WILL YOU STAY IN NEW JERSEY WHEN YOU RETIRE?

When asked if they planned to stay in New Jersey after retiring, this week's respondents came back with an overwhelming "No!" Fifty-seven percent said they planned to pack up and leave once they retired. Nearly a quarter (23%) remain on the fence. Slightly fewer (20%) said they planned to stay. Commentator Robert Francis, president of Planned Companies, doesn't mind being in the minority. Born and bred in New Jersey, Francis plans on making this is permanent home, now and after retirement. Here are his thoughts:

"Although my wife would kill me, I would retire in New Jersey. I was born and raised here, and my family is here. We just moved here after 12 years of living in New York City, and we love it here. Our four-generation family business is headquartered here. The Giants [football team] and Devils [hockey team] are here, and our friends and family. This is my upbringing, this is my life here. So yes, I would definitely retire here.

"Some people like the idea of retiring to Arizona to play golf or Napa to drink wine, and there are probably also weather reasons as to why people might want to go elsewhere. However, with the huge growth of the active adult 55 and over communities in New Jersey, it seems that the trend for going out of state to retire has been bucked and people are coming back to be closer to their families, because you can have all the recreational amenities you want, but they don't beat family.