Trying to identify which articles are my best articles is truly a subjective exercise. I put a lot of thought, research and care into every article I write, but inevitably some articles resonate with readers more than others.
I have selected these 20 articles as my best on the basis of the most page views, the most positive comments, and the ones I feel contain the most valuable information.
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100 Things You Can Do After You Retire – This is, by far, my most read article. According to many articles I’ve read about how to write successful blog posts, many people love lists – and the longer the list, the better. This article is proof of that concept. This article is also loaded with good search terms, and as a result it lands near the top on any Google search that has anything to do with “things to do after I retire.” |
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How to Survive and Thrive as a Single Person in Retirement – This is one of my most-requested topics. Most retirement articles are written with couples in mind, and single people have some unique challenges. Even if you have been married for years, keep in mind that when one of you dies, the other suddenly becomes single and may be totally unprepared. |
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Retirement Communities for LGBT Seniors – This is a hot topic for LGBT baby boomers as they approach retirement. The outbound links in this article are clicked practically every day – more than in any other article. |
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10 Truths About Retirement – This article resonated with a lot of readers and prompted a lot of thoughtful comments. I wrote it after having been retired for 5 1/2 years, after the novelty and shininess of retirement had worn off and I had cashed quite a few reality checks. |
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4 Reasons Why I Won’t Be Moving to a 55+ Active Adult Community – This is, perhaps, my most opinionated and potentially controversial article. I live in Phoenix, and there are dozens of 55+ active adult communities ranging from the venerable Sun City to age-restricted mobile home parks. I wouldn’t live in any of them. Apparently, a lot of people agree. I predict that these places will decline in popularity in the next 10-20 years, since baby boomers seem to want a very different retirement lifestyle than their parents’ generation. |
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The Best of Both Worlds: The Pros and Cons of the Snowbird Lifestyle – Information about being a snowbird is also a frequent search topic, and I think this article covers the subject in more depth than most others. |
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I Started Taking Social Security at 62. Maybe You Should Too. – This goes against the advice offered by the vast majority of professional financial advisers. Almost universally, financial advisers recommend delaying your benefits for as long as you can. Yet I have analyzed the numbers and pondered the non-financial aspects of this decision repeatedly over the past several years, and I have always arrived at the same conclusion: Collecting my benefits at age 62 is the best choice for me. I expected this article to be somewhat controversial, but most readers agreed with me. |
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The Retirement Party – This article is another Google favorite. There are surprisingly few articles written about planning a retirement party. |
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12 Essential Considerations for Deciding Where to Retire – One of the greatest benefits that retirement provides is the opportunity to choose where you want to live. Once you no longer have your job tying you to a particular area, there’s no reason not to relocate to a place that’s more to your liking. Here are 12 essential considerations you should evaluate when you are looking at potential retirement destinations so you will be able to enjoy your retirement to its fullest. |
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Dating Over 50: How to Look for Love in All the Right Places – I crowdsourced this one and received a lot of thoughtful advice from Retire Fabulously! readers. |
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Your Retirement is a Journey, Not a Destination – This article struck a chord with a lot of readers, who found this to be uplifting and inspirational. |
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Could You Retire on a Cruise Ship? – A few years ago, a meme was forwarded and shared widely via email and Facebook which alleged that retiring on a cruise ship was cheaper and better than living in a nursing home. The meme was loaded with erroneous information and false comparisons, but it was popular and it drove a lot of traffic to this article. This article was also linked from several cruise-related forums, which helped a lot. |
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It’s Time to Retire the Word “Retirement” – This is one of the cornerstones of this website. “Retirement” is a term that is loaded with baggage for many people. In this article, I suggest that you view the stage of your life following your working career as your “Renaissance.” This has resonated well with people. |
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4 Essential Ingredients of a Balanced Life – Another piece of cornerstone content. You have many, many choices for what you can do with your life during your Renaissance/Retirement, but I feel strongly that you need to satisfy these four criteria to enjoy a happy, healthy and fulfilling retirement. |
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8 Conversations Every Couple Needs to Have – It’s surprising how many couples have widely divergent views on how they hope to spend their retirement. It’s also surprising (and disappointing) how many couples haven’t talked about this. |
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8 Surprising Ways that Retiring Can Stress You Out – And How to Conquer Them – The transition from working to retirement is a period that involves many more changes and adjustments than most people realize. For many people, it’s a stressful, disruptive and difficult experience. This article will help you anticipate and address all of the rough spots you may encounter. |
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“How Much Money Do I Need to Retire?” – This is one of the most frequently asked questions. While this is not a financial advice website, I felt that this is an important topic to address. In particular, I contend that one-size-fits-all retirement formulas (for example, that you’ll need 80% of your working income to live on in retirement) don’t fit most people at all. Your circumstances are unique, and so are your financial needs. |
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8 Things That Matter More Than Money for a Happy Retirement – Let’s face it – most of us wish we had saved more for retirement. But the best things in life (including retirement) are free or at least inexpensive. |
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10 Tips to Help Your Marriage Survive Retirement – Many marriages encounter turbulent times during the first two years after one or both spouses retire – both because the partners may realize that their retirement dreams are different and because they did not anticipate the changes and challenges that come with retiring (see articles above). These ten tips will help. |
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7 Tips for Thriving as a Mixed-Retirement Couple – In many cases, one spouse will retire before the other one. This scenario can cause a lot of difficulties, but these strategies can help you navigate this situation. |
Best Articles | Planning for Retirement | Adjusting to Retirement |
Fabulous Places to Retire | LGBT Concerns | Retirement Choices |
Financial Concerns | Retirement Travel | Marriage | Single Retirees |
Finding Your Passion | Inspiration and Positivity |
Dave’s Commentary
