Topics

Background reading

Plain-language explanations of the questions behind a move. Your StateMatcher report applies them to your own situation.

• How states tax retirement incomeSocial Security, pensions, IRA withdrawals, property and sales taxes: why the state with the lowest income tax isn't always the cheapest place to retire.
• Getting around without a car in retirementTransit, paratransit, senior ride programs, rideshare and airport connections: how to tell whether a place will still work if you stop driving.
• What cost-of-living numbers really tell youPrice indexes, median rents and "cheapest places to live" lists: how to read them, what they leave out, and how to compare two places for your own budget.
• Keeping your medical care when you move to another stateMedicare plans, prescriptions, records and finding new specialists: how to move without a gap in the care you depend on.
• LGBTQ+ protections: state law, city ordinances and everyday lifeWhy state law is only part of the picture, how city ordinances and published ratings help, and how to judge whether a place will feel like home.