Tom and MJ Karger
It’s been decades since Tom and MJ Karger last turned in a homework assignment. Retirement, it turns out, was one more.
Long after their own college years, the couple who both had careers as social workers, started quietly researching what those years should look like. First, they looked at North Carolina — then crossed it off the list. Years later, they handed in their conclusion: move onto a college campus closer to home in the suburbs of New York City. Not near one. On one. Their new address is a retirement community built right on the grounds of Purchase College in Westchester County.
For TCM host, Oscar historian, and author Dave Karger the unexpected wasn’t his parents decision. It was how much research it took to get there.
“This was the surprise of it from my point of view,” Dave admits, “to see how proactive my parents have been.” Two retirees who did their homework, made a bold call, and ended up loving it more than anyone expected. As MJ says: “This is like perfect for us. Every piece of it is perfect.”
A different kind of retirement math
Tom and MJ Karger are now residents of Broadview Senior Living, where they moved in December 2023. It’s part of a growing model in senior living — communities built adjacent to or integrated with college campuses, giving residents access to coursework, lectures, performances and, most distinctively, regular contact with students decades younger than they are. Broadview alone is one of more than 80 such university-linked retirement communities now operating around the country, a niche that’s become one of the fastest-growing segments in senior housing.
MJ and Tom in the living room of their home at Broadview
Auditing class with 20-year-olds
On the academic side, these two seniors have already taken a modern art course and are contemplating what’s next for the Fall. They candidly described the culture shock in the classroom: students arriving late, stepping out to take calls or text, dressing nothing like the classmates Tom and MJ remember from their own college years. But there were warmer moments too: befriending students outside the classroom, and watching one Broadview resident enroll for credit in calculus and physics to bond with — and compete against — his own grandchild. Final grade: A.
There’s also a civic and social layer to the move that clearly matters to MJ, a longtime LGBTQ advocate who co-chaired a local Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network chapter for 26 years. Purchase College has a diverse student population, and Tom and MJ have already opened their home to student filmmakers working on projects — an example of the intergenerational exchange this model is designed to create.
Renting, not owning — and getting most of it back
Practically speaking, the Kargers wanted answers on affordability, and they didn’t dodge the numbers. Broadview sits on New York State land, which requires 20% of units to meet an affordability income threshold. Residents pay an entry fee — 90% of which is returned to them or their heirs when they leave the community — plus a monthly fee that includes a meal allotment, fitness facilities, a pool, and a packed calendar of lectures, classes and performances.
Tom and MJ Karger, with sons Dave and Mike
For Tom and MJ, it added up to something Dave puts simply: it took the worry off his and his brother’s shoulders, and it gave his parents a life that’s fuller than the one they left behind. He hears about workout classes, new neighbors, and a social calendar busier than his own — a level of vitality he admits surprised him, even though he says he shouldn’t have been surprised at all.
Why this conversation matters now
The Kargers with son, Dave, on the front porch of their former home in Westchester County, NY
Roughly 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 every day — a wave of Americans facing exactly the kind of decision Tom and MJ made years ago. Where to live. How to stay engaged. How to stay around people, not just around care.
Their answer won’t be right for everyone. But their willingness to research early, choose deliberately, and lean into a community built around curiosity rather than retreat is exactly the kind of unexpected turn this show was built to explore.
Dave Karger’s next book, 50 Movie Nights: Contemporary Stars on Their Favorite Classic Films, arrives September 15.
Watch the episode here on YouTube
🎧 Listen to the full episode of Life Unexpectancy with Jim Rosenfield wherever you get your podcasts - links here:
Life Unexpectancy is a podcast about life’s sudden curveballs and triumphs — and how to navigate them when there’s no set of instructions.