I and my family really enjoy the stability... My kids will have friends they have grown up with. Many military kids have 3-4 year friends, then they move, then they loose touch with them.. nothing binding.

We go to the same doctors and dentist... another plus.

With the housing costs and the market being what it is I am VERY glad I do not have to try to sell a house and the end of a tour. The days of making money are gone.. in fact, owning a home could put you in a real financial hardship.

I guess my bottom line was to put family first. I needed to retire to assist my Mother.. At first I was a little concerned about meeting my financial needs.... that is not an issue.. I have no regrets about retiring what so ever. My wife & kids love the area we are in.

There is life after the Coast Guard....

Retirement is WONDERFUL !

Wray...

quote:

Never....ever.....never retire!!

Most retired I know are busier than ever. The difference is some of their activities are optional. After three years of being away, I'm missing it a lot less, by staying plenty busy.

We are pretty blessed with the deal we have. Many in this world are not so lucky. No McMansion here, just a place we can afford. Good advice would be to pick a place to live that your family will like and is close enough to family and other things you want. Consider how far you are willing to drive for good deals on chow, health care etc. That adds to the total cost of living.

Navy TAPS had people worried about where to relocate and find a job. For us, finding the right location was the main driver. Your mileage will vary as in how large and income you will need depending on your family's needs. Keep in mind those tax lists by state don't tell the whole story. What is the entire tax load in a state or city, and how will it affect your particular needs and type of income? A place like New Hampshire looks real good until you get your property tax bill. One town over from where you are looking for a house might have much lower property tax rates. We lucked out, not living in a town with more parks, sidewalks, and busy-body special projects that run up the mil rate.

Go to some type of transition program at least two years out of 20 years date and try to plan where you want to settle sooner than later. The turmoil will slow down eventually!

Went to work one morning and couldn't remember why, so I retired.

As a Reservist, it's when I can't stand to get up on the weekend anymore. I've got 24+ years in and it's time to move on so the junior folks can move up. Also, my civilian job requires a 0450 wakeup every day so sleeping in on the drill weekends (say to about 0630) looks increasingly tantalizing. And, as a DC, I just don't have the physical stamina necessary to hump drywall, piping, lumber and other heavy stuff up 3 flights of stairs anymore.