The best state
to retire in
depends on what you want
The best state to retire in may not be Florida or
Arizona, the most popular choices for most people when they think of
retirement...read on.
Let's take a look at some of the various criteria
that may be of important to you.
So whether your 401(k) is huge...or your retirement annuity is small...my purpose for this site is to show you how to think of ways for cheap
living and that can expand the your list of the best states to retire in.
Financial planners will tell you that you must have so much money for you to be able to retire...that is just not true. If you have not exhausted all retirement options
you will never know whether or not you can retire.
Here is what we have done instead of continuing to work
Here are some lifestyles that we have personally experienced,
living aboard a sailboat ,
living in an RV ,
living overseas ,
park
model living , and
downsizing if you consider these options for frugal
retirement living I guarantee you will have more options on where to
retire ,than you thought you had.
What is your favorite place in the US to retire? Share it with us.
Here is our list of the best state to retire in
the USA
We will limit our comments to states
where we have lived at least one month or more. 8 of the 10 below we
have lived in more than a year...that may or may not qualify
us as experts, but this will also not be advice you could get out a
tour book.
These are listed in no particular order, we
enjoyed them all, and know you will too.
If it's none of the above try
Mexico.
Over the next few weeks we will be examining each
state (or territory) in more detail. We will cover the tax situation
for each state. Give you key contact information you will need to help
with your quest to find the best state to retire in.
Discuss the pros and cons of each location. We may
add other states later but we want to first concentrate on the states
we are most familiar with.
Enjoy.
Taxes...you can't avoid them but some states are
better than others
Lowest
state income tax ...Can't be any lower than zero, see which
states have no income tax
Lowest
state sales taxes...some states have no sales tax, great
places to make to make big purchases
Lowest
state taxes overall...A guesstimate based on income taxes ,
sales taxes , property taxes, vehicle fees, etc. The range is from 6.4%
to 11.8%
Be careful here...do not get tax bound.
Climate...what are you looking for?
Warm winters are found in
Florida (the further south, like the Keys the better), Arizona,
southern California, the USVI and southern Texas. You want warmth any
of these would be the best state to retire in, the Virgin Islands being
the warmest. I saw one heavy coat in St Croix...the guy stocking the
freezer room at the grocery warehouse.
Arizona and California are dryer with less
humidity, but for the warmest winter temperatures south Florida is
going to be hard to beat.
Here is a sample of the comparisons we
will be making when we examine each state
We have lived in Florida (Jacksonville) for 2
years, Houston for 20 years and Phoenix for 5 years. Here is our take
on the 3, climate wise. All are warm, hence they are very popular
choices for frugal retirement living. All three are good choices for
the best state to retire in.
Florida and Texas have very high humidity and lots
of insects, you won't spend a lot of time eating outside in either
place unless you have screened area or "Florida room". In Phoenix you
can eat outside with no bugs, low humidity at least half the year. If
outdoor dining is your thing Arizona may be the best state to retire in. Here's how to enjoy Arizona cheaply.
The sun shines over 330 days a year in Phoenix,
with very little rain.
You never have to worry about hurricanes in
Phoenix, a problem during the summer in Houston or Florida. My second
cousin lives in Orlando and boards up the outside of his house for
storms, he has plywood cut for each window with screw holes pre
drilled. It takes him about 30 minutes to put up and take down, he has
had a lot of practice putting them up and down in the last few
years...not the end of the world but something to consider.
In the summertime all three are hot...but Phoenix
brings a new meaning to the word hot...were talking 115 in July and
August. Everyone carries reflectors for the car windows. You will see
lots of lamb wool seat covers in cars...you only sit once on a leather
seat that has been in the sun, in shorts...Ouch. It can be cheap if you...
The most varied topography
One thing you may not know about Arizona, is that
it is not all desert. Phoenix and Tucson are pretty flat but surrounded
by mountains. Flagstaff, 2 hours from Phoenix has skiing in the winter.
It snowed yesterday, April 17 in Flag and was 80
in Phoenix...that is not unusual. Flagstaff's elevation is 6900 feet,
Where we sit in the Phoenix area is 1200 feet. Prescott an hour plus
drive is 5300 feet.
Point being Arizona is not all flat desert it is
very mountainous. Don't judge the whole state by Interstate 10 which is
pretty flat...and pretty boring IMHO.
Beaches
Let's give a slight edge to Florida...OK a big
edge. My favorite Florida beaches are in the Panhandle, Destin, Fort
Walton Beach. If you want beaches in Arizona you can drive 6 hours to
San Diego. Mexico has beaches in Rocky Point Or Puerto Penasco about
4.5 hours from the Phoenix area. Texas has some nice beaches in South
Padre Island.
But Florida gets a big thumbs up on beaches and
the water, it's everywhere. If beaches and water are your thing Florida
is the best state to retire in. Being former sailboat dwellers we would've given Florida a much harder look if we still had our boat.
Conclusion
We hope our experiences in each state will be of
interest to you...the best state to retire in will not be the same for
everyone...we have done the mundane things, laundry, bank, post office
in each of these states.
Do
not base your decision on where to go unless you have done these
things...there can be a big difference in how a place feels on vacation
and how it feels actually living there.
Go slow and enjoy the process.
More articles on...
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