Illinois, who's leaving?

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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 24,478
    tonyb wrote: »
    . Now Portugal looks appealing, but how many are gonna come visit ya in Portugal ?

    Count me out... come to think of it if you moved to Indiana you can still count me out :p:p:p




















    J/K :D

  • DaveHo
    DaveHo Posts: 3,471
    tonyb wrote: »
    Now Portugal looks appealing, but how many are gonna come visit ya in Portugal ?

    You say this like it's a bad thing. Sometimes I think if I could disappear, life would be grand!

  • WLDock
    WLDock Posts: 3,073
    edited July 2019
    tonyb wrote: »
    Just for the record, I wasn't attempting to paint the whole country as crime ridden. On the other hand, it's a small country, so do the math.

    Just like Chicago is crime ridden, the state has some very nice areas to live in. I'm sure any other country is the same way. The one thing Belize has going for it, aside from the beauty and snorkeling, is it has one of the more stable governments in the area.

    It's getting harder and harder to find affordable places to retire to....with year round good weather....state side anyway. I've had it up to my eyeballs with snow and cold already. Now Portugal looks appealing, but how many are gonna come visit ya in Portugal ?
    I hear you, my family has been there for awhile, are entrepreneurs, and property owners all around Belize. They rub elbows with some of the government, movers and shakers so I've heard stories of some of the good and bad.

    As far as the snow, I feel the same way the older I get. I moved to Indiana in '12 from MI and I can't complain too much about the cost of living. I pay $2200 prop tax for a 2000 sq ft home and my insurance is the cheapest I've ever payed. Home and car insurance in the Metro Detroit area where I'm from is absolutely ridiculous right now!

    I'm not sure I want to stay in Indiana. My son just finished H.S and my daughter will be done in three years. I've been looking around to see if maybe there are some higher paying opportunities in Illinois close to the Indiana boarder. There are many jobs in the greater Chicago area but no way in hell would I drive....and not too keen on depending on the South Shore Line, etc if there were opportunities that I could get to by train. Just trying to see if there is more money on the table for me and maybe find a company that has transfer opportunities in different states. I'm kind of limited with the co. I've been with the last 11 years. The Solar industry is picking up in Illinois however with their clean energy bill. Just not sure i want to stay in this industry...??
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    pitdogg2 wrote: »
    tonyb wrote: »
    . Now Portugal looks appealing, but how many are gonna come visit ya in Portugal ?

    Count me out... come to think of it if you moved to Indiana you can still count me out :p:p:p




















    J/K :D

    Heck man, you'd love me as your neighbor, you'd never eat better pal. :)

    Unless you showed up with that Shirley Temple thing again on your head, then it would be "Ivan who ? " :D
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    The nice things about the central American countries or Caribbean is that it's a short plane ride from the states, so visiting isn't so bad.

    Down side....it's safe to say most at retirement age are older and medical care isn't going to be what we are accustomed to in the states. I would prefer to stay state side, for that reason alone, but....there is a price to pay for it.
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  • WLDock
    WLDock Posts: 3,073
    Yes, my family will get basic things done there but travel stateside for medical procedures, dental, etc. The good thing is that flight prices have come down. Something to consider for those seeking retirement there.
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  • motorhead43026
    motorhead43026 Posts: 3,892
    ^^ unless you have like a heart attack or such. But I understand you can't live in fear of the unknown, just be prepared for it and good luck.
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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,034
    tonyb wrote: »
    The nice things about the central American countries or Caribbean is that it's a short plane ride from the states, so visiting isn't so bad.

    Down side....it's safe to say most at retirement age are older and medical care isn't going to be what we are accustomed to in the states. I would prefer to stay state side, for that reason alone, but....there is a price to pay for it.
    Oh course the bad thing about Central American countries is they are one crackpot away from becoming another Venezuela...
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  • GospelTruth
    GospelTruth Posts: 403
    Why I love Nevada (specifically Northern Nevada) compared to states like Illinois.
    • No state income tax.
    • Low property tax. For a 3600 sqft home, we currently pay $3300 a year in property taxes.
    • Cheap liquor - you can thank the gambling state for that.
    • Close proximity to Lake Tahoe and the Sierras (here in Northern Nevada).
    • Weather. Summer here in the high desert may hit 104, but at night it gets into the mid 60s. No humidity. I can handle 104 in the shade way better than 85 and humid any day.
    • Outdoor living. Skiing in the winter, hiking, camping, hunting and backpacking in the other months. Winter is not cold in Reno comparatively. Snows maybe a few days a year in the valley and maybe sticks around for a day or two. Snow stays up in the mountains.
    • Low insurance on our auto and cars. Low registration fees/taxes on vehicles if they are not brand new - and no sales tax on personal sales of vehicles. I just bought a used 2011 Toyota Sequoia and paid $0 in sales tax. Registration fees/taxes were $165 for the year. Can't beat that.
    • Cheaper housing (compared to next door California and places like Chicago).
    The only negatives for me are sales tax - which is 8.265% and gas prices. But that does not offset the cost savings on property taxes and income tax. Some might consider the casinos a negative. We never go and you just kinda ignore them. They do bring in shows though so that is kinda nice.

    I've traveled all over the country for work when I consulted. I loved Texas, but housing is too much compared to where I am now. For our same house in Texas, we would spend more and taxes would be somewhere between $10k-$12k a year. Yeah, there is no income tax, but property taxes are high.

    I liked Tennesse as well, but I prefer the low humidity. Just went back to the midwest and really didn't care for it yet again.

    I grew up in Michigan and lived there my whole life until age 39 when we moved to Nevada. No desire to go back. Love it here.


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  • daddyjt
    daddyjt Posts: 2,305
    Why I love Nevada (specifically Northern Nevada) compared to states like Illinois.
    • No state income tax.
    • Low property tax. For a 3600 sqft home, we currently pay $3300 a year in property taxes.
    • Cheap liquor - you can thank the gambling state for that.
    • Close proximity to Lake Tahoe and the Sierras (here in Northern Nevada).
    • Weather. Summer here in the high desert may hit 104, but at night it gets into the mid 60s. No humidity. I can handle 104 in the shade way better than 85 and humid any day.
    • Outdoor living. Skiing in the winter, hiking, camping, hunting and backpacking in the other months. Winter is not cold in Reno comparatively. Snows maybe a few days a year in the valley and maybe sticks around for a day or two. Snow stays up in the mountains.
    • Low insurance on our auto and cars. Low registration fees/taxes on vehicles if they are not brand new - and no sales tax on personal sales of vehicles. I just bought a used 2011 Toyota Sequoia and paid $0 in sales tax. Registration fees/taxes were $165 for the year. Can't beat that.
    • Cheaper housing (compared to next door California and places like Chicago).
    The only negatives for me are sales tax - which is 8.265% and gas prices. But that does not offset the cost savings on property taxes and income tax. Some might consider the casinos a negative. We never go and you just kinda ignore them. They do bring in shows though so that is kinda nice.

    I've traveled all over the country for work when I consulted. I loved Texas, but housing is too much compared to where I am now. For our same house in Texas, we would spend more and taxes would be somewhere between $10k-$12k a year. Yeah, there is no income tax, but property taxes are high.

    I liked Tennesse as well, but I prefer the low humidity. Just went back to the midwest and really didn't care for it yet again.

    I grew up in Michigan and lived there my whole life until age 39 when we moved to Nevada. No desire to go back. Love it here.


    We lived in Reno ‘03-‘04. Unless something has changed, our property tax was $10,500 on a 400k, 3,200 sq’ home on a postage stamp lot (0.2 acre), and licensing on my ‘04 F250 crew cab diesel was $650.

    However, the lack of income tax was nice...

    I’ve come to the conclusion that you’re going to pay one way or the other in the “tax triangle” (income, sales or property). Seems like one will be low, the others higher to make up for it. In retirement, when income is lower, then you can game the triangle a bit by picking a state with higher income tax.

    Just my .02
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  • GospelTruth
    GospelTruth Posts: 403
    daddyjt wrote: »
    We lived in Reno ‘03-‘04. Unless something has changed, our property tax was $10,500 on a 400k, 3,200 sq’ home on a postage stamp lot (0.2 acre), and licensing on my ‘04 F250 crew cab diesel was $650.

    However, the lack of income tax was nice...

    I’ve come to the conclusion that you’re going to pay one way or the other in the “tax triangle” (income, sales or property). Seems like one will be low, the others higher to make up for it. In retirement, when income is lower, then you can game the triangle a bit by picking a state with higher income tax.

    Just my .02

    I don't necessarily agree with the "tax triangle". There are some states that are way worse than others and tell that to those that are migrating from California to Nevada because of the taxes (both personal and business).

    Can't speak to you living here in '03-'04. But if you had an '04 truck back then, that means it was brand new. New will always be more to register. In my example, I bought a used vehicle that is 8 years old and it's way cheaper (price and registration). If you want a new vehicle in Nevada, it costs more to register. But I was stating that if you want to buy used from a private party, there is no sales tax and it is less to register as it's older.

    As for your property taxes, I don't know anyone who pays in excess of 10k a year unless their house is in the $800k+ range or more.

    We bought our house for around $300k in 2009 and taxes have gone up every year by 3% as the price has been going up since we bought at the bottom of the market in 2009. Our max on taxes right now is around $5400, but that is on a house that is valued at about $600k. We pay less because we are grandfathered in when we bought. Over time we will get to the $5400 I would gather. I really don't know how you would have $10.5k on a $400k home though. Haven't seen it here - ever.

    If you want to live cheaper here, you can. Taxes are not high compared to other parts of the country, there is no income tax and fees can be managed if you don't want to have brand new everything. Compared to Illinois, California, the Northeast, it's pretty great in my opinion. My income goes a lot further here than any of those places. You may have had a different experience, but that has not been mine nor anyone's that I know here. Everyone I've talked to that lives here specifically states how your income goes a lot further here in Nevada than elsewhere.
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  • daddyjt
    daddyjt Posts: 2,305
    daddyjt wrote: »
    We lived in Reno ‘03-‘04. Unless something has changed, our property tax was $10,500 on a 400k, 3,200 sq’ home on a postage stamp lot (0.2 acre), and licensing on my ‘04 F250 crew cab diesel was $650.

    However, the lack of income tax was nice...

    I’ve come to the conclusion that you’re going to pay one way or the other in the “tax triangle” (income, sales or property). Seems like one will be low, the others higher to make up for it. In retirement, when income is lower, then you can game the triangle a bit by picking a state with higher income tax.

    Just my .02

    I don't necessarily agree with the "tax triangle". There are some states that are way worse than others and tell that to those that are migrating from California to Nevada because of the taxes (both personal and business).

    Can't speak to you living here in '03-'04. But if you had an '04 truck back then, that means it was brand new. New will always be more to register. In my example, I bought a used vehicle that is 8 years old and it's way cheaper (price and registration). If you want a new vehicle in Nevada, it costs more to register. But I was stating that if you want to buy used from a private party, there is no sales tax and it is less to register as it's older.

    As for your property taxes, I don't know anyone who pays in excess of 10k a year unless their house is in the $800k+ range or more.

    We bought our house for around $300k in 2009 and taxes have gone up every year by 3% as the price has been going up since we bought at the bottom of the market in 2009. Our max on taxes right now is around $5400, but that is on a house that is valued at about $600k. We pay less because we are grandfathered in when we bought. Over time we will get to the $5400 I would gather. I really don't know how you would have $10.5k on a $400k home though. Haven't seen it here - ever.

    If you want to live cheaper here, you can. Taxes are not high compared to other parts of the country, there is no income tax and fees can be managed if you don't want to have brand new everything. Compared to Illinois, California, the Northeast, it's pretty great in my opinion. My income goes a lot further here than any of those places. You may have had a different experience, but that has not been mine nor anyone's that I know here. Everyone I've talked to that lives here specifically states how your income goes a lot further here in Nevada than elsewhere.

    First, if I somehow offended you, I apologize. I was simply relating my experience in the locations I’ve lived (including Reno). In my opinion, NV had high property tax, high sales tax, and no income tax.

    We moved to Reno from central Washington. WA had high property tax, high sales tax, and no income tax.

    We moved from Reno to Missoula, MT. MT had low(ish) property tax, no sales tax, and high(ish) income tax.

    We now live in UT, which has very low property tax, average sales tax, and average income tax.

    That is the info I use to derive my “tax triangle” observation. The state is going to get the money it needs, one way or another. This obviously does not account for states that do not manage their fiscal affairs properly, and have runaway rates in two (or even all three) primary tax categories. I further realize that it is a very simplistic observation, as it does not account for the business tax revenue (or lack there of).

    For what it’s worth, we enjoyed our time in Reno. At the time, we were avid ATVers and competitive shooters - Reno is a great place to live for both activities. I also enjoyed the activities downtown, as it seemed every weekend brought something new - from the National rib cook-off, chili competition, Hot August Nights car show (at least I think that’s what it was called - biggest car show I’ve EVER seen), and so forth.

    Again - no offense intended.
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  • GospelTruth
    GospelTruth Posts: 403
    daddyjt wrote: »
    Again - no offense intended.

    I'm not in any way offended. I just think that the taxes you mentioned were way high compared to people that I work with and my own experience looking at housing here. We've looked at central Washington, Idaho, Montana and the like for cost of living. All are good and comparable with the "tax triangle" to Reno. Hard to find jobs in my line of work in those areas though. Seattle is another animal for cost of living even though Washington is a no state income tax state.

    My experience with Reno/Northern Nevada has been good comparatively to other places I've lived and worked at. We love Colorado as well, but cost of living there is higher than where we are right now.

    I'm not offended in the least. I was just clarifying our experience to what yours was. Nevada is not for everyone. I get that. People place value on different things. You won't find the culture and diversity of a San Francisco city here. I'm ok with that because I don't like the big city, traffic and cost of living that San Francisco offers. Some people think the cost is worth everything that area offers. I don't. We love the outdoors, smaller city, and low taxes/cost of living here. Just my opinion.

    Glad you liked your time out here. The city itself has come a long way since even we moved here in '09. It took us awhile to get to know the area, but since we've been here we can't see ourselves anywhere else. But jobs and life can change all that. So I will never say we'll be here forever.

    No offense taken - and I sincerely mean that. Thanks for the reply.
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