Monday, November 12, 2007

Retirement Planning. Where will you live?

Bill & Nancy retired in place. They wanted to be near to their friends and family. Two years later, they realized that their friends were still working, their kids were involved with their own lives, and they felt left out and ignored. 

They retired to Florida, in a big house in a posh gated community. Now, they had new friends, and people who were available to play golf or tennis during the day. 

Nine years went by. The house was bigger than they needed. It was hard to care for. They wanted something smaller with less maintenance. That's when they made the mistake they're paying for today. They bought a lovely new condo before they sold their house. 

Now, because of the real estate market, they've got a condo they can't sell and a house that still takes a lot of maintenance, and instead of a happy peaceful retirement, they're going nuts trying to get out of the mess. 

They've visited the continuing care retirement community we moved to and they realize they should be here, with us. But, they're stuck. They really didn't consider their healthcare needs or the potential healthcare costs they face. 

I could tell you other, similar stories. For some reason, people delay going into a retirement community and keep making the kind of decisions they've always made. It's as though they don't see the future. 

I hope you study the stories of people who have been retired before you. Time and again, you'll see examples of people who waited too long. Illness struck, and they were stuck. 

The reality of retirement is you get older. Older and frailer. Look ahead. Plan ahead. Start considering different choices than those you've always made. I'm not saying you should move to an over 65 retirement community as soon as you retire. I'm just saying you have more risk if you wait too long, than you face by moving in too soon. 

Your's for a happy and healthy retirement,

Ken Johnston 

P.S. If you want to see something about the place we chose, it will give you some ideas of what is possible. Maybe there is some place like this where you want to live. TheGlenridge

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