The Joy in Finding the Right Retirement Community

We all know waiting too long to make big life changes – having children, starting a business or planning for retirement – actually makes the process harder. So, what makes it easier? A simple change of perspective. Being human, many of us tend to put off what we perceive as difficult or challenging. Shifting our mindset will actually make it easier to take the first steps toward change.

Facts and a Fresh Perspective:

Acclaimed writer and speaker Wayne Dyer famously said, “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” The best way to clarify a new perspective is with facts. Take a look at the facts supporting planning for retirement today.

 

Take Advantage of Financial Assurances, Choices and Options:

Moving to a senior living community can be one of the smartest financial decisions you make simply because Life Plan Communities (also known as a Continuing Care Retirement Communities or CCRCs) provide financial assurances.

• Priority Lifetime Access: Life Plan Communities assure you priority lifetime access – if ever needed – to all levels of care offered by a community, usually at reduced rates.
• Assurance of Pre-Qualification: Life Plan counselors will carefully pre-qualify you not only to confirm what you can afford but also to assure that your finances will not run out.
• Choice of Entrance Fee Type: Entrance fees can be partially or fully refundable.

 

Plan Now to Protect Your Finances:

Life Plan Communities want to make sure your decision to move to their community is the best decision for you and for them. Highly trained Sales Counselors will encourage you to consult with your trusted financial advisers before making any decisions.

Working together, the Sales Counselor and your team of advisers can help you take advantage of strong housing markets (like today’s), adjustable investment strategies and the cost-savings benefits CCRCs and Life Plan Communities offer, such as becoming a Genesis Club Member.

Sales Counselors will help you understand what your existing health insurance plans and any supplemental insurances cover. Supplemental insurances may include Medicare, veterans benefits and long-term care insurance. People are often surprised to find retirement living doesn’t have to be 100% self-funded.

Additionally, tax preparers have cited IRS rulings that provide substantial tax benefits in Life Plan Community contracts. Portions of community entrance and monthly service fees may be classified as deductible, or prepaid or ongoing medical expenses. This supports estate protection, ensuring a legacy for future generations.

Stop Worrying & Live Better:

Over a lifetime, many of us have become experts at worrying. The best “cure” is good planning. One of the many benefits of getting serious about retirement planning is getting it DONE. Once the decisions are made, the contract signed, and family and friends are informed, you really can relax. Enjoy. Try new things. Look forward to positive changes – and fewer day-to-day responsibilities.

If you think this is cliched advice, consider these eye-opening findings thanks to the groundbreaking five-year Age Well Study published in 2018 by the Mather Institute on Aging in conjunction with Northwestern University.

• Over two-thirds of residents surveyed said moving to a Life Plan Community “somewhat or greatly improved” their social wellness – a person’s sense of connectedness and belonging within their community.
• A majority of respondents stated they “wished they had moved in sooner” because they didn’t fully understand the degree of enjoyment they would find at a CCRC.
• Life Plan Community residents tend to have greater emotional, social, physical, intellectual and vocational wellness than the demographically similar control group from a Health and Retirement Study conducted by the University of Michigan.

Many seniors don’t move into retirement communities early enough to enjoy all they have to offer – particularly Independent Living residences. Those that make the move sooner rather than later are able to enjoy the abundance of benefits for years before possibly needing higher levels of care.

 

Design Your Best Life:

As we like to say here at Generations, “The goal of our community is not to change your life. It’s to provide you with a framework and the tools to make the life you live as comfortable and rewarding, or as challenging and exciting, as you want it to be.”

When you choose to move to a CCRC or Life Plan Community, it’s important to remember you are still in control of your life. You just have an extra hand when and if you need it. Be smart and take advantage of the dozens of features and amenities that are waiting to enrich your every day.

You’ll want to show off your new home to family and friends. Today’s CCRCs are not at all like retirement communities of the past. With open floor plans, choices of large and smaller apartments or homes, accommodations are stunningly beautiful and easy to enjoy. Large balconies and patios and senior-friendly designs make it easy to welcome and entertain loved ones.

 

Learn More!

Generations at Shalom Park, affiliated with Aldersgate Life Plan Services, a renowned senior living provider in the Charlotte region, will bring a new life plan community to the area unlike any other. Coming to SouthPark in 2024, Generations at Shalom Park is a new vision in active Independent Living that is Jewish in spirit, making it open to all. To learn more, call 704-532-5400 and get a closer look at generationsatshalompark.com.