Retirement and Las Vegas

Ask me ten years ago and I would have told you that Las Vegas would be a fun place to live in retirement, at least part time. It was energetic, unique and affordable if you don’t have a gambling addiction. Things have changed. Read more

A Decluttering Strategy for Downsizing

“Simplify” is a word and concept that becomes more significant to me as I age. I’m having success applying it to my work (a 100% paperless legal practice) but it’s harder at home. I struggle with the realization of how much stuff there is to get rid of when we downsize. The household clutter is a constant reminder of what needs to be done. Thus, I was intrigued by the “stock theory” of decluttering that I read about today. Read more

Top 100 Places to Retire – 2010 List Edition

TopRetirements.com has published an updated list (for 2010) of its best 100 places to retire. This list is compiled using a somewhat unusual method: The publisher determines which 100 towns have the most online visits of the 450 cities that are presently reviewed at Topretirements.com. The list reflects the towns that visitors to the site are the most interested in reading about for retirement.  Read more

Quality of Retirement Life in Foreign Countries

Although I am curious about U.S. expat retirement life in foreign countries, it’s not something I have a strong interest in. There is plenty of diversity to experience in the U.S..  On the other hand, some foreign countries can offer a substantially lower cost of retirement living. But how do folks rate the quality of life in some of these foreign countries? Read more

Life Downsizing and Simplifying the Boomer Way

I’m making tangible progress on my attempts to simplify and downsize my life. This is happening at home and at the office. Check out what I’m doing. Maybe it will inspire you? Read more

Downsizing and the Sunk Cost Fallacy

Two of the major obstacles to successful downsizing are the practical and emotional costs of getting rid of “stuff.” We baby boomers have spent years acquiring our stuff and we are reluctant to part with it. I have less of that problem now than I used to. Yet I still struggle with discarding things that to me should have monetary value. If I give my stuff away (or even throw it away), I am losing that value. Thus enters the “sunk cost fallacy.” Read more

Low Cost Retirement in the Caribbean

Periodically I get the urge to write about retirement in a foreign country even though that is not high on our list. But I enjoy reading what others say and dream about living their golden years in a low-cost but perhaps exotic foreign location. Read more

Low Cost Retirement Towns

I enjoy reading Where to Retire magazine.  Although it is jam-packed with ads for retirement communities and the like, even that information is helpful to prospective retirees. The editorial content is good, providing useful facts and figures about different retirement locations. Read more

Affordable College Towns for Retirement

I have written several posts over the past year about different college towns as potential retirement destinations. Although college educations continue to increase in cost, that doesn’t mean that the college towns themselves are becoming more expensive. A key retirement factor in every college town is how affordable the real estate is for a typical retiree. That data is now available for 120 different college towns, each home to a FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) School. Read more

Boomer and Retiree Downsizing on the Extended First Time Homebuyer Credit

Congress has extended and expanded the first-time home buyer credit in several important respects. The new law will provide financial assistance to baby boomers and retirees who want to downsize to a different home. Let’s discuss a few of the aspects of the credit that will aid in the downsizing process. Read more

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