Introduction to Where to Live in Retirement

Generally healthier than generations before, and for the most part wealthier, the Baby Boomers are starting to retire. Like everything else in life, however, the nature and meaning of "retirement" has become more complex. Whereas our parents often remained in the homes where they raised their children, that’s not necessarily so any longer. Modern medicine has created an ironic "problem" relatively few of our elders had—the strong likelihood that our golden years could extend well past ten or twenty years after age 65.

This presents a set of challenges more daunting than our predecessors faced in contemplating and entering the end of the nine-to-five grind: we must manage our retirement nest eggs with financial savvy while making the residential and lifestyle choices that will bring us the most satisfaction.

Obviously, neither of those challenges can be addressed without taking stock of the other, but here we’ll focus on living arrangements. These days, folks are making changes in their living arrangements even before they are ready to retire. In fact, traditional "retirement" might not be part of the plan at all.