If you have a choice, where do you want to retire? How much of where you retire will depend on how much you will have to retire on.

The decision on where to retire takes into consideration many things like how close you are to family, the weather, your health and how much you want to spend. Should you settle by the beach or in the mountains? Do you prefer golf or cross-country skiing? Those are deeply personal questions.

To determine the best and worst states for retirement in 2021, personal finance website Bankrate ranked each U.S. state across five key areas: affordability, wellness, culture, weather and crime. The two factors weighed most heavily were affordability (40%) and wellness (20%). I think taxation should have been included in their survey!

According to Bankrate’s study, Georgia is the best state to retire, followed by Florida, Tennessee, Missouri. Arizona was the 7th best while California was only the 37th best place to live.

Below, check out the 11 worst states to retire in the U.S. this year, according to Bankrate. But keep in mind that this data is only meant to be used as a reference point for Americans looking to map out their retirement plans.

In order to rank each state, Bankrate gathered data from a number of sources. Here are the sources it used for each metric, as well as how heavily each factor was weighed.

Affordability (40%): Council for Community and Economic Research and the Tax Foundation

For you internationally minded listeners, Costa Rica, Panama, Mexico, Colombia, and Portugal are 2021's top five countries for retirees. Things to consider for wanting to retire outside of the US:

Ease of buying and owning property and the value of property investments

Where you finish in a race is one of the most important factors of why we race. Where you finish living during your retirement will also be one of those factors that should bring you joy and fulfilment. Prepare wisely to finish strong!