The fact is that most people continue to work for a living, because they don’t have means to live without that income. Do not get me wrong. You may enjoy doing what you do. If you do not have to worry about making a living out of this, could you do better, on your own terms?

Perhaps work fewer hours and spend more time with your family? Perhaps choose to take a few days to travel, without worrying about needing to ask for permission. Maybe spend a little time helping out your favorite charity?

There are a great many people who would not go to work, if they did not have to earn a living. Total Financial Freedom is about having that choice. If you quit your job, organization will not shut down. They will find a replacement to do your job. They will continue their business. However, if you quit working for yourself, nobody will replace you. You owe it to yourself and ones near and dear to you. When you have choice, you may still continue to work. The big difference is in knowing that you have a choice.

Sometimes, we get so busy with our work and lives that we forget potential within. You may be able make a huge difference in your community. You may be able to touch a lot of lives in a way that only you can. If you had choice, you could explore this possibility. As I have already stated, your net worth is directly in line with number of lives that you have positively affected.

Buying Now Ensures A Choice Location and Rental Income Helps Pay for Home

As Baby Boom generation ages, more and more of us are thinking of retirement homes. Dreaming of communities in country, close to golf, theatre, art galleries and forested hillsides. Or maybe your dream is of Florida sands, palm trees and year-round heat. In either case, you’d be well advised to act on your dream sooner rather than later.

It’s a simple matter of economics and supply and demand. Real Estate prices are trending upwards. Property values appreciate annually. There are only so many award-winning, really choice resort retirement locations. And baby boomers are getting ready to snap them all up.

Take Mt. Meadows in Ashland, Oregon. This resort retirement community on 31 acres has run out of property with only 26 units left to sell and 14 more on resale market. Named "Best Small Active Adult Retirement Community in America" by National Council for Senior Housing and one of 100 "Best Master-Planned Communities" by Where to Retire Magazine, Mt. Meadows is a good example of kind of premier community most retirees are looking for.

In addition to its familiar and comfortable design – just like an old-fashioned neighborhood – Mt. Meadows is special because it offers investors private ownership of its condominium residences. This preserves a buyer’s capital; includes ability to sell at any time or to enhance income through a reverse mortgage; and, enables purchasers to leave property to their heirs. The owners also control management of development. There is no "corporate headquarters" dictating increased fees or changes in popular policies.

Not all retirement properties are structured in this manner. In many cases, investors are buying a "building". In these single-building retirement developments, residents are housed in an apartment with a very small kitchenette. The building has a lobby and a dining room; and, occasionally meeting rooms or a library.

Residents often do not "own" their apartment units, and there can be "buy-in" fees in addition to monthly charges in these buildings. A vast majority of retirement facilities and developments in country are corporate owned. Changing economic conditions or a change in management can influence staff, policies and fees for facility residents.

It is incumbent on investors to review many kinds of retirement developments, their management structures and financial models, before deciding where to buy. It is wise to include family accountant, financial advisor and/or attorney in these considerations. But there’s one more thing to think about…

We’ve all heard real estate’s golden rule: It’s all about location, location, location. And that’s why it’s important to start looking for your retirement home now and to be ready to purchase once you find your match. Premier locations are being developed, and soon won’t be available to buyers. That’s reason enough for most 50 year-olds to start looking tomorrow.