Time to retire (and where)

To view this email in a browser, [click here](. INC. THIS MORNING Time to retire (and where) Good morning, Nebraska’s official tourism slogan is: "Honestly, it's not for everyone." That’s an amazingly honest advertising slogan, and I salute the state for its candor. And Nebraska probably isn’t for me -- despite a new study saying that it's a truly great state for spending your retirement years. Last week, based on [data]( compiled by the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies (funded by the Transamerica Life Insurance Company), personal finance company Bankrate [ranked all 50 states]( in terms of how attractive they are for retirees. If you're expecting to see Florida and Arizona at the top of the list: Nope. Nebraska is No. 1. Here's where all 50 states fared on the list. I guarantee you'll be surprised. Top Tier: (1-4) Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, South Dakota All four of these are big surprises, at least from an anecdotal point of view. Ask most people to name an older person living in Nebraska, and they'd probably answer Warren Buffett, who is anything but retired. Individual state superlatives here include Missouri, which comes in as the most affordable state in which to retire, plus Nebraska and South Dakota, which come in eighth and 10th for wellness. A giant drawback: If your goal is to make money, retire, and kick back on a beach, there ain't no beach in these states. Rest of the top 10: (5-10) Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, Montana, Hawaii The scandal of this entire ranking is that Hawaii isn't somehow No. 1. It's where I plan to retire (this is how I’ll learn if my wife reads this email). However, despite being No. 1 for weather, No. 9 for wellness and No. 9 for culture, it's No. 45 for affordability. That's an issue. Florida is No. 5 overall, which is no surprise to anyone who has spent time in Florida, even though it's actually right in the middle of the country for affordability at No. 25. The B-plus states: (11-19) Arkansas, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Vermont, New Hampshire, Alabama, Texas, Idaho, and Mississippi These states all have strong quantifiable characteristics. Vermont and New Hampshire are tied for the least crime in the country. They respectively rank No. 1 and No. 3 for wellness, and No. 3 and No. 4 for culture. But, as someone who spends a lot of time in New Hampshire, I can tell you: They get very cold. I can see the appeal of southern states like Alabama and Arkansas from a weather and cost-of-living standpoint. Texas is probably insulted to be in a category with any other state. The ‘Oh, do you have family there?’ states: (20-30) Wyoming, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Michigan, West Virginia, Ohio, Rhode Island, Georgia, Indiana, and Connecticut I actually grew up in two of these states and then lived in a third (Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut), so I feel like a bit of an expert here. I will say: Rhode Island sure does seem to have a lot of retired people. Michigan somehow wound up as the most affordable state in the U.S. for retirees. Indiana is ranked third by that metric, and Ohio is fifth. Massachusetts is ranked fourth in wellness and ninth in culture. Overall, I suspect that people who pick these states likely have ties there already. They don't choose to leave. The 'Thank God for Maryland states': (31 to 40) Maine, Delaware, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Utah, Louisiana, New Mexico, Arizona, Virginia, and Minnesota Often, when we look at lists of happiest or healthiest states, we find some of these names near the top -- especially Minnesota and Colorado. Maine ranks first for culture and third for low crime. Arizona ranks 10th for weather. (But it's a dry heat, they say.) The bottom quint: (41 to 50) South Carolina, New Jersey, California, Oregon, Nevada, Washington, Illinois, Alaska, New York, and Maryland Cost of living kills several states at the end of this list, which makes it challenging for many retirees. That's why you might want to avoid retiring in New Jersey (48th least affordable), California (49th), or New York (50th). States that you might like to visit in retirement apparently don't make great places to actually live in retirement: Alaska, Nevada, and Oregon. And Maryland, poor Maryland, ranks dead last. Blame it on poor rankings for affordability (47th), culture (42nd), crime (33rd) and wellness (37th). But don't discount the fact that retirees might be reluctant to take on new, weird habits just to fit in -- like [pretending that they actually like crabs](. SPONSORED CONTENT [Win the all-new Sprinter from Mercedes-Benz Vans]( Enter [“The Van Built for Business Contest”]( for a chance to win the all-new Sprinter that could transform your business. HERE'S WHAT ELSE I'M READING TODAY: Amazon Prime Day is here. These are its nine [best tech deals for your business](. --Inc. [Facebook will be fined $5 billion]( and it’s no big deal to Facebook. --Inc. Procter & Gamble put [$500,000 toward U.S. women’s soccer pay equality]( and challenged other brands to do the same. --The New York Times [Starbucks says it’s getting rid of newspapers]( and not for the reason you’d think. --Inc. Spooked by the China trade war, [some companies are moving jobs]( to Vietnam, Malaysia and India. Not the U.S. --The Wall Street Journal Tom Cruise wears Ray-Bans in Top Gun, but [these are the shades]( that real U.S. Navy pilots prefer. --Inc. This founder grew up listening to Metallica. Now, he [makes craft beer with them](. --Inc. What happens if [500,000 people show up]( at Area 51? --The Washington Post --Bill Murphy Jr. Contributing Editor, Inc.com Story ideas and feedback actively solicited. Find me at [billmurphyjr@inc.com](mailto:billmurphyjr@inc.com?subject=), or on [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Click here]( to forward to a friend. This email was sent by: Mansueto Ventures 7 World Trade Center, 29th Floor New York, NY, 10007, [Update Profile]( [Advertisement]