Six Ideas About Where To Live After You Retire--And How To Decide.

 By Karen and Erica

Now that you are between careers--a/k/a retired--where do you want to live? There's no app for that! You have to think it through for yourself.

For the first time in your adult life, you are not working 24/7, so you can make decisions based on how you want to live, where you want to be for your next project, and what makes you happy. It’s an exciting prospect, and a big decision. Do you want to retire where you are, or are does the idea of moving make you smile? Do you want to be near your family, or far from everyone?

To begin with, we have this advice—if you have just retired, wait a bit before you make the decision. Playing golf for three months in Florida might be just the ticket, for now. Playing golf for thirty years in Florida might wear a bit thin. But you can certainly start to consider your options. And they are vast.

First, think about what you like to do. Lifelong learning? Sports? Sitting on public company boards? Working with non-profits? Hiking? Painting? Reading? Going to shows? How you like to live will impact your location decision.

Then there is the question of your surroundings. City? Country? Warm? Cold? Beach? Mountain? Concrete jungle? Rose garden?

What kind of residence do you envision? Own? Rent? A big house for lots of family visits? A small apartment, for easy maintenance and no family visits?

Of course, if you have a partner, you need to consult. We have been interested in how couples think. Quite often, we have observed, one partner (often a woman) longs for hustle and bustle, and the other (especially if he is male) longs for peace and quiet--and green(s). 

Once you are ready to decide, you will be pleased by how many options there are. Here are just six:

1. Do you see yourself in a university community--like Boston or Oxbridge--where you can continue your education, teach, or just be around younger folks? It appears that the number of college enrollees is falling just as the number of retired Boomers is rising, and colleges, ever focused on fundraising, are setting up programs that allow you to live on or near campus, if you agree to take classes. Here’s one in Purchase. Pretty interesting. And there are others.

2. Do you think you learn more than enough just by being in a big city? Do you see yourself striding down the sidewalks, visiting museums, theaters and restaurants? But are you a little worried about what happens when you are ninety-eight? Well, cities are easy to get around, and developers are thinking about residences with amenities.

3. Maybe you want to open your eyes every morning to see a quiet beach, where you can spend the day in flip flops, paddle boarding or reading great books. Maybe you would like your own idyllic island.

4. Do you like ski resorts? Learn to be an instructor, and live in the snow.

5. Maybe you plan to take a deep dive into a new culture and a new language, living in Amman, or Portugal. or Singapore. Lots of retirees are moving abroad. Here’s a current list of the best places. Some will even pay you to move there.

6. Maybe you are the peripatetic type. You don't want to settle down at all. You want to move from Airbnb to Airbnb. Or from resort to resort. Or to circumnavigate the globe, continuously, from your condo aboard a ship.

Whatever you decide, it's pretty cool that you have reached the stage where you can choose. For you, now, life is indeed a beach. Wherever you decide to live.