050 | In this podcast we discuss domestic geographic arbitrage with Mr. Groovy from Freedom is Groovy. In Today’s Podcast we cover: A conversation with Mr. Groovy from Freedom is Groovy to discuss domestic geographic arbitrage How Brad made a similar decision to Mr. Groovy to move from Long Island to a lower cost of living area How Mr. Groovy was a “financial moron” until he was in his 40s until Mrs. Groovy found Dave Ramsey What did their financial lives look like before finding Dave Ramsey and the concept of an emergency fund How creating a budget and putting it on paper was a game changer for them

What changes did they make after creating a budget? Their debt situation: They had about $30,000 in consumer debt How they created a “transition fund” to help them move off of Long Island to a lower cost of living area They managed to pay off debt and save $80,000 in cash for this transition fund by 2008 Their families were supportive of their move off of Long Island The peculiarities of living on Long Island and getting off the island How Mr. Groovy’s cost of living shaped up on Long Island and how the property tax burden is significant there

What other costs are smaller when moving out of a high cost of living area besides mortgage and property taxes? How the Groovy family bought a $70,000 condo in Long Beach in 1997 and sold it for $340,000 in 2006 They decided to move to North Carolina and happened upon Charlotte where they ultimately purchased They bought a condo for $88,000 in cash in Charlotte and banked nearly $250,000 from the sale of their home Their dollar cost averaging strategy to enter the stock market

How Mr. Money Mustache’s article The Shockingly Simple Math Behind Early Retirement change their outlook on life In 2014 they were basically at the 25x expenses definition of Financial Independence Even though the housing situation helped them significantly, they still would have hit FI by moving to a lower cost of living area just because of lowered expenses

Takeaways and advice from the geographic arbitrage decision How Mr. Groovy’s family wound up following him to Charlotte How Brad’s brother did both US and international geographic arbitrage Did Mr. Groovy and Brad have “freak out moments” after making the move?