As a military officer, you’ve probably moved many times, even retired once before. But if your next move is your final retirement, you could be looking at a new set of choices for places to live. Free of career demands and family responsibilities, you can focus on your dreams and take your time.

It’s probably best not to start with the big question: Where do I want to live for the rest of my life? Instead, ease into the decision-making process with questions that will direct your search. For example, do you want familiarity or a new adventure? Do you most enjoy city, suburban, or rural life? Do you want to own a home, rent, or explore continuing care retirement communities or assisted living communities?

Don’t be surprised if your answers to these questions point you in the direction of another move. According to a recent survey of baby boomers by the retirement community Del Webb, 59 percent of those approaching retirement plan to move, and 31percent say they’ll move more than a three-hour drive from their current home.
 
Whether you dream of returning to your hometown or traveling the world, you first should evaluate your finances so you can make your dream a reality. Put together a balance sheet of your assets and liabilities, as well as future sources of income. A number of online financial calculators can help project your monthly retirement expenses (see MOAA’s financial calculators at its Web base, www.moaa.org/financialcenter/calculators). It may even be helpful to consult a financial planner. Once you know what you have to work with in terms of funding, take a look at some of the issues that can factor into choosing an ideal retirement location.

Proximity to a military base.

Living within an hour’s drive of a military base offers several advantages, from camaraderie to the commissary.

“There’s nothing like being around men and women who walk around with a purpose in their life,” says J. Grady Cash, a former Air Force captain who is enjoying a second career as a futurist and retirement expert. “Being around the national defense effort that so many people in our country take for granted makes my heart swell with pride. That’s something you don’t miss until you don’t have it.”

Capt. Ron Pearson, USN-Ret., who works in Virginia Beach, Va., as a financial planner, agrees. “When I go to local social events, I enjoy meeting people who also are retired from the military and flew the same airplane I did. We have stories to tell.” In addition, Pearson notes the economic advantages of being close to a military base, from free prescriptions at the BX to lower prices and tax-free shopping at the commissary.

Suitable year-round climate.

“Someplace warm” is the response you most often hear when you ask the question “Where will you retire?”. Sure, that sounds great during a mid-March snowstorm in Buffalo, N.Y., but the reality is that “someplace warm” may turn into “someplace unlivable” in the heat of summer.

Lt. Col. Kathie Cash, USAF-Ret., a former nurse who focuses on writing, says, “My husband is a competitive runner, and he was frustrated when we lived in Florida because he couldn’t run outside many weeks of the year because it was too hot and humid.”

Vacation home.

If you own a second home in a vacation area, you probably are familiar with seasonal weather changes. However, your rhythm of life year-round may be entirely different. That is, on vacation, you may be concerned with how easy it is to rent a sailboat or make restaurant reservations. Take yourself out of vacation mode, and you may find yourself more interested in public transportation to the airport or doctor’s office, a good kennel for your dog, and the price of a gym membership.
Lt. Col. Jerry P. Boisseau, USA-Ret, a financial planner in New Jersey, says if you’re planning to transform your vacation home into a retirement home, you should first invest time developing a support system in your vacation community. “It’s wise to spend time at your second home, over several years and in different seasons for a week or so at a time, when you are not on vacation,” he says. “That way you can get a feel for the new location and begin to sow the seeds for a new support system, whether it’s finding a doctor or a favorite supermarket.”

You also should think about any renovations that may be necessary to update your vacation home, such as modernizing the kitchen or bath, constructing ramps, or modifying stairways. And remember, quaint, sleepy resort towns have a way of being discovered, so consider factoring a higher cost of living and property tax increases into your retirement projections.

Quality of life.

If you’re considering a radical change in lifestyle, Col. Jerry E. Smith, USAF-Ret, a financial planner in Colorado and a member of MOAA’s board of directors, has this advice: “Try out your new lifestyle in small doses before you jump in with both feet and commit hundreds of thousands of dollars. Before you sell your four-bedroom colonial and buy an RV, rent the RV. If you think you want to live in foreign country, spend some time there prior to retirement.”

In addition to the medical facilities to support your current and potential future health care needs, your checklist for evaluating a community should include everything from a supply store for your hobbies to a coffee shop for your lattes. You’ll want to check on cultural and sporting events, outdoor recreation, continuing education programs, and retail services. And be sure to look at general safety, public transportation, and airport access.
The advantage, of course, to settling in a retirement area such as Florida is that an entire system has been built to support the current and future needs of an older population.

Leisure activities.

Grady Cash recommends living no more than 30 minutes by car from any leisure activity you enjoy, whether it’s golf or boating. “In Florida, I found the only thing that got retirees beyond that 30-mile radius was a medical appointment or grandchildren going to Disney World,” he says. “It’s not intentional. They just think, ‘I won’t go today, I’ll go tomorrow,’ and it never happens. So if there’s something you want to do in your retirement—like taking long walks on the beach—ideally, the beach should be less than half an hour away.”

Kathie Cash advises retirees to look into activities that will help them maintain the level of fitness they’re accustomed to in the military. “Military people tend to be above-average in terms of fitness,” she says. “It’s important to stay focused on maintaining that good health, because it will serve you well in retirement.”

Family relationships.

Whether you choose to live near your adult children, grandchildren, or aging parents, having family close is a comfort. If your family is the only reason for your move, however, that can put a lot of pressure on the relationship.

“Your children are as mobile as you once were. If you move cross-country to be with them in California and they get transferred, then you’re alone, without a reason to be living in California,” Smith says. “Your children can be one reason for relocating, a plus in a column, but they shouldn’t be the only reason.”

Cost of living.

Once you zero in on a community, give your finances a second look. Cost-of-living calculators, such as the one from Sperling’s BestPlaces at www.bestplaces.net, can help you determine how far your dollar will go in a new location.
Smith warns not to underestimate what it takes to set up a new retirement home. “The first few years of total retirement are the most dangerous. There are plenty of unanticipated costs before you get into a routine,” he says. “People tend to underestimate what the transition to retirement costs, much in the same way that they purchase the second home and neglect to budget for furniture, a second set of appliances, and upkeep. Ideally, you should try to get as far down the road as you can with these transitional expenses before you retire.”

In the end, each person will have different factors to consider in finding happiness in retirement, so there’s no one-size-fits-all decision matrix. In all cases, however, the key to finding a place you can call home in retirement is to take your time and base your decision on more than one factor. Also, after you relocate and focus on establishing new roots, it’s important to stay connected to your former life. Use e-mail, subscribe to your former local newspaper, and encourage your friends to visit. Finally, don’t pressure yourself into thinking this is the last move you’ll ever make. If, after all your hard work, your new home isn’t what you thought it would be, you can always move again.