Quote:
Originally Posted by gentlearts
I hope they come back, but it’s not up to me.
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Oh your son will be back. No disrespect, but an Army pension (even a field grade officer one) check ain't nearly enough to gainfully live on with a kid eventually in private school (that's 12 year before college costs). The pension is fully taxable in PR, which has higher income tax burden than federal + California for earners above 65K mind you. Ask me how I know about that math. Housing costs are not really much of a reprieve in the SJU metro area, compared to sunbelt metro costs. Property tax is the only relative bargain, hardly a blip when accounting for IVU (sales tax) and income tax burdens that make California look like a charity food pantry.
This is a much earned vacation for your son. And that's awesome, he's earned it. But vacations end. If I had to bet, DIL threw anchor and told him she wants to be closer to "mami y papi". Happy wife happy life and what not. But happy wife don't pay the bills, unless abuelo y abuela are indeed gonna pick up the tab for that kid through high school graduation. I hope for his sake she didn't give him an ultimatum about retirement from the Army meaning she got to fly back home and throw anchor. That would not be a good foundation for a lasting marriage, not that it's any of my business of course.
For anglos like your son, it's not all too different than the character arc they go through when they move hastily to the Hawaiian archipelago, sans the bigger prevalence of Spanish. Granted, having extended family makes things much easier, but the economics of attempting to replicate an upper middle class lifestyle in PR on effectively mainland median incomes, is not a robust plan. Wages are atrocious in the island for skilled/knowledge labor of any kind, compared to the CONUS. That's not opinion, that's BLS backed fact.
I have acquaintances married to Peruvians doing the expat thing. Most do 4 years or less and high tail it back. No guarantees in life of course, but if I was a betting man, you'll see a relo from your son sooner than you think. Chin up and positive thinking
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