As they near retirement, many Americans find themselves wondering where to move. Chad Harmer, a relocation expert, has aided dozens of retirees transitioning from locales like Ontario, Canada, to the sun-soaked landscapes of Arizona’s High Desert. In fact, more than 3 million Americans age 65 and older relocated within the U.S. in the five years leading up to the pandemic. The trend is part of a significant, larger shift in how retirees are reinventing their golden years.
That’s a quote from Rodney Harrell, Vice President for Family, Home, and Community at AARP, about the ballooning barriers retirees encounter while trying to age in place. He is an advocate of a holistic approach to resettlement. We ask retirees to consider their present situation and what they would need down the road. He reflected that one of our greatest challenges is thinking about our future selves. We cannot put ourselves first today.
Retiree Debra Taylor from Southern California is taking an audacious step. She’s moving to Portugal with one of her adult daughters. Milin Tien She weighed tax liabilities, climate, and ease of travel in Europe. After considering all of these details, she signed a year lease on an apartment in Ericeira. All of this isn’t to say that I need to live there for the rest of my life!” Taylor shouted. She plans to leverage this transition as a springboard for even more exploration.
Fellow members Casey Bowers and her husband recently completed a similar move to Ericeira, but with a creative twist. Their eldest daughter will stay behind in the U.S. for her college education. Bowers noted the significance of being explicit about expectations for family engagement during these transitions. What are your neighbors going to be like, is it a dynamic community if that’s your desire. Harrell urged future transplants to question these elements of the community.
Harmer offers a useful standard for assessing possible new relocation sites. “When 80% of your desired daily routine is achievable in a new location for at least 80% of the year, you’re in the right ZIP code,” he explained. This perspective encourages retirees to seek places that fulfill their lifestyle needs rather than chasing idealized visions of retirement living.
Moving is already a labyrinth of bureaucracies and red tape. That’s why Taylor ultimately decided to hire Viv Europe to assist with her transition. She hopes to get her visa sorted by the end of September, making sure that her move goes as seamlessly as possible.
As retirees evaluate their financial situation, they need to think about the social and health benefits of their future home. For Harrell, clarity about your own changing needs is essential. “Are we driving today? Is our income where it is? Is our spouse and myself healthy right now?” he queried, illustrating how changes can alter what is necessary for an enjoyable retirement.
A third reason for the move is social dynamics and values. Taylor explained that her family’s political concerns were a major factor in her decision to leave the country. She continued, “When our current president got elected, my 18-year-old transgender daughter came to me and said, ‘I want to get out of this country ASAP.’”
For those considering relocation abroad, Jen Barnett provides insight into potential challenges retirees may face in their new countries of choice. She identified one of the biggest hurdles—surprisingly, many of the countries people want to retire to don’t want their retirees! This is illustrative of broader issues at play in moving to more affluent, English-speaking countries.
Retirement provides a perfect moment to reevaluate what’s important in life and what brings joy. As Sarah Friedell O’Connell recently wrote for Encore.org, transitioning out of full-time work gives retirees access to something very valuable: time. The first is that when you abandon your full-time job, you’ll get a lot of hours back. How do you intend to spend that additional time?” she queried incoming retirees as they began to contemplate a post-retirement future.
As people start on this transformative path, Harrell urges them to start by picturing their best possible outcome. I ask clients to describe a perfect Thursday five years into the future,” he explained. This exercise helps retirees to articulate what they want in terms of lifestyle, social connections, and health care needs. These considerations are especially important when choosing a place to move.
