Coming out of the blackhole called work...retirement

My humble advice is don't approach your acquisitions as a component by component and look for the best in each category. Approach it as a "system " from the get go and then buy the components either gradually or all at the same time according to your budget. One word of caution I have for you is most "expensive " components will sound excellent to you when compared to your old system but be patient and decide on the total system before buying the first component. Good luck.

Since you are now retired and presumably have some free time get out and start listening! Where are you located? Any good dealers or Audio Shows in your area? Consider you're basically starting with a blank sheet of paper so go slow take your time listen and if you can do it right the first time. And + 10000 to what kalali says it is a system and it takes some care or expert advice or trial and error or all three to get that right! Good luck and happy retired listening!

Heck, you are retired...so get out and go to some audio shows where you can see and compare a lot of gear in one place and then begin to develop a feel for the type of sound you will enjoy most in your home audio system with the types of music you listen to.  There are many excellent systems posted on this site that achieve their qualities differently based on the preferences of the owner.  Price point is not as much a differentiator as achieving the sonic qualities you value most.  Choices are many such as large SS amps and dynamic speakers, horns with lower-powered amps, single driver speakers, many varieties of tubed amps and preamps, digital vs. analog, and more.  You need to develop a feel for what sonic qualities you value most and then consider gear that will get you there.  How do you want to interface with your music...through a computer, vinyl, CD, or a combination.  Don't neglect thinking about things like ergonomics such as large or small, easy or fidgety, warm-up time or leave it on all the time, and heat generated.  Go to some shows, check out some gear, ask some questions here and have fun.

Amg56,
Congratulations on your retirement.
You have received some very good advice from various posters.
I am in agreement with mitch2  in that you need to decide what type of sound and system you want. Definitely you need to get out and get exposure and attending an Audio show is an excellent ideal.

As mitch2  said you need to hear all varieties amplifiers (tube,transistor, class D, low power and high power). There are many choices available in terms of speakers (and there are many!). In fact each category of audio component will offer an enormous number of choices.

Get the needed exposure to High End Audio products. Since you re Building a new home seek expert consultation regarding the listening room, this is of paramount value for you. You have a very generous budget and can construct a superb system at that level. In my opinion you can spend less and still develop a superb sounding system.

The key point is get out and listen to all manner of audio equipment and develop a sense of what you want your system to sound like.
Charles

amg56: Congrats on retirement! Question: Are you married? If so, how does the Missus feel about loud music playing while she is trying to watch Dr. Phil? Maybe you should consider really good headphones? P.S. Where will you reside? What kind of music do you listen to? Makes a difference in kind of speakers you'll need.