Why Retire In Daphne?

If you’ve dreamed of retiring in a city with small-town ambiance, coastal living, and friendly culture, then Daphne, Alabama, might be exactly what you’re looking for. With its Southern charm, nearby beaches, and tightly knit community, it’s no surprise that Daphne is known as one of the “best places to live.”

Another reason retirees love the Gulf Coast is its affordability. In fact, the state of Alabama is one of the cheapest states to live in due to its low cost of housing and healthcare.

Retiring in Daphne is not only a good option financially, but taking advantage of the coastal lifestyle could potentially add years to your life. Bestselling author and health expert Dan Buettner identified five places around the globe he calls “blue zones” where people live the longest, healthiest lives. He found that people in blue zones all share four commonalities that can lead to increased longevity: exercising regularly, eating wisely, connection with others, and positive outlook.

Here’s how you could experience all of these if you choose to retire in Daphne:

Move Regularly

Any study on longevity will inevitably highlight exercise as essential to a long, healthy life. Buettner found that the oldest and healthiest people in the world naturally incorporate movement throughout their day with low-intensity activities. ¹

If you’re looking forward to retirement so you can spend more time in the outdoors, Daphne’s temperate climate makes it ideal for those wanting to pursue an active lifestyle year round, whether enjoying waterfront activities, playing pickleball, walking, or biking. The city also has 13 parks where you can hike, picnic, fish off a pier, or even take the boat or kayak out to Mobile Bay.

Studies show that coastal living leads to a reduction in anxiety and depression—likely because of all the sunshine and time outdoors. There’s a reason people come to visit and never leave!

Here are some ways you can enjoy the 224 days of sunshine a year: ²

• Enjoy bayfront or beach access and more amenities in the many city parks, including Bayfront Park and Mayday Park. Get some fresh air on the walking trails at Daphne Central Park and Village Point Park Preserve, or visit Gator Park to connect to the paved Eastern Shore Trail for hiking.
• Rent bikes at your choice of several bicycle shops to cruise around downtown or the boardwalks. It’s also a quick drive over to Orange Beach, Alabama, to enjoy their paved biking trails.
• Gather some friends for a game of pickleball at the Daphne Tennis & Pickleball Complex at W.O. Lott Park or six other courts in the area.
• Play golf nearly year-round at Lake Forest Golf Course or TimberCreek Golf Club, both designed by Earl Stone for all skill levels.
• Practice your mid-range or distance disc golf shots at Daphne Central Park or bring some friends to play against. Whether you’re an avid disc golfer or just starting out, the 18-hole course has something for you.

Eating Wisely

The top five pillars of the blue zones' diets are whole grains, vegetables, greens, beans, and root vegetables like sweet potatoes. People who live in blue zones mostly cook their own farm-to-table meals.³ Daphne offers not only Gulf Coast seafood—the freshest you’ll ever eat—but also plenty of local farmers markets to supply fresh produce.

Here’s how to get your fill of local fresh fruits and vegetables:

• Skip the produce section at the grocery store and browse homegrown produce and more at the Allegri Farm Market, open six days a week in the heart of Baldwin County.
• Take a trip any day of the week to the popular Hazel’s Market for seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables, plants, and local specialty items ranging from baked goods to Amish-made treats to boiled peanuts and more! You can also check out the Daphne Farmer’s Market, open Fridays from 2:00 – 6:00 pm.
• Join a local garden club like Lake Forest Garden Club, and learn how to grow fresh produce in your own backyard. is a welcoming club for new members.

Connect

One of the top factors in blue zones was finding belonging in a tight-knit community. Research shows that people with strong social bonds are more likely to live longer than those who are socially isolated.⁴

What I love most about Daphne is that individuals come to visit and vacation, but the family comes to retire. Many of my clients tell me they moved here to retire only for their families to follow!

With a population of 30,000, the peaceful, relaxed pace of the town suits many retirees, as almost one in four residents are seniors.⁵ That doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot to do! With a quaint downtown and small-town culture, there are always events happening and people to meet:

• Plan to enjoy evenings at the Bayfront Park that overlooks the Mobile Bay, where you can take in the mesmerizing sunsets over the water and enjoy evening performances by the City Rhythm Band and the Baldwin Pops. Or mark your calendar for the Sunday Sunset Concert Series and the Brown Bag by the Bay Concert Series at Centennial Park.⁶
• Join the Daphne Senior Center which is open Monday through Friday and choose from a plethora of regular events and activities—or attend them all! You can enjoy exercise classes, a monthly movie, trips, games, potlucks, classes, and congregate noon meals five days a week.
• Explore local travel groups like the Baldwin Senior Travelers to join other seniors for local events, day trips, out-of-state trips, cruises, and even excursions around the globe!
• Don’t miss the yearly Jubilee Festival, where you can enjoy seafood fresh from the bay, listen to local music, and celebrate the biggest event of the year.⁷ This event celebrates the Mobile Bay Jubilee, which occurs when shrimp, blue crabs, and fish are washed ashore in summer to be scooped up by bystanders.⁸

Outlook On Life

It’s no secret that those with a spiritual outlook tend to live longer, more satisfying lives. Research shows that being religious could extend your lifespan for four years.⁹ One of Buttner’s blue zones is a Seventh Day Adventist community in California whose life span is seven years longer than the national average.¹⁰

Many houses of worship have thriving senior communities that enjoy luncheons, offer information seminars, host game nights, offer exercise programs, and enjoy outings together. Worship, Bible studies, and small groups provide close-knit, face-to-face gatherings. Churches also provide opportunities for you to give back. Take advantage of volunteer opportunities in the choir, nursery and children’s ministries, or mentoring opportunities.

Here are some local denomination pages with active senior ministries or small groups to check out:

Financial Planning:

Why Having a Financial Advisor Matters

No matter where you choose to retire, don’t overlook the importance of having a financial advisor. A financial advisor can help you make critical decisions, ensure you have retirement income that both you and your spouse cannot outlive, and even take the stress out of when to take Social Security. This means you can sit back and enjoy your golden years!

Here’s why having a financial advisor matters for your success in retirement:

1. Healthcare

Money can’t buy happiness, but it might can buy you better health care. When you manage your investments wisely, you have more assets and funds to work with. A recent study found that the wealthier you are, the longer your life expectancy and the more healthy years you’ll enjoy compared to others.¹¹ This is why having a financial advisor is important to help you maximize returns.

An advisor can also help you explore not just long-term care insurance, but also the best medical options for your individual financial situation. I’ve seen long-term care expenses blindside families in the last chapter of their life. That’s why it’s important to include long-term care planning in your financial strategy.

Wherever you choose to retire, evaluate the cost of care in that area by visiting the Genworth Cost of Care Survey website where you can find the cost of assisted living, nursing home facilities, and home health care by state. Use this information as you meet with your financial advisor to plan out your financial future.

2. Income Planning

You need consistent—not volatile—income in retirement to support your active, healthy lifestyle. Income planning is key to ensuring your hard-earned dollars exploit the power of compound interest while you also have funds readily available to live on.

This is where an experienced financial advisor can really help. At SWAN Capital, we approach your retirement income with a five-, ten-, and fifteen-year strategy to ensure you won’t outlive your money. This means we break up your retirement investments into three different buckets depending on when you’ll need access to the funds. Each bucket has a different purpose and different risk strategy to maximize growth based on when you need the income:

• Years 1-5: This bucket prioritizes protection and liquidity so you aren’t at the mercy of stock market volatility.
• Years 5-10: This bucket prioritizes protection and rate of return. Since you won’t need the income for 5 years, you can limit your liquidity and prioritize higher returning asset classes.
• Years 10+: This bucket prioritizes rate of return and liquidity in the tenth year. This bucket needs to be able to grow to play the offensive with inflation.

3. Income Diversification

As you want your investments diversified, you also need your income diversified. It’s critical that you don’t put all your retirement income into one basket.

This means having a multiplicity of income streams from your various investments. A financial advisor can help ensure you’re receiving income from pensions, self-funded pension plans, social security optimization, rental income, dividend paying stocks, preferred share dividends, oil and alternative income (if possible), interest income from guaranteed accounts like CDs and Money Market accounts, and annuity income.

The key is to have at least a three-to-ten-legged bar stool of income sources so your family has sturdy support for the rest of your retirement.

4. Tax Planning

Thankfully, Alabama is one of the lowest tax states in the country, according to the Tax Foundation. There are no state taxes, but you will still be required to pay federal taxes that you’ll need help navigating. This is important because in retirement, when you go to pay for your fresh fruits and golf tournament fees, you’ll be using after tax money.

A financial advisor can introduce you to ways to lower your tax liability. These include:

• Transitioning your IRAs to Roth IRAs for non-taxable distributions
• Shifting from taxable accounts to tax-free accounts
• Tax loss harvesting
• Incorporating a tax efficient asset spenddown plan for retirement income
• Taking advantage of Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs)—especially if you’re carefully watching your adjusted gross income (AGI)
- Your AGI is used for many tax calculations. If your Required Minimum Distributions from your IRAs push you into a higher tax bracket, it can affect your eligibility for certain tax credits and deductions, including Social Security and Medicare.

SWAN Capital: Here for Your Retirement Transition—And Beyond

If you’re eager to explore what retirement would look like in Daphne or the Gulf Coast, look no further than SWAN Capital. Our financial advisors work with tens of thousands of retirees each year to help you retire with confidence, no matter where you decide to settle. We make the process of transitioning into retirement seamless, so you can fully enjoy your golden years.

Our qualified financial advisors are passionate about helping individuals plan for their ideal retirements by managing their assets and wealth efficiently. With offices in Pensacola, Florida, and Daphne, we’re only a quick phone call or drive away to help you reach your financial goals.

Visit us at swan-capital.com or give us a call today at 251.800.7499 (Daphne) or 850.380.9558 (Pensacola).