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Best Retirement States Article

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5 States Thought To Be Great For Retirement

from: Kyle Besser

When you have been working hard for most of your life, you look forward to retiring. Retirement is the time of your life when you will be able to indulge yourself with new activities and events that you didn't have the time to do while you were working.

There are many things that you need to consider in your retirement plans. One of the main items that you will need to think about is where to live after you have finished working. The state in which you live could have an impact on how far the money you have saved for retirement will last. How will you pick the best retirement state for you?

You might want to find out about the various benefits and social issues that are relevant for retirement living. Each of the 50 states has different ways of meeting the various needs of their senior citizens. You will need to see what they have in the way of senior housing, social activities and medical health care for senior citizens. You will also need to figure out what states you can afford to live in.

The best way for you to choose the best retirement states in the country would be to list your retirement needs. What type of climate do you want? What activities are you interested in? The internet would helpful to you with the initial research that you will need to do. You can find out the various weather conditions of each state, the different types of senior housing available, and see if you would like living in that type of environment year round.

Next you will need to think about the social life. There are many different activities that people enjoy doing, but these activities may change as you grow older. You will need to see if the potential retirement state will have a wide choice of activities for you to enjoy.

The bigger problem though is how to choose the best retirement states based on your living expenses and retirement income. Since money is a major consideration for most senior citizens, finding a state that offers tax breaks along with great social and medical benefits is a real find. Your retirement money will stretch much further if you live in a state with lower taxes for senior citizens.

If all other things are equal, a state with a lower tax burden is a more attractive place to retire than a state with a higher tax burden. To get a true sense of which states are less expensive, you need to look at state and local tax burdens. Only then do the states with lower tax burdens stand out.

There are 5 states that are great for retirement that are not always thought of. In all of these states there are certain types of taxes that senior citizens don't have to pay. These taxes can be sales tax, property taxes, taxes on foods and, in some cases, real estate taxes.

1. New Hampshire

New Hampshire's cost of living and tax burden are among the lowest in the U.S. Crime is also low, and life expectancy high. Climate was the one criteria on which New Hampshire did not score well as New Hampshire is colder than many seniors like.

2. South Dakota

South Dakota comes out similarly to North Dakota, but your dollar will go farther in South Dakota thanks to a lower cost of living and tax burden. The climate is just a bit milder than North Dakota's frigid climate.

3. North Dakota

North Dakota has a frigid climate but it must be healthy because life expectancy in North Dakota is among the highest in the nation. North Dakota's crime rates are among the lowest in the US.

4. Iowa

Iowa represents the Midwest well with a combination of a low cost of living, 93 percent of the national average, and a healthy economy. The life expectancy in Iowa is fairly high, and the crime rate is fairly low.

5. Virginia

Reason for high rank: The mid-Atlantic coast region of Virginia offers mild temperatures. Unlike some other states in the region, Virginia also features low crime rates and a relatively healthy economy. The cost of living is 99 percent of the national average, and the average state and local tax burden is 9.8 percent.

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