[USER]

Appreciate the feedback. Few notes, age 45, current schools aren’t great. Main focus is figuring out how to transition from a unfulfilling job to something with purpose/joy.

Bartending in a beach town sounds more fun than where I’m at.

I’m at a crossroads and could use advice on how to find a more purposeful path.

After 20 years in a well-paying but unfulfilling job with travel and in-office work, I’ve hit FI in our current situation. We have $2 million invested, $80k

expenses, a comfortable lifestyle (trips, date nights, whatever we want), two pre-teen kids. However, I’m struggling to find a new direction.

If we move it would either be before they hit highschool (2 years or once done 9 years).

Options as I see it:
Continue where we are until kids are out of highschool and then buy the dreamhouse on the beach.

Move to the beach town now (in next two years). Wife and I would find something to fill the expense gap that is more meaningful / enjoyable.

Search for that new passion, something purposeful to do now and let life take us to the beach when we’re ready.

My questions are:
What are some strategies for finding a passion or something meaningful to do now?

The hobbies I do have, playing music, picking up seashells really can’t find me a job.

Should we move to a beach town now, or wait until our kids are older? Anyone regret moving their kids from their middle school life (school, friends…).

Any advice or experiences of those that left their comfortable job for something more would be greatly appreciated.

[Joelle]

Ask your kids if they’d prefer a fresh start or want to stay put.

[Dawn]

So, when my daughter graduated in 2016, I jumped from sales management (which I abhored) to building a petsitting business.

Looking back, though the first 2 years were rough, wish I had made the jump years earlier.

I make more money now, take better trips & love my life.

If you are unhappy where you are, your kids can feel it I can promise you that.

If you’re content, but dreaming of more, then perhaps try living in your dream locale for the full summer break next summer?

Try to find jobs that have the potential to be a new start?

[Anthony]

Do you home school? How are schools in beach town? Generally, the schools aren’t great near coasts but if that isn’t a concern Disregard.

Also, do your kids support the move?

As someone who’s moved a ton it wasn’t worth the turmoil with them.

My 2 cents…

[Dawn]

Just a thought, beach town living can be very expensive and it seems like catastrophes are just something that you read in the paper.

My sister and her entire community have lived through hell, after 2 year’s of insurance nightmares and lack of enough resources and labor in the area. Her life is finally back to normal.

A good friend got hit a week ago and it is looking similar for her.

Both extremely stressed, but no children involved.

Just something to keep in mind as science says this will be the new normal (climate change).

[Chris]

As a parent who waited to move where she wanted to until the kid was out of high school, I am torn on this. I think the bottom line comes down to a family conversation and a family decision.

Uprooting kids who have very close friends, lifelong friends, investment in their community can be really hard.

But if the whole family loves the new area, the schools are decent and the kids are ready for the adventure, go for it.

Be happy now.

[Sarah]

I have a friend who immigrated here from Korea before her kids were born. And she wants to go back now that they’ve earned enough to retire comfortably and she misses her family.

But she’s waiting because her kids have only known America.

All of their friends are here, the only culture they know is here.

And they’re happy and doing well.

This to me is less of a financial question and more of a, do I disrupt my kids lives and risk the consequences that may come with that?

My friend decided to wait and see.

[Leslie]

If the beach town is in Florida, don’t move until the kids are out of school. What is going on in education in this state is no joke, teachers are leaving in droves and the quality of the schools for the entire state is being hamstrung by weird political and social factors.

My kid is a senior in high school right now here and it’s been bad for the last 6 years at least.

[Damon]

My wife and I have four kids. They all went to the same preschool, the same elementary, had all their friends in a mile radius, and lived an hour from family.

About 2.5 years ago we we had an opportunity to move from the east coast to Puerto Rico, which we did. The kids were 9,7,6, and 4 at the time.

We thought they needed to be intentionally pushed outside their conform zones.

Since being here we have all found an excellent new community with great friends, they’re speaking Spanish well, they are living in a new culture, their school is amazing, and they are having an experience that I think will shape the rest of their lives.

And our lives are less demanding so we have more time to spend together as a family.

It’s a decision I would make again 10 times out of 10.

[Kelly]

As someone who has tweens/teens in a beach town, I can only share my personal experience. Beach towns, especially in the South, aren’t exactly known as being an educational mecca, and such a move might impact the educational quality of their HS choices and post HS path – college, jobs in a beach town, etc.

Depends on the beach town I guess but something to be aware of

[Author]

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