Why 55 Plus Communities Are Overrated
When you are too old for the rat race but too broke to retire, you might get to thinking that the grass is greener in a world where no one thinks about the rat race, keeping up with the Joneses, or living vicariously through their descendants; people in this alleged utopia live for the moment, without goals or ambitions. The young generation calls it the Great Resignation, but you and I call it retirement. By this logic, when you are retired, you can do whatever you please whenever you feel like doing it, and you don’t have to worry about what anyone else thinks about you. Too much of a good thing can be bad, though. As much as you might enjoy your retirement, being surrounded by retired people is probably even less fun than it sounds. Is it economic considerations that lead people to choose 55 plus communities? Retirement communities provide more economic value for some people than for others. A Tampa estate planning lawyer can help you make realistic plans about retirement.
Imagine Paying a Student Activities Fee Every Semester for Decades
When you only consider the monthly rent, 55 plus communities seem eminently affordable, but the monthly rent is only part of what it costs to live in the senior equivalent of campus housing. Because retirement communities know that they are catering to a specific audience, retirees who can afford to rent a house indefinitely, they charge steep fees for moving in. After that, you must pay a fee each year for access to amenities such as the swimming pool, gym, and tennis courts. You pay the full fee, no matter how much or how little you use these amenities. Think about how much of a rip off it is that, in addition to tuition and room and board, college students must also pay a student activities fee, regardless of their participation or lack thereof in extracurricular activities. Paying the amenities fee in a senior living community is similarly extortionate, especially since student activities fees terminate upon graduation, but senior amenities fees recur year after year.
Imagine Being Face to Face With the Mean Girls Clique Seven Days a Week
Adults always tell teens that life gets better once you are out of school, because you get to meet people from all walks of life. In this regard, moving to a 55 plus community is a step backward into a gossipy fishbowl environment. Being around younger people who still have to worry about young people problems, like getting up early for work and toilet training their children, keeps you young. Retirement communities can easily become an echo chamber of grumpy old folks. Furthermore, retirement communities are among the least ethnically diverse places in Florida.
Contact David Toback About Deciding Where to Live as a Retiree
A Central Florida estate planning lawyer can help you strategize about whether moving to a retirement community is right for you. Contact David Toback in Tampa, Florida to set up a consultation.
Source:
finance.yahoo.com/news/5-problems-living-55-plus-102300915.html
