Renting when retired?

Good for you for thinking outside the box and creating a retirement plan that really suits your desired lifestyle.

There really are so many benefits to a walkable community -- especially for retirement. Studies have shown that a walkable community can:
- reduce coronary disease and stroke
- lower blood pressure
- reduce cholesterol
- increase bone density
- alleviate back pain

A walkable community can also increase your sociability and sense of community which are also proven to be particularly beneficial as we age.

As far as the financial benefits of renting in retirement. Believe it or not there may be some.
1) You can eliminate the expense of a car,
2) You can release equity by selling your home. Many people have not accumulated enough cash for retirement and using home equity to fund retirement is increasingly popular. Selling your home and investing your equity for retirement may be a good idea.

Of course the financial viability of renting really depend on how expensive rents are.
-- Some communities have rents that are lower than the mortgage on the houses might be. Other areas are quite expensive relative to mortgages.

How are your retirement resources? Did you find useful analysis and suggestions for improving your retirement plan in the Retirement Calculator?
https://www.newretirement.com/retirement-calculator/default.aspx

You can research the walkability of different cities using this unique web site:
http://www.walkscore.com/