Use these tips to narrow down your options for the perfect retirement location.
1. Talk with your partner about what would be ideal for each of you and then find your way to some kind of middle ground. Listen well and compromise when you’re having these conversations. Make sure you talk realistically about financial considerations.
2. Gather information from Web sites, the public library, Chambers of Commerce, and from subscribing to local newspapers in your geographical areas of interest.
3. Before visiting, develop a series of questions about your lifestyle needs in relationship to this destination. Ask questions of local residents. They have an abundance of first-hand information and experience.
4. Search for and evaluate services and opportunities that matter to you including work opportunities if you would still like to work.
5. Evaluate how you feel during your visit, and stay for at least a month if not more. Time is a great teacher. This is a process so don’t pressure yourself to make a decision quickly.
6. Prepare yourself for a soft transition. Start exploring while you’re still working. Doing homework earlier in the process can relax your anxiety about the transition to retirement.
7. Know what will give your life purpose and significance in retirement so you can enjoy the privilege of a longer and meaningful life.
Once you have found a place that looks (and feels) promising, use the lists and exercises in my book Where Will You Retire?: A Retirement Guide And Exercises For Deciding Where To Retire, Buy A Second Home, Or Relocate* to see if this place really meets all your requirements.
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