The Best Places to Retire for Retirees Looking for a Retirement Home

In the midst of a recession, America’s baby boomers may be looking for some of the best places to retire in the US.

A list of most affordable places for retirees has just been released by the US the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, with Columbus, Ohio topping the list of where to retire if housing and living costs are a consideration. This college town has reasonably priced housing relative to income and a 4.5 percent inflation rate.

Dallas and Houston in Texas have been ranked second and fourth respectively, offering warm climate and growing economies. Minneapolis, Minnesota ranked third.

See Retirement Quotes about The Best Places to Retire to keep things in proper perspective:

Retirees May Resist Moving to a Smaller Retirement Home

More than 78 million baby boomers are approaching retirement, and, while most will likely decide to stay in their present houses or homre, some will be relocating.

"For many people 55 and older," reports Associated Press reporter Adrian Sainz in an article in Forbes, "making the decision to move from a house into a smaller apartment, condo, assisted-living facility or nursing home can be a source of stress, apprehension and fear."

"It's overwhelming for both sides, both physically and mentally," added Nan Hayes, president of MoveSeniors.com, one of many Web sites which helps seniors find relocation resources.

"Apparently age makes it difficult to maintain a single-family home. Other times, financial circumstances, the desire to be closer to family, health issues, a spouse's death or other crises force a move, requiring emotional decisions by seniors and their adult children," wrote

There are a few quotes at Retirement Quotes about Where to Retire to things in proper perspective:

The Best Retirement Book on The Best Places to Retire

Beth Wateham, a Vice President at Simon and Schuster, just sent me a galley copy of Retirement Without Borders: How to Retire Abroad in Mexico, France, Italy, Spain, Costa Rica, Panama, and Other Sunny Foreign Places (And the Secret to Making It Happen Without Stress) by Barry Golson. This book with the Scribner imprint is for those retirees who want to consider retiring abroad. The book will be released in December 2008.

Retirement Without Borders is the best book that I have read about the best places to retire abroad and I will be giving a testimonial for the back cover requested by Beth Wateham (she claims she is a big fan of How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free on Amazon.com.

Here is the testimonial which will also appear on Amazon.com:

Retirement Without Borders

Do you have the urge to leave the American "rat race" behind - and live the retirement life that you have always dreamed about in another country? Then you definitely need Retirement Without Borders.

This book not only shows you the best places where to retire in the world, but also gives ten great reasons for retiring somewhere else and six main reasons why perhaps you should not even consider moving to another country in the first place. This is a highly inspirational and informative guide for retirees and soon-to-be retirees who are considering retiring abroad but have no place to begin.

Author Barry Golson along with Thia Golson and other expert expats help you consider the dream, explore the dream, show you the dream in several countries, and tell you honestly what the pitfalls are. There is much, much more. Anyone who has thought about living overseas should read this book. Retirement Without Borders is absolutely, positively the best book that I have read on why, where, and how to retire abroad.

- Ernie J. Zelinski
Author of the international best-seller How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free: Retirement Wisdom That You Won't Get from Your Financial Advisor

See Retirement Sayings and Retirement Quotes on Squidoo

Quotes about Your House to Place It in Proper Perspective

You can find retirement quotes about your house to place it in proper perspective as a castle but not as a retirement plan:

The 237 Best Retirement Quotes Ever Amassed by Ernie J. Zelinski

Download the Free E-book The 237 Best Things Ever Said about Retirement by Ernie J. Zelinski at:

The Retirement Gifts Cafe

The 100 Best Places to Retire - Criteria

Criteria Used for Choosing The 15 Best Places to Reinvent Your Life

These are the criteria used by AARP Magazine for finding the Best Places to Retire.

• 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).
  

Sources for lists of the 100 best retirement towns

You can also consult one of the many widely available "Top 100 places" or "Best 10 places to retire" lists on the Internet.

Here are links to the top 100 lists:

• Money Magazine 2007 Best Places to Live
• U.S. News & World Report Best Places to Retire
• AOL Best Places to Retire
• Kiplinger's Best Cities to Retire (see also their Best Cities for Empty-Nesters
• Sperling's Best Places
• "Best Places to Retire and Stretch Your Real Estate Dollar"
• Certified Retirement Communities
  
  
  Check out These Links:
  

Squidoo - The Best Places to Retire

Where to Retire - Retirement Quotes and Retirement Sayings

Britons Searching for the Best Places to Retire

Where to Retire Is Determined by the Cost of Living

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.

Interestingly, 19 per cent of Britons said that they wanted to relocate to a new area as soon as 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 move abroad.

One of the reasons that people want to relocate is that their cost of living can go down. Indeed, according to a recent poll by NatWest, nine out of ten British expats are financially better off since relocating abroad.

Note: See Where to Retire Quotations on The Retirement Quotes Cafe:


See The Best Places to Retire in the World on Squidoo for information on where to retire in California, cheap places to retire in Callifornia, and the best places to retire in Mexico.

Where to Retire: What to Look for When Choosing the Best Places to Retire

Where to Retire Factors and the Best Places to Retire criteria adapted from the retirement book How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free

According to International Living, "Once you allow yourself to look beyond U.S. shores for a place to retire, the choices get downright exciting. Mexico, sure. But how about Panama? Or France? Or Romania? The right spot can allow you to live the life you'd only dreamed of: crashing surf, mountain air, bustling cities. You can comb beaches to your heart's content, or you can find a place to learn. You can relax, or you can find new opportunities."

If you are thinking of relocating to one of the best places to retire in the world, but don't know where, the question that arises is, "Where to Retire? What makes a good place to retire?" You must examine your priorities: What type of climate do you want to live in? What activities do you like, and are they available in your list of possible cities or countries to relocate to? Do you care more about a low cost of living or health care? What about safety?

For The Top 22 Things to Look For and Enjoy in a New Retirement Location that will help you choose where to retire, see Chapter 8: Relocate to Where Retirement Living Is Best in the bestselling retirement book on Amazon.com called How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free.

Note: Another article about the best places to retire in the world by Ernie J. Zelinski was originally published with the title Retirement Planning Tips on the Best Places to Retire on several websites.

Check out Where to Retire on Squidoo:

The Coast Is Not Necessarily One of the Best Places to Retire

Retirees Urged to Rethink Retirement Plans for a Slower Retirement Life on the Coast as One of The Best Places to Retire

Recent research about where to retire released from Queensland's Griffith University in Australia suggests that a move to the coast may not help retirees realize their dreams or retirement plans. Indeed, the beach is certainly not one of the best places to retire for many retirees. Research team leader Michael Davies says city dwellers, adjusting to life after work and asking the question, "Where is the best place to retire?", can find it difficult to relocate to a quieter place on the coast.

Dr. Davies claims that people do not understand the shock that can come from leaving a busy work schedule and a network of friends to move to the beach. "Generally when you're looking at a transition like retirement you need to think a bit about what that change will mean for you," Dr Davies said.

"I guess for those who don't think long and hard about how they want to retire to maximise their opportunities and to maximise their lifestyle and well being, then I think there can be some problems."

Retirement Planning Tips on the Best Places to Retire Along with Retirement Quotes and Sayings on Where to Retire

PARADISE apparently isn't in the United States, at least for people planning to retire. In fact, almost 500,000 retired Americans live outside the United States, in places like Mexico, Thailand, Costa Rica, Panama, and Portugal.

Fortune magazine in a recent issue says it has found "five idyllic places — from Patagonia to Phuket — where you can still live like a king on what you've saved." You can dream on in San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Boquete, Panama; Merida, Mexico; and Phuket, Thailand.

What's more, not so long ago US magazine Modern Maturity [now AARP The Magazine] sent teams of researchers out in search of exotic locales around the globe to determine the absolute best places to retire — a home away from home or as a retirement haven for North Americans.

Whether retirement is a distant dream, just around the corner, or if you are already retired, give some consideration in your retirement plan to living and traveling in a country other than where you are today. "The world is a book," declared Saint Augustine, "and those who do not travel, read only a page."

See:

Retirement Quotes on Where to Retire

Retirement Planning Tips on the Best Places to Retire (and Retirement Quotes on Where to Retire)

Fortune magazine in a recent issue says it has found "five idyllic places — from Patagonia to Phuket — where you can still live like a king on what you've saved." You can dream on in San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Boquete, Panama; Merida, Mexico; and Phuket, Thailand.

What's more, not so long ago US magazine Modern Maturity [now AARP The Magazine] sent teams of researchers out in search of exotic locales around the globe to determine the absolute best places to retire — a home away from home or as a retirement haven for North Americans.

Modern Maturity graded each destination using 12 categories, ranging from weather, the cost of living, cultural programs, housing, public utility, communication, public health, medical facilities, environment, safety and security, and political stability.

Whether retirement is a distant dream, just around the corner, or if you are already retired, give some consideration in your retirement plan to living and traveling in a country other than where you are today. "The world is a book," declared Saint Augustine, "and those who do not travel, read only a page."