What is your dream?

[Harvey]

For years — since I discovered our little corner of the Adirondacks in 1988 — I've been dreaming about moving to the mountains. Somehow it never seemed practical, especially after we had our daughter.

I've dreamed of exercise, and skiing, a house in the woods, focusing all my energy on being outdoors and having fun. Skiing would be close by and long day trips to chase pow could be into NoVT.

The plan has always been to move when our daughter is out of high school, which coincidentally matches up with me turning 65. That's 3 1/2 years away. (BTW get ready for that NYSB annual meeting at Plattekill in 2024 it's going to be a big one!)

In the last few days we struck a deal with a home designer (like an architect, but much cheaper) for plans. It's only a first step, but man we are excited.

Sure I know it's a risk. But remember what they say in investing: there are TWO kinds of risk — taking too much risk and not taking enough risk.

Congrats to y'all who are already living your dream!

What is your dream? How do you envision the life that you want?

 

[DMC_Hunter]

Super cool!

I'm pretty much there... Sweet little farmhouse on the creek with enough rooms for guests. One mile from the Northface of Hunter.. Big garden.. Music studio.. Killing it.. Close to NYC.. And our aging Moms...

BUT - I have my eye on property in the ADKs. If the right thing comes up. You never know.

 

[Warp daddy]

Location wise, being financially independent and being retired we are living it in a small town on the St Lawrence, close to the 1000 Islands, the Dacks, Ottawa and Kingston. This scenario was planned long ago to retire young, and Make a Life, not just a Living .

So Right Now, my dream is simply for this pandemic to end to see my family again and watch my grandkids mature and expand their horizons (2 out of college and working and the girls are University juniors)

Our last move when we make it will be a Townhome with a first floor master suite.

Dream it , Plan it , Do it : Glad to see both Harv and D on that same strategy .??

 

[Peter Minde]

I intend to move somewhere in the Tri Lakes area. Jay, Wilmington, Saranac Lake, Vermontville... you get the idea. Ideally a house on an acre or so so I can have a garden and crank the electric guitar without annoying anyone.

Vermont a close second, but I have roots in the Adirondacks.

 

[Campgottagopee]

Not 100% sure. I love everything about where I currently live. What I do is literally out my backdoor, hunting,fishing,skiing,riding all kinds of things with motors, campfires. That said I love the beach and all that goes along with that. Right now we're leaning towards keeping the place we currently have and getting another place on a beach down south. Who knows, at least 8 years away but it's never too early to start thinking about it.

 

[jasonwx]

Not 100% sure. I love everything about where I currently live. What I do is literally out my backdoor, hunting,fishing,skiing,riding all kinds of things with motors, campfires. That said I love the beach and all that goes along with that. Right now we're leaning towards keeping the place we currently have and getting another place on a beach down south. Who knows, at least 8 years away but it's never too early to start thinking about it.

wife and I have this conversation everyday..
house is now paid off, but the taxes are insane...waiting to see where the kids will land...

 

[Campgottagopee]

I hear ya.

Taxes here aren't insane but they aren't cheap either. Who knows --- time will tell. My head starts to hurt if I think about it too much.

 

[JTG]

wife and I have this conversation everyday..
this house is now paid off, but the taxes are insane...waiting to see where the kids will land...

This is sort of where I am. Our home in the Hudson Valley isn’t paid off yet, but will be in 5 or so years, when the kids will all be out of college and my wife will be ready to take her NY State Teacher’s Retirement System pension. We’ll be 58. I’m not much of a dreamer. I like working, I like the life and opportunity that my salary provides. So, for the time being we’ll just keep doing our thing, I’ll pour more into retirement savings and deferred income, and watch the nest egg (hopefully) grow while we see where the kids shake out.

Would I love to see our current home be a forever family home, somewhere the kids and grandkids can always come back to, something the kids would inherit and want to keep in the family? Sure, but who knows where the kids end up and if all that would ever be possible, if they even wanted such a thing? I mean, it’s no estate, but it is a very nice home on a secluded acre and three quarters in a development overlooking the Hudson River, something worth keeping.

Of course the taxes on the house would be much less retirement friendly than us picking up and retiring at 60 to Cape Cod and our place in Chatham....where there is no mortgage and the taxes on the condo are dirt cheap and we could live for next to nothing. Sure, the off season on the Cape is sleepy, but it’s our happy place....and surfing and drives on the beach aren’t limited to the summer season! Heck, I’d even work longer if work from home with the occasional trip in to the Boston office remains an option.

My wife’s latest dream is to redo our kitchen (at a $50k price tag, most likely) and retire as soon as possible. The kitchen does need it, so I need to start thinking about how to work that in....

 

[Warp daddy]

This is sort of where I am. Our home in the Hudson Valley isn’t paid off yet, but will be in 5 or so years, when the kids will all be out of college and my wife will be ready to take her NY State Teacher’s Retirement System pension. We’ll be 58. I’m not much of a dreamer. I like working, I like the life and opportunity that my salary provides. So, for the time being we’ll just keep doing our thing, I’ll pour more into retirement savings and deferred income, and watch the nest egg (hopefully) grow while we see where the kids shake out.

Would I love to see our current home be a forever family home, somewhere the kids and grandkids can always come back to, something the kids would inherit and want to keep in the family? Sure, but who knows where the kids end up and if all that would ever be possible, if they even wanted such a thing? I mean, it’s no estate, but it is a very nice home on a secluded acre and three quarters in a development overlooking the Hudson River, something worth keeping.

Of course the taxes on the house would be much less retirement friendly than us picking up and retiring at 60 to Cape Cod and our place in Chatham....where there is no mortgage and the taxes on the condo are dirt cheap and we could live for next to nothing. Sure, the off season on the Cape is sleepy, but it’s our happy place....and surfing and drives on the beach aren’t limited to the summer season! Heck, I’d even work longer if work from home with the occasional trip in to the Boston office remains an option.

My wife’s latest dream is to redo our kitchen (at a $50k price tag, most likely) and retire as soon as possible. The kitchen does need it, so I need to start thinking about how to work that in....

We too love the Cape, when i was on sabbatical leave i rented a great place on a pond a block off the Bass River and walking distance to the Ocean " We were there from April thru September , i got to see what it was really like living there especially after the crowds were gone , I talked to lots of real CAPE residents from all stations in life to get a comprehensive view. We became familiar with all the back roads and non tourist traps . We had an option to buy the place as the artist who owned it was going into a condo at 85 .

I looked at every conceivable angle : ambiance , state income taxes , property taxes , proximity to medical centers , the off season , the winter isolation , the distance from decent skiable vertical , the up sides and the downsides ..........we opted to stay put on the River why ?

I would be much better off tax wise considering our pensions are not taxed in NY and and the first 20'k of our 403b's were tax free And that coupled with the married couple deduction in NY was much more liberal than Mass, and in Mass you also pay a stiff tax fee for your vehicles for 7 years . SO

I also read several books on best places to retire and discovered in 1995 the year i pulled the plug at 51 yrs of age 92 per cent of people stayed in their own home for all of the reasons many of you have cited . AND The wild card is that you ARE KNOWN in your home town and have Connections and friendships that open doors and are not easily replaced .

So like Camp said FOR THE RIGHT Reasons we continue to live here on The River where life is good , affordable , less dense, we have decent hospitals and have proximity to the 1000 Islands right here, and The High Peaks , several beautiful Canadian cities within an hr to 90'minutes ....life is good .

ANd we take extended Travel to the Cape and Maine in the early summer and again in the period right after Labor day .

 

[Campgottagopee]

I also read several books on best places to retire and discovered in 1995 the year i pulled the plug at 51 yrs of age 92 per cent of people stayed in their own home for all of the reasons many of you have cited . AND The wild card is that you ARE KNOWN in your home town and have Connections and friendships that open doors and are not easily replaced .

That's what I always go back to. We spend a lifetime nurturing relationships and the thought of just leaving that behind doesn't make sense.

Most likely stay here in CNY and hop around as we see fit. Plus what we love about the beach is we don't get to see it often. Would our love for the beach change if we were to have that opportunity daily? My guess is yes. Plus I think it would look funny to have a deer stand in a palm tree.