It has begun to sink in that I now have more of my career in the rearview mirror, than outside the front windshield.
This year I start my 20th year as CEO of the Electric Cooperatives of Mississippi. I’m not exactly sure how much longer it will last, but, the good Lord willing, I will not go far into the 2030s.
Therefore, with football season at an end, I have been spending more time watching YouTube videos about retirement and retirement planning. One that caught my eye recently was a video titled “10 states that do NOT rob retirees blind.” Since, as a retiree, I would be on a fixed income, I thought I might look and see which states would treat me the best.
Well, what I watched was both shocking and surprising. The No. 1 state was Mississippi, followed by Tennessee, and Wyoming in the No. 3 spot. That wasn’t shocking or surprising to me. I have long since known Mississippi was very tax friendly to retirees. What was shocking and surprising was that the content creator seemed to apologize for Mississippi being at the top of the list. (Wyoming as well, but apparently, he approves of Tennessee.) He began to say that your decision should not be based solely on taxes but should include other factors, such as affordability, crime, and healthcare.
So, after glossing over Mississippi being No. 1 on retiree taxes, he pulled up a report by Visual Capitalist that ranked “The 10 best states to retire in.” In that report, Visual Capitalist ranked states based on affordability (40%), well-being (25%), healthcare (20%), weather (10%), and crime (5%). While Delaware was No. 1 (I didn’t even know people actually lived in Delaware. I thought it was just home to corporations.), good ole Mississippi came in at No. 6, ahead of that retirement paradise known as Florida, which was No. 8.
Mississippi scored No. 2 in affordability, No. 5 in weather and No. 22 in crime. Our weak spot was, of course, healthcare. We landed at a miserable No. 49. Maybe this year the Legislature will finally come up with a plan to start addressing that issue and move Mississippi from the bottom. When you look at some of Mississippi’s recent successes in education, economic development, and high-speed internet deployment, there is no doubt that once Mississippians set their sights on a goal and start working together, we can achieve great things.
Our next lowest score was well-being, where we came in at No. 46. Well-being was described as “sense of community and entertainment.” This ranking made me wonder if these judges had even been to Mississippi. Everyone knows Mississippi has a great sense of community and empathy for our fellow Mississippians. A visit to your local Walmart can be as entertaining as anything on Broadway. (Not to mention our Gulf Coast beaches, musicians, James Beard award-winning restaurants, museums, blues and music history, literary legacy, and the list goes on.)
Sometimes, you really can’t see the forest for the trees. I have been looking for all these exotic places to retire, from the Caribbean to Montana (I watched all of “Yellowstone” while recovering from back surgery this fall), when I’m sitting in the best possible place I could retire. I wouldn’t even have to move.
Heck, I might even work part-time as a Walmart greeter, just for the entertainment.
