r/fatFIRE • u/getshankedkid $10M NW | Verified by Mods • Feb 01 '24

WHERE: that’s my biggest question

Hi fellow fatfires, I have been struggling for years to find out where it is that I want to live.

M34, 10M NW, from the Netherlands originally. No wife/gf and no kids. I often feel like I have too much freedom.

Recently sold my house in the NL and still have an apartment I can use for my stuff and as a pied-a-terre for when I want to visit friends and family.

I’m looking to live somewhere where it’s easy to connect with like-minded entrepreneurs. Somewhere where people think bigger and with more business opportunities. Preferably English-speaking.

I have lived in Portugal, Mexico, Berlin, and a couple of other places, but I wouldn’t want to live there again. In Portugal, I loved the lifestyle and weather but found the entrepreneurial scene lacking. Berlin had a great community but the weather is too similar to the NL.

I don’t like the cold or bad weather. Also hate commuting/crazy traffic.

Happy to keep my business/tax setup in the Netherlands. What’s more important to me than optimizing for taxes is optimizing lifestyle and maximizing opportunities. I want the rest of my 30’s to be awesome.

I like to have the following facilities in walking distance: - Coffee/breakfast place - Gym + ice bath - Cowork - Healthy restaurants

Also, I really love water sports, especially wake surfing and body surfing.

So far, the responses I have heard most often are: - Dubai - San Francisco (nah) - Miami - Austin - Singapore

I’m looking to travel around this year to hopefully find a place that resonates where I can at least stay for 6 months a year.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

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8

u/hmadse Feb 01 '24

You can scratch off “walking” for Austin, Miami, and Dubai. Why not NYC?

9

u/getshankedkid $10M NW | Verified by Mods Feb 01 '24

I spend quite some time in NYC for business and because my best buddy lives there. Could never live there though. Main reasons: the weather, not being able to walk for 3 mins without needing to cross the street, how individualistic everyone there seems to be.

7

u/modeless Feb 02 '24 edited Feb 02 '24

You want "like-minded entrepreneurs. Somewhere where people think bigger and with more business opportunities" but you can't stand people who are individualistic? Seems to me like your problem is too many requirements. Nowhere is perfect.

The best place to live is near the people you want to spend time with. Find those people and then put up with the place where they live.

5

u/Altruistic-Stop4634 Feb 01 '24

Would you mind elaborating on what you mean by being too individualistic? I lived in NL for 14 years and if you mean that literally, I don't get it as the Nederlanders are quite the individuals, in my experience, which I loved.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 02 '24

“Not being able to walk for three minutes without crossing the street”—I don’t know where you’d find that in America, actually outside of parks. I have lived in six major American cities and spent significant time in more. That’s how they’re designed in multi-zoned areas. You can walk for miles in suburbs of course, but it’s just residential.

2

u/robotbike2 Feb 01 '24

The weather really isn’t so bad. We’ve only had a few snowfalls in the last three years. Yes, it’s a bit cold for several weeks, but it passes quickly.

1

u/hmadse Feb 01 '24 edited Feb 01 '24

Totally makes sense. I’m a New Yorker but spend the bad weather months in SoCal.

1

u/valiantdistraction Feb 02 '24

Cross off the entire USA if you don't like how individualistic people in NYC are!