Motor rebuild...

As the California retirees travel to the East, the housing prices soon follow. We were thinking  about the Reno area in Nevada, but a lot of the Bay area money did the same and there are no deals to be had there. I may end up in Tennessee or some other nation where my retirement dollar can be maximized. As far as my Government pension, I have read that the California Gov't has been seeking ways to tax your pension before it gets to you at your new address! I am a prisoner of this wacky state! 

Brian

Come to West Virginia where people truly care for one another. It seldom gets above 85 degrees in the summer, cools way down in the summer evenings, the mountain vistas are unreal and even in July & August you need to have a jacket with you... endless road trips through the twisties, steam trains through the mountains , waterfalls, and you get to enjoy a unique winter wonderland where snow can arrive in alarming quantity too . Did you know they make road snow blowers that are big enough to launch deer tangled into the power lines ?  Beautiful homes are inexpensive and taxes are cheap too. Word has it there's some old guy in that college town of Elkins that resto's some kind of speedster replica's. 

"As far as my Government pension, I have read that the California Gov't has been seeking ways to tax your pension before it gets to you at your new address! I am a prisoner of this wacky state! "

They do that as well if you move to another country where we live.  Minimum 25% tax on pensions.

Thanks Art.....Yes thats true. However, what I mentioned is called WEP Windfall Elimination Provision. and another called GPO Government Pension Offset. The first one is what cut my SS pension. There are two bills now pending pending our do nothin Congress.  Senate Bill 521 and HR 141 which would repeal them. The WEP alone penalized 249,000 in California alone, plus another 99,000 in GPO. I really don't think Congress will repeal such a windfall to the government on a National level. A lot of people wish they would though.

I currently receive retirement income from 4 sources. I was diligent all my working life to make sure that when I pulled the plug I would have enough to have fun in retirement. Because I did that I am now being penalized because I had a "windfall" when I retired. I am not wealthy by any standard. I still have to budget for the big expenses. OK, thats enough crying. I guess I'll go sort out my nuts n bolts now.

Bruce

I am told that if I move out of California to a state that has no state tax, I will still pay the Calif. state tax on my retirement.  If I move to a state that has state taxes, I do not have to pay Calif State taxes, only the state that I'm living in.

Here's another lovely funky factoid .....I am a naturalized citizen of Mexico. If I move to Mexico to live 100% of the time, renounce my US citizenship, I am liable for Federal taxes for TEN YEARS after renouncement. That also includes any income I make in Mexico as well.........Our Federal Government has some long and heavy duty meat hooks !.............Bruce

Alan Merklin posted:

Come to West Virginia where people truly care for one another. It seldom gets above 85 degrees in the summer, cools way down in the summer evenings, the mountain vistas are unreal and even in July & August you need to have a jacket with you... endless road trips through the twisties, steam trains through the mountains , waterfalls, and you get to enjoy a unique winter wonderland where snow can arrive in alarming quantity too . Did you know they make road snow blowers that are big enough to launch deer tangled into the power lines ?  Beautiful homes are inexpensive and taxes are cheap too. Word has it there's some old guy in that college town of Elkins that resto's some kind of speedster replica's. 

My wife is from Norfolk and we did take a driving trip through West Virginia my first time out  (91'). Beautiful country and truly a step back in time. Even rode on the Cass Railroad to get my train fix in. So much history. In Cali, if you saw something from the late 1880's you were dumbfounded. 

Brian  

There are several of us (me, Cory, Danny, etc.) looking into western NC and eastern TN as a retirement location and we've even discussed having a group buy to build a car-centered compound.  Northeast GA could also be a possibility as that is where Ron and Maddie Mullis are and it sounds awfully nice.

I'd say something about retiring to Maui but I suspect it only works well if you've got relatives out here and were lucky enough to save enough dough to retire in California.

Plus you've got to put up with nice weather year round, white sand beaches, colorful tropical fish, a 10,000 ft mountain for when you want cool temps or snow and a diverse group of people who are really filled with the aloha spirit (mostly). It also sucks not to be able to drive over to Carlisle.  Don't shed tears for me, I'll get by somehow but if anyone decides to join us, we can form a car club...

You Kalifornia guys crack me up. Every blue state in the union has the same set of troubles plaguing the Golden State, but you think you're the only ones. 

Illinois just doubled the gas tax to $.38/gallon-- it goes into effect midnight Monday, but that's kind've deceiving, because we pay sales tax on it too (9% in most places, or about $.36 more per gallon), so total state tax dwarfs California's. Sales tax varies by municipality and county, but 8-9% is average (it's above 10% in some places by Chicago). There are extra taxes on hotels, restaurants, etc. We've taxed pensions and SSI draws for years. The income tax went up 33% a couple of years back, and Springfield just voted to put a graduated income tax (to stick it to the "rich") on the ballot for 2020. The owner of a $300K home can expect to pay (at minimum) about $6000/yr in property tax (figure 2% annually, and your about right).

We've got legalized (and taxed) video gaming in every bar and grill in the state, off-track betting, and now a bunch more casinos. We've got a state lottery that was so poorly run a private company is leasing it from the state. All of this was to pay for "education". Peoria Public Schools graduation rate is 71%, so all those dollars are doing a bang-up job readying our children for life in the information age.

We just legalized recreational weed, apparently so that when Jan. 1 rolls around and all this goes into effect, we'll all be able to get stoned and feel happy about it. Weed will be heavily taxed as well. The stats are a bit old, but the murder clearance rate for Chicago dropped from over 70% for 1991 to under 34% in 2011. Nobody sees nuthin'.

We just enshrined (state funded) legal abortion up until the moment of birth into law, made smoking or vaping before your 21st birthday illegal, set state taxes on a pack of smokes at $2.98, and raised the cost to register a car 50%. We pay sales tax on the purchase of a used car, and transferring the title now costs $150.

We've got fabulous weather (blazing hot summers, below zero winters), great roads (for a third world country), and cheap state colleges (U of I tuition and fees for Illinois residents: $14K/yr), and more layers of local government that any state in the union.

It's the Shangra La of the Midwest, I tell you-- a veritable workers' paradise. 

I'll trade you.

That's why there are U Haul's available in every state. We planned, made the move the result being our retirement dollars goes considerably  further . ~)

Lane Anderson posted:

There are several of us (me, Cory, Danny, etc.) looking into western NC and eastern TN as a retirement location and we've even discussed having a group buy to build a car-centered compound.  Northeast GA could also be a possibility as that is where Ron and Maddie Mullis are and it sounds awfully nice.

This is also an area we are considering. I really would like to be in a hilly, mountainous region Re: Outside of Asheville, Gatlinburg, etc. I am going to be selling in 2 years (See how the election goes) and moving in 3, most likely.

mppickett posted:

I'd say something about retiring to Maui but I suspect it only works well if you've got relatives out here and were lucky enough to save enough dough to retire in California.

Plus you've got to put up with nice weather year round, white sand beaches, colorful tropical fish, a 10,000 ft mountain for when you want cool temps or snow and a diverse group of people who are really filled with the aloha spirit (mostly). It also sucks not to be able to drive over to Carlisle.  Don't shed tears for me, I'll get by somehow but if anyone decides to join us, we can form a car club...

There is a reason that the rice and Spam isle in the grocery stores over there are the largest. That is the only food the locals can afford. Spam in so many different flavors too. C'mon, Chipotle style, really!

A while back, California was taxing the income of pilots and flight attendants who  flew over or landed in California, even if they had no residence here.  The law didn't last long.

Ahem, pay no attention to Stan's post about Kalifornia.

This state is, without question, the worst place to live in the country. You really don't want to be here. Please, stay away!

All of those folks who come here and pay all of these taxes and spend top dollar for housing regret their decision the instant they arrive. They immediately flock back whence they came. This is why our population has remained almost the same over the past 50 years.

If you insist on defying all common sense and come here anyway, at least move to the best part of our state - LA. It's the only place in the state that's tolerable. If you want friendly neighbors, you'll be surrounded by millions of them, no matter where you go in LA.

The rest of the state is completely uninhabitable, especially the northern half, where it's 140 degrees every day in the summer and gas is $8/gallon.

If you drive a Speedster, you'll hate this place even more. There are just no good roads. Ask anyone how to get anyplace and the answer is always 'Take 80 to 680, then the 101' or 'follow 680 to 5' or 'do 5 over the grapevine'. And trust me, endless views of the Pacific Ocean or the Sierra Nevada while you're driving are so overrated. Don't believe all that melarky from the Chamber of Commerce. You've seen one ocean or one snow-capped mountain, you've seen them all. And wine country, wine shmuntry! You can get wine in any market or liquor store from Duluth to Peoria.

So please, I beg of you, stay in Oklahoma or Nebraska or Alabama. If you've already made the mistake of moving here, save yourself while you can - go home.

I'm just telling you this for your own good.

RacerX posted: There is a reason that the rice and Spam isle in the grocery stores over there are the largest. That is the only food the locals can afford. Spam in so many different flavors too. C'mon, Chipotle style, really!

As Ron Rayguns said, "I'll give you my spam musabi when you pry it from my cold dead hands."

RacerX posted:

Lane Anderson posted:

There are several of us (me, Cory, Danny, etc.) looking into western NC and eastern TN as a retirement location and we've even discussed having a group buy to build a car-centered compound.  Northeast GA could also be a possibility as that is where Ron and Maddie Mullis are and it sounds awfully nice.

This is also an area we are considering. I really would like to be in a hilly, mountainous region Re: Outside of Asheville, Gatlinburg, etc. I am going to be selling in 2 years (See how the election goes) and moving in 3, most likely.

So as I understand it there will be a Car Clan somewhere in the south 

Yes, that is right. The brochures show that each development in this planned community are going to have one of those car-stacker, elevator things like they had in New York and Los Angeles in the 20’s or 30’s. Say for instance, if I see Lane’s Coupe in there, I just punch in the code and I am presented with the car and I am off! It’s gonna be great! But then again, maybe that’s the wine talking ... 🍷

I really like the Jalepeno Spam ! Our Markets here have all 10 flavors !  I especially like it with eggplant  and hominy ! ........Bruce

Sacto Mitch posted:

 

Ahem, pay no attention to Stan's post about Kalifornia.

This state is, without question, the worst place to live in the country. You really don't want to be here. Please, stay away!

All of those folks who come here and pay all of these taxes and spend top dollar for housing regret their decision the instant they arrive. They immediately flock back whence they came. This is why our population has remained almost the same over the past 50 years.

If you insist on defying all common sense and come here anyway, at least move to the best part of our state - LA. It's the only place in the state that's tolerable. If you want friendly neighbors, you'll be surrounded by millions of them, no matter where you go in LA.

The rest of the state is completely uninhabitable, especially the northern half, where it's 140 degrees every day in the summer and gas is $8/gallon.

If you drive a Speedster, you'll hate this place even more. There are just no good roads. Ask anyone how to get anyplace and the answer is always 'Take 80 to 680, then the 101' or 'follow 680 to 5' or 'do 5 over the grapevine'. And trust me, endless views of the Pacific Ocean or the Sierra Nevada while you're driving are so overrated. Don't believe all that melarky from the Chamber of Commerce. You've seen one ocean or one snow-capped mountain, you've seen them all. And wine country, wine shmuntry! You can get wine in any market or liquor store from Duluth to Peoria.

So please, I beg of you, stay in Oklahoma or Nebraska or Alabama. If you've already made the mistake of moving here, save yourself while you can - go home.

I'm just telling you this for your own good.

 

..... “ And if you travel East from Sacramento, it get’s really terrible. Places like Auburn and Foresthill, Oh, don’t get me started” ... said no one ever ...

At the risk of taking vdubuslife's Motor Rebuild thread slightly off topic, my mother was from the Burnsville, NC area, between Asheville and the Tennessee border (30 miles north of Asheville). There's an upscale community named Mountain Air that has its own airfield on the Bald Creek side of the town. Nice small town restaurants, arts stores, bars with craft beers, etc.  If you're interested in that type of thing, it's worth checking out.

On the SC side of Asheville, Tryon, NC is an elegant small town with a lot of old money resulting more than the usual amount of cool cars. Great local theater, food, etc and close to Lake Lure. Some of my favorite cousins live there and it would be on my checkout list if we decided Maui was too nice for us.