A US citizen, who left the country 12 years ago to build his business without being impacted by its high rate of inflation, has found a home in Goa. Elliot Rosenberg has been living in India for nine years. He has retained his citizenship and visits the US once a year.
The financial consultant said he met his wife in India and even learned Hindi. Currently, he runs two businesses and handles US-based clients, thus earning in dollars. Rosenberg recently took to social media to acknowledge that the lifestyle and freedom he enjoys would not have been possible if "everything" wasn't 80 percent cheaper in India than in the US.
"I made a rare financial decision 12 years ago. And it has changed my finances (and life) forever," Rosenberg wrote on LinkedIn. "Most personal finance gurus tell you to budget your expenses, invest and hold long-term, and build multiple streams of income. Then, you achieve: (F)financial (I)independence (R)retire (E)early. I’m on board with all of these things. The only problem? America is $@!&%* expensive!"
He noted that although inflation was bad in the US, “lifestyle creep” or lifestyle inflation was worse. That's why after graduation, Rosenberg decided to leave the country. He bought a one-way ticket to Brazil and a couple of years later, he backpacked across 17 countries in Asia for 15 months nonstop, funding a lot of the expense with credit card points.
In 2016, he moved to India. "I met my wife here, became close to her family, learned Hindi, have made lifelong bonds, and started two businesses. Last year, we moved to a beach town where on any given weekend we surf, go to potlucks, or hike in the jungles. The lifestyle and freedom I have wouldn’t be possible if everything weren’t 80 percent cheaper here," he said.
Rosenberg also shared a list of their major monthly expenses:
1.) $630 or Rs 54,400 in rent for a fully-furnished 2-bedroom next to a river, with a shared pool and gym
2.) $250 or Rs 21,600 for groceries
3.) $80 or Rs 6,900 for a helper to come six times a week to clean, prep meals, and do laundry. (Rosenberg called this service a "gamechanger")
4.) $10 or Rs 860 per personal training session
The financial consultant added that there are some downsides to living abroad, but he is "fully adjusted and happy here".
"We don’t stress about money, and we each get to take risks without fear in running our own businesses (serving US-based clients who pay us in dollars).... I’m still happily a US citizen and still visit the US once a year. I love America and have no plans to surrender my passport," Rosenberg said.
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