Is your retirement around the corner? Have you chosen the retirement community for yourself? Well, if not, then what are you waiting for? Retirement means a lot of time that you can give to yourself and do the things that you love and spend the rest of your life in peace. Here is the list of perfect retirement communities, divided on a regional basis so that you can choose your area of preference easily.

Arizona
Monte Vista Village Resort
Monte Vista Village Resort is one of the best retirement communities in Mesa, Arizona. It has some refreshing pools and splendid golf courses for the golf lovers and not forgetting the magnificent tennis courts for the lovers of this racquet-sport. It is spread over 80 acres of land.

Sunrise RV Resort
Situated in the warmth and opulence of a desert region, Sunrise RV Resort welcomes recreation lovers with magnificent lakes for fishing and boating, swimming pools, tennis courts and untamed natural beauty of the Sonoran Desert.

California
Palm Springs Oasis Resort
The Palm Springs Oasis Resort is situated in the Coachella Valley. From there, you will get a perfect view of the San Jacinto and the Santa Rosa Mountain ranges. The resort provides its guest retirees with a golf course, spa, two beautiful swimming pools and a tennis court.

Florida
Four Lakes Golf Club
The specialty of the Four Lakes Golf Club among other retirement communities is that it has a waterfront, a premium golf course and exclusive cypress wetlands. It gives you the chance to confront the picturesque beauty of 500 scenic areas. It is situated near Disney and Orlando.

The Meadows and Arbors at CountryWood
Awarded as the Community of the Year by MHI, The Meadows and Arbors at CountryWood proves that it has got something different from the other retirement communities. The houses exhibit the traditional colonial form of architecture. It is located at about 20 miles or even less than that from Tampa. Your stay at this retirement community is sure to be nostalgic.

Illinois
Willow Lake Estates
The Willow Lake Estates is situated on the Fox River. The retirees can enjoy the experience of a private stocked lake with a boat dock. It is a very spacious clubhouse that is located in the Chicago metro area. With a radius of 6 miles, you will get many restaurants that provide mouth-watering food.

New Jersey
Anderson Creek Club
The Anderson Creek Club is spread over 1,700 acres of land. It is a perfect choice for those who are seeking retirement communities in the lap of nature. The Anderson Creek Club is only 90 miles away from the beach and a few hours journey will take you to the mountains.

South Carolina
Hampton Lake
This is one of the most friendly retirement communities that you will ever come across. It has a private freshwater lake that is spread over an area of 182 acres where you can go boating and fishing.

Wouldn’t it be breathtakingly awesome if you could spend your post-career life in a sunny natural serenity away from the hubbub of urban anxieties that you have known all too well during your working years? Or maybe you want an active retirement life with a lot of social activities and volunteering? A lot of retirees still like to go for those hobbies or activities that they loved always, but could never pursue due to a scheduled work life.

The possibilities are many when it comes to the consideration of moving to a new place post-retirement, but so are the restrictions. The harsh realities of limited income and more reliance on a social security budget tend to narrow the options down; although that doesn’t mean a compromised retired life.

Financial factors to consider
When it comes to deciding on the best places to retire, the simple solution can be to head for a lower-cost neighborhood that can offer all sorts of retirement attractiveness and amenities. But the reality is not always ideal. In some parts of the country, the basic monthly security payment is enough to account for all the basic housing, food, healthcare and transportation expenses. The tax climate of some states like Nevada, Florida, Texas and Alaska are not sky-high, but a lack of affordable housing in states like Florida and California makes it burdensome to some retirees.

The overall cost of living and the healthcare facilities are also to be considered. Likewise, good walk-ability can ensure fewer fuel expenses. Also take into account factors like economic sturdiness and mobility of that place if you’re considering a part-time pay-job. A place with an average real-estate value and decent future growth prospects should be your bait, if you’re planning to sell your house and move to another location.

Cities to consider
To be honest, as nothing in this world is ideal and perfection is all about perspectives, there are no perfect retirement havens by general consensus, but we give you some cities and states to consider based on financial factors:
Florida with its below-the-national-average tax burden and the beneficial no individual income tax’ policy
Boise, Idaho with its low housing costs and other affordable amenities
Round Rock, Texas for its cheaper home and utility goods prices such as gas and prescription drugs
Scottsdale, Arizona, which boasts a low tax rate and slightly lower cost of living with the added bonus of hiking scopes
Fargo, due to its amazingly low unemployment rate of 1.8%
West Des Moines for its low cost of living and comprehensive financial security
Franklin, Tennessee with its moderate tax burden

Some of the other accessible states from the financial and tax point-of-view are Kentucky, Nevada, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Montana, New Hampshire, Mississippi, and New Mexico.

America’s biggest financial regret is the fact of not starting to save for retirement early enough. Make sure you don’t fall under this category. After all, you’re never too young to make a retirement plan.

Carefully choosing a location that can give you exactly the kind of relaxing environment you require post-retirement becomes an important factor. But before making any choice, you must keep in mind the factors such as overall cost of living, public health, culture, weather, and safety to make an informed decision. So, to guide your search, here are some of the best states for retirement that you can consider in the country. 

Florida
Florida has long been one of the favorite places for those who like a warm climate. But this state also gets majorly affected by hurricanes and tornadoes, which can be a cause for concern. Sans the weather, the place scores well in terms of its welcoming culture. If you plan on making retirement-age friends, then you definitely have a good chance as around one-fourth of Florida’s population is 65 or older.

Tennessee
You can undoubtedly add Tennessee to your long list of the best states for retirement. As far as affordability is concerned, no place can serve you better than Tennessee. An excellent combination of below-average living costs and less burden from local and state taxes actually makes Tennessee a widely preferred location for retirement. Another factor that brings retirees here is its amazing climate. You can experience mild winters while properly enjoying all four seasons.

Missouri
Along with Tennessee, Missouri can also be a great choice if affordability is your top priority. Besides being a taxpayer-friendly place, this state with its two national ranking hospitals assures that the retirees receive best-in-class medical facilities. In addition, it provides an incredible blend of city living and rural scenery, which you will truly love. In fact, the locals are proud of the natural landscapes and numerous parks that the state provides. 

Nebraska
When you’re listing the best states for retirement, do not forget to add Nebraska. The overall cost of living in this state is extremely low, especially when it comes to housing costs. And this makes Nebraska one of the most affordable options for your retirement days. The general health care is good and the crime rate is quite low. Additionally, there is plenty of entertainment around Omaha, which has a world-class zoo. However, you must know that the winters can be brutal in this state. 

Mentioned above are some of the best states for retirement that you can consider in the country while choosing the most suitable option. Before permanently moving to a place for your days of retirement, you must spend some time there to see whether it can meet all your needs. 

Based on the type of payout of the benefits, annuities are classified as immediate income and deferred income (that includes fixed payment, variable payment, equity indexed) annuities. Although annuities provide tax benefits, there are a lot of costs involved in it when compared to traditional investment plans. Once the investment type is chosen, it is important to consider other aspects of investing in annuities to earn the best income.

• Expenses involved in an annuity are surrender fees, commissions and monthly fees.
• Payment for purchase of an annuity can be done through single or series payments or through social securities.
• Costs involved on early withdrawal may include annuitization, systematic withdrawal or lump sum amount.

The benefits payout options is also another aspect that needs to be looked into to earn maximum income. These can be broadly categorized into three types:

• Guaranteed period payment: The return of the principal (initial investment) and the interest will be paid back by the insurer within an agreed period of time. It may be paid back in series or as a lump-sum amount. Here, the investor can be sure of getting back all the benefits within a certain time or while he is alive and the insurer does not retain back any of the earnings of the investor in case of his death.
• Lifetime payment: The principal and the interest earned based on the initial set rate will be paid on a monthly basis to the investor until he is alive. While an early death may not earn maximum benefits, a longer life means earning beyond the growth of the actual investment.
• Survivor payments: The investment and earnings is transferred to a joint applicant or a nominee even after the investor has died. This will help in financially aiding the survivor (spouse, children or other nominee) in the absence of the investor. The payouts may last longer in this case and thus earnings will be higher.

Apart from providing benefits of tax deferral, fixed payment annuities also offer a slightly higher rate of growth due to the following reasons:

• The surrender charges usually reduce with increase in number of years as compared to IRS.
• Maturity is usually between one to ten years and mostly there will be automatic renewal unless voluntarily withdrawn.
• Rate of interest will be updated with the current rates at the time of renewal.

After making a comparative analysis, deferred income annuities seem to offer a guaranteed retirement income. These annuities pay around 3-4% higher than a standard 10 year treasury bond. Also, some tax rules allow consumers to invest 25% or up to $125,000 into an annuity. But this required IRA withdrawals to begin after completing 70.5 years of age and income to be withdrawn by the age of 85. These are often called as qualified retirement plans and are regulated by ERISA. Any qualified plan must provide annuities in the form of SLA (Single Life Annuity) and a QJSA (Qualified Joint & Survivor Annuity).

A person’s life may be counted in years and decades; however, the hard work an individual endures over their life time is for various reasons that is a basic necessity of life. When a youngster steps foot in a workplace for the first time in his or her life, there are a million things running through their heads. When one happens to fill up the many applications in the employment procedure, they will find themselves filling out something called a retirement planning scheme. The obvious question which might arise in their minds is the necessity of planning for something which is bound to arrive decades later. Each one of us have seen our parents and guardians plan for our lives over years of studying and savings. Planning for a ward’s future is one of the reasons why individuals work hard for. It is in the nature of the world that humans have the inherent responsibility to pro create; however, there are about a million responsibilities that are attached with it. Some of those responsibilities are best when planned for much ahead of time.

Apart from planning ahead for a child’s future, thinking about one’s own future is nature’s course of thinking. When the child for whom one works so hard for is established and begins his or her own journey, it is obvious that parents would not want to be dependent on them for basic or any needs of their lives.

This is where retirement plans come into picture. Beginning from that small form that one fills in the many companies we work for ensures that we have a little something tucked away from each pay check that goes towards a mega fund which in turn is used in one’s senior years.

There are many necessities that one might find themselves in when spending their grey years. The need and demand to be independent financially has become utmost important in the social circle today. Necessities like unforeseen medical expenses, funds for serious or otherwise health related issues, funds of retirement homes or retreats, funds for large scale rehabilitation process if needed, and last but not the least, funds for personal dreams to be fulfilled. These are the requirements that retirement annuity takes care for someone who has the sense of investing in one in a regular basis.

Retirement planning becomes a little more complicated when you are a married couple as there will be double the financial considerations to be made and your values and priorities may diverge at a period of time in the future and all of these can affect your retirement plan. It is very important that you identify a retirement calculator that enables you to account for each of you as individual beings.

Some questions that you may have in mind:
A good retirement calculator should allow you to input information of you and your partner separately. Topics like age, birth date, current income, and gender provides an estimate of the lifespan of the individual and helps to calculate the retirement income.

How a retirement calculator actually helps?
A retirement calculator can in fact help you to have a important talk about your investments in a systematized and undemonstrative way. The good calculators will ask you essential questions and escort you through the process. Some retirement calculators allow you to save your data so that you can easily log in and look over the results and then improvise your plan by editing.

A goal must be set!
Before planning, it is important for you to have a goal in mind. For example, after retirement, you would wish to live in a new place or spend your time doing something that you love, how much money you would wish to spend, how much money you would keep aside to tackle the healthcare expenses, etc. This type of goal must be set as a couple and not as an individual.

Some concerns
Retirement planning involves more than money and your lifestyle decisions which can have an impact on the health of your investment. It is beneficial to use calculators that help you assess your social security and consider factors like age, healthcare decisions, etc.

Married couples have higher benefits in terms of social security than people who are single wage earners. Another important thing to remember is that these calculators are mainly introduced to you as self-help tools, only to ease your retirement income estimation process. Their applicability and accuracy are generally not guaranteed by any organization. Effective retirement planning can be done with the help of retirement calculators along with financial experts who can help you develop a customized plan that fits your situation. Choose a calculator and plan your future financial output for days after retirement.

A retirement plan is a monetary flow after your retirement from the service. This can be set up via employers, government plans, banks and private investment interests. All of these plans currently do exist in US and are approved by the fair law and regulations passed by the Department of Labor in the constituency of the country. Retirement plan can also be called as a pension plan, which, when planned properly, ensures you an easy, steady flow of money from you have contributed to various types of savings for your future. It is, in the end, an investment plan to be precise. Investments can be made through more than one way, could be stock market, private pension fund, corporate pension funds etc.

Corporate pension funds
Most companies offer corporate pension funds to their employees as part employee welfare. As an employee contributes a certain percentage of his or her payout for pension fund, some of the employers also contribute. They usually match the dollar that is being put into the savings by employees. The funds are availed upon retirement, which acts as a steady income for your livelihood. The plan is to start doing this kind of savings from beginning of your tenure so that by end of the couple of decades of working, you would have a steady income when you retire. Some of other ways is to make your private pension account savings which you have the liberty to further invest in something you like.

Benefits of retirement plans
Good retirement planning has excellent monetary benefits too. Saving up for a rainy day is also tax exempted as per the law of the government. The government can even add some amount of interest to your actual funds. This encourages people to take up such investment plans and convert it into an average retirement income plan and make it their retirement investment. Some more investment plans are offered by government affiliated agencies which impart knowledge on stock trading, mutual fund investments, investments on small business and so forth. One has to be more than just aware before making these investments and clear on how this exactly work and what is the benefit out of a particular plan. There might be some hidden terms and conditions at times which we tend to miss due to excitement or due to over confidence.

Market conditions are not alike always, hence one has to be aware of all kind of policies these agencies follow and give an undivided attention to the terms and conditions which is being read out.

Gone are the days when the working class in the country could get the Social Security or an employee pension plan to cover the costs incurred in their later years. Today, planning for retirement has become imperative. There are numerous options out there for individuals to save better to live comfortably later in life.

The thumb rule is not sticking to a single plan or putting all your eggs in one basket:

Pensions
All you need to do is stay in the job long enough to qualify for pension, retire and collect the money which the employer contributes and which are professionally managed. However, pension plans are most common for government/municipal workers, rather than those in private ones, and mostly aren’t adjusted for cost-of-living. So, you may need to supplement this plan with another one.

Defined Contribution Plans
According to most financial advisors, these are some of the best retirement plans because they are offered by employers who match a certain portion of the employees’ contributions. It requires very little effort since employee contributions are deducted from their paycheck. Since contributions are almost an equal match, it’s close to 100% return on your money, and with plans such as the 401k or the 403b, people are in control of their future.

Roth IRAs
Roth IRAs are retirement accounts funded with taxed dollars where individuals enjoy the advantages of tax-free withdrawal and growth. One can even combine Roth IRAs with other plans such as a 401k to churn out a well-balanced plan that allows them to make both before-tax and after-tax contributions. However, Roth IRA has contribution and eligibility limits that depend on an individual’s tax filing status and modified adjusted gross income.

Traditional IRAs
Traditional IRAs have the same contribution limits as Roth IRAs, but without the eligibility and income restrictions. These plans work best for people who have less time left to retire, since one can enjoy the benefits of tax-deferred growth and tax-deductible contributions.

SEP IRAs
This is one of the best retirement plan choices for the self-employed such as sole proprietors or freelancers. The contribution is huge, cost is lower and the plan is easy to administer and manage. Good income combined with very less tax deductions amounts to a large amount off your tax bill, and a lesser income means no contribution.

Social Security
Social Security is said to benefit 39% of the older American populace’s income, with 9 out of 10 people over 65 years of age receiving Social Security. Despite the hype and hoopla surrounding it, Social Security is still relevant and important, with timing being everything.

Real Estate
If you haven’t saved enough or at all, real estate is a great option. However, one must be warned that with higher returns comes a greater risk.