How the move to a community felt to me
On the first day in my new retirement community, I was greeted by a neighbor in the hallway. She remembered meeting other newcomers who had experienced difficult first days here without the necessary cookware to prepare a proper meal. So, she offered to lend me some of her own pots and pans. Clearly, she was mistaking me for some kind of “kitchen goddess,” who could hardly wait to ... READ MORE
How to select an active adult community
Steve Thornton was driving along Interstate 75 in South Florida on a “scouting trip” for a place to live in retirement when he saw a billboard for Trilogy at Ocala Preserve. Stopping there, he was taken with the beauty of the place — and knew his wife would agree. “Lyndia would like it,” Thornton, 69, recalled thinking. While their children were growing up, the Thorntons... READ MORE
A new rental income tax break available
Renting out property can create a retirement income stream that is Uncle Sam-friendly. The federal tax law is replete with breaks for landlords, and the 2017 tax law created a new write-off that many landlords can take for their Schedule E rental income. The new tax break falls under the special 20% deduction for individual owners of “pass-through entities.” Self-employed individuals ... READ MORE
Should you move or be a perfect guest?
When we heard our 30-something daughter was pregnant with our first grandchild, my husband and I were ecstatic. Then came the bad news: Their family was moving to Portland, Oregon for her husband’s job. Our daughter assumed we would move out there, too. But when we visited, the city’s hippie vibe didn’t seem to fit us. We don’t know anyone there, and the winters are rainy, damp... READ MORE
Clutter and hoarding: not the same thing
As a professional organizer in Baltimore, Amy Bloomer, founder of Let Your Space Bloom LLC, said that accumulation of possessions is a natural part of life. “There are a lot of people who live with a lot of clutter. Even if you’re very cognizant of editing your stuff, if you’re in a space for a long time, you’re going to accumulate a lot of clutter,” said Bloomer, who works... READ MORE
Is it worth relocating to trim your taxes?
Once retired, many people move to a state with low taxes or tax breaks that specifically benefit older residents. These days, people affected by tax reform’s squeeze on the federal deduction for state and local income taxes are feeling increased pressure to make such a move. No doubt moving from a high-tax state to a low-tax state can produce savings. For instance, a taxpayer in... READ MORE
Real-life Golden Girls? Co-living benefits
On a chilly fall morning, Esther Courtney sat at her kitchen table, staring out the window overlooking the farmlands of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It was day four of her retirement, and she still wasn’t quite used to sleeping in past 5 a.m. and not dedicating eight hours of her day to doing other people’s laundry. So instead, she was talking with a reporter about the high... READ MORE
Tech to keep family with dementia safe
Dear Savvy Senior, My husband, who lives at home, has dementia, and I worry about him wandering off and not being able to get back. Can you recommend some monitoring technology devices or any other solutions that can help me keep tabs on him? Exhausted Spouse Dear Exhausted, This is a concern for millions of Americans caring for a loved one with dementia at home. About 60 percent ... READ MORE
Use construction loan to build new home
Retirement has finally arrived, and you’ve checked all the right boxes. Mortgage paid off, check. Loans to help kids through college paid off, check. Nest egg ready for the future, check. You’ve found a great spot to build your retirement dream home and you’re ready to bring your blueprints to life. But there’s one step you haven’t yet navigated: getting a construction loan to... READ MORE
The financial perks of going solar
Ivica Bilich and Jennifer Twiggs, of Charlotte, North Carolina, love their house’s solar panels. “When I pull up to my house on a sunny day and see the panels, they look like a slot machine dropping money on my front porch,” Bilich said. The couple had been thinking about going solar for years, but in the fall of 2018, the numbers — a combination of falling costs and... READ MORE
