Where to retire to?

[Bletchleyite]

While still have a few years to go where would be a good place to retire if I want to:

Live outside London and south-east (so can afford property)
In a reasonable sized town or suburb which has a good rail service to a nearby large city
Decent bus services to get around said town or suburb

Lancaster would probably tick all those boxes. Easy access to beautiful countryside, too. And dirt cheap housing.

 

[Bletchleyite]

But I do agree with Bevan, do think hard about retiring to somewhere where you know nobody. When you are working, it is easy to ask your new colleagues questions like "where is the best place for....". Once you're retired, you're on your own.

If you're so minded, there are plenty of clubs and the likes to join.

 

[DarloRich]

without wishing to be morose I wonder if many of us will get the chance to retire.

 

[UP13]

without wishing to be morose I wonder if many of us will get the chance to retire.

I will be working as a teacher until I'm 68 (I'm 31)... It's not worth thinking about ...

 

[radamfi]

I will be working as a teacher until I'm 68 (I'm 31)... It's not worth thinking about ...

You do, however, have the choice of saving independently so you don't have to wait until the regular retirement age. At such a young age you have time on your side.

 

[UP13]

You do, however, have the choice of saving independently so you don't have to wait until the regular retirement age. At such a young age you have time on your side.

I suppose the teacher's pension is decent however to get the full value I think I have to work continually as a teacher until I'm 65.

 

[etr221]

A friend of mine (with similar criteria) chose Abergavenny - I forget what other places he had on his short list. I do know he did quite a bit of research, to ensure it had - and would continue to have - all the features and facilities he wanted, or might need, e.g. a good hospital. Other things to bear in mind is where (and hence how mutually accessible) are your family and friends; and what anywhere is like at the 'wrong' time of year.

 

[DarloRich]

You do, however, have the choice of saving independently so you don't have to wait until the regular retirement age. At such a young age you have time on your side.

you do - However it is much easier if you are single, have a good job, have no family responsibilities, no financial responsibilities like a mortgage and no social draws on your time.

 

[radamfi]

you do - However it is much easier if you are single, have a good job, have no family responsibilities, no financial responsibilities like a mortgage and no social draws on your time.

Easier, yes. But I'm sure a lot of people who currently think that saving is impossible could save, possibly even quite substantial amounts. Having a mortgage may help with saving as you are probably paying less mortgage than rent and living with a partner can be cheaper than being on your own as living costs can be shared. You do, however, have the problem of your partner having to buy into your saving philosophy. A large part of saving is being able to do your own thing and not giving into peer pressure. Nowadays with automatic pension deductions by default a lot of people are saving without thinking or they may even be oblivious to it if they don't read their payslips.

 

[DarloRich]

Easier, yes. But I'm sure a lot of people who currently think that saving is impossible could save, possibly even quite substantial amounts. Having a mortgage may help with saving as you are probably paying less mortgage than rent and living with a partner can be cheaper than being on your own as living costs can be shared. You do, however, have the problem of your partner having to buy into your saving philosophy. A large part of saving is being able to do your own thing and not giving into peer pressure. Nowadays with automatic pension deductions by default a lot of people are saving without thinking or they may even be oblivious to it if they don't read their payslips.

it isnt about peer pressure. It is about having enough money left at the end of the month to put away enough to make a difference. I know many people do not. Many people have too much month left at the end of their money.

Like i said: a single, lone, isolated person will be in a position to save more money more often. Someone with a couple of kids, rent etc wont easily be able to save. It is as simple as having to buy food for 4 rather than 1. It is as simple as having to pay 4 bus fares rather than one.

 

[birchesgreen]

Peer pressure can be a factor, i see it with some of my younger colleagues.

 

[DarloRich]

Peer pressure can be a factor, i see it with some of my younger colleagues.

agreed - people spend money on things they don't need with money they don't have. But for many putting money away at enough of a level to be helpful in retirement isnt an option. For many it isnt about where they retire to to but more about how they will manage in retirement.

I am tight so don't spend much money on things I want. I do spend it on things I need. Not having enough money to put food on the table tends to focus the mind on what is actually important!

 

[radamfi]

Like i said: a single, lone, isolated person will be in a position to save more money more often. Someone with a couple of kids, rent etc wont easily be able to save. It is as simple as having to buy food for 4 rather than 1. It is as simple as having to pay 4 bus fares rather than one.

Surely single people without children are the worst off as they have no one to share household costs with? Plus they get no benefits other than reduced Council Tax. Couples don't have to have children. If I decided to buy a Rolls-Royce, could I then complain that I've got no money to save for a pension? Having said that, many if not most people with children still manage to save for a pension.

 

[DarloRich]

Surely single people without children are the worst off as they have no one to share household costs with? Plus they get no benefits other than reduced Council Tax. Couples don't have to have children. If I decided to buy a Rolls-Royce, could I then complain that I've got no money to save for a pension? Having said that, many if not most people with children still manage to save for a pension.

I maintain that a single person, especially one without family responsibility will be in a better position to save for a retirement fund than someone with a family.

I know from previous threads your views on family life and reproduction so i shall leave it there as I do not wish to be drawn into them again.

 

[nlogax]

Where to retire to? Based on the last two years and especially the last three months, 'anywhere but here'.

Canada sounds appealing.

 

[Shimbleshanks]

I went to Darwen in Lancashire the other day and thought it would be an excellent place to retire to. Moorland scenery, short train journey to Manchester. Have yet to convince the Missus to up sticks from south London though...

 

[radamfi]

I maintain that a single person, especially one without family responsibility will be in a better position to save for a retirement fund than someone with a family.

I know from previous threads your views on family life and reproduction so i shall leave it there as I do not wish to be drawn into them again.

Are you happy with the fact that people who spend their money on children may have to work much longer than those who don't have children, or should the government increase funding for families so they can retire early too?

 

[UP13]

I am far better with money than I was when I left university. However I saved up far more money back then simply because I didn't have a wife and three kids.

Yes you can share household costs with a partner but I also have to share the costs of paying for three housemates who don't contribute to rent, bills, food etc. I also have to pay for their social lives, hobbies etc.

FYI we do save money (now after many years of struggling month to month) but we place the majority of it in their savings not our own.

 

[greyman42]

Lancaster would probably tick all those boxes. Easy access to beautiful countryside, too. And dirt cheap housing.

If the housing is dirt cheap, there is usually a reason for that, and not a good one.

 

[radamfi]

If the housing is dirt cheap, there is usually a reason for that, and not a good one.

Some places are safe but cheap because there is little industry there so people are forced to move away to find work. But if you are retired that doesn't matter.

 

[Bletchleyite]

If the housing is dirt cheap, there is usually a reason for that, and not a good one.

Have you actually been to Lancaster? It's a lovely little city, a bit of a mini-Edinburgh in some ways.

The main reason that part of the world is cheap is that there is relatively low employment, and most of it is relatively low-wage, while unlike the Lakes proper where those things are still true there is no holiday home demand. The same applies to the likes of Carlisle and the Cumbrian Coast.

 

[Cowley]

Have you actually been to Lancaster? It's a lovely little city, a bit of a mini-Edinburgh in some ways.

The main reason that part of the world is cheap is that there is relatively low employment, and most of it is relatively low-wage, while unlike the Lakes proper where those things are still true there is no holiday home demand. The same applies to the likes of Carlisle and the Cumbrian Coast.

I visited Lancaster properly for the first time last year and was pleasantly surprised by how nice it was (it was a scorching hot day too).
Now I may live in Devon but I’m no stranger to the north. I’ve visited plenty of areas all over the country which have been beautiful/interesting/friendly etc, and half my family are from Nottingham which is also very different to where I live.

But I don’t think anyone has mentioned the South West yet, which is interesting.
I wonder whether this is because house prices are perceived to have crept up quite a lot over the last twenty years?
There are actually still some quite cheap places to live down here (especially certain more rural areas and bits of north Devon etc).
Quite a few of my customers are people that have moved down here from various parts of the country (and not just the South East) to retire and enjoy a ‘quieter’ life.

Of course they may just be happy and content because they’ve found such an easy to deal with tradesman who makes sure that they get a quality job and decent value for money.
But I don’t think it’s just that.

Not sure if I mentioned it but we’ve got palm trees..?

I really liked what someone said upthread (I’ll check who once I’ve posted this *) about having your friends and family nearby... In actual fact this is what makes somewhere feel like home. Spot on...

*It was Bevan

 

[DarloRich]

Have you actually been to Lancaster? It's a lovely little city, a bit of a mini-Edinburgh in some ways.

full of students though.

 

[30907]

My wife and I have just taken early retirement at 66 which involved moving house and location (we are clergy).
Most of our criteria have already been mentioned - buses, shops, family and friends, but I would add: think to the future: will you still be able to live there in 15-20 years time? The hills will only get steeper

 

[Busaholic]

I went to Darwen in Lancashire the other day and thought it would be an excellent place to retire to. Moorland scenery, short train journey to Manchester. Have yet to convince the Missus to up sticks from south London though...

But according to a recent report the borough which contains Darwen is among the five worst places to live in the north of England! As I refused to accept the 'cookies' the Lancashire newspaper which reported this wished to place on my browser, I wasn't allowed to peruse any further than the headline, but I'm sure the report is out there somewhere.

 

[Howardh]

full of students though.

That's a plus, it keeps a town vibrant and busy. And a local might be able to take one in for a bit if extra dosh! Meanwhile I've been sniffing around property sales in Gibraltar and there are small studios and one beddys available for £150k with no residents permit issues cos we is British innit, gets over Brexit issues and probably health provisions, although I think some insurance is required.

 

[al78]

Surely single people without children are the worst off as they have no one to share household costs with? Plus they get no benefits other than reduced Council Tax. Couples don't have to have children. If I decided to buy a Rolls-Royce, could I then complain that I've got no money to save for a pension? Having said that, many if not most people with children still manage to save for a pension.

The reduced council tax isn't a benefit. Council tax is based on two adults living in a property, so a couple paying £1000 in council tax is paying less per person than a single person paying £750, i.e. the single homeowner pays more.

Couples don't have to have children, but if only couples who could easily afford bringing up a child without any issue of putting money aside for retirement and paying for all the other things that go with living, few people would have children, which would ultimately bring national problems of its own. We would then have to have immigrants to fill the workplaces and pay taxes to fund the social services which support the large bulge of elderly people which on a population scale have high healthcare costs. Still, that won't be a problem, the UK population loves immigrants, doesn't it.

 

[al78]

go somewhere hot. not having to heat your home through a hard winter is a massive saving.

You will probably find that climates with winters mild enough to not require central heating tend to have summers which are hot enough to require air conditioning, so you gain in one season, and lose in the opposite season.

 

[fowler9]

Look no further than the East Midlands, Market Harborough is nice, and you're on the MML with services to London, Leicester & Nottingham!

Ah mate from where. We had family friends in Market Harborough and visited a lot but where the hell would you retire from? It's like suggesting retiring to Widnes, Warrington or Runcorn.

 

[Busaholic]

That's a plus, it keeps a town vibrant and busy. And a local might be able to take one in for a bit if extra dosh! Meanwhile I've been sniffing around property sales in Gibraltar and there are small studios and one beddys available for £150k with no residents permit issues cos we is British innit, gets over Brexit issues and probably health provisions, although I think some insurance is required.

I was watching a tv news item on Gibraltar a month or two back and lots of the younger residents who've been there all their lives are planning on moving out because they foresee such trouble in getting off the Rock in future years, almost regardless of how Brexit goes. Spain's P.M. may have been warned off recently by the European Commission in order not to mess up the 'deal' with the U.K., but once the U.K. leaves the E.U. the gloves will be off!