Serious Question for the Older PPBT - Where to Live in Retirement?

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by FA-18C

SH - Glen has chimed in - he is a Griffith 4 condenser guy. Great set up, and he is knowledgeable - but has some natural bias. It has worked for him, but I want a simplified system that takes the compressor off the engine. Planning on Classic Retro and updated alternator, likely will order in OCT for a winter installation.

I wanted a system for the most extreme heat situations. My recent trip to the SW parts of California, Arizona and New Mexico. It was HOT!



Park the car in the full sun for an hour or two, and then try to cool off requires max AC. Most folks never encounter that level of heat. I did for 10 days, and love my AC.

There are many different systems to fit the needs of folks that just need some AC, and not kick ass maximum cooling. Pick a system to fit your needs.

[ramonesfreak]

Looks like Heidi and Franny are now in Florida living on a boat….which will be new content for their channel…the life on a boat theme has been getting huge on YouTube the last few years

[Seahawk]

They are terrific. Franny FTW...she just lights it up.

Boats are in an environment that demands constant attention and maintenance.

[FA-18C]

No thanks. 15% of our business is a boatyard out back. They do excellent quality work and about $2M in revenue a year. Boats make Porsches look REALLY affordable.

[Baz]

[Norm K]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

They are terrific. Franny FTW...she just lights it up.

She's just as likeable in person. I spoke with her at length several times when I'd take my 930 to a now-defunct C&C in Lafayette CO (or maybe is was Louisville: neighboring towns that I frequently mixed up). Actually, they're both quite pleasant.

_

[unclebilly]

I read much of this thread this morning and yesterday. I think its good that you guys are planning your last years and being somewhat strategic about it. Please don't put your families in a 5hitty situation by moving to some boondoggle location miles away with poor health care just so you can live out a couple years in lala land. We don't all just get to up and die on the golf course one day.

Let me share my experience as the oldest son, POA, and Agent for my father who refused to acknowledge his own mortality. It's horribly stressful, I feel conflicted about it every day, and its extremity frustrating.

Financially, my father is 'ok', this is not the crux of the matter.

My father refused to plan for the eventuality that at some point, he may be unable to take care of himself. That time is now.

As I have posted previously, my father has had nurses coming to his home several times per day on and off for the past 5 years to assist with his meds and insulin - in March, he shut it all off for the last time - they wont come back. Dementia is a cruel b-itch. He needs this level of care now, more than ever. 2 weeks later, he fell and broke his hip and has been in the hospital 1118 kms away from my brother and I (his only remaining family) ever since.

We will be moving him closer to us, as of Sunday he is in 'next available spot' status for Long Term Care (nursing home). This may still take 3 months (best case) to get him a spot. So here we struggle, because dad refused to be realistic with his physical and cognitive decline, he isn't in 'the system' and had no plans for a preferred care facility. We aren't really sure where he will wind up. Many retirement communities offer what is called 'aging in place' where the level of care is ramped up from basically nothing to full on clinical care as the residents get older and need it - please consider something like this.

Back to my problem, the hospital wants him out ASAP and is strongly encouraging us to move him into a paid facility and there is availability near where he lives. The hospital staff delayed the process with moving him here 2 months by not filling out the required paper work for an interprovince transfer (I sent it to them back on May 8th). I do not want to move him twice and if I do move him twice, the first move should be to a facility close to us (especially if we are paying $10k/month). Finding a local private facility with availability is not easy.

I know dad doesn't want to be in a nursing home (when he is lucid) but there is just no other way. I hate being the bad guy that has to make this decision but there just isn't another option. If we sent him back home with 24 hour care (this would be a possibility for others in his position), he will turn off the support again (assuming we can convince the nurses to come back).

To reiterate - please, for the sake of your families, do not consider retiring to locations that don't have the resources to support aging residents. Please have your ducks in a row in terms of the possibility that long term care becomes an eventuality where you have a plan for this (saying you want to die in your own home is a pipe dream if you get to the stage where you need 24 hour care).

Yes, I'm pisssed off about this. Yes it's near and dear to me right now - I'm living it. I've been put into a crappy situation due to unrealistic expectations (I want to die in my own home), and there is no silver lining in this story.

Sorry for the long rant. Sorry to be the turd in the sandbox. Oh and you should see the amount of stuff he has accumulated - that's the next challenge once he is in an appropriate care facility.

[HobieMarty]

Where to retire? Anywhere near water for me. A Hobie 16 is a low maintenance vessel. Lol.

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[Baz]

[rwest]

Originally Posted by Baz

I’m moving into your garage next week, Baz. Good news is the dog will come with me!

[Baz]

Originally Posted by rwest

I’m moving into your garage next week, Baz. Good news is the dog will come with me!

I would make an EXCEPTION for you, Rutager....but only if you bring "Moose"!

[wilnj]

Originally Posted by Deschodt

That's my plan though sadly not able to retire just yet. You can buy a nice house between provence and the luberon areas for the cost of a studio in the SF bay area. 10 min from 3 fantastic "world rated" touristic villages. Cost of living is peanuts, property tax is 1/10th of here (and includes garbage for F's sake), food is better and about 1/2, Gig fiber is $25 a month, hell *everything* is cheaper (we truly are getting fleeced in the US) and if you get a retirement in $ you are doing OK with low monthly expenses and a lot do do nearby. Only thing to sort out is healthcare but we have plans for that.

My daydream is Portugal.

My family is from Central Portugal. Very small city but Lisbon is 90 minutes. Beaches are an hour away, mountains are 2 hours. All of Europe is a $100 flight away.

Our current financial plan based on staying in NJ as a worst case has us eating cat food somewhere around 85. Moving to Portugal would have me retiring 5 years earlier and leaving a large 6 figure sum to our kids.

Alas, my wife is no where near as adventurous and learning a new language isn’t something she’s interested in. Anyone under 50 speaks English as well or better than I do but it would always be foreign to her.


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[john70t]

^Unclebilly makes an absolute point about Health Care access.

If you retain a 'permanent residence'...ie 6+mo/yr...and IRS provable...anywhere...it should be nearby a proven hospital.
Not just you you. For everybody.
It sucks getting old.


That said. Break it all down logically. Don't fall in love with the paint job.
-Health care costs.:
50% or so of all bankruptcies are due to fraudulent medical billing. Write a blank check to the emergency room.
These will sink your entire family fortune..
Research.Research.Research.

-Low income tax:
Provided investment-return is slated to be the main source of your income to pay bills.
You always want to plan ahead and stay in the plus..

-Low property tax:
This adds up over time.
In the last decade alone, I've paid almost double the price of my home.
And this is in a 'capped' city after decades...

-Good bones:
House is on a hill and has good foundation roof and drainage.
Everything else can be fixed with money.

-Fun:
I forgot to add fun.
Near multiple sources of fresh water or big salty water or natural preserve or other good stuff.
Away from the nearest city but near enough to enjoy it all. Farmer's Markets are a blessing.
Good schools retain property value and have big parking lots to do doughnuts in.

[john70t]

The snowbird thing can be done, but it requires moving everything twice a year.

Your main base is gonna need a lot of storage.

[Bill Douglas]

A lot can be said for retiring (staying) in a place where you know your way around. And know a whole lot of people. I intend to stay where I am and just downsize so there isn't as much vacuuming.

[jcommin]

This has been an interesting post and I appreciate the wisdom. Just about every major point discussed has crossed my mind. It is easier for me to tell you where I don't want to go rather than where. I'm 73 and the availability of health care is in my top ten of must haves.

Thanks to all who have posted.

[1990C4S]

Originally Posted by rwest

I’m moving into your garage next week, Baz. Good news is the dog will come with me!

Stand by the side of the road, Baz will pick you up. From another thread, it looks like he brings everything he sees home.

[asphaltgambler]

Great stuff. To my OP, has anyone retired and moved from a brick / mortar home to a houseboat on a lake ( specifically) ?

[jhynesrockmtn]

Unclebilly makes some great points. I'm living those with my Mom now but with a better outcome. She moved into an independent retirement apartment several years back and now is in memory care. The only thing I worry about is her outliving her money. Her monthly nut is $8,200 and that is considered a low level of care in her place. She's still ambulatory, etc. Her income from SS and pension is a bit over $4,000. It won't last forever and she's in pretty good physical health. It's expensive to age.

[jhynesrockmtn]

I'll offer a solution my birthmother came up with. She's approaching 80 and in great shape. Several years back she bought small homes in two over 55 communities. She has places in Birch Bay WA near the Canadian boarder (May 1 to October 31) and in Surprise AZ for the winter. Both over 55 communities with pools and tons to do. Both places are 1 bd and she owns a second lot next door with a nice travel trailer on it for guests and her hobby space. It gives her extra parking as well. In the beginning, she and her husband traveled back and forth in an RV and would take several weeks to get from A to B. Now they fly back and forth and have cars in both. The AZ place came first and it is the nicer of the two. She bought at Birch Bay when she sold her primary residence in Seattle. She is the opposite of a pack rat and can live comfortably in a small space. She also has no pets. I couldn't do it but it works well for her.