Picking a place

[NoOneGetsIt]

Hi...We've just moved to Oregon and have 2/3rd of our 2M in non-taxable [cost basis or Roth] accounts..so we won't be taxed on most of our retirement money. My husband is in freak out mode because he's seeing Oregon ranked near the bottom for places to retire.

We moved to Hood River, a small town on the east side of the Cascades so less rain than Portland.

They also rank low on healthcare but when i dug into the ranking by the gov't didn't have much to do with treatment...mostly are people in nursing homes not well off. We don't plan to end up in one....at least for very long....because we plan to eat right and exercise in this small town we walk everywhere.

Thoughts? Should my husband be freaking?

 

[SumDay]

Why You Should Ignore Those 'Best Places to Retire' Lists | TIME.com


If your husband is like me, if he's not freaking out about this, he'll find something else.

 

[haha]

Tell him to chill. For the most part it doesn't matter where you retire. If after a few years he still hasn't found anything to like about Hood River, then move. However, if he hasn't found anything to like about Hood River I would worry about him. World class wind surfing right there in the Columbia, and some nearby rivers have excellent trout fishing, all in a dry desert climate. Portland not too far away for serious medical issues, or just to enjoy a nice cosmopolitan medium to large city.

Ha

 

[Options]

Portland/Vancouver isn't so bad according to this website:

Best Cities for Successful Aging | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA

 

[Meadbh]

Hi...We've just moved to Oregon....

My husband is in freak out mode because he's seeing Oregon ranked near the bottom for places to retire.

Should my husband be freaking?

Presumably you did some research on Oregon before deciding to move there. So what do you trust? Your own research and what you see every day, or the results of some arbitrary ranking developed by marketers?

I don't live in the U.S. but Oregon is one of my favorite states to visit. Friendly, laid back people, unspoilt natural beauty, cool ambience and culture. What's not to love?

Talk to your neighbors Helen and Brat.

 

[NoOneGetsIt]

most of our research was on 'way of life' since we have 2/3rds of our retirement isn't taxable. I think this is all growing pains...new place that is different than other places we've lived. And...living in a much smaller home [downsized from 5000 sq ft to 1700 sq ft] ...no mortgage and lower taxes. we also figured in a small town we could easily go down to one vehicle.

 

[sengsational]

Stay and have a beer at Full Sail.

 

[braumeister]

Stay and have a beer at Full Sail.

Sound advice. Oregon is in my top five states, and I visit often. Incredible diversity due to its size and geography.

Deschutes, in Bend, is one of my absolute favorite breweries, so just the availability of their range of beers would make me envious of your location.

Seriously, those rankings of places are complete nonsense IMHO.

 

[Chuckanut]

As a former governor of Oregon once said:

“I urge them to come and come many, many times to enjoy the beauty of Oregon. But I also ask them, for heaven’s sake, don’t move here to live.”

 

[shortstop14]

Close in to Portland, here - I've considered moving out a bit east towards Hood River, have always liked the area. Heading that way out soon for some mountain biking, actually. Maybe Stevenson, WA - the Washington side avoids the 9% Oregon income tax (not an issue to you, definitely is for me).

Hard to beat area for outdoor recreation - mountains, desert and the Columbia Gorge close by. Hopefully the quality of life is what you're hoping for.

 

[stepford]

I love the Hood River area and have considered retiring there myself. I gotta say, though, that living 5 minutes away right on the other side of the bridge in White Salmon and paying no state income tax has even greater appeal.

 

[nash031]

Best/worst places are based on whatever those folks want to base it on. The question is, what's important to YOU? San Diego is a terrible place to retire for a lot of financial reasons... unless you like sun and beach and warm all year round and good schools where I am and about 25 craft breweries and great food and good culture and a nine month long triathlon season and 3 marathons within 30 minutes and...

There's tradeoffs everywhere - the great part about retirement is that it's all about YOU and not anyone else (or their list!).

 

[calmloki]

I keep paying taxes there - and am very exposed tax wise.

19 Reasons Why You Should Never Visit Oregon

Here’s Why Oregon Is Better Than Each And Every U.S. State | Estately Blog

 

[cathy63]

Best/worst places are based on whatever those folks want to base it on. The question is, what's important to YOU? San Diego is a terrible place to retire for a lot of financial reasons... unless you like sun and beach and warm all year round and good schools where I am and about 25 craft breweries and great food and good culture and a nine month long triathlon season and 3 marathons within 30 minutes and...

There's tradeoffs everywhere - the great part about retirement is that it's all about YOU and not anyone else (or their list!).

Hi Nash -- seems like we're neighbors. I agree, we're in a great place. (I'm not retired yet, but hopefully next year.)

 

[Bamaman]

Tell your husband to chill out.

If he doesn't like the place after a year or two (after paying state income taxes), you can always move somewhere else.

 

[nash031]

Hi Nash -- seems like we're neighbors. I agree, we're in a great place. (I'm not retired yet, but hopefully next year.)

Maybe! DW and I have lived down in the Cays for four years... I'm at least five years from retirement myself and we have no intent on moving from our current house unless multiple kids come along. The great part about it is thinking through places to live without attachment from work. It's going to be awfully tough to leave here, even if it means we either work a little bit longer or cut back on extras in retirement for the benefit of other awesomeness!

 

[W2R]

Hi...We've just moved to Oregon and have 2/3rd of our 2M in non-taxable [cost basis or Roth] accounts..so we won't be taxed on most of our retirement money. My husband is in freak out mode because he's seeing Oregon ranked near the bottom for places to retire.

Sounds like a variety of "buyer's remorse".... "relocator's remorse"? Anyway, I am wondering if he regrets having moved there at all and feels disappointed by the experience of living there. Is he having fun in Oregon? Does he enjoy living there, overall?

If so, I am thinking that maybe he will relax and forget about freak out mode after a while once the decision becomes less fresh in his mind. Maybe it would help to reassure him, that if the two of you aren't enjoying Oregon that the move is not an irreversible decision.

 

[Amethyst]

There is no Best Place while we are alive.

Very wise words from previous posters about "best places" lists. Those lists are like Money Magazine articles about couples' finances - the couples never resemble us in the slightest.

The good thing about the "best" lists is that someone has done a little research, so if something strikes your fancy e.g. "hey! It says they have great breweries!" you may want to investigate further.

We made up a detailed, prioritized list of "requirements" and, like everyone else, soon learned that a) no place has everything you want b) if it does, and you can still afford it, it's bound to have some features you strongly dislike and c) sometimes your major "requirements" cancel each other out (e.g. I want to live in a vibrant area, near major health care/educational centers but I don't want heavy traffic!)

So you find the best place you can, and then try to adapt. Re: husbands: I would love to investigate the Pacific Northwest, but he won't budge off the East Coast. Marriage is a higher priority to me than getting my own way all the time. If I found something REALLY great about Oregon, Washington State, et environs, I might stage an Insistence Scene, but so far it's not seemed worth the trouble....

Amethyst