Poll for Retirees: What's Most Important to a Successful Retirement?

[Midpack]

At the other extreme, what's the joke about inland Maine weather, '11 months of winter and 1 month of damn poor sledding...'

 

[veremchuka]

to each his own. i have been to flordia 3 times - 1975, 1988 and 2001 in west palm beach area and orlando. i hate flordia and wouldn't live there unless i grew tired of 4 seasons and especially winter which i like a lot more than summer. i hate heat, i detest humidity, 94 with a dew point of 45 is easier to tolerate than 83 when the dp is just 60 and forget higher. the water in flordia tastes and smells like sulfur. it was nice to see flowers and fruit trees blooming in november and the beaches were nice but that's about all i can remember from 3 trips that was not unpleasant! it's as flat as a board, the highest elevation is 28' above sea level! all the trees are tropical, maybe not up north but not where i was there were no oaks and maples just jungle shrubs.

i love winter and october is a great month as things cool down and we have nice foliage. november is great and until late february i'm thrilled. march is very depressing as winter is over and all i have to look forwards to is heat, humidity, bugs, noisy motorcycles to me summer just sucks and spring is no picnic either. but that's me and i realize a lot of people hate the cold and short days and snow, all the things i like.

 

[ScottFromUtah]

I voted Money, Health, and Activities, but I could/should have checked all of your choices. I love retirement because I don't have to worry about money, so that I could spend almost 24-7 with DW (and quality time with kids and grandkids), so that I could pursue my hobbies (running, triathlon, travel, photography, etc.), and so that I could do volunteer service. I LOVE retirement!

 

[SteveR]

I voted for Money, Health and Activities.

Money helps fund the other two.

Health is vital to activities. If you aren't blessed with a good body and good health then you have to rely on money to help create good health.

The activities I enjoy tend to require money to do at the level I want to do them. RVing, travel, scuba diving, photography, starting a business, etc.

There are simpler activities that require less money but my health prevents them to one degree or another so for me Money is number uno on my list.

 

[DeborahB]

I'm back after a 3-month (or so) hiatus... so much for retirement not being stressful!

I chose money, health and friends (in my mind, that includes family). I've had health problems so it's always on my mind, and one of the reasons I didn't post for a while.

Money made it possible for me to retire at 62 - and that's mostly money I earned and invested wisely if not conservatively. Location counts a lot - but I can't afford to move to either coast at this point. So I decided to go with what made sense to me now.

 

[ls99]

A good sense of humor.