Living and Retiring in Hawaii: The 50th State in the 21st Century

Living and Retiring in Hawaii: The 50th State in the 21st Century
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Manufacturer: iUniverse
Average Customer Rating: Average rating of 4.0/5Average rating of 4.0/5Average rating of 4.0/5Average rating of 4.0/5Average rating of 4.0/5

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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 910
EAN: 9780595297351
ISBN: 0595297358
Label: iUniverse
Manufacturer: iUniverse
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 225
Publication Date: 2004-01
Publisher: iUniverse
Studio: iUniverse
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Editorial Reviews:
"It's perfect for Mainland seniors who have always seen Hawaii as the Paradise to which they might retire. I congratulate you for writing a book that will be of so much help to future Hawaii retirees."--Wm. Carse, Professor Emeritus, University of Hawaii at Hilo

"...excellent source of information...very honest advice"--Bill Taylor, Hawaii Island Journal

"All you need to know about retiring in isles is in this book."--Hawaii Tribune Herald

The average person can retire to Hawaii. How? The answers are found within the pages of Living and Retiring in Hawaii.

James R. Smith, Ph.D., and spouse Diane Smith, B.S., detail the options available to émigrés, including:

  • Whether to rent, buy or build and what to look for in a new home.
  • Retirement communities, catered living, and assisted living.
  • Choosing an island--Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, Kauai, Molokai or Lanai.
  • Recreation and leisure pursuits.

Living and Retiring in Hawaii focuses on the health considerations and lifestyle adjustments that predominantly concern retirees. The Smiths demonstrate how to secure a dream retirement in Hawaii by successfully forecasting cost of living expenses and planning for maximum enjoyment.
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5
Summary: Hawaii 2000
Comment: This book is worth reading for people seriously interested in moving to Hawaii for retirement. The authors provide lots of economic data on how much it costs to live in Hawaii but it is accurate for about the year 2000. It is a thoughtful book written like an academic paper (with footnotes all the way to clxxxv!).
Customer Rating: Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5
Summary: Useful but flawed
Comment: The authors of this book obviously conducted a lot of research and cared a great deal about their subject. As other reviewers have said, it does contain a lot of useful information for someone thinking about retiring to Islands. Unfortunately, however, the book suffers greatly from two serious flaws. First, it is incredibly poorly proofread; it is replete with distracting and annoying spelling and typographical errors. (One wonders what the publisher was doing!) Second, large portions of the book provide information about matters that change very quickly. In particular, the prices cited are already wildly out of date. I think it would be great if the authors, perhaps with some help from an editor, updated the information and cleaned up the text.
Customer Rating: Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5
Summary: So, is it possible?
Comment: What is the net worth required of a retiree couple in order to purchase the minimum 800 sq ft STARTER home in the volcano-prone zone of the Big Island? The STARTER homes there are listed at $500,000. How much of a multi-millionnaire must one be to move to Hawaii?
Customer Rating: Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5
Summary: Only if your over 80
Comment: If you are over 80 and prefer the large type Readers digest, this is the book for you. Really nothing new or informative in this book for a young person or family looking to move and work in hawaii. The Polancy book was more informative for someone more interested in getting a job versus finding a hospice.
Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
Summary: Retiring in Hawaii- - -Is It Possible- - -Yes!!!
Comment: Yes, say the Smiths, authors of this excellent resource to our 50th state, yes it IS possible to retire to Hawaii, but please be sure to do your homework first. Luckily, the Smiths give you a wealth of information in these pages to help you get a good start in making a decision that is truly right for you. They try to cover as many bases as possible: What its like to live on each island, what to expect in the way of nightlife, activities, medical resources, and senior resources. They also cover the question of buying and/or renting, both apartments and condos, and thankfully, their info INCLUDES PRICES (a few years out of date, to be sure, but at least they give you a ballpark idea of what to expect) and even gives sample budgets to show what a typical retired couple might expect to spend in a given month (Warning: Be sure to notice the Assumptions connected with each budget!). The Smith's Top Ten Places to Retire in Hawaii is also listed (with particular emphasis on Oahu and the Big Island). They even consider the possible impact of the Hawaiian Sovereignty movement on tourism and politics. (This final chapter, Wither Hawaii, starts strong, but the ending is rather confusing: the Smiths don't make a definitive conclusion or even a conjecture about how much the Sovereignty movement may impact tourism. However, if you go back through the entire book, they really have made a very strong case that retirees in 21st Century Hawaii will form such a strong voting block that any official/unofficial movement to make the state less welcoming to Mainlanders will probably be thwarted at the polls.) In any case, this book is a must purchase for anyone (especially retirees) planning to make the big move to the Aloha State. Get it today! Such a move may not be easy or in everyone's best interest, but thanks to this wonderful book, a move to Hawaii may be in your future someday if not sooner!
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