Today someone forwarded me a list of the ten worst places to retire in the United States according to Kiplinger’s. My first thought when I saw it was “And I am supposed to care about this because….why?” Then I realized that I do care, and not just because my home state, Vermont, has been awarded the dubious honor of being the number one worst place to retire. Now, I am nowhere close to retirement age. My parents are at an age where my father could retire if he wanted to. He loves to work, so he’s still employed and loving it.
As someone who lives in what is supposedly the worst place to retire, I would like to say that I am not just being a sore loser when I suggest to you that lists like the one mentioned above are a very poor source of information to use in making major financial decisions such as where to live or where to retire. Lists like that are made and remade all the time and it makes me shudder to think that someone’s parents could be sitting in front of their computer and seriously ruling out a place that they were considering retiring to just because it is on some list of bad places to retire.
Major financial decisions, especially those that involve families, must be made with great care. There are so many factors that will be important for me when I decide to retire that are completely different than the things that you will factor into your decision. Sure, things like tax exemptions for retirement benefits, property taxes, and so forth are important. There are other things that are more important that those silly lists could not even begin to quantify. Chief among these is proximity to family. Whether you are choosing a place to live or a place to retire, if family is important to you then the location of family members is likely to play a huge role in your decision. Also, the activities that a person wants to enjoy during retirement can be a major deciding factor. Some people place a high value on being in a place where there is a lot of natural beauty and a great deal of peace and quiet. Others prefer places with lots of cultural attractions, beaches, or golf courses.
My point here is that major financial decisions often involve so much more than any list could possibly account for. These decisions are as important as they are personal. You won’t see me taking any guidance from any top ten list any time soon, and I hope not to catch you doing it either.
Photo by Taliesin on morguefile.com.