With California heading towards the abyss, and taxes rocketing to the moon, I’ve toyed with the idea of leaving the state. Here’s an article in the San Francisco Chronicle highlighting homeless 24 year olds and rising unemployment even in a rich suburb such as Marin County.

From this other article, we learn that from the first stimulus package alone, the gov’t has borrowed $10,000 from each individual so far, and it is doubtful that the majority of people have felt a return on their $10,000 loan yet.  At any rate, it’s clear that taxes are going up in California and perhaps NYC, and we residents in troubled states should think long and hard about whether to stay or go.

Did you know that seven states have no state income tax: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wyoming? Two others, New Hampshire and Tennessee, tax only dividend and interest income. Alaskan residents even get an annual oil credit for goodness sakes.

If you’re earning $100,000 a year, you’ll automatically save $10,000 bucks just by setting up shop in another state. Multiply this by 20 years, and bake in a 4% annual return, you’ll come out with $310,000 more in the bank! Even 10 years provides you with about $125,000. Hey, who wouldn’t want an extra $125,000 laying around. I could finally buy that Porsche 911 Turbo I’ve always wanted! Must resist temptation.

Obviously relocating is easier said than done. Hence, another strategy should be to simply set up residency in one of the 7 states after one retires. This is one of the key benefits of retiring early. Amass the nut, and save 10%/annum on your interest income every year for the rest of your life. Setting up residency is easy. Just buy a place, or rent some cheap studio… maybe even a habitable closet and call it home. The more money you make, the more you should consider moving.

Seattle, Incline Village in Lake Tahoe would be my top two choices. I’ll just get in trouble in Vegas!

Related:

The Best States To Invest In Real Estate Today

Why I’m Investing In The Heartland Of America

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Updated for 2020 and beyond

Regards,

Sam, Financial Samurai – “Slicing Through Money’s Mysteries”