September 01

Where Will You Get the Most for Your Nest Egg?; New Edition of Retirement Places Rated Evaluates the Best Places to Spend the Golden Years

HOBOKEN, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 1--Florence, Oregon is America's top place to retire, according to the completely revised and updated  edition of Retirement Places Rated (R) (Wiley, Inc., ISBN: 0-7645-4438-1;  352 pages; $23.99). This long-awaited update of the #1 book on retirement reflects the concerns and priorities of the boomer generation as they leave the workforce and relocate to communities across America.
 

Author and retirement expert David Savageau based his rankings on exhaustive research and analysis, as well as his travels. The top ten cities are:

1.   Florence, Oregon
2.   Scottsdale, Arizona
3.   Charleston, South Carolina
4.   Melbourne-Palm Bay, Florida
5.   North County San Diego, California
6.   Tucson, Arizona
7.   Medford-Ashland, Oregon
8.   Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire
9.   Daytona Beach, Florida
10.  Fayetteville, Arkansas

A total of nineteen places have been added to the list, including Cedar City, UT; Las Vegas, NM and Chestertown, MD. Returning after a long absence are Burlington, VT; Chewelah, WA; Flagstaff, AZ; Fort Royal, VA and Key West, FL.

The book picks out 203 retirement destinations across the U.S., based on safety, affordability, age-based demographic trends, population size and natural resources, then rates and ranks them according to six major factors - ambience, cost of living, climate, personal safety, services, and the economy (especially important to seniors who plan to work during their retirement).

Boomers today seem to have different priorities and to place less importance on a mild climate and traditional leisure activities - like golf and shopping - and more on a community's ambience and cultural authenticity. Many in this generation plan to continue working part- or full-time during their retirement, making a strong local economy more important than ever.

Not every highly-rated destination will appeal to every potential retiree, so Retirement Places Rated(R) offers more than numbers. The book begins with a list of 45 questions, which help readers identify the factors most important to them. Then it explains those factors in six in-depth chapters:

Ambience takes into account historic architecture; access to beaches; lakes and rivers; scenic and recreation areas; quality restaurants, and cultural amenities.

Cost of Living quantifies typical expenses for big items such as housing, utilities, food, transportation, and health care. This chapter also looks at how local taxes affect retirement income.

Climate rates the comfort of each location, taking wind chill into account in the winter, measuring humidity in the summer, looking at year-round psychological factors such as cloud cover, rain, and fog, and warning about hazards such as snow, ice, high winds and thunderstorms.

Personal Safety measures annual violence and property crime statistics for each location, as well as the latest 5-year trends.

Services evaluates local physicians and specialists, the availability of hospital services, public libraries, and continuing education.

The Economy compares job prospects in the three industries of greatest interest to seniors: finance (including insurance and real estate), retail, and service, focusing on the availability of part-time employment. In addition, the author assesses each location's vulnerability to recession.

The directory profiles and assigns detailed ratings to 203 communities. Readers learn, for instance, that is ambience is important, the should consider Tucson, Arizona, which achieves a perfect score in that category. But if outdoor recreation is your passion, Tucson may lose out to nearby Sedona, with its bounty of protected natural and recreational areas and 4.79 square miles of water to enjoy.

Certain cities are highlighted within the text as well, such as Iowa City (praised for its arts scene) and Northampton-Amherst, Massachusetts, which boasts an unusually low crime rate for a college town.

A final chapter entitled Putting it All Together helps the reader weigh all these factors and pinpoint the cities and regions most likely to make their golden years happy ones. In easy-to-understand language, Retirement Places Rated guides readers through the major considerations in deciding where to retire. Whether they decide to stay put in their hometown or move across the country, this book gives them the information they need to make a wise, well-informed choice.

About the Author

David Savageau is the author of the best-selling Places Rated Almanac. Since 1982, he has traveled throughout the country visiting locations that attract older adults. He lives in Washington, D.C., and is a featured speaker at the U.S. Department of State's quarterly seminars on retirement.

With almost 350 titles, Frommer's(R) has a travel series for every kind of traveler, including Frommer's Complete Guides, Frommer's $-a-Day Guides, Frommer's Irreverent Guides and Frommer's Portable Guides. Frommer's is an imprint of Wiley Publishing, Inc., which also publishes the For Dummies(R) guides and the Unofficial Guide(R).

Plan and book your trip with Frommers.com! Rated the #1 Travel Web site by PC Magazine. Frommers.com is a comprehensive, opinionated travel resource featuring over 3,000 world destinations with hotel and restaurant reviews, attractions and insider tips on cruises, flights, and hotels. Frommers.com also features vacation giveaways, message boards and more. Be the first to receive breaking travel news and deals with the Frommers.com newsletter. All of your travel needs are only a click away on Frommers.com.

About Wiley Publishing, Inc.

Wiley is a global knowledge company with a diverse portfolio of technology, business, consumer and how-to brands, computer-based learning tools, Web-based products and Internet e-services. Wiley's best-selling brands and imprints include Jossey-Bass, For Dummies, Betty Crocker, Culinary Institute of America (CIA), Bible, CliffsNotes, Frommer's, Unofficial Guide, Visual, Weight Watchers, Ernst & Young, JK Lasser, and Webster's New World. Wiley has thousands of active titles in 39 languages and also owns the Websites www.cliffsnotes.com, www.dummies.com, and www.frommers.com.

Founded in 1807, Wiley provides must-have content and services to customers worldwide. Its core businesses include scientific, technical and medical journals, encyclopedias, books and other online products and services, professional and consumer books and subscription services and education materials for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Wiley has publishing, marketing and distribution centers in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia and Australia. The company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols JWa and JWb. Wiley's Internet site can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com. 2002 Wiley All rights reserved.

Wiley is a registered trademark of John Wiley & Sons in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. Places Rated is a registered trademark of David Savageau used under exclusive license. Frommer's is a registered trademark of Arthur Frommer, used under exclusive license. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.