USC -42M ( 16Y in US) - Contemplating Move to India - Wife Reluctant
Long time lurker and first time posting , wanted advice from the group and people who have returned or planning return . 42M , 2Kids (5 and 3 ). Recently laid off .
Total worth - ~2.5 M ( 1.6M stock , ~800K House Equity) .
Wife took a break after 2nd kid . I got impacted due to recent layoff , Honestly it’s getting tough with Job applications , kids at home and missing focus and now I am thinking to move to India for next 2-3 years atleast to lower cost of living and probably get some either leadership/executuve experience or business experience (easy business- coffee shops, Franchise, property etc. ) in India and while kids still in elementary or preschool .
looking at the current situation - I think do have a plan to come back , As I think even public education( in good school district ) here is better than most of private education in India Tier 1 cities ( Mumbai , Hyd , Bangalore etc )
Main questions I am contemplating
A. Stability
This is the number one issue , I am in the house for more than 6 years now and have largely settled in the city and the area have a good group of friends , although it’s been only 3 months since lay off it feels like an year and now I am thinking am I just overthinking and planning a move too early ? And wouldn’t that cause too much instability.
Instability with Kids Education
B. Financial -
If i leave for 2-3 years - should i sell the house or rent for the time being to ensure rent covers mortgage ( to do this I have to make some down payments or buy some dividend stocks/ETfs etc ) , apprehension about renting is - I think housing prices are going to go down a bit in next 2-3 years so don’t want to lose on house equity ) .
Financial Support while not working - can I survive in Tier 1 cities without working(worst case) if I , let’s say 30L per year and even if I can afford financially will I not be conscious about cash flow .
Mental/Emotional Cost
Life in India - Wife thinks life in India is going to suck with mainly 3 issues - 1. Pollution , 2. Women safety issues , 3. Aggressive culture ( and when I say aggressive I mean in India , if you don’t want to get fooled or get something done you have to act aggressively or act angry or
Raise voice - which I hate seriously ) , I do agree on all the 3 issues btw , but she is harder to get convinced than j am , if I do force - will that long term cause rift between us ( mental and emotional cost long term )will i be able to adjust living in India after 18 years outside India , while visiting I usually have no issues but by the end of week 4-5 or when I land in USa . I do feel cultural shift between operating in India vs the west .
Career -
1 Career cost moving to India , will that be a career killer for me ? If I don’t get good position or business doesn’t work great( as I know business always have implementation issue which comes only after you are facing day to day ) , In India it’s a slippery slope if something goes wrong .
will I be able to adjust to Indian working style and management now ? One of the issues I faced here is direct Indian manager, who have a peculiar tendency towards management ( IYKYK) .
I am also thinking to keep applying and giving interview while in India for US positions and may be see if I get something good .
There are more to think but I think these are the top ones
TLDR ; 42M laid off, $2.5M net worth, wife + young kids (5 & 3) - considering moving to India for 2-3 years to cut costs, gain business/leadership experience while kids are small, and return to US later.
Big concerns: Wife hates pollution/safety/aggressive culture, fear of family instability, house decision (sell/rent?), career damage, and readjusting to India after 18 years abroad.
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