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And what do you look for when choosing a place to retire?

Is it affordable housing?

Plentiful leisure activities & cultural interests?

Job growth opportunities?

Sunny weather? Sandy beaches? Clean air & surroundings?

Tantalizing gourmet haven?

Easy commute system?

Fast & hassle-free health care access?

I think all of the above would be what you're looking for.

If you're pondering on a place to retire to, I would say go for a place with thriving economy that offers all or almost all of the above-mentioned "goodies" to make your retirement lifestyle relaxed and carefree.

I've researched and studied quite a few places that have the above-mentioned "goodies" and I think they can be good candidates for you to pick as one of your 10 best places to retire.

The list's not exhaustive though and you may have other preferred places.....

1. Sarasota, Florida

A famous Gulf Coast spot. It's home to some of the most splendid architectures you can imagine.

It's also famed for its more than 30 miles of beautiful beaches and a climate that's perfect for boating, water skiing, tennis and golf.

Nature lovers will bask in the fine ambience of pure white sands, exotic birds and plants.

Culture loving folks would love the operas, ballets and theatres here.

It isn't a big city but it sure has an urban feel, thanks to the first rate entertainment.

2. Ames, Iowa

It offers a real American midwest living. It's also home for big-name musical acts and touring theater groups.

It lures you with very affordable housing.

And low crime area too.

Life's quiet and calm here, just the way you might like it.

3. San Diego, California

If you treasure sunny weather and crisp sea air, San Diego is the place with beautiful weather and white, sandy beaches plus crisp clean air.

Want an active lifestyle (busy with seas and beaches)? The breathtaking beaches and the famed Balboa Park are a few of the places you can go to for play and entertainment.

This town reigns as one of the most competitive in the fields of electronics, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.

You need to spend a little on housing, though. San Diego doesn't come cheap.

4. Lawrence, Kansas

Lush surroundings and attractions such as shows at the Lied Center, an active community arts center and theater, a vibrant downtown and a longtime farmers market, are this town's alluring trademark.

Enough spots to go and activities for you to participate, if you yearn for an active past time.

5. Hot Springs, Arkansas

It's famed as a spa resort.

But what would also attract you is its low cost of living.

And it's a good bargain in terms of housing costs - for instance, a single-family house (from 1,600 to 2,100 square feet) averages $135,000 to $225,000.

6. Charleston, South Carolina

The south is one of the best places to retire to.

Charleston, in the south, is a lovely town where you get to enjoy lots of activities within a thriving economy.

It's been dubbed a historic, romantic and beautiful town.

But one snag - you got to put up with the summer heat.

7. Hanover, New Hamsphire

A colonial enclave famed for its cross-country skiing that's among the best you can find.

The town's also known for its ivy league living.

8. Anacortes, Washington

A haven for water lovers. Its crown jewel is Fidalgo Island, a hop, skip and a short sail to British Columbia.

It offers plenty of water-recreation activities like sailing, kayaking and power boating. You can also go for other things like golfing, camping, bird watching and beach combing.

It's historic downtown boasts specialty shops, antique stores and art galleries plus bed and breakfasts and gourmet restaurants.

9. Walla Walla, Washington

If you want a quiet lifestyle where people know one another, then this is the place for you.

You can escape the rat race and find peace and tranquility with its offer of bookstores and art galleries. The local colleges offer lots of activities such as lectures and classes for retirees.

And if you're used to big city prices, you'll get nice, affordable surprised bargains here.

10. Charlottesville, Virginia

This town's blessed with the rugged and picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains and also a fine blend of colonialism and 18th-century ideals.

It would go down well with a relaxing retirement lifestyle: playing golf in serene surrounding; taking part in refreshing water sports; browsing through the book stores and antique shops.....

Take your pick among these top 10 best places to retire.

Or you've other places in mind?

Well, as long as the place has what you want, it's your best place to retire, I would say.

The most important thing - you must love the place and enjoy your life there.

Cecelia Yap is an avid exerciser and the owner of the successful fitness and exercise website: http://www.perfect-body-toning.com

Due to her strong yearning to retire early in life,she has also been researching on the subject of retirement. She shows you how she has turned her passion in exercise into a retirement nest egg: http://www.perfect-body-toning.com/my-passion.html

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You have heard a lot about pensions and the unique tax advantage that is characteristic of them. You have decided to plan for your retirement and have booked an appointment with a financial adviser you trust. There you are on the appointment day sitting in front of your adviser. It is a gorgeous summer's day, with the brilliance of the sun's rays stealing its way through the windowpanes of your adviser's office. A multitude of thoughts pervade your mind, most of which you have managed to block, but one: '' I want my days of retirement to be as pleasant as this day - really easy and comfortable''. But just how can you ensure the achievement of this end? What sort of questions should be answered, with the assistance of your adviser?

Essentially the process of retirement planning should commence with your adviser establishing what pension provisions you have already, find out what your capital and income needs will be at and after retirement, and ascertain what shortfall exists between your present resources and those needed in the future when you retire. The shortfall should then be quantified in order to be able to plan successfully towards its provision.

Until the right questions are asked and answered it will be impossible to find out what the gap is between your present circumstances and where you want to be at and after retirement. So what are these important questions?

If order is important, I suppose your guess is as good as mine that the first question should be something like: '' What provision have you made so far towards your retirement?'' In answering this question you should look back, more so if your current employer is not the first. You might have some 'preserved' pension stashed away with some previous employers, and hey don't forget to find out how much state pension you will roughly be entitled to, during retirement.

Now that you know how much pension provision exists, the next important question to ask is ''when and how do you want to retire?''. Why is it necessary to know when you want to retire? I know women especially hate talking about their age, more so when it's far from the teens; it is however necessary that one gets really open and honest about age at this juncture. A consideration of your age in tandem with when you want to retire will help your adviser to prioritise you needs properly. Prioritisation is important during financial planning because the resources that are available at any point in time will be limited, whereas ones financial needs may be endless! For instance, if you just in your twenties, with a spouse or civil partner and some children who are financially dependent on you, then protection through say life insurance policies will merit greater attention than savings towards retirement.

When you want to retire has to be known so that with your age in mind your adviser will know how much time you have to save up for the quantified shortfall. But just how would you like to retire? Perhaps you are employed and are considering not retiring outright, but to phase in your retirement by progressively reducing your hours of work over time. Or you might be self-employed or a director of a company and have decided to take less responsibilities over a certain period. Either way, it means that your drawing on your pension will also be phased in. This will reduce the amount of income you will require from your pension, during the early part of your retirement, and should be factored into the retirement plan.

The income and capital needs at and after retirement should also be looked at. Pension schemes pay a tax-free lump sum, currently known as 'pension commencement lump sum'. This lump sum can be used to pay off liabilities or deal with certain capital needs at the start of your retirement, such as paying off the rest of your mortgage, buying a holiday home or indeed replacing a company car.

It must however be noted that if the tax-free lump sum is utilised at the start of retirement it will not be available to supplement later income from your pension, implying the need for higher income provision for later years after retirement. On the other hand if you have no plans to use the tax-free lump sum at the commencement of retirement, it will help to reduce the provision that has to be made for income as your retirement progresses.

We have so far being talking about your capital and income needs at and after retirement. One other main purpose of pension arrangement is to ensure that your spouse or civil partner and dependants, such as children are financially
catered for should you die.

You have to discuss what the capital and income needs of your dependants will be at and after death. Does your spouse or civil partner have a pension of his or her own? What are the ages of your children and for how long will they be needing financial support until they leave home or complete their higher education? Mind you if some of these kids are disabled they probably will need financial assistance for the rest of their lives! Do you have any special retirement plans such as a desire to enjoy a comfortable long-term care?

It is good practice to estimate your income needs after retirement in terms of a proportion of your current salary, of course making allowance for the effects of inflation. Please don't be tempted to say you will need 100% of your current income as this will be unrealistic and also expensive to provide for.

Remember that in the early years of retirement certain expenses such as the cost of commuting to work will be absent, and mortgage payments would have been completed. On the flip side of the coin, you might want to fund some pastimes and hobbies during the early part of your retirement which may increase your income needs. Later on during retirement the cost of such activities will be reduced only to be replaced by the cost of long-term care and medical expenses. It is advisable, hence, to look at income needs earlier on in retirement in isolation from those of later years.

You will find it rewarding to bear in mind that people are living longer than they used to say, twenty years ago, and this means that annuity rates will be lower and as such more money will have to be saved to provide for the same income than would have been the case in the past. It is hence inadvisable to delay saving towards your retirement as the longer you wait, the more strain saving will have on

your income, once you start! As a result of an increase in average life span, if you opt for a final salary scheme, your employer will bear the problem of paying your pension for a longer period; a choice of a defined contribution scheme, however will place the burden of longer payments on you. If you intend leaving some of your pension fund for your dependants at death, it will influence your adviser's choice of pension arrangement, and you must make him aware of such a desire. Finally, the various questions should be pondered separately as well as collectively as they will be interconnected. For example, your age and how much income you can save will help to answer the question whether or not the date you have set to retire is realistic.

I have a BA Hons. degree in Accounting and Finance. I am currently specialising in Financial planning.

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