RETIREMENT ADVICE

[Pink Floyd]

I plan on finally fully retiring in 5-6 years and I see all the postings on the best places to retire, but oddly none of them mention anything about Hobbying opportunities. OKC has good Hobbying, but the weather is getting to me. I am single and a renter so I can go anywhere. I want a warmer climate, possibly close to a major college (may become a SD again).

[blue3122]

Phoenxi. ASU has some hot chicks. 5 months of really hot weather but 7 months of great weather. No tornados, no hurricanes. I have given this some thought too. To have many hobby choices, it has to be a decent sized city. Having a big college affords sporting events which are much less than pros, also a population of ready made SBs. Bigger cities have more health care opportunities, more entertainment (concerts, dining, etc..) good luck.

[blue3122]

Of course, if you misspell Phoenix, it might be hard to find it on a map. Something else. Flagstaff and the Arizona Snow Bowl are not more than 3 hours so if you ski or want to escape the summer heat, you can be there in a flash. Plus a lot of golf. Golf, ski, college sports, hobbying, young SBs. I may pack it in tomorrow and head out.

[Sidewinder]

Bangkok, Thailand.

If the current political unrest doesn't destroy the country.

Several major universities in the city, and the natives are VERY friendly.

[bluerock]

Hong Kong and Singapore:

Both used to be British colonies, English is second language.
Both cities have top rated universities and colleges.
Both cities have very low tax rate
Warm weather all year long
Low crime rate: you could walk alone on street at 3am, no worries
Hobby heaven: Just go around the countries nearby...

More importantly, once you are in these cities, like Jim Rogers said, you feel the life is coming to you.

[Pink Floyd]

Interesting suggestions. I will be carrying BC/BS and Medicare so I wonder if they are useful in 4N countries.

[bluerock]

If you got a teaching job over there, you would be covered.
You may ask BCBS, some policy covers surgery and emergency while you in foreign countries. In worst case, you will be able to pay out of your pocket without any trouble... assuming you didn't lose all your wagers in Macao. LOL

Originally Posted by FlectiNonFrangi

Interesting suggestions. I will be carrying BC/BS and Medicare so I wonder if they are useful in 4N countries.

[instfixer]

American community in Mexico
If you are there for a year then you qualify as a resident and qualify for their health care system. I have been told $500 year. Then join a HMO for an additional $500 a year.
OK but then you only see doctors that cater to Americans with possibly training in the USA.
Doctors make out as they get their services in USD rather than some chicken or goat the peasant gave the doc.
Things get serious? Hop a plane to the USA and one hour you are back here

Costa Rica:
You need ~ $2500/ month retirement income for a retirement visa

Your hobbying opportunities should be very good

[Chica Chaser]

Originally Posted by blue3122

Phoenxi. ASU has some hot chicks. 5 months of really hot weather but 7 months of great weather. No tornados, no hurricanes. I have given this some thought too. To have many hobby choices, it has to be a decent sized city. Having a big college affords sporting events which are much less than pros, also a population of ready made SBs. Bigger cities have more health care opportunities, more entertainment (concerts, dining, etc..) good luck.

[Guest092416]

We have the most beautiful girls & women here in South Louisiana.
SOUTH Lafayette, LA is a great place to live, work, & hobby; it's teeming with beauties looking for fun & interesting men. Lafayette, LA hosts tons of annual festivals, including "The Festival International de Louisiane." Tourists visit us from all over the globe.

The restaurants & food here are delish. Lafayette also ranks as a TOP 10 city to live b/c of a strong economy, hospitality, culture & diversity, safety, & Beautiful Southern Belles.

@FNF---Come visit Lafayette, LA. I'll be your personal tour guide. PM me to arrange a tour of Lafayette. You may never want to leave

-Lisa Lyonz of Lafayette, LA
"Queen Lyoness of The Lyonz Den"

P411= P411
TER= Lisa Lyonz
ECCIE= Lisa Lyonz
Email= Lisa.lyonz@yahoo.com

[GinaXXX]

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico is where I'll be when I retire!

[Texas Contrarian]

Originally Posted by blue3122

Phoenxi. ASU has some hot chicks. 5 months of really hot weather but 7 months of great weather. No tornados, no hurricanes. I have given this some thought too. To have many hobby choices, it has to be a decent sized city. Having a big college affords sporting events which are much less than pros, also a population of ready made SBs. Bigger cities have more health care opportunities, more entertainment (concerts, dining, etc..) good luck.

I love Arizona and have spent some delightfully pleasant time there. But if I can help it, there's no way I'll ever live in a state that imposes an income tax, at least not for enough time that I'd expose myself to that state's taxing authorities. Although the Grand Canyon State doesn't fleece its residents nearly to the extent that California and New York do, the tax burden isn't trivial. (The rate tops out at 4.54%.)

And the full amount applies to realized capital gains and qualified dividends. If you're in the top tax bracket, you now get to taste the joy of contributing an extra 3.8% of your investment income (including capital gains) to the U.S. government, thanks to the Obamacare tax hikes. That's in addition to last year's jump (from 15% to 20%.) Stacking a payment to the state on top of that is not something I'm eager to do.

Therefore I will stick with states like Texas and Florida, which don't impose income taxes. (At least not yet!)

As you might note from the location under my username, I'm very fond of the Texas Hill Country just west of Austin. Abundant hobbying and SD-SB activities are available in Austin, as is the case in Dallas, where I have long had my primary residence and still live most of the time.

The areas near Lake Travis (on the west side of Austin) have a lot of the Hill Country flavor, and there are far worse places to hang out for much of the year.

But I still don't like the Texas summer heat, so Colorado beckons during the summer months. As for hobby experiences, I've enjoyed some time in the Front Range and Boulder areas during the hot months, and there are plenty of decent P4P opportunities in nearby Denver.

And I'll still spend some of the winter in beautiful Arizona!

[Pink Floyd]

Oklahoma has a state tax, but all of my retirement income will be exempt, so only 401K distributions would be taxable. It is the weather that will drive me out of town. Florida and Texas keep coming up as the most logical choices. Sales tax rates are higher than Oklahoma so tax wise it is pretty much a wash. The major consideration then becomes the weather, housing and sex opportunities. I have not studied the tax laws of the other warm states to see if they have exemptions similar to Oklahoma.

[cptjohnstone]

Originally Posted by FlectiNonFrangi

Oklahoma has a state tax, but all of my retirement income will be exempt, so only 401K distributions would be taxable. It is the weather that will drive me out of town. Florida and Texas keep coming up as the most logical choices. Sales tax rates are higher than Oklahoma so tax wise it is pretty much a wash. The major consideration then becomes the weather, housing and sex opportunities. I have not studied the tax laws of the other warm states to see if they have exemptions similar to Oklahoma.

another consideration, I just moved from Dallas to OK and yes they have a state income tax but I paid 4X more in property tax when in Texass

[JohnnyCap]

Ummmm...not askin' ya to out yourself, but are friends and family of any consideration? People to play golf and cards with? I suppose that could be all hooks. But one of the dangers I saw with snowbird Florida was bunches of people with money but no real friends that knew them.

Other than that, I was think deep south, close to NOLA or a big enough city for entertainment but out of town enough for them delightful country ladies. That Lafayette lady makes a strong case.