Retiring thoughts |

If you are of a certain age, retirement becomes more of a reality with each passing year. I know for my group of friends the word "retirement" is either on their lips or in their thoughts and will be for the next few years. So any news item that comes up that mentions that magic word, catches my attention.

A few recent items in the news touching on retirement caught my eye. Since many people think of relocating when they move, MoneySense magazine's 8th annual listing of the top cities in Canada to live in seemed like a good thing to look at since it included a list of the top cities to retire in. They are:

1. Victoria

2. Saanich

3. Kingston

4. Burlington

5. Ottawa

6. Toronto

7. Joliette

8. Saskatoon

9. Stratford

10. Winnipeg

What made these cities standouts? Some factors included cost of living, weather, crime rates, access to medical care, to name just a few.

Worrying about outliving your retirement savings is also another concern of people considering retirement. Traditionally, people who own property have considered this as a source of funding for their retirement years. But according to a survey that recently made the news, done by the Investor Education Fund and posted on their Get Smarter About Money.ca site, found approximately half of those surveyed never have considered using their homes to fund their retirement. The full report can be downloaded from the website – it makes for interesting reading.

And speaking of interesting reading, why not check out a few of these recent titles on retirement planning?