10 Worst States for Retirement

[TampaYankee]

10 Worst States for Retirement

By Chris Kahn | Bankrate.com

No. 10: Delaware

No. 9: Minnesota

No. 7: Maryland and Vermont — Tie

No. 6: Maine

No. 5: Wisconsin

No. 4: California

No. 3: Washington

No. 2: Alaska

No. 1: Oregon

See the details at : http://finance.yahoo.com/news/10-worst-states-for-retirement-153214340.html

[AdamSmith]

They are right about Maine. Having owned a weekend house there, I paid the budget of a small country for heating oil (and furnace service). Just to keep the pipes from freezing.

And it is a very poor state, so taxes are perforce set so as to soak those who have any means at all.

[TampaYankee]

I was really surprised with Oregon. I had bought in to the idyllic nature of Oregon sold decades ago. Never got past it. It was next to heaven-on-earth with forward thinking people and so what if they ate crunchy granola. Wow!! Number one bottom of the barrel for retirement.

[RA1]

Eventually "someone" has to pay for socialistic leanings.

Best regards,

RA1

[Guest CharliePS]

For those who think that heaven is a place with no sales or income tax, it is worth noting that Oregon (#1) has no sales tax, Washington (#2) has no income tax, and Alaska (#3) has neither.

By the way, I have spent a lot of time in Oregon with retired friends, and I would much rather be retired there than in most of the states that Bankrate.com recommends.

[RA1]

Oregon is a beautiful place with nice folks but, as you suggest, not having a sales tax means that revenue must be generated from other sources. TN has no income tax except a limited amount on dividends earned outside of TN but it has a pretty high sales tax and a very regressive property tax (not necessarily an extremely high one, just regressive).

If I had to choose a "cold" place to live or retire, likely it would be Alaska. Suits my spirit of adventure.

Best regards,

RA1

[Guest CharliePS]

The libertarian quirkiness of Alaska has always appealed to me. In mid-summer, I often fantasize about moving to Juneau, which I really like (as a pilot, you probably hate landing there).

[RA1]

I would probably move to such as Palmer or some "suburb" of ANC (Anchorage) partly because of its' proximity to " civilization".

After all, reaching most of Alaska requires the use of an aircraft so where ever you might be, you are only as far away as the nearest airport + a little flying time.

Juneau is interesting as the capital and being totally land locked. The only way in or out is a ship or aircraft. I have flown into there a few times and found the approaches "interesting" from an aeronautical point of view. In other words, sometimes challenging.

Lots of fun available, depending upon one's view of fun.

Best regards,

RA1

[ihpguy]

State of Rapture, perhaps?

[Guest Hoover42]

I lived outside of Fairbanks Alaska for a couple years and loved it. But that was when I was in my early twenties. The one oasis there was the University of Alaska at Fairbanks. If I was to ever go back I'd try to find someplace to live near the University.