Even if you’re years away from retiring, envisioning your ideal retirement lifestyle and planning your next steps is essential to your future well-being and peace of mind. Whether you plan to stay in your current home, downsize, or are exploring senior living communities—each option requires careful consideration and research.
Life Plan Communities—which offer a continuum of care and diverse amenities—are among the top choices for retiring seniors. However, the best communities are often in demand, and may have wait lists. This is why proactive planning is key, making it easier to secure your preferred residence and lifestyle when you’re ready to make the move.
If you’re considering a move to a Life Plan Community, here are six compelling reasons to start planning your transition today.
6 Benefits of Planning for Retirement Early
1. Ample Time for Research
In terms of retirement living options, there are many choices available to you, including:
- Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs)/Life Plan Communities/Life Care Communities
- 55-plus active adult communities
- Senior rental communities
In Florida alone, you’ll find over 850 senior independent living communities, each with its unique character and offerings. Giving yourself enough time to research your options is key.
Do you envision yourself in a community with a bustling social scene or a more serene and intimate setting? Do you prefer a coastal location or an inland community with lush green spaces? Early exploration allows you to thoroughly research different communities, understand their nuances, and discover the perfect fit for your retirement lifestyle and preferences.
2. Room to Adjust for Finances
Planning for retirement means undertaking a thorough evaluation of your finances. The cost of senior living communities varies based on factors such as the community’s location, residence size, number of occupants, care options, included services, and available amenities. Maybe, you want a community that offers independent living as well as higher levels of care on campus. You’re also hoping for several services, such as housekeeping, general maintenance, and lawn care. You may find that you want amenities like multiple dining options, a fitness center, pools, resident-driven clubs and groups, activities, and outings. A community with all this will understandably cost more than one that only provides you with housing.
Early planning allows you to assess your financial resources, explore payment options, and make informed decisions that align with your long-term financial goals.
3. Variety of Living Options
When you have time to make your decision, you can afford to be a bit picky. Whether you want a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment with a screened-in porch or a three-bedroom, three-bathroom freestanding villa with a two-car garage, starting your search at 55 lets you learn about your options at your own pace. If you want a specific type of residence or floor plan, but it’s not available right now, joining a community’s waitlist gives you the opportunity to start securing your future residence today.
4. Personalized Spaces
As you start investigating your living options, you’ll notice every senior living community offers different types of floor plans. When you plan ahead, many communities offer the ability to begin customizing what your future home will look like before you actually make the move there. So, while options vary from community to community, getting a chance to decide how your space is constructed gives you a unique opportunity to choose based on your lifestyle, rather than what’s available.
5. Time to Prepare & Sell Your Home
If your home needs some work, planning early means that you can take this time to assess its needs and make improvements. Consider doing some touch-ups, updates, remodels, or renovations around your house. This can range from updating paint colors and finishes to remodeling a dated kitchen. When you’re ready to make your move, your house will be ready to sell!
6. Pre-Retirement Community Options
You can start planning for your retirement at any age! You also don’t have to be retired to move into senior living. Older adults often benefit from securing a place at a Life Plan community as soon as age 55, which means you can continue working in your career field and enjoy the peace of mind that comes from knowing your future is planned for.
7. Joining a Waitlist
Some communities may have a waitlist. Joining a waitlist can help ensure that you can move into one of your favorite communities (and favorite type of residence there) when you’re ready to move. Becoming a waitlist member can also give you opportunities to meet current residents and team members, try out different amenities, and simply get familiar with the community. Just getting onto a waitlist can also help jump-start your planning, downsizing, and moving process, which may help lower your future stress about all those things.
Find Your Ideal Retirement Community
Remember, starting your planning now means you have time to investigate all your senior living options. Starting your retirement community search as soon as possible allows you to:
- Research all the types of communities available.
- Learn what each community’s independent living offers you.
- Compare things like the entrance fees and monthly service fees, services and amenities, and independent living floor plans.
- Arrange tours of your top contenders.
Enjoy Resort-style Living at The Waterford
At The Waterford in Juno Beach, Florida, a premier senior living community, you’ll have access to top-tier services and amenities, compassionate on-site care, and supportive neighbors. Contact us, or complete the form below, to learn more about life at The Waterford and explore luxury retirement planning options.
