At the moment, it looks like our house is sold. That's good news. The bad news is that now we need to decide where to move. And that's where I could use some of your input.
We live in MO. All of our family lives in Iowa. We really felt the need to be closer to them so that we can help my parents as they age, and so we can spoil our grandkids!
Here are some considerations on that move.
1. Cost of living is cheaper, much cheaper, in MO than in IA.
2. Cost of housing and property taxes are significantly lower in MO. We can get a lot more house for the money in MO.
3. Family lives in southern IA.
4. Teacher pensions in MO have up to 85% of the income taxes forgiven. (This is a scale that increases each year, with the 85% being the top of the scale.) If we move to IA, we will pay the full IA income tax on the pension.
5. We want to live in a town where there is a hospital, a college, recreation opportunities, decent shopping, nice stable neighborhoods, public transportation, good libraries, etc.
6. Both the town in IA where my family lives and a town in northern MO fit the qualifications in #5.
7. The town in northern MO is only 60 miles from where my family lives in southern IA: about an hour away. This is significantly shorter than the 4 hours it now takes us to drive there.
8. If we stay in MO, we don't have to hassle with things like changing car licenses, drivers licenses.
What do I have to think about to make this decision? What other facts would you need to know? I would appreciate any insights and experiences that you care to share. Thanks!
Connect with Facebook
I need some good solid advice
Linear Mode
