FINANCIALLY Speaking in which state should you retire?

Dec 25, 2000
5,702
Hunter Passage 42 Shelter Bay, WA
What are your thoughts?
It's all about your mind set state. Happiness is a function of state of mind. Worrying about money leads to unhappiness. Having a purpose to get up in the morning, doing something that gives you great joy, laughing and crying often, remaining close to family and friends, helps keep my life in balance, no matter the State I live. But I do love the PNW. Texas, no so much.:dancing:
 

DougM

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Jul 24, 2005
2,242
Beneteau 323 Manistee, MI
I have property in Michigan and Virginia,
As far as property taxes are concerned, the tax I pay on residences are vastly different. My Michigan residence is half the size of my Virginia house, the taxes on the Michigan residence are nearly double. Sales taxes are about the same except that Va charges on food and Mi doesn’t, etc.

Owning a car in Virginia, unless its a beater, will cost dearly in terms of annual personal property tax.
The same applies for boats at least in some counties. The cost of storage on the hard in Michigan is less, and manadatory in Michigan about 8 months out of the year.

When it come down to the bottom line,some utilities cost more than others and some less depending on the state and the climate.

So overall, I guess its a wash... unless you are, like me, crazy enough to own 2 places.
 
May 23, 2016
1,024
Catalina 22 #12502 BSC
I'll jump in (a bit), being in the building materials distribution business my entire career...lumber isn't what it once was, no old growth available, whether you're in New England, FL or west coast, lumber is a commodities market, sharp buyers buy right, others not so much, however the sticks are the same, the price is not. I see plenty of European lumber being used (Swedish in particular), and great finger jointed stock as well.

That being said the real issue is the building methods being utilized by the various trades. I've done business in OH, NY as well as NC & SC for many years...the type of materials, their specific applications AND construction methods drive the quality of the finished product. You will find shoddy construction and excellent construction no matter the region....and no petri dishes when done properly with today's materials and proper methods...the exception being the horrific water ingress following Florence & Michael, plenty of mold remediation going on in new, older and vintage structures.

Keep the water out, keep your structure properly conditioned as designed and you won't have an issue. BTW, Charleston is a great market with quality construction ongoing, and building codes are in place for a reason.
 
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Jan 11, 2014
11,321
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
I'm not a professional, just interested in building science. Here is a good link to resources:
https://buildingscience.com
and in particular on mold:
https://buildingscience.com/documents/published-articles/pa-mold-explosion-why-now/view

The reality is that cheap housing is built cheap. In my humble opinion, most current housing will not last as long as its mortgage.
Thanks. The comment about sugar got my attention. While I understand the issues with mold and mildew and the causes, I think the sugar analogy stretches the science a bit. I'm pretty certain there is no sugar in the concrete block foundation of my house, yet I do get some mold growth.
 
Jan 11, 2014
11,321
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
We are getting a bit afar of field here, so I'll just throw out this reference and move on. It is a very humorous article on everything you need to know about mold and building materials. Now back to the defender catalog wish list. I hope I have been very good this year...

"Material View of Mold"
https://buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi-027-material-view-of-mold
Yes, we're having thread drift, what else is new? :cowbell:

My comment was about the sugar in wood being a bit of a stretch. Now that I have time to read more carefully, I find a footnote to the 2nd paragraph that was stretching things:

  1. The preceding rant is not strictly true, but it is close enough - it is “approximately true,” as is befitting an engineer.
Yeah, that was my point.
 

TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,758
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
I'm not a professional, just interested in building science. Here is a good link to resources:
https://buildingscience.com
and in particular on mold:
https://buildingscience.com/documents/published-articles/pa-mold-explosion-why-now/view

The reality is that cheap housing is built cheap. In my humble opinion, most current housing will not last as long as its mortgage.
I don't know where the sugar part comes in, but I'm a builder and we sure do have some problems with 'new' building ideas of the last several decades. It's the 10 to 20 year old buildings around the country that are just coming due for repair work. Sometimes what is just a bit of rot on the outside turns into a complete mess beneath the siding. 'New' windows start to go. When I'm asked by people what is the best window to buy, I say one that is at least 150 years old(that's not the answer they want). I've replaced many windows that I installed - new, in my lifetime.

These windows are 150 years old in an old house I restored. I have older ones in mine.
100% seal storm window; saves money and is quieter. .jpg
 
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Oct 10, 2011
619
Tartan 34C Toms River, New Jersey
I don't understand why no one mentions New Jersey for retirement!:biggrin:
Shure hope you realize I am kidding!
 
May 10, 2004
113
Hunter 340 Bremerton, WA up from Woodland
John, to bring the thread back closer to your and my home.... we have just moved into a home we built in Southwest Washington. After 55 years in Oregon, a place I cherish dearly as one to grow up in, I just couldn't stand watching a beautiful state being torn asunder by the influx of those who would develop, exploit, take, and control. Needing to stay close to our large family in Northern Oregon, we found a great compromise in Cowlitz County. I'm waking up daily with a view off the hill of the Lewis River Valley, surrounded by a still relatively lower density of population, dealing with neighbors and a local government that value a rural, helping, and trusting way of life, and keeping 10 percent of my savings instead of sending them off to the public coffers of Oregon.
Yes, I know that many states, including Washington, are building a great rural/urban divide into their politics, taxes, policies, etc. but, for the moment, this seems to be a great place and I'm an hour closer to my summer home on Starbright in the waters of BC and the PNW:waycool:
 
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Oct 26, 2008
6,041
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ

dLj

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Mar 23, 2017
3,371
Belliure 41 Sailing back to the Chesapeake
Just came back from Colombia where I went with friends of mine to check out retiring there. Medellin is quite a lovely location, although not ocean front. There are several towns on the coast that have excellent sailing. Excellent health care, cost of living is low, easy to retire there and the people are very nice. My friends are moving there next year or as soon as they sell their house.

I'd also vote for Uruguay. I'll be heading there likely next year to check it out. It's a bit further away than Colombia but supposed to have some advantages over Colombia.

If you don't mind distances, the Philippines is retirement friendly. Excellent health care, in fact one of their business focuses is the create excellent elder Care systems. Too far away for me. I have a high school buddy that retired to Thailand. He loves it there. Retired in his 50's because he could afford to live in Thailand...

I honestly haven't found anything in the states that compares to living outside the US. But of course, family and friends can make a huge decision point for some.. I've always said I never want to be a burden to my children... I do hope they visit often though. So I'm not heading to the other side of the world...

dj
 
Oct 10, 2011
619
Tartan 34C Toms River, New Jersey
John, if you have to worry about estate taxes, you really need a tax attorney and accountant. https://elder-law.com/estate-and-gift-tax-thresholds-set-increase-2018/

It will come as a surprise to some, for our situation, where we live in NY is the best option. Yeah, NY is supposedly a high tax state, but they treat retirees reasonably well. Any government pension, SS, Fed pension, NY state pension is tax free. In addition $20,000 of other retirement income (IRA distributions) is also tax free. Where we live, an older suburb near Syracuse the houses are modest and the property taxes low. If the retiree's income is below ~$86,000 there is a discount on the school taxes. Living expenses are also very modest.

If we were to move to a low tax southern state we might save on taxes but we would be forced to buy property (or rent) that would raise our monthly expenses. We're not willing to do that. Also, our boating expenses are very low. We have a nice dock in a good marina that is very affordable. Our annual expenses for dock, haul out, and winter storage is less than the summer dock fees at Buffalo area marinas.

The downside is the summer season is short and winter is snowy. But if you don't have to go to work the snow is not a big deal.
You maybe right about upstate, My wife has family there in Syracuse. But the weather is for S#&T. You have at least 8 months of crummy weather. I will keep searching for points south.
 
Jul 9, 2018
65
Catalina 25 Lake Monroe
I've thought about this for a while, and without making specific suggestions, here are some considerations:
  • After you stop working / running a business, state income tax will not have the same impact as it once did, and property taxes may be your larger concern. US Federal tax will not change.
  • A non-income tax state (ex. Florida) costs as much to run as a taxed state (ex. Georgia), so state government gets its squeeze somehow.
  • Medicare only pays for health coverage to US companies, which is sometimes a surprise to expat retirees. On the other hand, medical expenses are a fraction of the US costs in the rest of the world, and often at a similar quality level. A few calls to doctors and pharmacies in prospective countries should be made.
  • There is much more to retirement happiness than money or healthcare - Social groups, similar interests, activities, family, etc.
My "example against" was that I've seen family members feel isolated as they moved to a low-cost rural setting, where no one wanted to visit (hours from nearest airport or attraction), and they had no common bond to the farming community. The extra thousand a year in tax savings were nothing compared to their travel costs to see people that they felt comfortable with.
I think Parsons hit the nail on the head with his thoughts. I would add that it depends on how you've invested your retirement For example, if it's in 401K, remember that you'll be paying taxes as you withdraw the money since it wasn't taxed going in, so the income tax does matter. (The theory with a 401K pre-tax is that when you retire, your car, house, etc should be paid off so you would be withdrawing only small amounts of money for expenses which would keep that money taxed in a lower tax bracket. Also, since you wouldn't be taxed as money went in, you'd have more funds to accumulate interest on.)
 
May 24, 2004
7,129
CC 30 South Florida
None of those mega rich examples apply to regular people. They can live wherever is cheaper for them and keep a Jet plane to take them to their yacht in the Florida Keys or the Mediterranean. Once you retire your needs and priorities will change. The big house for full time living, entertainment or appearance of prosperity to promote business may no longer be needed. A smaller place can be cozier, easier to maintain and overall cheaper with savings in insurance, property taxes, lesser utilities and perhaps free of mortgage payments . Neighborhoods change and as we age we tend to loose common interests with our current neighbors so moving to a 55+ community where you will meet like minded people might be desirable. Many of these places have amenities like a Club House, swimming pools, golf courses and enhanced security. Get the boat out of your backyard and keep at a nearby marina. If senior living is not your cup of tea you can downsize to a Condo in your downtown area. If you like to travel having a place you can easily lock up and leave without worries is a huge plus. Don't set your goals on the place to best hoard money, set your goals on what you would like to do and find a place where your finances would allow you to do it. The rest is just noise.
 
Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
I hear Texas or anywhere on the southern extremes of the east gulf coast is a great place to move to. :) Not the gulf islands. That's an awful place. Rain, wind, foreign invaders. Terrible. Don't go there. Lousy beer too.. :)