2026 August 25 Moving (once) in Retirement

Hi, this is Jim Cranston from 7EveryMinute and 7EveryMinute.com, the podcast and website about reimagining your life. Thanks for joining me to talk about moving in retirement — but with a plan.

So let's get started. If you like what you hear today, please leave a like, subscribe, tell your friends, send me a message. This week we're going to talk about moving to a new location, whether it's to your dream location or wherever you choose once you retire.

Or maybe it's moving to a less expensive state, or a state with no income tax, or warmer weather, or better skiing, or a host of other perceived bonuses. And anything we say about states applies even more so to moving to a new country. A lot of people talk about moving once they retire — often to a sunnier state, especially Florida or Arizona, with no or lower income taxes and warm weather.

But like every significant decision, have they actually thought it through in terms of whether the move aligns with their life vision and their goals? Unfortunately, often not. There's also the issue that we tend to look at things from our current perspective. I've lived in New York State for the majority of my life, although I've also lived in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

Certainly for New York, and somewhat for New Hampshire and slightly for Massachusetts, I have a fair idea how things work. So when I was considering moving out west a few years ago, I was shocked to learn that when you buy property, you're really only buying what are called surface rights — you explicitly do not own anything under the ground, like water rights or mineral rights. So you literally may have to buy the water that's under your house or coming off your roof from someone else, or whomever owns the mineral rights has the right to set up a mine or a quarry on your property.

If you're from that area, you know these things. But when you're kind of dream-shopping on the real estate sites, you don't think to ask those sorts of questions. And there are a lot more surprises just like that, which you need to consider.

True, Florida has no income tax, but because of hurricanes, property insurance tends to be quite expensive — even more so if you're near the water. But these are still all financial sorts of issues. What about the mood, the general feel, of the state or country you're considering moving to?

As I've often mentioned, New York is actually an agricultural and outdoor state, far more so than a big-city state. So I'm always surprised when I go to various outdoor states in New England and elsewhere and see how poorly their trails are marked and maintained compared to New York's public spaces. Not horrible, but just not as good — another small thing I currently have that I would lose if I moved somewhere else.

But New York also has some big metro areas, and most of the state lives within a couple of hours of at least one of them. So if you decide you need to get to a city for some reason, it usually isn't that difficult. Plus, since so much of New York is rural, the general vibe is pretty welcoming. And since New York City is nearly 100% immigrants — we did purchase it from the Native Americans, as you may recall — plus it's been a major immigration point for many years, it too has a welcoming side to it, once you get past that kind of tough-guy or tough-girl attitude that comes with big cities.

This isn't just to talk about how great New York is — it's an example of how wherever you live has numerous little aspects that are totally familiar to you. So you kind of take them for granted, and you also kind of expect most other places to be similar, which isn't the case very often. And the opposite is true as well.

I was speaking with a literal cowboy from one of the plains states at a local fair, and he said he disliked being right next to the mountains because it made him feel kind of closed in — he couldn't see what weather was coming. It was a real revelation to me to think about how what I consider so beautiful, someone else would see as kind of a limitation and an annoyance. But it made complete sense.

So why am I talking about this? I recently came across a statistic that roughly 53% of people who move in retirement make a second move to come back somewhere close to where they left. Nearly half the people who move decide that where they left wasn't so bad after all.

Two of the big reasons were social circles and family. People miss the friends they'd known for years, and they wanted to stay closer to family. But I think a hidden part of that "social circle" reason is that where they moved to had a very different vibe or feel than where they left.

If you're not religious, and everyone else in your new town goes to church on Sunday morning and hangs out until after lunch, it's a little awkward to try to get somebody to go fishing or golfing with you on Sunday morning. There are a hundred little things like that which you may not even realize before you move to an area — unless you do it mindfully, which gets back to your life vision and purpose.

One of the most common habits in the US — maybe the most common thing, period — is complaining about taxes. It's fun, and people rarely disagree. So once we retire, it's natural to start evaluating the overall cost of living, both where we are and in other areas as well.

And I think that drives a lot of retirement moves, which is okay — but only if it supports your life vision. If you really enjoy the arts, and there's a state with similar or even higher taxes but that does a fabulous job of supporting the arts, then maybe that's not a bad trade-off for you. But if conserving your money and getting good public benefits are essential, that's a very different need with its own set of requirements.

This is where the five pillars come in: identity, mind, body, curiosity, and contribution. Like everything in life and in retirement, it's a matter of balancing those five pillars and making sure your life vision is being met to the best of your ability. A component of each pillar drives your life vision, and even your finances play a role in all of it. They're all important, but they all have to balance — and that balance shifts as we move through our lives.

So while it's fun to look at real estate ads and imagine living on that horse ranch, do a reality check to make sure you don't mind being over two hours away from a movie theater. That's a lesson I got from a professional friend of mine — named, appropriately, Rowdy — who grew up on a ranch in the Dakotas. But even beyond the tangibles, remember the intangibles as well: how people act toward each other and toward strangers, how the politics work, what people do for fun, whether young people tend to stay around or move away. All of those things affect how an area feels. Because remember — that statistic is 53% of the people who move come back to where they left.

One site specifically said you should plan on spending at least 18 months on the process of setting up a move. Spend around six months auditing taxes, health care costs, insurance costs, and how expensive and difficult it is to come back to visit family and friends. Find out where the nearest large hospital is. All of that can be done for free from your home.

Then plan on spending six to twelve months, ideally renting, in the area you plan to move to. I know there are a lot of complications with that, but even extended trips help — especially in the off-season. It's lovely in the summer, but what's it like in the middle of winter? It usually pays off to get a better perspective on where you're considering moving to.

Finally, plan on spending another six months looking for a home. I've looked at beautiful homes online, then gone to Google Earth for the overview and discovered a mine, a highway, or a high-voltage power line literally on the other side of a hill behind the property. Or I've read the local newspaper and discovered a Superfund site nearby that people are still trying to get someone to clean up. Those are all true stories. And while 18 months may be a bit long in some cases, the point is to make sure the new place is all it seemed to be — but in the real world. There's usually no need to rush.

And if you make a move that sits well with your heart as well as your head, then hopefully you won't have to move again. You always want to be aligned with your life vision, aligned with the goals that support that vision, and living in balance with the five pillars that define your life. So, good luck. Enjoy the process.

Quick reminder: the short video on the five pillars of life and aging is up, where I explain how our lives are shaped by five major influences and how we can balance and adjust them as we age. Check it out at 7EveryMinute.com/5-pillars-freebie. I go through and explain what's behind the five pillars, how they interact with each other, and how they change as we age. I think you'll enjoy it — take a swing by and check it out.

As always, remember: one of the best ways to care for yourself is to care for others. UKR7.com and WCK.org are two organizations worth knowing. UKR7.com supports the people of Ukraine. WCK.org, from World Central Kitchen, works in disaster areas following disasters — wherever there's a disaster, they show up and do amazing work. Both are international organizations. But don't forget local charities too, and even just a simple smile to somebody can make a huge difference locally and help the people near you.

As always, thank you for stopping by. If you found something interesting or useful, please pass it along. Please subscribe and hit that like button, and drop me a comment as to what you'd like to hear. Have a great week.

Remember to live the life that you dreamed of, because that's the path to true contentment. Love and encouragement to everyone. See you next week on 7EveryMinute and 7EveryMinute.com.