More than a third of people aged 40 to 75 who are preparing for retirement consider the availability of healthcare options and facilities as “very important” to where they’ll live in retirement, according to Ameriprise Financial’s New Retirement Mindscape 2011 City Pulse index.
Choosing where to spend their retirement years depends on several different factors, with 35% of those surveyed very concerned about the accessibility of health care options. This is preceded only by an area’s cost of living, which 42% consider to be the leading factor. Another 34% rate proximity to family as important, and 28% are influenced by state and local tax rates.
Nationally, 65% of survey respondents plan to reside in the same metro area both before and during retirement, with the desire to stick around reaching as high as 75% in some metro areas.
Three out of four Americans surveyed say they’ve taken steps to financially prepare for retirement, but only 34% feel optimistic about this stage of life, while 24% are worried, and 21% consider themselves anxious about retirement.
The study found residents of San Francisco, Sacramento, and San Diego, Ca., to be the most prepared and confident about retirement, while Indianapolis, Ind. took last place, with New York, NY, and Atlanta, Ga. rounding out the bottom three.
View the 30 metro rankings and the study’s key findings here.
Written by Alyssa Gerace
Companies featured in this article:
