In recent columns we focused on choices of the specific kind of physical house or home that older folks might choose--the bricks and mortar decision, so to speak. But that decision assumed that the choice of where, geographically speaking, that home was located was already made.
In its November 13 issue, The Wall Street Journal asked the question "Where should you live in retirement," followed up by "First Ask Yourself These Questions:"
1. What do you want to do? As might be expected, the simplest and obvious questions are usually the most difficult. Most pre-retirees seem to know all too well what they do NOT want to do for the rest of their lives. Conversely, all too many find their plans for their retirement years to be rather vague and dreamy and non-specific, such as volunteering or spending more time with the grandkids or travelling more. Then again, couples get stuck in place sometimes because each might have a different view of how to spend that last third of their lives together. Sound familiar? It is sad that most folks spend more time planning for their kid's sports events than for their own retirement years.
2. Is Skype close enough to your grandchildren? Geographical distance means juggling time availability for different age groups (sometimes across different time zones) to have facetime on social media and juggling different travel schedules for those all-important visits and hugs. Is that okay?
3. Are you open to renting? Once longtime homeowners get over the "feel" of owning their homestead, many can see the myriad of benefits of renting. Sometimes it is so appealing to buy after spending a wonderful and memorable vacation somewhere. But just because a vacation place is memorable and wonderful does not mean it is amenable to year-round living. And still others move to be near the children only to face moving to another geographical area if the children themselves move. Renting allows retirees to experience the nitty-gritty of day-to-day living in a community. Renting also allows an easy change of mind if that environment (and their changing experiences) does not continue to meet their needs. Some folks compromise and rent a condo near the children for a set period of time each year while staying put in their old homestead.
4. Will your doctor accept Medicare? This is a tough one that is extremely important for everyone, especially older folks. Advance work to find a doctor to meet your needs and, also, who accepts Medicare is important.
5. How are you going to get an ice cream cone? Joseph Coughlin, in his book "The Longevity Economy" says that "Life is made up of these little moments: getting a newspaper, getting a cup of coffee. These important moments that make you smile." He emphasizes that "this is about paying attention to what makes you happy and making sure you'll have access, even if you can't drive."
6. How are you going to change a light bulb? In their older years, folks might find it more and more difficult to climb ladders or perform lifting tasks like taking out the trash. Availability of additional services, if needed, could be crucial to a good retirement.
7. Who are you going to have lunch with? Who are you going to see on a daily basis? Who will be in your social circle? Coughlin cites "isolation as perhaps the greatest pandemic facing our aging population." This withdrawal and isolation can occur slowly, with a combination of fewer people coming to visit and fewer visits made to others. Then there's the issue of not driving at night; this by itself places serious limitations on activities that are only available in the evening and which were once part of an important social life.
8. How busy is this place going to get? Good communities tend to get more popular and can grow exponentially over time, becoming less attractive for some. Over time, a growing community can mean more traffic, more congestion, and higher taxes.
9. What's wrong with where I live now? About 85% of retirees stay in the area where they raised their families. There are many reasons for this, but The Wall Street Journal says "aging well is about more than warm weather. It's about more than leisure. It's about ongoing opportunities for engagement and connection and lifelong learning."
So many folks have spent their entire lives adjusting to and accommodating the needs and wishes of others. For many reasons, most folks have no idea of what makes them happy. This "new" focus inwardly may sometimes feel quite uncomfortable--and may even feel rather selfish. But those who have a good idea of where and how they spend the final third of their years and communicate that to others around them will find the most satisfaction, and find that they deserve it.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has compiled a directory of age-friendly communities around the world. To be included, a community must meet their requirements for older folks, such as walkability, availability/affordability of transportation, housing choices, and access to social interactions. Princeton was the first New Jersey community to be worthy of inclusion in that directory--thanks to the tireless and caring devotion of Susan Hoskins, Executive Director of PSRC. Check it out.
Eleanore K. Szymanski is a fee-only Certified Financial Planner Practitioner and principal of The Financial Planning Answerplace, LLC and EKS Associates of Princeton. You may send questions to her at Elly@TheFPAnswerplace.com or email@example.com.
The passage is a list of questions and considerations for individuals to think about when deciding where to live in retirement, with no mathematical questions or calculations included.
no_question
Given a text passage, determine:
    1. If it contains a mathematical question (including word problems or calculations)
    2. If an answer to that mathematical question is provided in the text

First, describe the content structure you found in 1-2 sentences.

Then provide your analysis in the following format:
TYPE: <one of the following values>
- NO_QUESTION
- SINGLE_QUESTION
- SINGLE_QUESTION_WITH_ANSWER
- MULTIPLE_QUESTIONS
- MULTIPLE_QUESTIONS_WITH_ANSWERS
system
In recent columns we focused on choices of the specific kind of physical house or home that older folks might choose--the bricks and mortar decision, so to speak. But that decision assumed that the choice of where, geographically speaking, that home was located was already made.
In its November 13 issue, The Wall Street Journal asked the question "Where should you live in retirement," followed up by "First Ask Yourself These Questions:"
1. What do you want to do? As might be expected, the simplest and obvious questions are usually the most difficult. Most pre-retirees seem to know all too well what they do NOT want to do for the rest of their lives. Conversely, all too many find their plans for their retirement years to be rather vague and dreamy and non-specific, such as volunteering or spending more time with the grandkids or travelling more. Then again, couples get stuck in place sometimes because each might have a different view of how to spend that last third of their lives together. Sound familiar? It is sad that most folks spend more time planning for their kid's sports events than for their own retirement years.
2. Is Skype close enough to your grandchildren? Geographical distance means juggling time availability for different age groups (sometimes across different time zones) to have facetime on social media and juggling different travel schedules for those all-important visits and hugs. Is that okay?
3. Are you open to renting? Once longtime homeowners get over the "feel" of owning their homestead, many can see the myriad of benefits of renting. Sometimes it is so appealing to buy after spending a wonderful and memorable vacation somewhere. But just because a vacation place is memorable and wonderful does not mean it is amenable to year-round living. And still others move to be near the children only to face moving to another geographical area if the children themselves move. Renting allows retirees to experience the nitty-gritty of day-to-day living in a community. Renting also allows an easy change of mind if that environment (and their changing experiences) does not continue to meet their needs. Some folks compromise and rent a condo near the children for a set period of time each year while staying put in their old homestead.
4. Will your doctor accept Medicare? This is a tough one that is extremely important for everyone, especially older folks. Advance work to find a doctor to meet your needs and, also, who accepts Medicare is important.
5. How are you going to get an ice cream cone? Joseph Coughlin, in his book "The Longevity Economy" says that "Life is made up of these little moments: getting a newspaper, getting a cup of coffee. These important moments that make you smile." He emphasizes that "this is about paying attention to what makes you happy and making sure you'll have access, even if you can't drive."
6. How are you going to change a light bulb? In their older years, folks might find it more and more difficult to climb ladders or perform lifting tasks like taking out the trash. Availability of additional services, if needed, could be crucial to a good retirement.
7. Who are you going to have lunch with? Who are you going to see on a daily basis? Who will be in your social circle? Coughlin cites "isolation as perhaps the greatest pandemic facing our aging population." This withdrawal and isolation can occur slowly, with a combination of fewer people coming to visit and fewer visits made to others. Then there's the issue of not driving at night; this by itself places serious limitations on activities that are only available in the evening and which were once part of an important social life.
8. How busy is this place going to get? Good communities tend to get more popular and can grow exponentially over time, becoming less attractive for some. Over time, a growing community can mean more traffic, more congestion, and higher taxes.
9. What's wrong with where I live now? About 85% of retirees stay in the area where they raised their families. There are many reasons for this, but The Wall Street Journal says "aging well is about more than warm weather. It's about more than leisure. It's about ongoing opportunities for engagement and connection and lifelong learning."
So many folks have spent their entire lives adjusting to and accommodating the needs and wishes of others. For many reasons, most folks have no idea of what makes them happy. This "new" focus inwardly may sometimes feel quite uncomfortable--and may even feel rather selfish. But those who have a good idea of where and how they spend the final third of their years and communicate that to others around them will find the most satisfaction, and find that they deserve it.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has compiled a directory of age-friendly communities around the world. To be included, a community must meet their requirements for older folks, such as walkability, availability/affordability of transportation, housing choices, and access to social interactions. Princeton was the first New Jersey community to be worthy of inclusion in that directory--thanks to the tireless and caring devotion of Susan Hoskins, Executive Director of PSRC. Check it out.
Eleanore K. Szymanski is a fee-only Certified Financial Planner Practitioner and principal of The Financial Planning Answerplace, LLC and EKS Associates of Princeton. You may send questions to her at Elly@TheFPAnswerplace.com or email@example.com.
user
The passage is a list of questions and considerations for individuals to think about when deciding where to live in retirement, with no mathematical questions or calculations included.

TYPE: NO_QUESTION