Interesting discussion. I'm starting to work this out for myself. For an 'island', Hawaii would be good, if you can handle the time zone change. 'Island Fever' will probably get to you after a while, so hit the mainland before it does. If you've got real money to live on, up/down the West Coast can be nice; Seattle/Portland when it ain't raining and during warmer months. Bay Area anytime L.A./San Diego when the temps feel good. Less time zone issue than Hawaii, but still there if you trade NYC stuff. Very familiar w/Texas, and won't be headed there. Hotter'n hell; even Austin. BIG drought issues last couple of years. Things may be 'Bigger in Texas', but that can also mean bigger a--holes, too. There is a definite 'attitude' in Texas, so check it out before committing. Some nice people and some really loud mouth types. Some love it, some don't. I don't. For Continental U.S., I think Denver/Boulder could be great. High quality of life, and the stock market is open 7:30am-2:00pm, which is a pretty good compromise. Snow-wise, it ain't as bad as TV mentions, but there are those days... Haven't considered out of the country much, other than London, as I don't want to be up at 3:00am, either -starting- or -finishing- my trading day. As far as taxes go, setup a Roth IRA and convert enough money to stuff it up a bit. Yes, you'll pay taxes on the conversion, but that's a one time deal. Not a bad tradeoff to never pay Fed -or- State taxes again.
Hate to join the discussion late, but how do you like Belize? Good food? How about hurricanes? Also, heard that belize has the largest cat outside of lions and tigers ...... some kind of leopard. True?
I love being in and trading from Belize. The big cats you asked about are on the mainland. I don't go there often. I am on the islands (Ambergris Caye). You don't want to be in Belize City. It is mainly ghetto. I still trade when I am out there but I would not day trade because internet and electricity can go out at times. I was on the islands last year when the 2 hurricanes came through. We got some rains from them but the locals say Ambergris Caye never gets hit directly from the hurricanes. I have only had my house for 2 years on the island and I love it.
I, too, would appreciate a couple 'starter points' on Belize. When looking at a globe, heading south jumps out, but due to unrest in Mexico, I'd kinda written off that part of the world. Could you list a few areas that'd be worth a first look? Also, what's the airport situation like down there? I'd guess from the U.S. you're looking at DFW, MIA and LAX as the major gateways...
The islands of Belize are great. When I am away I really miss being there. While I am there I miss family but not much else. The only direct flights are to Belize City Airport from Houston Continental or D/FW. When you arrive you will want to take the island flight to Amberis Caye. Don't take the water taxi it will take you 1 1/2 hours by water taxi versus 15 minutes on the plane. There is a small airport on Ambergris Caye and sometimes I fly my own plane. There are a lot more islands out there but if you need to have constant contact with the states then this is the island for you. Caye Caulker is just a 15 minute boat ride and it is beautiful. That is where the U.S. citizens that want to get away from everything buy their house. About the only thing on the island is the golf course. Great to visit but I just can't go without some kind of communication. On Ambergris Caye there is some building going on right now. You can google "southbeach, ambergris caye" and read all about it. It is going to be more Americanized. The guy that built my house is the big player in building this new community and I am considering trading my current place with a new one there. Pre-build specials are very affordable. I would highly suggest visiting a couple of times before buying. Let me know if you want or need more info. I don't have any financial interest other than I own my second home there and will eventually move there.
This is a very interesting thread that I will have to re-read, since I plan on possibly relocating for a short period this fall. Thailand would probably be the most cost-efficient alternative by far, but the time zone is not optimal for the US session. I have not been much around in the US, but I visited San Francisco last summer and I LOVED the city. A little windy, but I guess I can live with that. By skimming this thread, I did not see any mention of Hawaii save one entry perhaps? Any opinions on Hawaii? Cost of living? Culture? Stuff to do? Nature? Friendly locals? Girls? The time zone may be a problem if I am to continue trading the US session though.
Hawaii was mentioned upthread. I thought about Hawaii a lot. To "retire" to and trade from. But the thought of getting up at 3:00 am 5 days a week is a bit scary. I am a nightowl. Starting the trading day at 9:30 pm in Thailand into 4 pm is fine by me. Getting up at 3:00 am is a totally different story... But Hawaii being USA... you need to be dinged by IRS/local state. There goes ~half of your profit... it ain't Hong Kong.
Not an expert on all of the Hawaiian Islands, but I've been there many times and love it. For a trader, Honolulu would probably be the best choice, with maybe Maui #2. Not well known is that Hawaii is a junction point for the web between Asia and North America, so connections there can be better than what you might think. The problem w/Hawaii is all about time zones. U.S. stock market opens at 4:30am during the winter months and 3:30am during the summer months. Hawaii doesn't participate in Daylight Savings Time changes; therefore, the 3:30am thing. 4:30 I -might- be able to swing, but 3:30 is just too early for me. Sure would be great wrapping up the trading day at 10am/11am, though, wouldn't it? Cost of living is high, culture is multi-everything, stuff to do centers around the islands, nature - sure, LOTS of that. Babes? Yupper, but locals may or may not want anything to do with tourista types. Local guys can get really pissed if you're moving in on their territory. If you're really serious, pick up a book called 'So you want to live in Hawaii'. You'll get the good -and- bad about it all. Here's an amazon.com selection list of that and others: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_s...+hawaii&sprefix=so+you+want+to+live+in+hawaii Mostly tho, as most places I've visited, I've found that the locals reflect your attitude, so if you're decent and easy going, and don't do stupid stuff, you'll be all right. Aside from the beauty and all of that, one thing that sets Hawaii apart from all of the other tropical beach locales is that it's part of U.S., so you can receive the benefit of U.S. lingo and infrastructure while also getting a cultural mix that's not to be had anywhere else in the U.S. Very nice. Dunno how much I'd trade there, but when the $$$ stash is a bit higher, I'm going to at least spend some long stretches of time there. For me, winter is the time to go, so I'd probably try trading part-time, just to make a few $$$ while there.