Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Monday, July 22, 2013
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Where Do We Retire?
We have been asking ourselves the question over the years "Where do we retire where we are going to feel safe, and have equal rights"? First we thought Florida. There's a huge gay community in Ft Lauderdale/Wilton Manors. Real estate prices are low, the weather is warm. Seems like a no brainer. Until we put our heads together.
Our LGBT brothers and sisters in other states must continue to fight for marriage equality in their states, and we as American Citizens must continue to fight for everyone to be equal.
Watch this video:
Why do we want to give a state our money who doesn't recognize marriage equality? Think about it. Travel outside of Southern Florida, and it's not so gay friendly. It's just something to think about. I know that we are going to retire to a state that recognizes my husband and I for who we are. I'm tired of hiding and not being myself anymore. Been there, done that. No more. I want to be in a place where I can live amongst others and be who I am without thinking twice.
This year Peter (my husband) and I went to San Diego on vacation. We always have the notion in back of our mind that we are also checking it out for possible retirement spots. We loved what we saw. A beautiful city, beaches, perfect weather all year with a 72 degree average. I'll even deal with 60's in February and 72 in July! No problem! The only drawback so far is the cost of living, taxes and the cost of real estate. It's almost the same as living in Connecticut. Here's a comparison of the cost of living for Stamford CT and San Diego, CA. Just as an example, if your income in Stamford is $100,000 the equivalent income San Diego is: $90,233.42.You may take a 9.77% decrease and still maintain your standard of living.
| Product | Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk CT Metro | San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos CA Metro | Difference |
| Home Price | $569,411.00 | $554,436.33 | $14,974.67 |
| Payment + Interest | $2,020.65 | $2,018.82 | $1.82 |
| Apt. Rent | $2,011.17 | $1,752.48 | $258.69 |
| Total Energy | $245.88 | $144.09 | $101.80 |
| Lipitor | $181.44 | $197.50 | $16.06 |
| Other Energy | $138.10 | $46.12 | $91.98 |
| Doctor Visit | $129.10 | $99.36 | $29.74 |
| Dentist Visit | $112.80 | $99.52 | $13.28 |
| Optometrist | $109.72 | $102.14 | $7.59 |
| Part. Electrical | $107.78 | $97.97 | $9.82 |
| Washer Repair | $82.03 | $43.73 | $38.30 |
| Vet. Services | $74.38 | $48.76 | $25.62 |
| Beauty Salon | $59.68 | $52.44 | $7.24 |
| Women's Slacks | $32.51 | $32.68 | $0.16 |
| Men's Shirt | $31.97 | $25.26 | $6.71 |
| Phone | $29.01 | $30.55 | $1.54 |
| News Paper | $26.00 | $25.96 | $0.04 |
| Boy's Jeans | $23.67 | $25.39 | $1.72 |
| Hair Cut | $20.03 | $17.26 | $2.77 |
| Tire Balance | $15.66 | $11.94 | $3.72 |
| Dry Cleaning | $13.87 | $12.25 | $1.62 |
| T.Bone Steak | $11.61 | $9.75 | $1.86 |
| Ibuprofen | $10.58 | $11.84 | $1.26 |
| Movie | $9.62 | $11.50 | $1.88 |
| Beer | $9.30 | $8.78 | $0.52 |
| Pizza | $8.64 | $8.00 | $0.64 |
| Wine | $8.59 | $5.44 | $3.15 |
| Bowling | $6.83 | $5.20 | $1.63 |
| Cascade | $6.35 | $5.69 | $0.65 |
| Coffee | $4.87 | $6.12 | $1.25 |
| Sausage | $4.41 | $4.49 | $0.08 |
| Tennis Balls | $4.25 | $2.24 | $2.01 |
| Potato Chips | $4.20 | $4.03 | $0.17 |
| Parmesan Cheese | $4.10 | $4.66 | $0.56 |
| 2-pc Chicken | $4.00 | $3.97 | $0.03 |
| Cereal | $3.99 | $4.19 | $0.20 |
| Canola Oil | $3.98 | $4.12 | $0.15 |
| Hamburger Sandwich | $3.96 | $4.08 | $0.11 |
| Gasoline | $3.90 | $3.89 | $0.01 |
| Ground Beef | $3.60 | $3.90 | $0.30 |
| Potatoes | $3.49 | $3.48 | $0.01 |
| Orange Juice | $3.43 | $3.30 | $0.13 |
| Toothpaste | $3.14 | $3.03 | $0.11 |
| Sugar | $3.06 | $2.84 | $0.23 |
| Frozen Meal | $3.06 | $2.99 | $0.07 |
| Peaches | $2.68 | $3.15 | $0.46 |
| Half Gal. Milk | $2.51 | $2.15 | $0.36 |
| Dozen Eggs | $2.24 | $2.15 | $0.09 |
| Klennex | $2.19 | $1.96 | $0.23 |
| Frozen Corn | $1.93 | $1.64 | $0.29 |
| Lettuce | $1.84 | $1.29 | $0.55 |
| Bread | $1.80 | $1.48 | $0.31 |
| Coke | $1.72 | $1.66 | $0.06 |
| Sweet Peas | $1.57 | $1.62 | $0.05 |
| Margarine | $1.56 | $1.25 | $0.31 |
| Fried Chicken | $1.41 | $1.07 | $0.34 |
| Tuna | $1.19 | $0.95 | $0.24 |
| Shampoo | $1.16 | $1.12 | $0.03 |
| Bananas | $0.76 | $0.70 | $0.06 |
| Mortgage Rate (%) | 3.93% | 4.14% | -0.21 |
I'd call it a wash. Ideally, you would like to retire somewhere a lot cheaper when you don't have income, or very little income. Another thing to think about is taxes on your pension or retirement plan. There are a limited number of states that are tax free when you have a NY State Retirement. California is not one of them.
The nine states that have no income tax are:
The nine states that have no income tax are:
- Florida
- Tennessee
- New Hampshire
- Texas
- Nevada
- Wyoming
- South Dakota
- Washington
- Alaska
We were thrilled when Prop 8 and DOMA were declared unconstitutional. We still have way to go with marriage equality but we have a good start. We can retire in California and continue to have the same rights as we do in Connecticut! Woooo hooooo!
We go back to San Diego on vacation soon and can't wait to revisit!
Hillcrest is one of the communities in San Diego with the largest LGBT population.
Our LGBT brothers and sisters in other states must continue to fight for marriage equality in their states, and we as American Citizens must continue to fight for everyone to be equal.
Watch this video:
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