Retirement Wish List: Study Identifies Features Baby Boomers Want Most

Post 50s planning for retirement are seeking a haven that offers everything from quality health care to affordable housing, low taxes to recreational and cultural activities, according to an extensive survey released this month by the Consumer Federation of the Southeast. It's the group's first major poll of retirement relocation preferences of the 78 million-strong Baby Boom generation in a decade.

One-third of Baby Boomers are willing to cross state lines to find the features they want most. “Already, thousands of Boomers are retiring every day nationwide,” Walter Dartland, president of the Consumer Federation of the Southeast, said in a statement. “According to this survey, substantial numbers are interested in relocating in retirement. The decisions they make about where they will retire will have a huge impact not only on their families’ finances but on the communities to which they move.”

A community would only need to attract three-tenths of one percent of relocating boomers to add $1 billion per year in new income to its economy, because the size of the generation is so vast, the study noted. For example, some 58 percent of those surveyed plan to buy homes in their new location according to the survey, which polled 1,100 Americans ages 47 to 65 who said they would relocate in retirement, were considering relocation or weren’t sure.

Check out the top 10 most-wanted features below, and vote for the ones that would top your priority list.

Photo: Flickr/DestineyPerkins

Comments

[bearister]

06:56 PM on 02/29/2012

Also on the wish list: that 4 hour erection they advertise about on TV all the time.

[bearister]

06:48 PM on 02/29/2012

What ever happened to thanking your lucky stars that you are still vertical unlike some of your contemporaries that weren't as successful as you were at dodging the draft and avoiding buying the marble orchard in Southeast Asia 40 years ago? Quit whining!

[detalumis]

11:19 AM on 02/29/2012

The one thing I notice a lot of people don't pay attention to is living somewhere where you can walk to things and/or have good public transit, I'm not talking about one bus every hour for 6 hours a day either. Too many people become total recluses because they don't ever think they will need to live without driving.

[pepper1311]

09:34 AM on 02/23/2012

Move to Florida, GODS waiting room.

[Miataboy]

11:40 PM on 02/22/2012

And yet they still vote for the people who would throw them under the bus.

[SisterAnn]

08:13 AM on 02/23/2012

Newshows like FAUX do not make the politicians tell the truth. They have a code word for everything instead of saying what they are going to do everything.

They call Social Security and Medicare entitlements. Many think that means welfare or medicaid.

[ScottyboyLA]

11:04 PM on 02/22/2012

A list of gimme's. A generation of spoiled brats. I'm surprised fast cars aren't on the list, or bric-a-brac from the Nieman Marcus catalog.

Where are things that matter most for a purpose-driven life? The wish list should be dominated by what and how to give back to our fellow man, such as volunteer work, helping those in need, charity work, etc, etc.

[madenusa]

05:39 AM on 02/23/2012

How are they "spoiled brats" when they worked their whole lives to get the retirement life they wanted rather than live off Social Security and sponge off others. Obviously you are not thinking of yours and shelfishly will want someone else to care for your retirement need.

[SisterAnn]

06:54 AM on 02/23/2012

Social Security is a self funded program. The government has not spent one penny to support Social Security. They have to start paying Social Security back as the retirees need the money, but that is debt, not support.

The debt the gov owes is to be paid as Social Security cashes in the US Treasury Bonds.

Madenusa, you are probably taking Social Security as I type. You paid for it and you should take it, even if you have other money for retirement.

[bearister]

06:53 PM on 02/29/2012

ScottyboyLA, you obviously "get it." Good for you! You are a righteous brother!

http://assets0.ordienetworks.com/images/GifGuide/clapping/audience.gif

[Harleygent]

10:18 PM on 02/22/2012

Those things just sound so wonderful but I just want the government to get out of my life and start to run without deficits, take care of my highways with that expensive gasoline tax they collect and waste, get out of the medical business and let the market back in so we get good fundamental services. Our government tries to make us believe they are helping but are only in the way of real progress. People need to stop believing in a cure for something since nothing has been cured since 1958. Reality is reality and common sense is gone so let us enjoy what we have worked so hard for instead of the government leading us by fear. I am enjoying retirement more than most and living on less but watching this US government run today is a joke to society. Our real plight is our own government and it's fat cat politicians and also those massive welfare programs for the rich; the medical industrial complex, the media industrial complex, and the worst of all, the political industrial complex. They are out to get you under their control so they can steal you blind.

[YoungWarthog]

09:36 AM on 02/23/2012

How about the red states start paying their own freight instead of mooching from the blue states?

[pepper1311]

09:43 AM on 02/23/2012

Take care of roads with out a tax, who should pay for all the things you want? How is government on your back? Example? Safe cars? Safe water? Safe country? Clean air? Safe air travel? Yes that bad government.

[mrgmorgan56]

09:36 PM on 02/22/2012

A world without right wing, stand still politics and a world without religious BS. How about a world that revolves around reason and common sense? What...that would take common sense...Sheesh...We're back where we started.

[madenusa]

05:44 AM on 02/23/2012

Maybe you need to come to your senses and and think about self reliance rather than be on the taxpayer's back when you retire.
No, that would mean planning and work on your part.

[SisterAnn]

07:07 AM on 02/23/2012

Are you working for Pete Peterson?

You are so against Social Security and Medicare. They are wonderful programs even though the republican leaders and some conservative democrats have done their best to ruin the programs.

[pepper1311]

09:48 AM on 02/23/2012

I paid into SS since age 16 I would be happy for a cash pay out, now remember all tha interest you owe me. I resent paying for schools my kids are grown, so maybe no taxes after age 65. ( all taxes) I don't like subsidizing public universities, my tax dollars all these years. It's a social contract I paid for my parents and my kids pay for me.

[dondog63]

08:54 PM on 02/22/2012

This list is what everyone should want in life. I'm a senior and I am comfortable but I worry about mygrand children and their friends.

[candalou2]

08:15 PM on 02/22/2012

things are so lean these days, they may be dissapointed

[KeepLeft]

07:47 PM on 02/22/2012

you remember all those lists of what each previous generation wished they could have upon happy retirement?

nah, me neither.

Boomers, meh.

[hadenoughalready2]

07:32 PM on 02/22/2012

And I thought it was sex, drugs and rock and roll

[candalou2]

08:11 PM on 02/22/2012

it could be but I hope they changed over the years

[bdyftns]

06:47 PM on 02/22/2012

Gee, we're not spoiled are we. Sigh.

[madenusa]

05:46 AM on 02/23/2012

So you were never taught to save for what you wanted.

[SisterAnn]

07:01 AM on 02/23/2012

When people pay their payroll contributions, they are paying for the right to have retirement benefits, disability benefits and survivor benefits for their family. It is a form of insurance and savings.

It is the same with Medicare.

Workers have paid double Social Security since 1983 to assure there would be enough money to retire. They have saved close to 3 trillion in US Treasuries.

Do you try to make life harder than it has to be?

[fine7760]

06:44 PM on 02/22/2012

I had good health care before I retired a year ago. Medicare sucks. Most hospitals that accept Medicare are second or third rate. Good hospitals like Cedars-Sinai and UCLA don't take Medicare except on an emergency basis. Drug costs have gone up from $45.00 per month to over one thousand dollars per month in the donut hole. And what's insult to injury is if I were on welfare Medical provides better health care than Medicare. I could go to Cedars- Sinai and my prescriptions would be cheaper. And what have the Democrats done to help seniors? They stole billions from Medicare to fund Obama Care. This is the thanks we get after working hard, paying taxes and contributing to make the U.S. the best place to live.

[nickpasq]

06:48 PM on 02/22/2012

You will be happy to know that not only does the latest Obama payroll tax cut scam reduce funding by billions annually to Medicare, his Obamacare scam is set to reduce funding to Medicare by $1/2 TRILLION, starting after the election of course.

[fine7760]

07:24 PM on 02/22/2012

But the left keeps telling me the Democrats are my friend and they are there to help me.

HELP ME TO AN EARLY GRAVE BY CUTTING OFF MY BENEFITS!!

[SisterAnn]

07:36 PM on 02/22/2012

You need to study what is actually happening.

In our area we have no problem using Medicare.

Drug costs have went up for those on private insurance too.

Part of Medicare money comes out of the general fund. The money that was taken from Medicare was subsidies to insurance companies.

[fine7760]

09:39 PM on 02/22/2012

I'm glad you don't have a problem with Medicare but I expect good health care not mediocre. Part of Obama's new budget demands seniors accept even more cuts in their healthcare by not demanding the best service available. If the monies were in fact a subsidy to the insurance companies why not leave those funds in Medicare to improve it instead of transferring those monies to a marginal healthcare plan that from the start is destined to fail?

[rjackson2a]

10:36 PM on 02/22/2012

"In our area we have no problem using Medicare." Yet.

[joejoegolfn]

06:42 PM on 02/22/2012

I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever be able to retire. If things don't change real fast I'll have to work just to stay alive.

[candalou2]

08:20 PM on 02/22/2012

you made a very good point, things sure look bad