Retirement Talk
WHAT to do with the rest of your life? |
|
|
Episode 009 – Retirement and
Relocating Alternative
This is Del Lowery with ‘Retirement
Talk’. The question we want to consider in this program is, ‘Retirement and the
Relocating Alternative.’
Last summer, my wife and I
were walking down this narrow street, pedestrians only,
Railspur Avenue
, on
Grandville
Island
in
Vancouver
, and heard this amazing cello
music. It was a Bach fugue. It was so out of place and stunningly beautiful.
Then we came past the edge of the building and there, sitting in a small patch
of grass, was our cello player. We sat on a bench and enjoyed the fugue. It was
so quiet you could hear the fingers of the left hand as they tapped dance up
and down the neck. I’m not kidding; it was beautiful. I asked him if he played
with an orchestra and he said that he had just returned from three years in
China
and
wasn’t yet playing with anyone. I
commented on the beauty of his cello and he beamed. He brought it over and told
us all about this 1863 instrument. It was an unforgettable incident.
Retirement can oftentimes bring
the choice of staying where you have been living for many years, or moving: relocating.
Sometimes we are torn. We like it where we live, but – we are drawn by what we
don’t have; the old, “grass is always greener” trick. There is a certain amount
of comfort in staying put. Our friends, our community, our roots have all been
nurtured by our home soil. There is a certain amount of pleasure in having this
“sense of place”.
On the other hand, there is a
sense of beauty, or excitement that comes with moving; new friends, a new
community, a new challenge with each day’s exploration of different shops, streets,
parks, and groups. It’s almost like being reborn.
In this program I want to
focus on a third choice. My wife and I found that there is another choice;
other than moving or staying. You can stay and move at the same time. No, it
doesn’t seem to logically follow, but it is true. Here is what we did.
Just fifty miles away from
our home lies the city of
Vancouver
,
BC. It is in a different country. They have different currency; different
politics; different headlines; a different mind set. And it is only fifty miles
from our door step. It is so close and yet so far away.
We use to load our bicycles
into the car and drive north where we could bicycle around this beautiful city
and it’s famous, Stanley Park It was all done in one day. We would always enjoy
the dramatic change from our own midsized town to this thriving metropolis and
all that it had to offer. After all, surveys have listed
Vancouver
as being one of the top three
cities in the world in which to live.
One Sunday afternoon after
biking around the Sea Wall, we chanced to pass a real estate office. We had
often talked about how wonderful it would be to be able to stay in the city
rather than drive home. On this particular day, we stopped and looked at some
pictures of real estate posted in the windows of the office. Within minutes we
were inside and talking to a realtor.
I had just finished getting
my fill of investing on Wall Street. So many corporate scandals and outrages
had recently surfaced that I felt my mutual funds were being used for mutual
destruction and unethical behavior.
On this particular Sunday
afternoon a solution popped into my mind. I could withdraw what modest sum of money
I had invested in Wall Street, invest in real estate, and in one stroke diversify
some of my money into a foreign currency. Financial planners had always told me
that was a good idea. Little did I realize my entire life was about to be
dramatically changed – and all for the better. Buying a condo just fifty miles
from home changed everything.
Within a month we had looked
at over twenty units and made our decision. We would buy a small condo, a very
small condo, in a great location, right downtown and use it as an investment
and perhaps as “a home away from home”.
It wasn’t a lot of money. We
cashed in our mutual funds to cover the down-payment and furnishing the thing. The monthly payments on this investment were
twice what we had been saving each month in mutual funds so we invited our
grown children to become co-investors. They each bought one quarter interest in
the condo. Being young, they were short on down payment money, but with good
jobs they could easily afford monthly investment payments.
Three years have passed. The
customs people call us ‘seasonal residence’. We drive north each Sunday
afternoon and return home each Wednesday afternoon. We are splitting our time
between two places that are only an hour apart via the road, but were very far
apart in terms of experience.
The city is cosmopolitan. Three
grocery stores are within two blocks. Bookstores, coffee shops, libraries,
theaters, doctors, health clubs, concert halls, football, basketball and hockey
stadiums, bike trails, and all of the wonders that accompany large
concentrations of people are at our doorstep. Opera is four blocks away. Our
car never moves. We are afoot in the city and it is very liberating.
Continuity in our lives is
still anchored in our home and community of many years. We have thus managed to
stay at home and yet move at the same time. Each week, new corners are turned;
new people come into our life; like that cello player.
It can be done. Think about
it.
As a brief post script to
this story: Our children love to come and visit our home. Then they take turns
leaving their children with us for a few days while they enjoy the condo. We
enjoy the grandchildren and our children enjoy a few days in the city. And we
all enjoy an investment.
Usually an investment is
someplace where you send your money and read monthly statements for many years
before you reap any benefits. This is completely different.
What about you when it comes
to retirement and relocating? Have you enjoyed a similar experience? Let me
know. Drop me a line at the website and I will read you letter during a future
broadcast. Or, perhaps call you and record a conversation via the phone. Then
you can tell your own story. Remember, we are looking for suggestion that might
work for others. Or, we are looking for suggestions for avoiding some of the
problems that may have jumped up and taken a bite out of your plan. Drop us a
line at Retirementtalk.org.
Until next time, this is Del
Lowery with ‘Retirement Talk’.
A resource from a listener: Best Free Online Degrees for Seniors guide is designed to assist seniors who aspire to enhance their intellect or consider starting a new career path. It features an overview of the top online degrees for seniors, emphasizing their numerous advantages, and a broad range of subjects to choose from.
A friend's website: Terra Firma Designs: Fine Furniture, Stained Glass and woodworking workshops.
Copyright 2010 RetirementTalk.org
|
|
