#alaska-retirees

#alaska-retirees

Before setting sail, we all agreed that everyone deserved the vacation they wanted, and that's what made a cruise so great. There was so much to do on and off the ship, and each of us found something we enjoyed.

Enzo attempted a double front flip at Alaska's Hilltop Ski Area. He comes pretty close to landing it, nearly getting his skis all the way around, but he just didn't quite get it.

When my neighbor Tom celebrated his 65th birthday last month, his kids threw him what they thought was the perfect party: comfortable chair, cozy slippers, and a stack of crossword puzzles. Meanwhile, three doors down, 68-year-old Margaret was booking her first skydiving lesson. The contrast struck me-why do we assume retirement means slowing down when some people are just getting started on their biggest adventures?

Travelers to Alaska have a lot of ground to cover; the state holds 665,000 square miles of land that includes volcanic islands, Arctic tundra, glaciers, and temperate rainforest. Yet in winter, some of the state's most compelling scenery can be experienced in a week aboard the Alaska Railroad. The railroad's weeklong Aurora Winter Train "showcases the best of winter in Alaska," including easy access via Anchorage, a sled dog tour with an Iditarod champion,

If you belong to the latter group, AARP recently shared its ranking of the best small towns to live for older adults. The non-profit organization considered communities with populations of 5,000 to 24,999 residents and evaluated them on over 60 factors across categories such as housing, neighborhood, transportation, environment, and health. Additionally, AARP noted that "residents of small communities typically experience lower income inequality, more jobs per worker, and greater age diversity compared to the national average."

The harder mistakes to catch are the ones that look fine on paper but fall apart the moment you stop working. These are unquestionably the planning failures that will only reveal themselves after the paycheck ends and you're living off the portfolio. Recent data from Nationwide's Retirement Institute shows that 55% of people who retired in the last five years regret how they saved, and only 40% said they were on track with their original budget.

I knew I was inching toward simultaneously caring for my young kids and aging parents. Suddenly, I was squarely in the sandwich generation. I now had to deal with the terrifying reality that my parents did not have a plan for how to spend their retirement years - especially where they plan to live.

And the city that topped the ranking for the sixth year in a row is San Francisco. "[...] even though the area's monthly housing costs are three times higher than the U.S. median ($2,693 compared to $943 nationally)," the report notes, the city "excels in other metrics, especially health, boasting excellent access to health care, universal access to exercise opportunities, and low smoking rates."

As part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed into law by the Trump administration on July 4, 2025, a so-called " senior deduction " is being hailed as a historic tax benefit. For the roughly 800,000 seniors in the Beaver State, this relief comes at a critical time as housing and utility costs continue to climb. While Social Security remains federally taxable, this new deduction is designed to effectively offset those taxable portions for the vast majority of recipients.

I'd been on the island for less than a week when I opened my glove box looking for sunglasses, only to find the wrapper of my emergency granola bar torn open and the corner nibbled, right next to a neat little pile of mouse droppings. As I inspected the rest of the car, I was mortified to realize it was likely more than a single mouse. I texted the friend I was housesitting for in disbelief. "Ugh, I'm sorry! That's so island," she wrote back.

Recently, Anchorage, Alaska's largest city with nearly 400,000 residents, has just recorded its snowiest January on record. Tucked in between the mighty Cook Inlet and pushed right up against the Chugach Mountains, Anchorage sits in prime location for some serious snow totals. Moisture from pacific storms builds up over the inlet, and thanks to orographic lift caused by the mountains, forces that moisture to drop over Anchorage. Thanks to Alaska's northernly location, that moisture often falls in the form of snow.

Alaska is a hot spot for grizzly bears, easily home to the most of any of the 50 states. There are an estimated 30,000 across the entire state, representing over 98 percent of the United States population. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game manages the population, ensuring that the population remains healthy and grizzly bear viewing opportunities stay abundant.