Retirement Journey: Mitten State to Sunshine State and Back

Baby Boomers don’t have it easy. You may be the ultimate caregiver – caring for your adult kids or your aging parents is tough. The journey of caring for aging parents often involves making tough decisions, including where they should spend their golden years. In some cases, this might mean relocating them closer to family for better care and companionship. We are seeing Boomers retire to Florida to enjoy their retirement years to return to Michigan in a few short years with mom or dad in toe so their aging parent can get access to the healthcare they need and most importantly to be close to family.

Recently we received a call from a client whose mom had moved to the Sunshine State years ago. During the pandemic she had the opportunity to work from home and chose to relocate to Florida to enjoy the Florida lifestyle and be close to mom.

Life was great for both mom and daughter. Mom was part of the generation drawn to the Sunshine State for its warm weather and retirement-friendly lifestyle and cost of living. The palm trees, sandy beaches, and endless sunshine became the backdrop to her retirement dreams and new life with new friends. The icing on the cake was her daughter was close by and enjoying her life in Florida.

As the years passed, our Baby Boomer client began to notice changes in her mom's health and overall well-being. She started to realize that her mom needed more care and support than she could receive in Florida, far away from her family. This realization led to a difficult decision: it was time to move her mom back to Michigan, closer to the family who loved her.

Our client knew that moving mom back to the Mitten State was going to be a logistical puzzle requiring careful planning and attention to detail. We worked with our client to craft a plan, prioritizing her mom and navigating the journey of getting mom move back to Michigan. The plan required proper timing as mom needed to sell her home in Florida and find a new home near Bloomfield Hills or Rochester to be close to family. Simultaneously her daughter needed to find a renter for her Florida home and find a ranch condo for herself in Troy or Bloomfield Hills.

Years of mom’s accumulated possessions in Florida had to be sorted through, with cherished items carefully packed and moved, while unnecessary clutter was donated or discarded. All of this needed to be done to get mom’s house on the market and simultaneously find her a new home in Metro Detroit. Getting mom situated in her new Michigan home was priority.

With the daughter’s hard work and help from her family, she was able to find a new home for mom in a top-notch assisted living facility and one of our Florida partners sold her Florida home for top dollar.

And for the daughter? Another Florida partner of ours took over the management of her Florida house and it became a great investment property – an Airbnb. We were able to find the daughter a ranch condo in Bloomfield Hills so she could be close to mom.

Once mom was safely in her new assisted living home, her daughter continued to be a pillar of support with the help of her Michigan siblings. She helped her mom adjust to her new surroundings. She and her siblings were able to visit regularly as they lived nearby.

Throughout this entire journey the importance of family became evident. The Baby Boomer and her siblings rallied together to make the transition as smooth as possible. Their collective effort and love created a strong system for their mom as her journey to her back home to Michigan.

Moving an aging parent back home to Michigan from the Sunshine State is a journey filled with emotional and logistical challenges. However, for many families, the decision is driven by a deep sense of love and responsibility for family. In our Baby Boomer's case, the move from Florida to Michigan allowed her mom to receive the care and companionship she needed in her later years, surrounded by the family who cherished her. This story serves as a reminder of the sacrifices and devotion that Baby Boomers and their families often make to ensure the well-being of their loved ones in their senior years.

For more information on downsizing or relocating to Florida or Michigan, contact Jeff Higgins today or check out The Rightsizing Method, our proprietary process for downsizing your way.