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By Lidia Staron
Special to the Financial Independence Hub
So, you have a job where you have to start at 9 a.m. in the morning and end at 5 in the afternoon. It pays a good amount; you’re able to enjoy life and you also have the capacity to pay the bills.
And then it hits you: you asked yourself the question, “Do I want to live here for the rest of my life? Or do I want to go somewhere else and live there instead?”
Questions such as these are pretty common, especially if you’ve reached your 30s. Some people quit their day jobs and turn to freelancing instead, because of the freedom to work from home. Do you want to do that?
In today’s article, I am going to talk about choosing your financial oasis. An oasis, by its definition, is a haven where everything is perfect. So, how do you choose yours? Read on to find out
1.) Is it Better to Go Abroad?
One of the questions you need to ask yourself is if it is better for YOU to go abroad or not? I emphasized the word “you” because not everyone wants to go abroad due to a lot of reasons such as family, friends, your current job, among others.
Now, if you ask me, the answer to the question depends on where you live. If you live in a developing country where money is a bit harder to earn, then I highly recommend moving to another state or province.
Conversely, if you already live in a country or state that doesn’t have a lot of problems (especially when it comes to money and taxes), then I would suggest that you stay.
Again, this decision is entirely up to you. You have to weigh the pros and cons so that you can have a clearer mind to make the decision.
2.) Find a place with low Income Tax
If you do decide to move out of your country or place and into a new one, find a place where there is low income tax.
You see, some countries take a huge chunk of your salary per month for taxes. Heck, they even take almost 30% of your salary just for taxes!
Ideally, find a place where income tax is not present. There are certain states in the U.S such as Washington, Florida, Nevada, and Texas that do not require Income taxes.
If you found a place where there is still an income tax, make sure that it doesn’t require more than 15% of your total salary.
3.) Find a place with a low cost of living
One of the criteria for moving into a new state is that it should have low-cost living.
There are certain places that do not have a huge cost of living, such as Iowa, Indiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, to name a few.
Basically, the idea is to go somewhere with a relatively low cost of living. If you need extra funds, you would want to go to a place where you can get personal loans easily.
4.) Should you Go or Stay?
Again, it is entirely up to you. If you’re already living in a place where the standard of living is okay, then you do not have to go elsewhere. But, if you want to find a new place to live, then it I suggest that you move out.
Conclusion
In choosing your financial oasis, make sure that you live in a place where there are low taxes and that it has an overall low cost of living. Also, consider the community- are the people there ready to help you at any time? Are they okay to live with?
The idea here is to go to a place where you will be happy and wealthy at the same time. I hope that you will find your personal financial oasis.
Lidia Staron has been working as a writer, editor and literary coach for 5 years. She contributes articles about the role of finance in the strategic-planning and decision-making processes.
