Lisa McKinney

What is the best state for retirement and aging? If you ask this question, you are likely to receive a listing of states with more favorable and less favorable tax policies. Rifle through the state tax policies and any number of tax breaks will pop up. Some policies benefit everyone—the states that don’t impose any income taxes or sales taxes are examples. Then there are the specific exemptions for older taxpayers—certain types or amounts of income, including Social Security, pensions and retirement savings, property tax exemptions, and even some long-term care insurance deductions. While the fairness, value and efficacy of these tax policies may be in question, it is clear that tax policy, alone, isn’t what people who ask about the best states for retirement are really seeking. They are more likely looking for places with amenities and affordable services that will keep them comfortable and safe as they age.

By Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene
Why are state fiscal leaders concerned about the aging of the population? Typically, when we talk with them, the conversation inevitably turns to the cascading cost of health care borne by the states as men and women reach their 70s, 80s and beyond. But, though this is viewed as a policy challenge, at bottom, nobody seems to argue that the phenomenon of an aging population is, at heart, a bad one. As actor Maurice Chevalier said when asked about aging, “consider the alternative.” According to Census Bureau data, about 14.5 percent of the U.S. population is age 65 or over now, but that number will grow by about a third before 2030.

Justice Nancy Saitta was elected in 2006 to the Nevada Supreme Court, where she served as chief justice from September 2011 to May 2012. A former prosecutor and municipal and state district court judge, Saitta has been a tireless advocate for children, youth and juvenile justice reform. Saitta retired her seat on the Nevada Supreme Court in August, but remains a senior justice and will continue to fight for the state’s children and youth as chair of the state Blue Ribbon for Kids Commission, the Coalition to Combat Criminal Sexual Exploitation of Children and the Juvenile Justice Reform Commission. Saitta serves as co-chair of the CSG Interbranch Affairs Committee and is a 2009 CSG Toll Fellow.

By Emily Morgan and Katy Albis
People between the ages of 18 and 24—often referred to as young adults—are generally considered to be undergoing a period of transition. According to a 2015 CSG Justice Center brief, Reducing Recidivism and Improving Other Outcomes for Young Adults in the Juvenile and Adult Criminal Justice Systems, research shows that young adults have tendencies that are distinct from those of both youth and older adults: Although young adults are more cognitively developed than youth, compared to older adults, they are more impulsive, less emotionally mature and less cognizant of the consequences of their actions. Many young adults also lack engagement in school and work, face mental health and substance use issues, are disconnected from family and other caring adults, and experience homelessness—all factors that put them at risk of justice system involvement.