SUCHITOTOJULIO2.COM

All of us dream of retiring to a place that is perfect for us.  Perfect for you and your spouse may be near a beach in Florida or in the mountains of Colorado.  It could be in the deserts of Arizona or the scenic hills of Oregon.  Either way, the perfect spot for you may not be the perfect spot for another retiree.  Your needs and wants may be very different from some of your best friends who are also retirees.  Either way, when picking a retirement area, you need to make sure that the needs are met before the wants.  Below is a list composed of things that are a necessity for many retirees.  Your needs may not be listed here, but hopefully this will give you an idea of where to begin.

Health seems to be one of the foremost factors in deciding on a place to spend your golden years.  Hospitals are an integral part of health care, and here is a list of 12 cities with an abundance of hospitals.

Union City, NJ - 736 hospitals within a 30 mile radius
Jersey City, NJ - 732
North Bergen, NJ - 728
New York, NY - 727
Passaic, NJ - 720
Clifton, NJ - 709
Mount Vernon, NY - 706
New Rochelle, NY - 704
Yonkers, NY - 704
Paterson, NJ - 698
Bayonne, NJ - 696
Newark, NJ - 693

Owning and being able to afford the upkeep on a home is an important aspect of some people’s retirement plans.  Here is a list of larger cities that offer the lowest median home prices in the country.

Reading, PA - $42,850
Buffalo, NY - $45,000
Niagara Falls, NY - $47,000
Camden, NJ - $55,000
Youngstown, OH - $55,000
Utica, NY - $55,000
Flint, MI - $59,000
Rochester, NY - $60,000
Saginaw, MI - $62,000
Dayton, OH - $63,000
Pittsburgh, PA - $64,500
Syracuse, NY - $64,650

Some retirees want to know that there are plenty of opportunities for them within a city. Those opportunities may include entertainment, part time jobs, senior centers, etc.  The following are twelve cities with high populations over 50.

Tamarac, FL - 51%
Lake Havasu City, AZ - 47%
Port Charlotte, FL - 47%
Prescott, AZ - 47%
Palm Desert, CA - 46%
Largo, FL - 46%
St Simons Island, GA - 46%
Spring Hill, FL - 45%
Surprise, AZ - 45%
Walnut Creek, CA - 44%
Port Orange, FL - 43%
Deerfield Beach, FL - 43%

During the many years of work for some people, there just was not enough time to play a round of golf.  Popular with both men and women golfers are the following cities.

Coconut Creek, FL
Palm Harbor, CA
Palm Desert, CA
Lake Havasu City, AZ
Woodbury, MN
Yorba Linda, CA
Boca Raton, FL
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Greenville, NC
Diamond Bar, CA
Cape Coral, FL
Burke, VA

Some prefer to play tennis, and the following are cities where tennis tops the list of leisure activities.

Bethesda, MD
Greenwich, CT
Davis, CA
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Newport Beach, CA
Williamsburg, VA
Laguna Niguel, CA
West Bloomfield Township, MI
McKinney, TX
Asheville, NC
Mission Viejo, CA
Sandy Springs, GA

There are many retired men and women who want to be a part of a country club after retirement to keep up with friends and have many choices on how they spend their day.  The following is a list of cities that have a large population of residents with a country club membership.

Palm Desert, CA - 2%
Bethesda, MD - 2%
Greenwich, CT - 1.8%
West Bloomfield Township, MI - 1.8%
Lower Merion, PA - 1.7%
Lake Havasu City, AZ - 1.7%
Newport Beach, CA - 1.7%
Palo Alto, CA - 1.7%
Spring Hill, FL - 1.6%
Carmel, IN - 1.6%
Burke, VA - 1.6%
Prescott, AZ - 1.6%

Some people want to surround themselves with knowledge in their golden years.  Whether that be to be around people that share similar interests with them or just to learn more as they age, these cities offer a high percentage of residents with graduate degrees.

Arlington, VA - 35.7%
Davis, CA - 34.6%
Brookline, MA - 32.5%
Evanston, IL - 31.2%
Bloomington, IN - 31.2%
Townson, MD - 31.2%
Oak Park, IL - 29.1%
Bethesda, MD - 29.1%
Alexandria, VA - 29.0%
West Hartford, CT - 28.9%
College Station, TX - 27.7%
Ames, IA - 27.5%
Columbia, MO - 27.5%

The key to choosing your retirement location is finding the place that suits you best.  Whether that reason be for health or recreation, this list should help you get started on the track to finding the place you are looking for.

Have you started planning what you are going to do at retirement?  Most likely you have thought about what you want to do with your time once you retire.  But have you started planning financially?  If you have, then you know that you will have more monthly income in retirement that you have now, right?  If you think about it, you will need more money per month when you retire than you need now.  Let’s think about this for a minute.  You not only have to have money for the fun stuff that you plan to do, but you have to have more money for medical purposes for things that are not covered by your insurance of Medicare.  Getting old is not cheap.

Even the ones of us in the best of shape will need more medical attention as we age.  The older we get, the more preventive maintenance we need, not to mention repairs. A happy retirement is about more than just having the money to do the things you want to do.  You have to be able to get out and do those things physically as well.  So many of us think about retirement and think about the financial aspect of it, all the while working hard to make that extra dime to save for our golden years.  But we do not always think about the affects of that extra dime on our bodies.  To get that extra little bit of money, we may have to work extra hard.  Pushing your body to do more work than it should is not a way to live well into your retirement years.

While planning financially is very important, planning with your health in mind is even more important.  If you don’t have your health, you may as well not retire.   I have listed some basic steps to start out on your Retirement Regimen.

Start an exercise program today.  If you think you don’t have time, just get yourself a treadmill or elliptical machine and put it in front of the TV.  Work while you waste brain cells on watching TV.

Cut the processed junk from your diet.  Start eating fresh fruit for a snack instead of that chocolate bar.  Cook with fresh vegetables whenever possible.  You may be surprised at how much better the taste is when the flavor is not cooked out of the vegetable.  A diet high in natural foods can reduce cholesterol and blood pressure as well Ð both added bonuses to your health.

Drink lots of water.  Drinking eight to ten glasses of water a day is a good way to keep your body flushed of the things it does not need.  Drinks that include water such as tea and coffee do not count.  Pure water is best for the body.  If you find it hard to prepare 8-10 glasses a day, keep a large water bottle on your desk at work.  If it is a 32 oz bottle, you only have to fill it 2 times per day to get your recommended 8 glasses.  If you do this and drink water at home in the evenings, you will get your cleansing water in for the day.

Think about dietary supplements.  You want to find some that are high  in anti-aging antioxidants.  The diet is a good place to start to get these supplements, however, the veggies that are grown in strained soil and sprayed with chemical fertilizer, then boosted with something to extend shelf life do not always have the best antioxidants left in them by the time they get to your plate.

Talk to your doctor.  Find out from your family physician what type of diet he or she recommends to get you started on your Retirement Regimen.

By taking these few things and adding them to the things that you learn from your doctor, you can begin a healthy lifestyle that will lead you to a healthy retirement.  Can you live with retirement?  Yes, you can!