If you could pick one state to retire in

[Tree Spud]

I'm in Okeechobee. Graduated college in 1991 from Purdue. My parents died when I was 20, and I had a hard time taking college seriously. I got out and became a cop. I also started a business. I worked my lawn / landscape business all day, then worked 2nd shift at the PD. Made enough money landscaping to bank my payroll and the wife's for many years, until I sold the business after it became too big for a full time cop to manage. She also just retired after 31 years as a dental hygienist. When we saved enough cash to put a down payment on a farm we would and at the prices in the 90s, cash rent would pay the note. Kept flipping farms, doing 1031s, being a cop for 32 years, investing heavily in the market, etc. I retired with a descent pension, and a nice nest egg at 55, wife is 54.

Congrats sir, sounds like you did it right. Kept grinding all those years and put yourself in a position to have f**k you money!

 

[Bill]

Can you put the estate in a trust and avoid death tax?

Every state has different rules and amounts. But yes to a point. My wife and I don't actually own much in our names the marital trust owns things we just use them.

 

[Buckly]

I hate our state more and more everyday...if it weren't for the taxes, people, politics, now two seasons (drought and mud, though both lack sun)....it might be worth staying. Ohio seems to be the future but its not without concerns.

Lack of sun has become so normal I forgot to put that in there. It’s like 6 months of darkness.

 

[Buckly]

We’ll be in position to retire in mid-2025.

With 9 million+ illegals already here and untold millions more to come with me and you paying the freight, I personally think some of you folks retiring in the southern states might be in for a ride.

How in the world are you going to pay to educate, medicate, and integrate them without a State income Tax?

I think if you read over your post it will make more sense to you but, these high tax States will continue to raise the taxes. No income tax States will still be well worth it proportionally. IF NY is taxing you 8% and Fl 0%. That’s 8% difference right. If you stay in NY and they have all these issues you state they will raise the tax to 16%. If FL has to raise from 0 to 5% where are you going to be better off?

 

[OakSeeds]

I believe the best state is the state of financial security and the state of good health; with those two you can do just about anything you want and live any where you want. The first reply from many will be .... define financial security (how much does it take given your current/desired lifestyle) and good health. Some of our older folks may remember the "moneytalk" show host Bob Brinker who just called it something like "critical mass" or some loosely-defined term. I suspect he did help some people learn about the market and investing.

 

[Maddog66]

What happens when Federal taxes get so high to pay for the millions who don’t belong here …..that your 0% in Fla doesn’t mean shit?

You’ll be 5% higher on the poverty scale?

We are all going down hard here….not just blue states. If anyone thinks retiring in FLA or Tenn is an answer for new retirees, I respectfully disagree. That ship sailed a few million illegals ago. Critical mass is coming imo.

 

[Maddog66]

Stolen today. Perfection.

 

[Teeder]

I’ll tell you. I would pick Alabama.

Our property taxes are next to nothing. Property tax this year on my 300 acre farm, 1200 dollars.

You’ll get 3 times the house and property you would get in most any other states.

Don’t deal with snow or harsh winters.

Great hunting, fishing, wildlife. You won’t get as many monster bucks as Midwest, but you can deer hunt for 4 months, and not freeze doing it. I have seen 25 different bucks while hunting (not on camera) when I stopped counting a few weeks ago. Florida and hybrid bass ponds and lakes are abundant with routine catching of 6-7lb bass, breem, crappie, catfish. Can fish 12 months a year.

Can golf 10 months a year, many do year round.

We have beaches that are easily accessible. The gulf coast of Mexico is the prettiest sand and water beaches I have found in the continental US. They have pure white powder sand. Many have second house there.

We have mountain areas less than two hours away. Can be to eastern Tennessee and western NC in 5 hours, and many have second house there.

Many major lakes with crystal clear water. Many have second house there.

It’s a conservative state. Zero chance of having liberal state gov for foreseeable future.

Huntsville is fastest growing city with most educated population in the country. Low unemployment throughout the state.

Birmingham has all the activity you would want, without the traffic and crime of major cities (has about a mile area of Crime. If you stay out of that one area of Birmingham your chance of being affected by major crime is basically zero).

Birmingham airport easiest airport of the 50 or so I’ve ever been too. I routinely get there 45 minutes before flight and I’m at the terminal with 35 minutes till flight. Have to connect to Atlanta but 15 minute flight and then can direct to anywhere in the world.

We are 2 hours to Atlanta (biggest airport in the world), 2 hours to Nashville, 4 hours to New Orleans.

Constitutional carry state.

Has hills and rolling topography. Areas of our Forrest are most diverse outside rainforests.

Is that enough?

My boy was stationed at Rucker when he was in flight school, so my wife and I drove down a couple times. We really liked the northeastern corner of Alabama and Huntsville is definitely on our potential list.

 

[omicron1792]

My boy was stationed at Rucker when he was in flight school, so my wife and I drove down a couple times. We really liked the northeastern corner of Alabama and Huntsville is definitely on our potential list.

My best friends wife from that area. Called sand mountain. Check out an area called mentone, has become a place lots of people retire too or have a vacation home. Almost a micro climate of 5-10 degrees cooler than everywhere else in Alabama, and they get several small snows a year. Probably an hour to Huntsville and 2 hours to Birmingham, Atlanta, and Nashville. Cool cool spot.

He flies choppers I assume?

 

[Teeder]

My best friends wife from that area. Called sand mountain. Check out an area called mentone, has become a place lots of people retire too or have a vacation home. Almost a micro climate of 5-10 degrees cooler than everywhere else in Alabama, and they get several small snows a year. Probably an hour to Huntsville and 2 hours to Birmingham, Atlanta, and Nashville. Cool cool spot.

He flies choppers I assume?

Yes, Apaches. He's stationed in Tacoma WA now.

 

[omicron1792]

Yes, Apaches. He's stationed in Tacoma WA now.

God bless him. Those are heroes.