27. April 2010 by Teresa.

    The quality of life in a region attracts mobile workers. According to Next Generation Consulting (http://www.nextgenerationconsulting.com), the seven indexes of a “Next City” are the potential for / the availability of:  Earnings, Learning, Vitality, Around Town, After Hours, Cost of Lifestyle, and Social Capital. Each of these quantifiable measures, according to Next Gen, indicates how well a city is able to retain and attract next-generation, knowledge workers … by highlighting just how cool a city really is. A region’s quality of life story can also shape a civic agenda for partnering with area employers in need of such workers.

I argue that these same quality of life indexes could be used to determine the attractiveness of an area for the Boomer generation. While Boomers might decide to leave an area because of high living costs,  they often choose to relocate to an area because of attractive lifestyle options. This generation frequently needs to still work in retirement, so they look for an area with available jobs and good earnings. Or they see this stage of their life as a time to learn something new, and so look for educational opportunities in both formal and informal settings. Even those looking to live a life of leisure in their retirement, know that they need stimulating activities and people around them in order to remain happy and engaged.

So if quality of life is so important to generations young and old, why do some regions engage in policies that enhance this factor while others do everything they can to diminish it? In a state like New Jersey, residents have often tolerated high taxes and high home prices in exchange for proximity. We appreciate having shopping and history, arts and culture, beaches and mountains all within a short drive. But now those things that we love about the state are in jeopardy. The Governor’s proposed budget takes aim at funding for such places as the Battleship New Jersey, the Moreven Museum, and Ellis Island (The Star Ledger, April 15, 2010). What does the future hold for quality of life in the Garden State?

This is something to examine when considering a relocation to any new area - what is the current support for quality of life factors and what has been the support over time? Will the jobs that are there today be there tomorrow? Will enterprise zones and small business grants be there for a budding entrepreneur? Will the historical and cultural gems that define a region still be open in the future? How much will it cost you to enjoy those gems today, next year or the year after? Are people like you staying in the area or moving out? Will there be anything left to get you excited and engaged in your community?

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11. April 2010 by Teresa.

    When relocating for work or retirement, we need to remember that community is based on a sense of belonging. It is more than just a group of individuals gathered in the same location. Rather, there is a common interest or a common bond; there is a sense of sharing, participation, and fellowship; there is something that leads to a shared sense of identity. Will you find community in a 50 home “active adult community”? Will you find community in a 50 home mixed-age neighborhood? Whether you experience an isolated sense of detachment or an open sense of “we-ness” will all depend.

Some clients have said “There is no way that I want to live in an adult community. They are way to cliquey.” And with that they just identified a key distinction among all groups, not just residential communities. Some groups get their sense of identity and cohesiveness from social  attraction, the extent to which groups members embody and are attracted to the group’s values, behaviors, and attitudes (Hogg & Hain, 1996, 1998). For example, graduates of Notre Dame University, alumni of Lucent Technologies, members of the Dallas Cowboys Fan Club. Other groups get their cohesiveness from interpersonal attraction or liking based on personal traits and characteristics - there is something about the individuals themselves holding the group together.

Now in plenty of instances, proximity may bring us together, but it’s not the glue that holds us together. Think of your time at college or work. There you were together with hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals. You may feel an affinity to all those Buckeyes or WEFA-ites, but that doesn’t mean that you’re friends with all of them. Instead, you developed friendships with those that you shared other aspects such as academic major, family circumstances, or personal tastes and values.

The same will hold true for whatever neighborhood or community that you move into. The difficulty with traditional neighborhoods is that you often won’t know who’s there until months after you’ve settled in.  Here’s where “active adult communities” may have an advantage … they often host visitor days, conduct tours, or offer “discovery packages.” Go, take a “test drive” of the residence as well as the RESIDENTS. Here’s your chance to discover whether you’ll have that great sense of belonging in your new location. If you don’t feel it, keep driving. You’ll know it when you do.

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10. April 2010 by Teresa.

    If you don’t think that living with family would be good for you, there are other housing options to consider. Barbara Corcoran, in her book Nextville: Amazing place to live your life (2008), beautifully lays out a myriad of “amazing places to live your life” and discusses some creative forms of shared living arrangements.

One such option discussed by Corcoran is the “Golden Girls” house. In this situation, two to four individuals (typically family, friends, or a combination of) decide to live together to share housing and living expenses. They may also decide to assist one another with household chores and maintenance, as well as personal or medical care. They move into a house currently owned by one of the housemates or decide to buy a new place together.

The benefits of this situation, such as companionship and financial security, can be wonderful. But it comes with its risks.  Just as one should always “test drive” a new location, one should also “test drive” new housemates.  In both instances, the recommendation is to take a vacation … spend time in a potential location just as should with potential housemates. While you may have been friends with someone for thirty years, that doesn’t mean that you can live together. The same questions that should be asked when living with family (see April 1 post) should be asked of friends.

Another such option Corcoran presents is cohousing, a term she says was coined by architect Charles Durrett. Modeled after communities established in Denmark, friends set  up shared housing communities to “age in place.” These individuals “garden together, cook meals in groups, and look out for anyone in the group who gets sick or needs help (Corcoran, 2008).  Everyone contributes to the success and well-bring of the community and its members (making some consider this a modern day commune).

A housing option more frequently considered is an active adult community. These types of communities allow residents to participate in golf, tennis, hiking, biking, boating, and/or fitness classes together, while maintaining a more independent approach to living and financial decisions than cohousing. The objective of active adult communities is to make activities and compatriots easily accessible without the burden of having “to assemble a group, create a neighborhood, or even figure out how to share a house” (Corcoran, 2008).  However, the idea of community may be in name only; connections among residents are much looser than in the previously mentioned housing options.

Before deciding on an active adult community, some tough questions need to be asked here as well. Many such places were hit hard by the recent economic downturn and you don’t want to be stuck footing the bill for past mistakes or misfortunes. Such questions include: how long have you been open, what’s the financial health of the developer, what does the home-owners fee cover, how often has the association raised fees, how much does the association have in reserve, what is the plan for capital projects, what maintenance is the association responsible for versus the homeowner, etc.? The last one is particularly important - understand state and local definitions of condo versus townhome versus adult community and how these compare to what’s in a development’s Offering Plan and Deed, Covenants, and Restrictions. If they don’t align, you could be in trouble down the line.

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1. April 2010 by Teresa.

    The Star Ledger recently reported (March 28, 2010) that the multigenerational household is staging a strong comeback. “Driven partly by rising job losses, home foreclosures, and health care concerns, more extended families are choosing to live under one roof.”

While the tendency for multiple generations to live together has slowly rebounded over the past few decades, “the recession has accelerated the trend.” Numerous adult children have  returned home to live with their parents due to limited job prospects; while many older parents have moved in with their children thanks to greater economic uncertainty. But do the practical benefits truly outweigh any inconveniences??? That all depends.

Whether its children moving in with parents or parents moving in with children, the first order of business should be coming to an understanding of ‘house rules.’   Without a clear delineation of boundaries and expectations, those that we love can become an emotional and financial drain. New York Life notes on its website that “the return to the nest” can derail parents’ personal plans and jeopardize their financial future (particularly their retirement) as they try to do too much for their children. Richard Johnson notes in his book What Color is Your Retirement (2001) that without ground rules pitfalls can particularly emerge if grandparents are not respectful “of the desires and decisions of the parents.”

The questions the Child and Youth Health website (in Johnson, 2001)  provides for parents living with adult children are just as applicable for adult children living with parents. These include: How much rent will be paid? If no rent, then what services will be provided instead (such as home repair or child care)? Who will shop for groceries? Who will do the cooking and other  household chores? Who will pay the phone, Internet or other household bills? Are family members willing to lend their car or provide transportation to places and under what circumstances?

Regardless of what ‘house rules’ are established, mutual respect, personal responsibility and open communication are key! Clear expectations about those things that affect comfort and living style need to be set: music, TV watching, visitors, household chores, and personal behavior (for example, mom wouldn’t want little Jimmy learning some new colorful language from grandpa, nor would gramma want to see her grown son making out on the couch with his girlfriend). We were invited in to the home because we love one another. Let’s be sure that some time later we actually still like one another.

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1. April 2010 by Teresa.

    People move for different reasons, in life and in retirement. Those who are younger, more adventurous, more financially secure, and have fewer community ties often make migration decisions based on the social and environmental amenities of a location. They are “pulled” by warmer temperatures, scenic terrain, recreational opportunities, lower costs of living, greater economic opportunities, and other community characteristics. Thanks to previous geographic relocations (for college, work, etc.) and multiple vacation experiences the identity of these individuals are more likely to be tied to a sense of self versus a sense of place. As Longino, Perzynski, and Stoller (2002) reported, geographically mobile people have acquired the social skills and cultural capital to facilitate integration into a new community.

However, due to poor stock market performance and weak job markets over the past few years some individuals may have to reconsider amenity retirement migration. The first cohort of Baby Boomer retirees may even have to work longer than previous cohorts just to obtain similar levels of pension wealth. Haas and Serow (2002) note in their article “The baby boom, amenity retirement migration and retirement communities” that this group is more likely covered by defined contribution plans (such as 401k’s) than the employer pension plans that earlier retirees enjoyed.  As such, many in this group may be “pushed” into leaving their homes and relocating by high property taxes, failing health, or changing family circumstances.

A necessity move is very different than an amenity move. Stress levels are higher; there often is a greater sense of urgency and loss. With that often comes feelings of disappointment - “this isn’t what we thought retirement would be like;” “this isn’t where we wanted to live following retirement” - and greater possibility for depression. For those in this situation, finding a life purpose is even more critical to their health and well-being (see March 30th post for more on this).  A retirement coach or counselor may need to be consulted in order to find the silver lining that may be hidden in the complexities of such a move.

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