Aggravation

[VTKilarney]

Can't really make a decent wage in most of the ski-centric areas. Exceptions would I guess be Colorado and Seattle maybe.

While there are definitely fewer opportunities, you can make a decent wage in ski country.

 

[tumbler]

While there are definitely fewer opportunities, you can make a decent wage in ski country.

But you also have to have the flexibilty to be able to ski whenever you want, hard to get both.

 

[VTKilarney]

But you also have to have the flexibilty to be able to ski whenever you want, hard to get both.

While my job does not give me the flexibility to ski whenever I want, I can certainly ski much more than I could if I had to drive three or four hours to hit the slopes. I ski on a lot of weekday afternoons without taking too much time off, for example.

 

[BenedictGomez]

My wife checked out the pay she could make there...about 1\4 what she makes..not happening.

I know you dont make as much in Utah as in NY/NJ, but unless your wife sells beach chairs & surf boards, a 75% cut doesn't seem possible.

The future Mrs. BG & I are pondering the possibility of a move to Utah, she's a teacher & we speculate she would take about a 25% to 33% pay-cut. I work in finance, so it's a bit more varied, but I doubt I'd get hit with more than a 25% cut.

I've used those C.O.L. tools (which are very, very crude estimates admittedly), which suggest we could take approximately a 21% pay cut and live the same in Utah as we do in New Jersey, so the financial pain we'd experience doesn't seem as draconian you're suggesting.

Plus there's the future to consider, New Jersey treats its' businesses like the Orkin man treats cockroaches, whereas the economy & growth in Utah seems pretty sound right now. My 2¢.

 

[kingslug]

A quarter of 200k is 50 k...the research was done..i would take a 50% cut..too much..if it wasnt true i would be going. She needs to work where there are company headquarters..Denver has that.

 

[Smellytele]

I can see where in your mind you can't fathom taking a 25% hit on income but NY/NJ has a very high cost of living as BG has pointed out.

 

[Smellytele]

A quarter of 200k is 50 k...the research was done..i would take a 50% cut..too much..if it wasnt true i would be going. She needs to work where there are company headquarters..Denver has that.

50-75% hit is crazy

 

[BenedictGomez]

I can see where in your mind you can't fathom taking a 25% hit on income but NY/NJ has a very high cost of living as BG has pointed out.

His research says it's about a 75% hit moving from the NY metro to Utah.

My research says it's about a 25% hit moving from the NY metro to Utah.

That's the variance.

 

[AdironRider]

50-75% hit is crazy

And a bullshit number.

I'm not the only one who has made a move like this. TB is a lawyer and moved to SLC, I highly doubt it resulted in a 75% pay cut.

About 25% is the hit I take compared to back East. Seems to hold true for most cats I know compared to where they came from. Worst I've heard is about 35-40% for an entry level nurse.

I actually seem to live better despite the pay cut. No gym membership needed, housing is cheaper (well not in Jackson), food is cheaper. Property taxes are waaaay cheaper. Cars dont rust and require less maintenance/upkeep. It all shakes out in the end.

 

[SIKSKIER]

. Seems to hold true for most cats I know compared to where they came from.

Right on man.Can you dig it?Have not heard "cats" in a while.Love that.

 

[John9]

Everyone else who lives in these places is able to. I think living in the tri state area gives us a warped view.

 

[shwilly]

And a bullshit number.

Eh, it depends. It wouldn't be 75% for "normal" jobs, but there are high end finance and corporate jobs in NYC that just don't exist most other places. Portfolio managers and big law firm partners would probably take a huge pay cut.

 

[AdironRider]

And those job holders aren't skiing the East, they are flying private to their third home in Jackson.

 

[drjeff]

Piece #1 - none of us presumably short of Kingslug himself know what his wife's occupation is, so for anyone to be speculating that his report of a 75% hit to his wife's income and a 50% to his with a move to Utah is just pure guessing on their part

Piece #2 - for all we know, part of the lifestyle that Kingslug and his wife live, which may be very important to them, may be predicated on earning levels that are quite a bit above just earning levels that would allow them to move to Utah. We don't know how that part of the equation ties into their lifestyle happiness

Piece #3 - The folks commentating in much of this discussion aren't Kingslug and thus really are just speculating based on their own opinion, an opinion which may very well be 100% from their own point of view, but may be completely off base with Kingslug's point of view, and since it's him and his wife that would be making the possible move, that's the only real opinion that matters in this case

 

[drjeff]

And those job holders aren't skiing the East, they are flying private to their third home in Jackson.

While some of them drive to their places in VT most weekends and fly (commercial) out West on occasion during the season..... That describes the majority of the guys/families that make up my skiing and social circles. They're in the top 0.5% of wage earners, but they're not in the top 0.1% of wage earners.....

 

[AdironRider]

Unless she is a General Contractor, or a tradesman owning their own business and would have to start over with zero clients, its still a bullshit number.

Some of us actually know job markets out here, since we live an work out here also.

Now if they don't want to move for any reason, that is a perfectly fine perogative of course, but saying its a 75% pay cut can be called out as bs. Thats my opinion.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Eh, it depends. It wouldn't be 75% for "normal" jobs, but there are high end finance and corporate jobs in NYC that just don't exist most other places. Portfolio managers and big law firm partners would probably take a huge pay cut.

You'd be surprised though, the world's changing. Twenty or thirty years ago nearly all the hedge funds were consolidated in a few small areas. Now they're located all over the dang place. But yeah, there definitely are niche jobs and/or jobs for which you know you could never "get" or replace somewhere else, but that's probably irrespective of any particular given geography.

Anyway, my comments were more general C.O.L. based, which should cover the vast majority of people, and I'm guessing my 25% figure isnt too far off the mark. Maybe it's 30%, but, whatever... All I know is I really need to sit down with an Excel spreadsheet and some B.L.S. data and create my own speadsheet to figure this all out if it gets to the point we're dead serious about the potential move.

 

[AdironRider]

While some of them drive to their places in VT most weekends and fly (commercial) out West on occasion during the season..... That describes the majority of the guys/families that make up my skiing and social circles. They're in the top 0.5% of wage earners, but they're not in the top 0.1% of wage earners.....

If you want to take things literally, sure not all of them are flying private.

 

[JimG.]

"Aggravation"

When everyone around you just can't stop bitching about the weather. Jesus suck it up and make the best of it!

 

[AdironRider]

You'd be surprised though, the world's changing. Twenty or thirty years ago nearly all the hedge funds were consolidated in a few small areas. Now they're located all over the dang place. But yeah, there definitely are niche jobs and/or jobs for which you know you could never "get" or replace somewhere else, but that's probably irrespective of any particular given geography.

Anyway, my comments were more general C.O.L. based, which should cover the vast majority of people, and I'm guessing my 25% figure isnt too far off the mark. Maybe it's 30%, but, whatever... All I know is I really need to sit down with an Excel spreadsheet and some B.L.S. data and create my own speadsheet to figure this all out if it gets to the point we're dead serious about the potential move.

Teton County Wyoming has the highest per capita income of any county in the US from all the hedge fund guys based out here.