Wyoming is the Cowboy State, and if you are looking for more adventure in retirement, it’s a great place to go. Wyoming residents are blessed with a tax burden that is tied with South Dakota for second lowest in the nation (behind Alaska). With an overall state tax burden of only 7.1%, residents fleeing New York (12.7%), Connecticut (12.6%), New Jersey (12.2%) or California, Illinois and Wisconsin (all 11.0%), could see savings adding up to around 4%. That’s as much as the recommended annual portfolio draw down for many retirees. Can you afford to leave that money with your city and state each year? Not to mention the low cost of living in Wyoming.
Also, moving to Wyoming could land you near the University of Wyoming in Laramie, where the slogan “The World Needs More Cowboys,” is proudly pronounced. After putting the slogan on its T-shirts and memorabilia, the University has been selling out. The WSJ reports:
The university bookstore sold out of “the world needs more cowboys” T-shirts the first week they hit the shelves. Responding to demand, the University of Wyoming put the slogan on other products and sold roughly 5,000 items in the first six months.
Between July and December 2018, royalties were up $38,000 over the same period in 2017 as the school licensed 143 different products with the tagline to third-party vendors. A funeral home even requested permission to create a “the world needs more cowboys” coffin. Talk about getting the final word.
The campaign has been a hit off campus, too. A campaign ad video had half a million views online—nearly the equivalent of Wyoming’s state population. After seeing the digital ads, some 18,000 viewers clicked on the link and gave their information to recruiters. Enrollment numbers won’t be in until later this year, but “it’s pretty clear there’s been an increase in interest,” spokesman Chad Baldwin says.
Competing against more than 1,000 colleges, the University of Wyoming’s video won “best of show” in the Educational Advertising Awards competition, and the overall “the world needs more cowboys” campaign got a silver award. The university also won regional awards from the American Advertising Federation in a competition not limited to higher ed.
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