting packing boxes, ask yourself these questions:

1.  Why am I living where I am?

If you’ve been living where you are your whole life, you have a sense of community that’s over a half century old.  That all goes away when you leave town.  If you’re stale and need that fresh start, fine.  But if it’s just to get away from a few months of lousy weather, take a closer look.  If you have a lot invested in your current community emotionally, go slowly.

2. Are you a nester or a nomad? 

Personality does make a difference.  Some folks like living in the same place their entire lives.  If you are one of those people, admit it.  It takes a lot of work to get a new place to feel like home.  For some of us, that’s a delightful challenge; for others it’s a nightmare.

3. How are you going to spend your time?

If you want to ski, you need snow and mountains (or long water).  But retirement age bodies can only take so much skiing.  Where is the majority of your time going to be focused?  If you’re already involved in the things you want to keep doing, are those available at the new location?  Is someone offering that class you want to take?  Does the volunteer need you want to meet exist there?  Just assuming it will be is a fast track to disappointment.

4.  Where are the important people in your life?

Some of us move to be nearer the grandkids.  There are pitfalls to that. Are you ready to give up your retiree freedom to be the primary childcare option?  Alternatively, will they have time to spend with you if you do live closer?  Consider your own parents, too.  If they’re still alive, how might this move change your relationship with them? 

5.  What do you love about your “dream location”?

Moving to the Texas Hill Country will not automatically make you lose weight.  Moving to a college town won’t instantly make you attend free lectures.  Keep your feet on the ground about why you want to move.  Check out every single assumption you’re making about that place and how you will live there. 

6. How long do you want to live there?

You could be retired for as long as you were in the workforce.  Shape your real estate decisions accordingly.  Do you want to live there forever—or just for a year or two?  There are a lot more options than “Sell this house; buy a new house there.”

7.  How does “X” feel?

If someone will be moving with you--spouse, domestic partner, dependent child, parent-- answer these questions from their point of view, too.

Done?  Then you’re ready to decide.

Take Mary Lloyd's “quiz” about where you want to live when you retire or browse her website www.mining-silver.com.

This article was written by Mary Lloyd who is author of Supercharged Retirement:  Ditch the Rocking Chair, Trash the Remote, and Do What You Love.  

Want more help and tips figuring our your retirement, click here for our Retirement Kit.