Should I move to the mid west?
I am 38 and have saved about a 100k in cash. I have about 1M equity in my house and another 1M in company stocks and other investments. Does it make sense to move out in the next few years to cheaper cities and live a more relaxed life? My total spend a month is about 11k. My mortgage is the biggest chunk of that but still fairly lower because I purchased the house some years ago. I have a pretty average lifestyle with no over the top expenses. I would like to travel a couple of times a year but nothing out of there ordinary.
Cheap places are cheap for a reason
You would stay in the Bay? It would take a lot more than what I have saved up to retire comfortably?
You really need to update your OP with additional data around cost of living, family situation etc. What you wrote tells us some about your investments but little else. Who says you will enjoy a house in Columbus Ohio? You told us nothing about your lifestyle.
What are you looking for in 'relaxed' lifestyle?
I have been here about 9 years. I am tired of the fast paced life in the Bay Area and usually a poor work life balance. The next time I need to look for a new job, maybe it’s better in a upcoming cheaper city no?
Yes. Your instincts are correct. living in those cities makes you think that there's nothing outside of them that is worth experiencing, but now that I have left SF I realized that I wasted lots of great years of my life there and she cannot imagine moving back
As is always the case, there are many ways of doing this, each at a different levels of relaxation 😀 I know people in the Bay Area that have chosen to work at a slower paced company. You could move to a satellite office of a well paying tech company and do steady work (to get an income) and slow down. Or you could go the whole nine yards and just do something else (at least for a few years). All you may need is an extended break (several months at a minimum). Best of luck! Feel happy and feel energized!
The positive yet constructive comment this sub deserves
Good luck. I’m moving too.
Where are you moving? What is your motivation?
I want to have a 9 - 5 life and focus more on my family and children. Also, I don’t want my kids to grow up in this fast paced environment.
Amazon has offices in Minneapolis, Madison, and Detroit. You can keep a (reasonably) high TC, buy a cheap house, and work at your own pace without worrying about paying the mortgage on a 1MM+ house
Google Pittsburgh is an option
If you took that $2m and invested it getting 7% annual, you'd probably have more not working living in the Midwest than living here.
Long term return I think.
35 with $600k nest egg so far. FIRE target is $1.5M, another 7 years away if this bull market continues.
Fck yeah