Retirement guides
Retirement guides
Explore the decisions behind a retirement move. Every published guide names its sources.
16 published guides · newest first
Housing
Aging in Place vs. Moving to a Community: The Later-Care Math
Home modifications and in-home care versus a community's continuum. Both are priced by the county. How to compare them for the decade when care matters.
Published · 6 min read
Housing
Can Airbnb or VRBO Pay for Your Second Home? Check the County First
Short-term rental permits, caps, bans, and HOA rules are set by cities, counties, and associations. Verify them before the rental income goes in your budget.
Published · 6 min read
Where to Retire
Community Amenities vs. County Amenities
A pool and a fitness center inside the gate cost thousands a year in fees. The county's parks, senior center, library, and programs are mostly free. Which do you actually use?
Published · 4 min read
Healthcare
Hospital Access in Both of Your Locations
A two-location retirement needs two answers to 'where's the hospital.' How to check emergency, specialist, and chronic-care access in each county.
Published · 4 min read
Where to Retire
Living Abroad Part-Time? Your U.S. Home County Still Sets Your Costs
The magazines sell the destination. The U.S. county you keep goes on charging property tax, insurance, and state income tax the whole time you're away.
Published · 6 min read
Housing
Manufactured-Home and Land-Lease Retirement Communities
Low purchase price, rising lot rent, and no land equity. How land-lease communities work, what investor ownership has done to rents, and what to check first.
Published · 5 min read
Housing
Mid-Term Rentals: Renting 30+ Days to Travel Nurses and Remote Workers
Monthly furnished rentals often escape short-term rental rules, match the months you're away, and bring steadier tenants. What to verify locally.
Published · 5 min read
Healthcare
Plan for Healthcare in Your 80s, Not Your 60s
The county that's cheapest at 65 can be the hardest place to be sick at 82. How to check hospital and specialist access before you choose a place to retire.
Published · 6 min read
Where to Retire
Senior Property Tax Breaks: Why Two Counties in the Same State Aren't Equal
Homestead exemptions, senior freezes, and deferrals are written by states but applied by counties. What you actually get depends on where you file.
Published · 6 min read
Where to Retire
Stop Comparing States: Retirement Geographic Arbitrage Happens at the County Level
State rankings tell you almost nothing about what retirement will cost. Property tax, insurance, housing, and healthcare are set locally — here's how to compare where it counts.
Published · 13 min read
Housing
The Five Kinds of Retirement Community, and Who Each One Is For
55+ active adult, CCRC, independent living, assisted living, and co-housing work on different contracts with different financial exposure. A plain-language map.
Published · 6 min read
Taxes
The Local Taxes Nobody Warns Retirees About
City income taxes, county sales tax add-ons, and local levies can change your retirement budget by thousands, and they never appear on a state ranking.
Published · 5 min read
Where to Retire
The Second-Home Property Tax Penalty
A second home usually gets no homestead exemption, no assessment cap, and no senior relief. In some counties that doubles the effective tax rate.
Published · 5 min read
Where to Retire
When to Stop Snowbirding: Planning the Transition to One Home
Two-location retirement ends, usually because of health, driving, or caregiving. Deciding which home to keep is easier before the pressure arrives.
Published · 5 min read
Where to Retire
Where to Store the RV (and the House) While You're Away
RV parking ordinances, HOA rules, storage lot costs, and vacant-home insurance are all local. Check them before you buy the house or the rig.
Published · 4 min read
Where to Retire
Your Property Tax Bill Is Set by Your County, Not Your State
State property tax rankings hide 10x and even 25x differences between counties in the same state. Here's how to read the numbers that actually decide your bill.
Published · 7 min read