We all know that there are numerous great places to retire around the world. But, being happy is something that we should consider before we finally choose the place where we would want to retire. Sometimes, it is best that we move overseas to retire. This is true especially if you want change, start over again, or a new environment.

For many people, being happy is to be able to do what they love most. Knowing and focusing on your passion will give you joy that money can’t buy. So, what is your passion? What is that something you love doing which makes you truly happy? More often than not, we give up a lot of things just to do what we love most.

In choosing your place for retirement, consider your passion in order for you to be happy and peaceful. If you are a food enthusiast and you want eating different kinds of foods, trying or cooking new recipes, and preparing foods for other people; you would want to consider India, Italy, Peru, England, China or the Philippines. These countries are known for their exotic variety of foods from sour, to very spicy, sweet, all varieties of seafood and all kinds of edible meat, and tasty desserts.

If you want to spend the rest of your life close to nature, the mountains and you love the outdoors, the ideal places for you are Norway, Alaska, New Zealand or Siberia with their expansive, uninhabited, and expansive wilderness and wide coastline. New Zealand alone can provide you beautiful scenery consisting of forests, plains, mountains, and the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers.

Are you a water person? Do you love diving, swimming or sailing? Australia, Honduras, Belize, or the Bahamas are the best places that you can enjoy your passion. These countries are famous for their jewel-like ocean waters, natural shores, and remarkable coral reefs. The cost of living in these countries will depend on your lifestyle. If you prefer simple living, there are plenty of communities you can choose from. On the other hand, if you want luxurious homes and environment, there are also places where you can settle.

Would you be living on a certain budget?  A low budget should not prevent you from being happy and enjoy what you want most. There are great places to retire that offer diversified interests, culture, sports, entertainment and others which can suit your passion at the cost you can very well afford. These countries include Vietnam, Uruguay, Ecuador, Thailand, or Colombia. These countries are rich in natural resources, beautiful plains and mountains, wide beaches, and excellent foods. Not to mention a very low cost of living compared to the United States.

If you love plants and want to keep your garden all year through without being worried about snow and cold weather, tropical countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Mexico, Cameroon, Costa Rica, or Venezuela are your best possibilities. Growing oranges, coconuts, bananas, papaya, sweet potatoes, yams, and vegetables are very easy in these countries. Malaysia is known for their beautiful flowers while Cameroon is famous for their cuisines and fruits.

If you haven’t discovered yet what your passion really is, you may want to try out different places first to find out what kind of life you want to have. Before your retirement, visit different countries by joining cruises and tours. Vacations and travels can provide to you the opportunity to experience life in different countries that could be a good place for you to live when you retire. Another way of learning about great places to retire is by attending seminars about retirement in your locality. With these retirement seminars, you will be able to identify what is the best country or place for you to launch your new life when you retire.

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South Africa is known as a ‘World in One Country’ and has a number of unlimited possibilities to look forward to when retiring. There are many beautiful attractions and exciting activities to experience.

In South Africa there are fantastic events and entertainment activities to enjoy for people from all walks of life. South Africa has one of the second oldest Film Industries in the world. South Africa also has a large variety of adventure activities to keep any fitness enthusiast busy, one of the most popular sporting events in the country, The Cape Argus Cycle Tour which is the largest timed cycle race in the world. There is also the Comrades Marathon as well as The Midmar Mile Race, these sporting events take place every year and are enjoyed by many people, local and international alike.

Accommodation in Durban has expanded greatly, especially because of the beautiful and expansive beaches and warm climate. The Golden Mile is a famous skyline and beachfront full of shark-free waters. While development was mostly booming in the 1970s, there are plenty of beautiful architectural wonders including art-deco inspiration.

South Africa is also a great place to retire and live in as there are great places to travel to. Magnificent mountain and ocean views can be enjoyed and beautiful nature parks and game reserves can be explored, one of which is the Kruger National Park. This vast game reserve in South Africa is home to the greatest variety of wildlife species on the African continent. It is roughly the size of Wales which makes it the eighth largest reserve in the world.

Home to one of the world’s 6 floral kingdoms, South Africa has one-tenth (23 200) of the world’s flowering plants, of which nearly 19 000 are endemic, making it the richest region in the world in terms of species to area – 1.7 times richer even than Brazil. It is home to more kinds of mammals than North and South America combined.

Retire in Capetown South Africa

Should Cape Town be your city of choice apart from Johannesburg, Durban and the rural and coastal areas in between, it is home to the famous Table Mountain which is one of the seven wonders of the geological world.

Standing at just over 580 feet, Table Mountain dominates the city’s skyline. Table Mountain can be seen as far as 130 miles out to sea. Cape Town also has many wonderful hotels which can be visited such as the Cape Grace Hotel which is located at the wonderful Victoria and Alfred Waterfront shopping complex.

Paarl in the Cape Winelands is South Africa’s third oldest town and home to the KWV Cellars, the largest wine cellar in the world covering 22 hectares. The sea also brings many spectacular sightings such as Seal Island in False Bay which is the only place in the world where Great White Sharks consistently breach, leaping completely out of the water, to catch their prey, mainly seals.

Make South Africa your country of choice to retire as it is a unique place to live with magnificent wildlife, great weather and good infrastructure.

Some popular places to visit when retiring in South Africa:

Kimberley’s ‘Big Hole’ is the largest hand-dug hole in the world and is deeper than Table Mountain is high. Kimberley also has the only drive-in pubs in the world.

The Mpumalanga province in South Africa is home to the Blyde River Canyon, which is the third largest canyon in the world.

The Tugela Falls in KwaZulu-Natal, at 948m (3110ft), is the second highest waterfall in the world.

The world’s best land-based whale-watching spot is located in Hermanus, in close proximity to Cape Town in the Western Cape.

According to ‘Trivial Pursuit’, Graaf-Reinett in the Western Cape has the world’s biggest grapevine.

The Boesmansgat in South Africa is renowned as the second deepest sinkhole and the largest of its kind in the world. Many attempts have been made at world records in cave-diving in this exceptional sinkhole.

Near Oudtshoorn one can find the Cango Caves which are a 3 km long sequence of caverns of glittering stalagmites and stalactites, which makes it the longest underground cave sequence in the world.

Fossilized footprints were found at Langebaan Lagoon, Western Cape, in a sand-dune-turned-rock. The 117,000 year-old fossils are the oldest known footprints of an anatomically modern human.

The Sterkfontein Caves, in Gauteng, is the location where the oldest human skeletal remains were found in the world (3,5 million years old). This location is also referred to as the Cradle of Humankind.

The 2,02 billion year-old crater in Vredefort is the oldest known crater on Earth. The general estimate of its original diameter is roughly 300 km, which makes it the largest crater on the planet, as well.

The St. Lucia estuarine system, in KwaZulu-Natal, is the largest estuarine system in Africa.

This post was written by Ryan Mackie of www.south-african-hotels.com. Ryan is based in Cape Town and regularly contributes to travel blogs.

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1. Uruguay South America Best Place To Retire

If you’re nearing retirement or just about to reach that golden milestone, congratulations! You’ve worked hard, saved your money and are about to set forth on an amazing and exciting journey. You can look forward to many years of carefree living with no constraints. You’ll be totally in charge of your life for the first time in what? Thirty or even forty years?

Culebra beach Puerto Rico

Just imagine the freedom of being able to get up each morning and decide how you want to spend your day – without having to adhere to a schedule. You say you want to have a late breakfast, spend time reading the morning paper and then linger over a second or third cup of coffee? No problem. It’ll be your day and you can do whatever you want.

While you may not have thought of this, you can also decide where you want to spend the rest of your life. While many retirees decide to stay right where they are, others choose to live the life of an expatriate – and move some place where the weather is always warm and the cost of living is cheaper. And sometimes that means you need to look at the best places to retire abroad.

The important thing is that you don’t have to stay put. There’s a whole world of places out there where you could retire. In some cases, you would be able to live a much better life and enjoy more luxuries because these countries have costs of living that are much less than here in the States.

Nine great places to retire

Retire to Vietnam

Retire in Panama

Retire to Cuba

Retire in Argentina

Retire in Puerto Rico

Retire in Jamaica

Retire in Chile

Retire in Colombia

Retire in Ireland

This site will take you to nine great places to retire. One of them is considered by many to be the best place in the world to retire (hint: it has a canal). This is because it not only offers a cheaper cost of living it also has a special program for retirees. If you choose this country, you may not even have to pay any income taxes and how sweet would that be?

We’ll also introduce you to two countries you might not have ever considered for retirement in your wildest dreams. However, both have become very popular destinations for retirees. One of these countries (hint: think great cigars) has become something of a haven for people who are tired of having the government peer over their shoulders every minute.

We’ll introduce you to another country that boasts seven climate zones. In fact, you can go from hot sunny Atlantic Ocean beaches to an area of 300-plus glaciers without ever leaving this country (hint: this one sort of forms South America’s backbone).

We’ll also tell your about a U.S. has a territory that has actually voted to not become independent. It’s an island about three times the size of Rhode Island with population of about 3.9 million and offers deep sea fishing and snorkeling to die for.

There is another island we’ll introduce you to that has kept faith with its European heritage. Its natives speak mostly English (or English patio) and even though it sits in the middle of the Caribbean, it’s still a British colony (hint: think Olympic bobsled team).

You’ll probably remember the miners that were trapped deep in a mine for 69 days. Do you remember which country the mine was in? We’ll tell you why its one of the best places to retire and why it’s a great place to buy a home.

If that’s not enough, we’ll introduce you to yet another Central American country that’s often overlooked as a retirement destination but that has a lot going for it, plus a country that has often been called the “emerald isle.”

So sit down, strap yourself in and get ready for a ride to nine of the best places in the world to retire.

Note: The costs you will see quoted are based on average costs as of February 2012 and may vary from what you encounter firsthand in any of these nine countries.

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For the next 20 years 10,000 Americans will reach retirement age every day. For the right person this can represent an enormous opportunity for creating senior retirement living jobs. Millions of baby boomers will need some type of long term care services in their lifetime. After you retire from your career you can invest in a nursing home, senior living center, retirement community or assisted living facility and serve your fellow baby boomers along with ensuring you have a comfortable retirement income.

You can also use your managerial or executive expertise and apply for a director position at a retirement home. Or you could be a business office manager at a senior living community.

There will be a need for nursing, LVN, RN and CNA positions.

If you have a strong culinary background you can become a culinary director and make sure the residents of your retirement village enjoy healthy, nutritious as well as delicious meals.

Have a background in health care administration. There will be plenty of job opportunities available for you. As baby boomers get older they will need more complex health care and you can advise them on the best ways to pay for their medicines and health care.

Have a strong financial background? You can become a retirement advisor or financial planner and help your clients stretch their retirement savings as much as possible and maximize their Social Security benefits.

Do you like talking to people? There will be plenty of sales jobs for all the nursing homes, retirement villages and retirement communities to sell their prospective properties.

There will be plenty of jobs for products and services related to baby boomers and future retirees. You can make a second career out of serving your fellow Americans.

If you are about to retire or looking for an expanding career field check out the opportunities available for serving the baby boomer generation. Millions of people just like you will need to supplement their income due to smaller retirement savings. You can help others and ensure you and your family have a comfortable retirement.

Technorati Tags: Assisted living, Baby Boom Generation, baby boomers, retirement, retirement living jobs, senior living jobs

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With the recession today, a lot of people have been looking for cheaper places to live somewhere else in the country. Looking for the perfect location for you and your family to live in is not the easiest thing to do. Aside from expensive prices, you need to consider the quality of living on the area as well. Having said that, there are a lot of great places in the United States that offer a good quality of living but it does come with a cost. There are states in the country though that can offer a great standard of living at a lower price. When looking for a place to live, you also consider the cost of living in that area. Factors like transportation, basic commodities, utilities, and most importantly, health care must be taken into careful consideration as well. Here are some of cheap places to live in the US.

Texas is one of the cheapest states to live in the United States. Some areas in Texas may be expensive but if you go to the southwestern region of the state, you can find a small metro area known as Brownsville. The Brownsville area includes San Benito and Harlingen which are known areas for cheap costs of living. First, rental in these areas are almost 4 times lower than the cost in New York. Housing cost is also lower in Harlingen compared to other areas. Transportation and the cost of groceries are low too. Gas prices in the Brownsville area are lower compared to other places since it is much closer to refineries. When the gas price is low, the transportation cost also goes down. As the transportation becomes cheaper, prices of basic commodities and groceries also becomes cheaper as well. But people who are considering this area need to know that utility prices may be pricey. There are also fewer colleges in the area and the income is relatively low. The median household income in Brownsville is $30, 034.

Ft. Hood is also another area in Texas considered to be cheap. A U.S. Army Base is located in the area so soldiers and their families are the common occupants there. Housing prices are very competitive. Because of the presence of the army base, healthcare is expected to be of high quality. Great schools are also present in the area for the kids of those who are in the military. The median household income in Ft. Hood is $46,183. Sherman is also a cheap place to live in Texas. The population is mostly composed of families and living in this area is great since basic commodities and utility charges are cheap. The major employers in the area are health care related which pays higher compared to the paychecks of other cheap places to live in.  Gas prices in Sherman are also relatively low. The low cost of gas produces a chain reaction which affects the prices of commodities to go lower as well. Median household income in Sherman, Texas is $45,171.

Another cheap place to live in the United States is Pueblo, Colorado. Pueblo is a great area to consider since according to statistics, there are more better paying jobs here than in Harlingen. Cost of housing is also very affordable and since it is a metropolitan area, there are major employers situated there. Based on the data collected by the Council for Community and Economic Research or C2ER, housing costs in Pueblo are 30 percent lower than that of the national average.  Pueblo, Colorado also enjoys an average of 300 days of sun each year. The weather is great and there is lesser snow compared to other cities. A good reason why Pueblo is considered one of the cheap places to live in the country is the fact that there are good schools and hospitals in the area. Healthcare is accessible and the amenities are updated too. Recreation and shopping areas are located in key areas of the city as well. Compared to Brownsville, the prices of groceries and basic commodities might slightly be higher but this is balanced out by getting a small raise in your income. Median household income in Pueblo, Colorado is $40,805.

If you are looking for a budget friendly area in the Arkansas area, then Fort Smith is the place for you. Cost of housing is low and the prices of basic commodities are very affordable too. Utilities are cheap and rental rates are reasonable. Transportation is also cheap and the area is generally low-tax. Aside from that, there are a number of companies in Fort Smith that can offer employment opportunities. Median household income in Fort Smith is $37,363. This is a bit lower compared to Pueblo, Colorado or Sherman, Texas but the cost of living in Fort Smith will balance this. The area is not similar to other big cities in the country and if you want quality education and other recreational activities, you would need to drive to other cities like Fayetteville.

Springfield in Illinois is another great place to live. 65% of the populations in the area are families. Housing costs are average but income is higher compared to other cheap cities. Rent is also affordable and usually averages to $556. There are a number of large employers situated in the city which increases the chances of being employed. Most of the jobs in the area are at the state government since it is the state capital. According to statistics, there are around 17,200 employees by the State of Illinois. There are also hospitals in the area which are capable of performing procedures like cardiovascular operations. Median Household income in Springfield is $51,001.

Generally, these cheap places to live are all great areas if your family knows how to adjust. These areas may not have the perfect scenario of great quality living but with the income that these cities offer, they provide a living that is suitable to that rate. It is always advisable to do research and check employment opportunities before making a decision to make sure you and your family get the best deal out there.

Related articles

• Cheap Places to Visit for Vacation (cheapplacesretire.com)

Technorati Tags: Brownsville, Colorado, Fort Hood, Illinois, Median household income, Pueblo, Texas, United States

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1. 10 Cheap Places To Retire

Europe is a remarkably varied continent, for one so small. Some may dismiss it as a retirement option on the grounds of cost, but there are many parts of it which are highly affordable. While some parts might be a little chilly for some, others have a beautifully warm climate. Some parts are rather densely populated, but there are other areas which are wild and isolated. Essentially, whatever you are looking for, you will find it in Europe. Language can be a problem unless you go to the UK or Ireland, but many people speak at least some English, so you can muddle through until you learn the local lingo. If you are looking for culture, good food and a temperate climate, Europe might just be perfect for you. Here are our top European retirement destination picks:

1) Cyprus

If you choose this option, you certainly won’t be the only one: Cyprus is a very popular retirement destination, especially for people from the UK. It used to be a British protectorate, and there is a large community of Brits of all ages there. That means you’ll find English speaking facilities (such as doctors) and a ready-made group of fellow ex-pat friends. Make sure you get holiday home insurance. The sun shines for ten months a year and the cost of living is low: you can live the high-life in Cyprus without necessarily having a high-life income.

2) Spain

Like Cyprus, parts of Spain have lots of English-speaking (mostly British) retirees, mainly in and around the southern resort towns, so if you want to be part of an ex-pat community you can be. Alternatively, you could escape up into the mountain villages, or enjoy a second youth in vibrant cities like Barcelona or Madrid. There is a long coastline and skiing in the Pyrenees. Spain is a great destination for almost anyone as it is so varied. If you’re unsure what you want from your retirement, you could move around here quite easily while you decide.

3) Scotland

Retirement in Scotland is the perfect choice for anyone who has a yearning for open skies and wilderness. It is of course, English-speaking, so you don’t need to worry about language issues (much). It is also generally cheaper than much of the rest of the UK. The highlands and islands are the place to head if you’d like tranquillity and freedom. You could find yourself living on the shores of a vast loch, or looking out over valleys filled with purple heather. If you are into hiking, then Scotland is ideal and attracts visitors from all over the UK. Winter-sports fans can head to the Aviemore and Glencoe areas for ski resorts.

4) Croatia

Croatia is not somewhere that many people would immediately consider when thinking of retiring in Europe, but it is a surprisingly attractive option. It has grown in popularity as a holiday destination in recent years, but is a good retirement destination too. It has a beautiful Mediterranean-style coast, both mainland and islands. Modern villas have sprung up in these areas in recent years. It is relatively unspoilt compared to some parts of Europe, which have suffered from over-development. It also has stunning cities with buildings and city walls dating make to the medieval era, such as Split and Dubrovnik.

5) Italy

If you love art and culture, then a retirement in Italy is for you. Cities like Rome, Venice and Florence have a rich and long history of art and architecture going back to Roman times. If you’d rather get out of the cities, you can either head up to the cool of the lakes and mountains (such as the area around Lake Garda), or to the wonderfully long coastline. Many parts of Italy are impossibly romantic – such as the dramatic and colourful Amalfi coast area. And of course, if you are a foodie, Italy has one of the world’s best cuisines.

Wherever you choose, retirement in Europe has many potential benefits. If you settle somewhere and then change your mind, remember that you could always just get some insurance for your home, rent it out and then travel: that’s the beauty of being in a part of the world where travel between countries is quick and easy.

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USAA.com and Military.com jointly released the 2011 top 10 best places to retire for second careers for military retirees. If you are in the military and approaching retirement you could find this list useful as you decide where you want the next stage of your life to take place.

USAA and Military.com used data from Sperling’s BestPlaces to find what would be most useful to retirees as they transition from military life to retired civilian life.

They looked at things like military skill related jobs, volume of DoD contracts, number of small businesses, veteran’s affairs hospitals, affordability, military pension taxation, climate, crime level to name a few.

Here is the listing for 2011:

1.    Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
2.    Norfolk, Virginia
3.    Richmond, Virginia
4.    Austin, Texas
5.    San Antonio, Texas
6.    Madison, Wisconsin
7.    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
8.    Raleigh, North Carolina
9.    Omaha, Nebraska
10.    Manchester, New Hampshire

San Antonio already has a large military base presence so it’s easy to see why it is also one of the best places to retire. Many people fall in love with the city and surrounding areas, the low cost of living, affordable housing, numerous golf courses, plenty of things to do, good Mexican food, and the Riverwalk.

Not to mention plenty of sporting activities including college football – UTSA, Incarnate Word, Trinity, minor league baseball – Missions, and professional basketball – Spurs.

San Antonio and south Texas as a whole can have hot summers though.

But it has a lot to make up for as far as job opportunities for military retirees. You can try out a mini retirement or part time retirement and see how well San Antonio or Austin will suit your retirement needs.

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If you’re thinking about where to retire, you’ve probably stumbled on at least one of those Best Places to Retire lists online, in magazines, or in books. But which lists are credible? And which suit your circumstances? To find out, MoneyWatch.com reviewed them and came away with surprising results.

Since you shouldn’t choose a place to live using outdated information, our analysis of retirement-places lists excludes any created before 2008. That left five leading raters: U.S. News, Money, Smart Money, TopRetirements.com, and RetirementLiving.com; together, they name 454 places.

The key thing to remember: The rankings vary widely in the scope of the places they consider and the statistical rigor they bring to their ranking. Some of the rankers, such as TopRetirements.com and RetirementLiving.com, consider a wide variety of reasonable criteria to get at a more rounded picture of “livability.” Others focus on one or two key factors to produce a very narrow sense of what makes a place “best.” U.S. News, for instance, lists best-retirement places ranging from ones that lean Republican (hello, Cincinnati) to ones filled with parks (Albuquerque).

Perhaps the best way to use the “best retirement places” rankings is to start with a narrowly focused list (such as cities dotted with golf courses or ones with affordable homes) and find a handful of potential winning destinations. Then, use other lists and Web sites to see how these places stack up on broader criteria, such as livability or recession resistance.

Here’s how these “best places to retire” raters rate on MoneyWatch.com’s scale of one to five stars. (Another site, FindUtopia.com, doesn’t compile rankings but has a wealth of useful information about choosing a place to retire.)
TopRetirements.com

How it rates places: This site’s Best 25 Places to Retire list is essentially a popularity contest. It includes the towns with the most online visits among the 208 featured at TopRetirements.com. The site also sells an eBook of its Top 100 Retirement Towns ($12.95).

What’s good: Site editors and members of the public have visited the winning places. Zagat-like descriptions note the negatives, too. So although No. 1 Asheville, N.C., gets high marks for climate, water activities, downtown, and senior housing, a commenter warns that “overdevelopment is coming.” Top places include the familiar (Sarasota, Fla., and San Diego) as well as the not-so-familiar (Paris, Tenn., and Green Valley, Ariz.).

What’s not good: The fairly small database of places limits possible winners. You can’t sort the list to find places matching your own criteria.

Best for: Finding places that other retirees like.

MoneyWatch.com rating: 4 Stars.

U.S. News

How it rates places: U.S. News doesn’t have one grand Best Places to Retire list. Instead, working primarily with Onboard Informatics, a data-gathering firm, the magazine regularly churns out narrowly defined Top 10 lists from its database of 2,000 retirement places. Its latest lists: Healthiest Places; Low-Tax Places; Places for Swinging Singles to Retire; Cities for Job-Seeking Retirees; Brainiest Places; Outdoorsy Places; Places for Golf Nuts; Places for Winter Sports Nuts; Places for Football Fans; Greenest Places; Places for Foodies; Places for Democrats and Republicans.

What’s good: The data-driven picks are reasonable and worth reading if you’re looking for places matching their screens. The Best Cities for Job-Seeking Retirees list, created with RetirementJobs.com, is especially timely. (Winners: Bellevue, Wash.; Bismarck, N.D.; Charleston, W.Va.; Charlottesville, Va.; Ithaca, N.Y.; Huntsville, Ala.; Lubbock, Texas; Oklahoma City; Rochester, Minn.; and State College, Pa.)

What’s not good: U.S. News doesn’t reveal its data, so you can’t tell whether the magazine’s criteria would match yours. Some lists are anecdotal and random: Best Retirement Places for Foodies, for instance, came by asking “a handful of chefs and culinary experts” for recommendations and surprisingly includes McMinnville, Ore. A few choices seem way off: Clearwater, Fla., is a great place for “winter sports nuts?”

Best for: Choosing a place based on one factor that matters a lot to you.

MoneyWatch.com rating: 3 Stars

Money

How it rates places: Money created its three lists by selecting discrete criteria – towns near water, affordable homes, and long life expectancy – and layering on additional data.

What’s good: The 6 Terrific Towns on the Water list factors in livability factors such as crime, weather, and activities. (Winners: Dunedin, Fla.; Sequim, Wash.; St. Joseph, Mich.; Beaufort, S.C.; Durango, Colo.; and Marble Falls, Texas.) The Affordable Homes winners have Google Maps showing homes for sale and the prices of recent sales. Winners on all three lists have data displays showing how they fare on key measures such as weather, property taxes, crime, movie theaters, and libraries, as well as how the areas compare with Money’s Best Places Averages.

What’s not good: The Best Places for a Long Life and Affordable Homes lists don’t include livability data. The Long Life list’s criteria seem strange: Counties with the longest life expectancy at birth but whose median family income was not more than 5 percent below the state median.

Best for: Anyone looking for pleasant towns near water or places with either low house prices or long life expectancies.

MoneyWatch.com rating: 3 Stars

Smart Money

How it rates places: Smart Money’s article, “7 Places to Retire During an Economic Downturn,” had experts choose “recession-proof” places.

What’s good: College towns typically are recession-resistant, so winners Gainesville, Fla., (University of Florida) and Ithaca, N.Y. (Cornell University), whose unemployment rates are around 6 percent, make sense.

What’s not good: The list needed more rigorous criteria. Two winners – Portland, Ore., and Orlando, Fla., – are facing rough times with double-digit unemployment rates.

Best for: People who care most about healthy local economies.

MoneyWatch.com rating: 1 Star

RetirementLiving.com

How it rates places: This site, from Retirement Living Information Center, lists 210 Top Retirement Destinations in 33 states, based on its research and visits. The site also lists 94 Great College Towns for Retirement in 38 states.

What’s good: Each Retirement Destination listing is information-rich and packed with related links, saving time if you want learn more about an area’s arts, recreation, senior programs, hospitals, weather, or taxes.

What’s not good: There are no rankings, so every place seems equally “great.” Hawaii has no listings, and many Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states are left out. You need to pay $24.95 to gain access to the detailed Top Retirement reports, which omit drawbacks. The College Town list is just a series of links to the towns’ and colleges’ sites.

Best for: Learning about places already popular with retirees.

MoneyWatch.com rating:1 Star..

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The thought of Retirement can often mean something different these days. For some it indicates new options and journeys.

It is possible to look all over the world for a greatest location for you to retire. Let us head across the pond and take a appear at Europe, in Spain and Portugal. This locations are ideal in particular in case you love the coast or delight in fishing or other aquatic activities. Spain offers practically five,000 km of coastline and Portugal offers just about 1800 km.

Spain – One Of The Best Places To Retire In the World

Spain provides the future retiree gorgeous climate and landscapes too as several of the very best fine dining inside the globe. Her surroundings are numerous, weather likely the most beneficial in Europe, with the probable exemption of the Greek islands, there is a wide Yank population which promises friendship for those who can not find it among the Spanish people, as well as the luxuries too as the necessities of life are available.

Living in Spain is also a pleasure with quite a few everyday living expenses far lower than you’d discover within the UK. You will be able to appreciate fine meals generally. There are so many options for Spanish and Mediterranean dining.

By having a lower price of living compare to the US, your retirement savings and income will get you more in Spain. Compared to other European countries, Spain continues to be reasonably priced.

This really is just a modest sample of what makes Spain one of the best locations to retire within the globe.

Portugal – One Of The Best Places To Retire In the World

Portugal is on the western border of Spain. So you could travel to each when on the lookout for a very best location to retire.

Portugal is now one of the best 20 countries when it comes to top quality of life.

As an American expatriate you are able to enjoy a beautiful culture from all of the civilizations which have enriched Portugal all through the centuries.

Fine dining might be one of the best draws for a baby boomer to remain in Portugal. Portuguese food from the restaurants and nearby stores, featuring Mediterranean seafood will maintain you coming back each night.

Portugal gives peace and quiet on the beaches plus the contemporary amenities you anticipate from a modern day country.

Now you have a beginning point for your investigation on a number of the best places within the world to retire for Expatriates.

Technorati Tags: best places retire, expatriates, Portugal, spain

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Are you a baby boomer looking to retire soon? Do you know how much you can expect to receive from Social Security when you retire? It’s a good idea to check how much you can expect to receive each month as you approach retirement so you can get an idea of where you can afford to retire.

Maybe you will be able to move overseas to beautiful Spain or Italy, learn a new language, start a second career, start a small business you have always dreamed of, or just travel the world.

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Or maybe you can stay closer to home and move closer to the grandkids and spoil them as you have been meaning to do. You can spend more time with them and go to grandparents day at their school so you can see what they are learning in school.

Knowing your estimated Social Security benefits can help you make these key decisions as you approach retirement age.

Who knows, maybe you will get enough benefits to live in some of the best places to retire around the world.

Here is where you want to go to get started:

1. Social Security Retirement Planner:

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/retire2/

“This planner provides detailed information about your Social Security retirement benefits under current law. It also points out things you may want to consider as you prepare for the future.”

1. Social Security Retirement Estimator:

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator/

“The Retirement Estimator gives estimates based on your actual Social Security earnings record. Please keep in mind that these are just estimates”

These two sites can help you know what to expect as you get closer to retiring.

What to do if your estimated retirement benefits are not as high as you would like? You can keep working and delaying your benefits til a later date. This will allow you to increase your benefits the longer you put off taking them.

Or you can take your monthly Social Security check and find a second career in a beautiful tropical Latin American country like Costa Rica or Panama. You could become an ESL teacher. You could become a travel writer to supplement your income.

There are many ways you can supplement your retirement benefits online so you can afford to retire anywhere in the world. It will not be easy. But it will be worth it if you can wake up each morning with a beautiful sunrise in your backyard.

Keep in mind that the cost of living in South America or Central America is usually much lower than the United States so even if you have a smaller Social Security benefit than you expected you may be able to live comfortably down south. These are countries where you can afford to retire cheap.

Technorati Tags: costa rica, italy, panama, retirement, Retirement Estimator, Social Security, Social Security Benefits, spain, where Can You Afford To Retire

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