While many who have never lived anywhere else love the Pacific Northwest, I who lived for fifteen years in Phoenix, hate it. Yes, many plants grow well here but....it rains. It rains and it rains and it rains. You can't go out and garden unless you don't mind being damp and muddy. Spring is especially rainy and then the rain stops July 4th and everything fries. I was born here and I've lived here over twenty years this time but if my husband would move I'd be out of here in a heartbeat. A retired person would have it better than I do though because they could take advantage of nice days during the week that I can't since I work. I have online gardening friends who live in colder climates but have flowers much longer than I do, especially waterlilies. I never get a bloom until July and people with sunnier springs get them in April. What you consider gardening paradise depends on what kinds of plants you want to grow. If you are into tropical then San Diego or Hawaii can't be beat...if you can afford it. If you want a blend then San Francisco or many parts of the South are great. Lilacs and Crepe Myrtles, Agapanthus and Azaleas, Rhododendrons and Gardenias.

steve o, I am simply talking about exercising the right itself, not the attendant costs that in today's government/society happen to be in place that are related to that right. That is, again, everyone CAN exercise his right to free speech. It doesn't cost anyone anything when someone exercises his free speech right. Same with being "peaceful" -- it doesn't cost me anything for my neighbor to be peaceful, to mind his own business. And voting, in its simplest form, also fits this definition. One can say "yea" or "nay" or raise or not raise his or her hand. The voting per se does not necessarily cost anything. And oh, gotta love the efficiency of the military other government institutions. Gotta love the $400 hammer and the $200 toilet seat. As for zone 8 gma, what one "needs" in retirement is certainly dependent on the definition of "comfortable" eh? Let's say someone owns a home free and clear and the home is worth $500K. If that someone gets a typical SS payment in retirement, I am under the impression that for a household used to a salary of say, $100K per year in a medium- to-high-cost-of-living part of the country that SS payment is a small portion of what they will need to sustain their standard of living. Isn't the rough rule of thumb, you want to plan on living on 75 or 80% of your pre-retirement income? If my example household does not have a pension, as MANY will not in future years, then where's the rest of that money coming from? I think at least $1M today could be comfortable for that example household. You have to figure they still pay property taxes, they need medigap insurance, they may need to weather downturns in the market, they may need nursing home care someday, etc. If their $1M earns 8% per year, that's $80K and great, they have their desired stream of income and they do not deplete their nest egg. Most people want to leave their kids something as an inheritance. I know I want to. To really have a solid cushion, though, I do not think $2M is outrageous. What if there's a recession, if there are BIG increases in taxes due to bailout of entitlements, etc? Seems prudent to assume the worst and hope for the best.

Kittenn - I am the OP and I haven't been back to this thread for awhile. I hope that you didn't really intend for your post to be as lacking in compassion as it sounded. You certainly seem to have every reason to be as satisfied with your life as you say you are. All those activities indicate that your health is pretty good. You have a partner who can help you and share with you. You live in a lovely rural area which is probably crime-free. All reasons to count one's blessings. My friend is 67 and in poor health, with advanced diabetes and its attendant neuropathies, severe arthritis, and uncorrectable vision problems. She cares for her sister. Her sister suffers from a rare and complex form of fibromyalgia which has turned her, over the past 30 years, into a near bed-ridden invalid. Her pain is so severe and intractable that she's now talking about going overseas for legal euthanization. Medicaid does not begin to cover all her bills, which are astronomical. SSI does not allow her to use anything but Medicaid. She recently had experimental surgeries by docs at one of the best medical facilities on the East Coast. Those surgeries failed and, in fact, did nerve damage and made her pain worse. She can barely use her upper body - can't use a computer, can't cook, can't fold her own laundry, make a bed, nor even hold a book or magazine. Her only pleasures are watching TV and talking, when she isn't crying, to my friend. These are two women in dire straits. Their money is eaten up by medical bills, house taxes, payment on the home equity loan, and my friend's monthly costs for carrying insurance. They cannot do their own house work or repairs. Not only do they not DIY, they don't have the physical ability that most of us take for granted. When I posted it was to ask for financial advice, not to have judgement passed on how to manage on $2000 or so a month in a huge East Coast city, in light of horrible medical problems. My friend's mistake was not to pay attention to the realities of investing when she was much younger, and I was looking for a solution. And BTW. When my friend dies, her sister will be left with one of two things. Either the SSI, which alone will in no way cover all her needs, but nevertheless does not permit her to inherit a penny. Or she can abandon SSI and inherit what my friend and her useless brother have managed to save. She will need at the very least assisted living. $300,000, annuitized, will not generate enough for that, given a normal life span, let alone the possible nursing home requirements down the road. Or she can go into a Medicaid facility. I've seen those and frankly, I'd rather be dead. Thus her talk of euthanasia. I am grateful to the posters who gave me useful information about TIAA CREF and other financial possibilities. Sometimes all you can do in situations like this is provide suggestions, and pray. The reason I came here rather than to the Caregivers Forum is because money is the main issue with this problem.

I retired at age 55 and enjoyed a year of 'retirement' but decided to venture out to do several other things after that period. That year provided my wife and I some time to get reacquainted and enjoy some distant time together. Following that first year I felt that I needed to spend time in projects that I enjoyed. It wasn't long after that that I found myself back to work full-time in a couple other endeavors. Now that I am 63 years of age I retired again and this time working on projects that I truly love involving social activities. Retirement is an evolving process. Even though your husband may route retire at 55 it is very likely that you will find other things to do that will be more fulfilling than the job that he's doing now. This is a good time of life for both of you so take advantage of what it has to offer. Best of luck in whatever you choose to do. Here is a link that might be useful: Active Empty Nesters