Affordable Retirement Cities with Pleasant Climates

Are you looking for a pleasant, affordable city which is a good choice for retirement?  Do you want to have access to quality healthcare, cultural diversity, and mild weather?  The website caring.com put together their 2017 list of "Best Cities to Retire on the Cheap," and one of the cities listed below might be the perfect choice for you.

The major the factor which caring.com considered was the overall affordability of the city.  As they point out, however, there is no benefit in finding a city with cheap housing if the weather is so cold in the winter you pay exorbitant prices to heat your home.  You would probably be no better off financially, and you would have to deal with the downside of aging in an area which frequently experiences snow, ice and other weather extremes.  When they put together their list, therefore, in addition to affordability they also considered climate, healthcare, economic vitality and both geographic and cultural diversity.  In other words, these are cities which are not only affordable, but have a number of other advantages which would make them attractive to retirees.

Before moving to any of these cities, retirees will want to do more research to make sure they can afford to live in the city of their choice and to determine if they will have access to activities which interest them.  You will also want to plan an extended vacation, if you are unfamiliar with the city.  However, some of these cities should definitely be on your list of ones to consider if you hope to relocate to a fun, affordable city after retirement.

Affordable Retirement Cities According to Caring.com

Tucson, Arizona - For decades, people have retired to this city with a population of just a little over a half million.  This makes it easier to meet other newcomers in your age group.  Traffic is not a major problem and there are plenty of ways to stay active ... yoga studios, shopping centers, restaurants, and more.  There are eight hospitals in the city. Because it is in the high desert, the weather is milder than many other parts of Arizona.

Dover, Delaware - The state capitol of the small state of Delaware is equally small .. with a population of less than 40,000 people.  Despite its tiny size, the city has a strong economy, plenty of places to shop and eat out, plus you are halfway between New York City and Washington, DC. This gives you the opportunity to hop on a commuter train and experience world class entertainment, while living in a city which is far more affordable than either New York or Washington.

Bend, Oregon - For retirees who want to live in a city but be close to a wide variety of outdoor activities, including golf, snow skiing, hiking, fishing, boating and mountain biking, this city could be the ideal spot for you!

Sarasota, Florida - Built in the 1920's along the Gulf Coast of Florida, the Art-Deco downtown is adorable.  The Ringling Brothers Circus wintered here in the past, so expect to see circus memorabilia around town.  There is also an opera, symphony, ballet, music festival and other ways to stay active.

Boise, Idaho - This city gets an average of 21 inches of snow a year, so you will still have to deal with bad weather in the winter.  However, it is affordable and has an abundance of hiking and biking trails in the city.

San Luis Obispo, California - This small California city near the Central coast is home to Cal Poly University and is affordable compared to many other California coastal cities.  The weather is very temperate and it is surrounded by other affordable small towns such as Atascadero, Nipomo, Arroyo Grande, Paso Robles, and Templeton.  One of my granddaughters went to college in this town and we enjoyed visiting her and strolling through this attractive village.

San Antonio, Texas - The charming River Walk, across the street from the famous Alamo Mission, is reason enough to love this appealing Texas town.  The city has a wide variety of urban activities, including shopping and restaurants, and is surrounded by a number of even more affordable small towns.  Our family has vacationed there several times and love the city.

Nashville, Tennessee - If you love country music, there are few better places to live than Nashville.  The fact that it is also affordable and the climate is mild make it even more desirable.

Charlotte, North Carolina - This affordable, friendly city of about 700,000 people has a large number of cultural activities available.  It also has a booming economy, in case you want to continue to work after retirement.

Fayetteville, Arkansas - Located on the shores of Beaver Lake, this vibrant city offers a wide variety of recreational activities.

General Information about Choosing a Retirement City

As with any potential retirement city, the ones on this list contain both good neighborhoods and bad neighborhoods.  They are also surrounded by suburbs, small towns and, sometimes, retirement communities which give you the benefit of both city life and small town living.  If you are looking for an affordable place to retire, pick a few cities from this list and get to know them.  Work with a local Realtor and see some of the homes available in your price range.  Check out websites like caring.com and Zillow to get more ideas about where to retire. Once you have explored these communities and others, you will have a much better idea of where you would like to retire.

Are you looking for more information on where to retire, financial planning, Medicare, Social Security, healthcare and changing family relationships, use the tabs or pull down menu at the top of the page to find links to hundreds of additional articles.

Watch for my book, Retirement Awareness: 10 Steps to a Comfortable Retirement, which will be published by Griffin Publishing in 2018.

You are reading from the blog:  http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com

Photo credit:  morguefile.com

How to Report a Scam or Fraud

No matter how hard we try, the vast majority of us will eventually become victims of a scam or fraud.  Our downfall could be identity theft, a con artist, overly aggressive debt collectors, internet or phone extortion, phishing emails or other types of crimes.  Whenever something like this happens to you, it is important to contact authorities and help them fight these crooks.

Scammers are Criminals

First, it is important to understand that these types of behaviors are illegal and the people committing these crimes can be fined or sent to prison for cheating you.  In many cases, the phone calls and emails originate in other countries.  Whether the criminals are in the U.S. or another country, they can still sometimes be caught and punished.

Second, you should recognize the fact that these scammers and con artists are well-trained.  They know who you are and how to get information from you.  They are experts at tricking you into sending them money or giving you the information they need to steal money from you.  Everyone needs to be constantly vigilant and learn how to protect themselves from scams and fraud.

Finally, you should not be embarrassed if you become a victim of one of these crimes.  Often there is nothing you can do to prevent them.  The internet is full of identifying information about millions of Americans.  Facts about you have often been obtained illegally by scammers who use sophisticated means to hack into computers and steal information.  It is not your fault.  You should never be too embarrassed to report any fraudulent use of your identity.

If you do become a victim of a scam or fraud, it is extremely important to notify law enforcement, so these criminals can be hunted down and stopped.

How to Report a Scam or Fraud

When to Contact Local Police, the District Attorney or your State Attorney General

If the fraud was committed by someone locally, such as a dishonest contractor, a door-to-door sales person, or a local business, contact your community police department, your county district attorney, and your state's attorney general.  File a complaint and provide them with as much specific information as you can.  In addition, you may want to file your complaint with the FTC, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Postal Inspector, or the Internet Crime Complaint Center.  Their information is listed below.

You should also contact the local authorities, as well as your financial institution, if your credit or debit cards have been lost, stolen or used fraudulently.

If you are not satisfied with the results after you have reported one of these crimes, you may also want to contact the crime fighting reporter for a local television station.  They may be able to get more attention than you can on your own.

Federal Trade Commission
ftc.gov/complaint
(877) 382-4357

Use the FTC to report identity theft, overly-aggressive debt collectors and any situation in which you have been the victim of a fraud.  You may not hear back from them after filing your report.  However, the FTC compiles a database of scams and uses the information they collect to build cases against specific con artists. One person's complaints about a scammer might not make a difference.  Hundreds or thousands of complaints could result in a criminal investigation.  You are helping to protect others when you file a complaint, even if you never get your money returned or hear back from the FTC.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
consumerfinance.gov/complaint
(855) 411-2372

If you feel you have been deceived by someone promoting a financial product, such as a loan, bank service, credit report, debt collection, or credit card, contact the CFPB.  Your should also contact them if you believe a company or one of their employees stole your identity.  They will contact the company providing the service and give them 15 days to respond.  The CFPB tries to resolve complaints filed with them within 60 days.

Internet Crime Complaint Center
ic3.gov/complaint

If you are the victim of an internet crime, including investment fraud, sales scams, online auctions, internet extortion, hacking, phishing or scam emails, contact the IC3.  It is run by the FBI and they will forward your complaints to the appropriate agencies where it will be investigated and a case built against the offending parties. Again, you may never hear back.  However, your complaint will be combined with others in order to catch the perpetrators.

Postal Inspection Service
postalinspectors.uspis.gov
(877) 876-2455

If you receive any suspicious mail, including chain letter schemes, deceptive advertising, or phony lottery and sweepstakes letters, contact the Postal Inspectors.  The same is true if you believe that your mail has been stolen.  If you believe financial information was in your stolen mail, contact your financial institution, as well.

Put Yourself on the Do Not Call Registry
donotcall.gov
(888)382-1222

Another government run program designed to protect consumers is the Do Not Call Registry.  Once your phone numbers have been on the list for at least 31 days, you can report unwanted phone calls to the Registry.  They pool the complaints until they have enough to catch the violators.  However, the Do Not Call Registry will not protect you from receiving calls from legitimate charities, survey companies, debt collectors and political candidates and parties.  Unfortunately, you will have to use your own judgement to determine if they are who they say they are, or a scammer pretending to be calling from a legitimate business.  Consequently, you might want to avoid having long conversations with strangers, since it is difficult to know the difference between a legitimate charity asking for donations or information and a phony one.

Do not simply shrug off fraudulent behavior or scams.  Do not be too embarrassed to report crimes when you have been victimized.  By filing a complaint or, in some cases, several complaints with different government agencies, you could prevent the same crime from happening to someone else.

If you are interested in learning more about how to protect your retirement savings, where to live after you retire, common medical problems, Social Security, Medicare and more, use the tabs or pull down menu at the top of the page to find links to hundreds of additional articles.

Watch for my book, Retirement Awareness: 10 Steps to a Comfortable Retirement, which will be published by Griffin Publishing in 2018.

You are reading from the blog:  http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com

Photo credit:  morguefile.com

Friends and Family Prolong Your Life

Are you looking for a fun, easy way to live longer?  According to research done at the University of California in San Francisco, and reported in the AARP Bulletin, spending more time with your friends and family can increase your life expectancy.  This is especially true since the Covid pandemic, when many people stopped socializing and some of them have never returned to the amount of socialization they did before.

The researchers followed 1,600 adults who had an average age of 71 at the beginning of the study.  They took into consideration their socioeconomic status and their overall health.  Those people who self-identified as being lonely consistently died at a higher frequency over the six years of the study.  During that period of time, 23 percent of the lonely people died; only 14 percent of those who were satisfied with their level of companionship died.

How Retirees can Increase their Socialization

Since loneliness can contribute to early death, it is important we take steps to make sure we do not become too isolated as we age ... which is easy to do when we no longer go to a job.  Below are a few suggestions for increasing the time we spend around other people, particularly after we retire.

1.  If you have relatives nearby, make sure you reach out to them and try to spend time together.  Your adult children and grandchildren can immeasurably enrich your life.  If you are not retired yet, but have older relatives or siblings who live in your area, plan activities which include them.

2.   If you live in a mixed age community and no longer spend much time with your neighbors, make an effort to get to know them.  An occasional block party or neighborhood ice cream social benefits people of all ages.

3.   Find out if your community has a senior center.  They often have exercise classes, parties, dances and, sometimes, low-cost lunches which seniors can enjoy in the company of other people.

4.   Call your local community college to see if they offer classes for senior citizens.  Many colleges offer emeritus classes which are either free or very low cost.  Going to classes which you enjoy is a fun way to meet other people with similar interests.  Suggest a few of you go out to lunch or for coffee either before or after your classes so you can get to know each other better. 

5.    Make an effort to join a club, organization or place of worship.  Participating in these organizations can help you stay connected with other people.  The more involved you are, the better off you will be.  It is not enough to attend an occasional club meeting or church service.  Volunteer.  Join a committee.  Go to social events.  These experiences will enrich your life.

6.  Regularly speak with your friends and neighbors.  You may even want to set up a specific time every day, or several times a week, when you call and chat with a friend.  If one of you doesn't answer and there is no explanation for the absence, agree that you will contact family members, a neighbor, or local police so someone will do a "welfare check" on you.  It will bring you and your friends peace-of-mind if you all know that you are looking out for each other.

7.   Do not rebel against the idea of moving to an independent or assisted living facility.  While some people still have a negative image of these living arrangements, sometimes comparing them to old-style nursing homes, the truth is that most people thrive in these facilities.  Today's senior housing facilities have a wide variety of fun amenities and provide an excellent opportunity to socialize and make friends.

Remember:  Being sociable not only makes you happier and improves your outlook, but can prolong your life.  The more involved you are with other people on a regular basis, the better off you will be.

If you want to learn more about common health issues as we age, financial planning, where to retire, changing family relationships, Social Security, Medicare and more, use the tabs or pull down menu at the top of the page to find links to hundreds of additional helpful articles.

You are reading from the blog:  http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com

Photo credit:  morguefile.com