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You can be sure that California will be looking very closely at this change of address -- they don't want to lose whatever taxes you are currently paying to that state.
I've heard that but it doesn't seem to be true in our case. I don't think we're a big enough fish to go after. We're definitely making Arizona our domicile, though.
You can be sure that California will be looking very closely at this change of address -- they don't want to lose whatever taxes you are currently paying to that state.
We moved out of State 12 years ago and a few years later we received a form from State of California about our residency. We simply filled it out and mailed it back and have not heard from the State since.
I retired to Naples, FL and lived there for about five years. I enjoyed it for a few years and then couldn't wait to get out due to "hurricanes, humidity, and close neighbors" to name just a few reasons. I suggest you spend a few weeks there in the summer when it is unbearably hot and humid, and a few weeks in winter when the snowbirds take over the towns, traffic is horrible and you can't get in a restaurant without a weeks in advance reservation. Avoid September, that's when Hurricane Irma hit Naples. The locals and the tourists had to evacuate, it was a major disaster and could have been much worse if the storm surge had been 15 feet like they predicted. As it was, it took a year to clear the damaged trees. There are only two roads out of Florida, I-75 on the west coast and I-95 on the east coast. Imagine how much fun it is crawling at a snail's pace on those roads with thousands of other cars all going north.
You might like Reno, NV or the surrounding area if you want four seasons. No State income tax in NV and the weather is about the same as Tehachapi.
I grew up in Vermont, and it took over twenty years in the south for me to thaw out. South Florida was an experience that I had wanted, and for a number of years it was great fun. That said, I can't imagine going back there to live. I forget how many hurricanes I dealt with - and I was lucky. My neighbors who had hurricane damage spent over a year of their lives fighting insurance, fighting for contractors to do work, waiting for inspections, and trying to stave off mold and bugs.
Heat and humidity are bad enough here, most parts of Florida are worse. Tolerance for extremes of temperature decrease as we age. For me, tolerance of crowds decreases as I age as well. Florida has crowds.
I don't know what to say about taxes, I'm closer to submariner in that respect, and never had to deal with extreme taxation. I do know that if I had enough to comfortably see me through retirement I wouldn't obsess over them. There are much more fun things to obsess over.
Honestly, in reviewing what you have said and the comments of others, the condo idea sounds OK, but I would rent rather than buy. That way, if a hurricane does ravage the place, you get to say "Oh bad, so sad, bye bye!" rather than wasting months on hassles. Also, I haven't seen mention of the fact that Florida historically goes through real estate boom and bust cycles that can leave you underwater on mortgages.
I retired in April 2020 at FRA of 66. My husband will be able to retire at FRA in 2 years. We have talked about moving to Florida from our current home in Tehachapi, CA. We love Tehachapi for the peaceful atmosphere and four seasons, but are tired of the taxes and crazy rules in CA. My daughters and families live in Fl, one in Indialantic and one in West Melborne, and my son and family in CA.
We have talked about moving for FL for two years and now my husband is balking due to risk of hurricanes, humidity, and close neighbors. We live on 1.4 acres and do not have neighbors. I would like to be close to my kids and grandkids and start pulling out of my 401k in a state with no state taxes.
This has become quite a bone of contention. Your thoughts on resolving a conflict in retirement plans and on retiring in FL are very much appreciated.
Best,
Reddog53
Well, there are 48 other states out there, and people have successfully retired overseas, several on here.
It's not a binary decision to stay put in Cali or move to FL. Just to master the obvious.
Neither FL nor CA appeal to me for different reasons. I don't like the Midwest or Northeast climate, and politics there don't appeal to me either. Give me the Intermountain West, writ large.
Chasing your kids and/or grandkids is nuts. Don't do it.
If forced to do the binary decision, I think I would stay put. Hurricane season in FL is not fun.
I found the humidity unbearable in Florida starting with the last week of March, and found even the first week of April way too humid to enjoy being outside.
And the last thing I want to do is live in air conditioning all the time or a huge part of the year,
In 2005, my husband had business in the Tampa area for a week at the end of June. He thought that junior and I would enjoy discovering all of the wonderful things about the area and took us with him. While we had a great time, I found the heat and humidity too much of a burden. We were living in Southeastern North Carolina at the time. It was hot and and humid at home, but Tampa was a different beast. It was worse. I would never want to live there in the hot season(s).
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