Page 10 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, March 6, 2026 Savvy Senior by Jim Miller Tools to Help You Find the Perfect Place to Retire Dear Savvy Senior, What resources can you recommend for researching good places to retire in the U.S.? My husband and I are interested in relocating to a warmer climate when we retire next year. Looking to Relocate Dear Looking, It’s exciting to think about relocating in retirement! Whether you’re considering seasonal escapes or a permanent change, there are a wide variety of digital resources that can help you find and research new locations. Here are some tips and tools to help you get started. Where to Retire? Deciding where to relocate when you retire is a big decision. There are many factors to think about to ensure the move supports your lifestyle, financial goals, and overall well-being. To help you identify some good retirement locations you need to consider things like cost of living, climate, taxes, health care, housing, crime, access to social and recreational activities, access to transportation and proximity to family and friends. If you’re at the beginning of your search, a good starting point is BestPlaces.net. This site compiles demographic data from numerous reliable sources, updates it regularly and lets you easily compare cities using different criteria, such as housing cost, climate, crime, religious practice, voting patterns and education level. They even offer a 10-question “Where is the best place for me to live?” quiz, which may suggest some locations you may never have thought of. There are also news and financial publications like U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, WalletHub, Bankrate and The Motley Fool that publish “best places to retire” ranking lists on their websites each year. These can give you an idea of popular retirement locations based on different sets of criteria. Once you identify a few good spots, here are some additional resources that can help you dig a little deeper. Cost of living: Affordability is often the No. 1 factor when deciding where to relocate. To research and compare the cost of living from your current location to where you would like to move, use the previously mentioned BestPlaces.net, the Economic Policy Institute Family Budget Calculator at EPI.org/resources/budget and/or Bankrate’s cost of living calculator at Bankrate.com/real-estate/cost-of-living-calculator. And, because housing is a big expense, you can take a deeper dive into these costs at Zillow.com and Realtor.com. Taxes: Some states are more tax friendly than others. To investigate how states treat retirees when it comes to income, sales, property and other taxes, see Kiplinger tax guide at Kiplinger.com – search “Taxes on Retirees: A State-by-State Guide.” Crime rate: To evaluate how safe a community or area is, the FBI Crime Data Explorer (cde.ucr.cjis.gov) allows you to explore crime statistics at the national, state, and local levels. Climate: You can find U.S. climate/weather information at National Centers for Environmental Information at NCEI.noaa.gov. And to research climate change factors and the risks of extreme temperatures, wildfires, floods, hurricanes, severe storms, earthquakes and drought in different locations, use ClimateCheck.com and FEMA (Hazards.fema.gov/ nri/map). Health care: If you’re enrolled or planning to enroll in original Medicare, check the coverage and availability of providers in your new location. Search by ZIP code for health care providers and facilities at Medicare.gov/care-compare, and check star ratings for quality of care. If you’re enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan and you move out of the coverage area, you’ll need to find a new plan in your new area. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior. org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. 1. On March 6, 1994, the Biosphere 2 experiment began in Arizona; what was it? 2. In the 1990s what state had highway “immigrant crossing” signs to avoid collisions? 3. What MLB teams are named after birds? 4. An Illinois teen has used what two small wood instruments to win two Guinness World Records for creating tall tower structures? 5. On March 7, 1933, “Monopoly” was created in what city with the first USA boardwalk? 6. What famous newsman cohosted “The Morning Show” with a puppet named Charlemagne? 7. In 2026, Olympic Village athletes were served what new kind of pasta? 8. On March 8, 1950, the Volkswagen Type 2 began production; it is usually called what? 9. What city has been called Sin City? 10. Who won an Oscar and two Olympic gold medals? 11. March 9 is National Meatball Day; reportedly, what popular dish with meatballs was developed more in NYC than Italy? 12. Colonies of what Antarctica bird have been found and counted from outer space? 13. What D.C. newspaper sponsored a children’s essay contest and requested John Philip Sousa to compose a march for the award ceremony? 14. On March 10, 1876, in what city did Alexander Graham Bell make the first phone call? 15. Which was the last country in the Western Hemisphere to abolish slavery? 16. March 11 is Johnny Appleseed Day; he was born in what Worcester County town with a name including a person’s name? 17. What language does the word smorgasbord come from? 18. “Pastagate,” a 2013 incident of a restaurant receiving a warning letter from the government for using Italian words on a menu, occurred in what province? 19. Persephone was the Greek goddess of the Underworld and what season? 20. On March 12, 1933, who gave his first “fireside chat” radio address? ANSWERS 1. A glass-enclosed living system inhabited by seven people; it is now a lab for experiments 2. California 3. Baltimore Orioles, St. Louis Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays 4. Toothpicks (in 2026) and popsicle sticks 5. Atlantic City 6. Walter Cronkite 7. A limited-edition one shaped like the Olympics’ interlocking rings symbol 8. VW Bus 9. Las Vegas 10. Kobe Bryant 11. Spaghetti and meatballs (meat was more expensive in Italy than for its NYC immigrants) 12. Emperor penguins 13. The Washington Post (It was called “The Washington Post March” and was played by the Marine Band.) 14. Boston 15. Brazil (in 1888) 16. Leominster 17. Swedish 18. Quebec (the letter generated public pushback and an official’s resignation) 19. Spring 20. FDR
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