Comments on: Reader Case Study: Veterinarian and Physician Seek Their Next Home

By: Jane

Jane — Thu, 18 May 2023 19:37:10 +0000

Johanna, I think you and your partner are in great shape, especially re: your spending. I’m also envious that you’re thinking so “big picture” this early in life. It’s taken me a bit longer 😉 Thank you so much for sharing!

By: Sean

Sean — Tue, 16 May 2023 21:44:02 +0000

If you’ve lived in the four corners then you probably already know about Cortez. It is a town of about nine thousand that is easy to walk or bike with relatively affordable houses and a good community. Southwest Health System is the local hospital and they are usually hiring doctors as it is difficult to find and retain talent in a remote town. I understand loan repayment can often be negotiated as part of the employment contract. We also have a number of veterinarians that might be looking for some part-time help.
My wife and I have been in Cortez for about 10 years. While we sometimes talk about moving to Vermont, we feel there is still too much we haven’t seen and done in the area.
I wish you and your family the best.

By: Emily

Emily — Sat, 13 May 2023 02:34:05 +0000

Family doc here in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. I work for an FQHC with a pretty great work-life balance. Check out the NEK for a relatively slow paced culture and high quality of life. It’s surprisingly sunny here too!

By: monica

monica — Thu, 11 May 2023 13:09:31 +0000

I don’t think there was a clear mention of why you are choosing to live on the island. Unless family is also on the island, it would seem most logical to move off island to somewhere on the mainland that was still close to family. I think that you will find being near family when your kids are young to be something that is hard to replace and while international travel sounds wonderful, there is nothing like grwoing up with family close by! Why not just try a mainland lifestyle for a while before you go far from family. As far as biking everywhere, a town like Arlington MA, just north of Cambridge, has that (at least if you live in the flat area of town) and I know that you can have chickens here, but not sure about ducks. As a previous poster mentioned, make sure you check on that before you choose a town. Arlington has a lot of what you want, but is likely unaffordable for you to buy now, but with Matts relatively high salary it should not be totally out of reach. There is also a fantastic rental market, adn as many have said, owning a home is not always the best financial decision.

I have transitioned from a regular vet office to a vet who comes to my home. She is great and she chose to start her own visit-the-client-at-home practice when she had young children so that she could control her own schedule. This may be an option for you – I know many people in.my town are thrilled to find a vet who will come to their home (especially for cats who HATE going in the car!).

By: Becky

Becky — Wed, 10 May 2023 15:09:46 +0000

Johanna: I am a retired nurse with a small amount of savings. I have a small Roth IRA and have placed a small amount of savings in a several places. My savings accounts earn 5-6%. I have them in NetSpend which is a prepaid card with an attached savings account You can only have $1000 in savings. However each individual can have 5 accounts married or not. I should also mention that I’m an ex paralegal also. Any account is FDIC insured and if you have up to 250k in an account you will be reimbursed for the government should that bank close for whatever reason. My sixth account is with a group named western alliance. They earn 5.05% on their savings accounts. They let you put in as much as you want and you can live anywhere in the US. I live in a suburb outside a major city. My county is one of the wealthiest in the country however my small city has a poorer area in the downtown where there are many fixer uppers and I rent one of them from my best friend. My home is only 900 sq ft with a detached garage small yard with a chicken wire fence and paver patio. I adopted a 16 pound rescue dog who I walk 2 miles every day. My neighborhood is very diverse and no HOA!! We have one lady studying to become a teacher and 6 children due to a divorce and remarriage I n addition she grows a huge garden on her front lawn. She helps an older lady down the way as a home health aid every morning.
We have a 98 year old that I finally met yesterday who still lives on her own with home health assistance. I have a limited budget so my landlady who is also my best friend helps out by giving me inexpensive rent and I pay half of any major repairs. And even though I live on my social security I manage to save. Thus the savings accounts… My vet is at the spay neuter clinic. I also have pet insurance. The northeast is unreal as far as housing costs. On a good day you would pay 200k for my little house. I should mention we are bicycling/scootering/walking distance from any thing I might need to do(10 minutes max on a bicycle or scooter). Where do I live? In the Midwest. I am also considering the very real possibility of moving to Portugal in the next 5 years due to the difference in cost of living and a much better healthcare system. Travelling to and from Portugal is not expensive and I can text and use Skype. I am fluent lin Spanish which is similar to Portuguese. I may go off grid also. So in essence look around consider your possibilities. You have oodles of options! Best regards. Becky

By: Melissa Campbell

Melissa Campbell — Mon, 08 May 2023 15:12:00 +0000

Food for thought regarding Matt’s student loans – PSLF takes 10 years of student loan payments before loan forgiveness. May be worth asking Matt to research the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). I haven’t enrolled in the program myself but was considering it before going the route of PSLF via working at non-profits and a low-income school.

What sounded most appealing with the NHSC program is loan forgiveness up to $50,000 after 2 years of work in a high need area. Per the NHSC website, “…NHSC Loan Repayment Program (LRP) offers primary medical, dental, and mental and behavioral health care clinicians the opportunity to have their student loans repaid, while earning a competitive salary, in exchange for serving in urban, rural, or tribal communities with limited access to care.”

By: Jecca

Jecca — Sun, 07 May 2023 20:42:44 +0000

In reply to Johanna.

I would also like to hard sell Vermont. 🙂 This is a very community oriented, connect-with-your-neighbors kind of place. True there isn’t as much sun as the Southwest; I think the slower pace of life, the relative safety, and outdoor recreation opportunities make this a great place to raise kids. Thank you for sharing your story. – signed, another women’s college grad (Anassa Kata!)

By: Dianne

Dianne — Sun, 07 May 2023 19:12:31 +0000

In reply to Johanna. The last two lines say everything. You married a great man. Good luck with any choices you make! I wish you and your family a wonderful life.

By: Inga

Inga — Sat, 06 May 2023 14:05:10 +0000

Hi you two are doing really well and most likely your wealth will snow ball from here on in.
With your high salaries I think the 4% rule is more applicable. We are a dual high income family with 2 slightly older kids. Not in the medical field but even small salary increases make a much bigger difference in real terms and the compounding benefits on those accelerated savings mean you can switch to part time/reduce days earlier. I calculate our kids at home cost * years and our kids no longer at home cost and then divide them by 4% for our savings required to RE
I had the travel bug badly and if it is on your bucket list, I’d do it earlier not later. You could discover your perfect place is outside your home country and that’s where you want to buy your forever home. I‘d see what the overseas options instead of finding a better location in the US. More important than your kids age is your energy level! If burn out risk is real, how much energy for the big move will your hubby have in 5-10 years? Especially if may be only one of your qualifications are accepted (in Australia my friend a VETs from Europe had to do ~2 years to qualify here)
Because we both work there was a golden age when both kids were in child care starting when the younger was 2 and older 4. then another tricky bit when each started school. Once the younger one was also in school in her second year another good patch started – still in it 🙂
Moving when they are 8-10 is probably this window but I think it could narrow your window for the next move, especially if you aren’t moving back to a known place and friends
I moved when me and siblings were 3,6&8 and a second time at 9,12&14. the second move was a disaster for us older kids and my mum
None touristy beaches, your own ducks, cycling to work, nature and slow paced city spells Netherland, Denmark, maybe coastal UK, Germany, the Nordic countries to me. NZ minus the cycling? Never lived in Africa but based on other comments that also sounded exciting
Are there army bases you could serve on? Or Skills visa sponsorship/ex pat opportunities? Would both your qualifications be accepted in the countries? I think once you start looking for actual jobs and thus specific cities overseas things will quickly become a much shorter list of true options. I’d stay out and apply for those opportunities. If nothing comes of it in 12-24 months, you know you tried and I’d shift my focus on your forever home in the US instead
Obviously if after buying your house etc the right overseas opportunity comes up, you can rent out etc and give it a go

By: Elizabeth Whitmore

Elizabeth Whitmore — Sat, 06 May 2023 12:00:24 +0000

In reply to Johanna. I am 60 and haven't froze. LOL I don't know how much colder it is in the winter than where you live.. The coldest days in the winter are usually the sunniest. We have pretty nice weather otherwise.