Florida wins for retirement relocation. It’s inexpensive to live in the Sunshine State, the weather’s good, if you don’t mind a lot of humidity and air conditioning, and taxes are low. If you’re going to have a three-decade long retirement, there’s far worse places to find yourself.
It’s no surprise to the residents of Florida that many people see it as the ideal place to retire. According to the U.S. Census’ 2017 Population Estimates Program, right now about 500,000 residents of Miami-Dade County are 65 and over, and by 2040, one in five Americans nationwide will be 65 and over. Many will be living in Florida, ranked as the best place to retire for affordability, health related factors and overall quality of life by WalletHub.
Advances in medicine are helping with longevity, but various improvements in diet and lifestyle have also helped, says The Miami Herald in the article “Plan now on ways to take care of yourself through a long retirement.”
It’s important to keep your lifestyle through retirement, and it’s an essential part of any financial plan. You’ll need to budget for plans or services that help you in your later years, such as everyday tasks, medical care, or even where you live.
Take some time to consider how you want your later years to look, like where you would want to live—whether that’s at home (possibly with live-in help) or in an assisted-living facility. With our longer life spans, we encounter more significant health risks, like cognitive issues. According to research, 37% of people over the age of 85 have some mild impairment and about one-third have dementia. The Alzheimer’s Association says that 540,000 people aged 65 and older reported living with Alzheimer’s in Florida in 2018. Roughly 15% of those in Florida hospice care had a diagnosis of dementia in 2015. Therefore, you can see why it is critical to think about this now and communicate your long-term needs to your family.
As we get older, the ability to maintain a lifestyle we like can become a financial challenge. This is especially true, if we also face an unexpected health condition. Making wise decisions now, can have a dramatic impact on what those later years will look like. Saving for a lengthy retirement can help you prepare to face any potential issues that may arise.
Making provisions for your family and leaving a legacy isn’t always an easy task. However, the financial security of your family may depend not only on how you manage your wealth today, but also on how you protect and preserve it for the future. Your estate plan can help you prepare now to provide for your loved ones in the future.
As you go through the aging process, think about where you want to live, what you want to do and what is financially possible. What seemed like a great idea in your 60s may not work so well when you reach 80. Talk with your family about what you want your future to look like. An experienced estate planning attorney will be able to update your will, trusts or advanced medical directives, so that your wishes are followed, now and in the future.
Reference: Miami Herald (February 1, 2019) “Plan now on ways to take care of yourself through a long retirement”
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