If you were banished from the US...

..where would you move? Why? (If you're not from the US, say where you're from and then answer accordingly)

Assumptions of the game: 1. You've been working for a few years, but aren't loaded or anything. In other words, you have money to move, get settled, etc., but you'll still eventually need a job wherever you move. So money matters, but not as a limiting factor.

  1. This is long-term. You're outta here forever.

edit: 3. When I say "banished," I really just mean forced to leave for some reason. Basically I just mean that you cannot live in the US. The reason doesnt matter. Pretend it has no effect on your status in the new country.

Bonus question- Last place you'd wanna live? --excluding obvious places like the Middle East, most of Africa, and other countries we've never heard of --> keep it to well-known, not so obvious countries. Don't be that guy that says, "Afghanistan."

I'll start below.

53 Comments
 

I'd move to: Spain-beautiful country, weather, awesome people (hot women), fun culture and good food. Remember this is long-term--I think they'll get out of this economic situation in the next 5-10 years at most. Get a finance job in Madrid or Barcelona and live it up.

Runner-ups: Brazil, Argentina, Germany.

Last place- I was gonna go with Mexico, but decided it's too obvious. Instead, China. From what I hear, there are beautiful parts of the country, so I would actually like to visit. Long-term though, I'd get sick of the food (apparently nothing like American "Chinese food"), overpopulation/traffic, pollution, etc.

Runner-ups: Russia, France.

 

Easy--Singapore or somewhere in the Caribbean. Sandy beaches, strong financial service, low taxes...come to think of it, I may do that even if they don't kick me out.

Where not to go----too many places to list, if your not being sucked dry there is the chance you might get your head cut off...and some places have a two for one special...yeah ;)

"Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA."
 

Well my problem is that I'm a 6 foot tall jewish kid with a really bad memory for languages.

Let's see if language were NOT a factor........

Slovenia Germany Hungary Australia China Indonesia India Canada England

I guess I'm sort of assuming that if I move to a third world country that I'll have a BB job in eurodollars.

 

And, to be completely and utterly honest, I think I want to spend at least a year of my life in NY at some point. Just to say I did.

 

Is this supposed to be a tough question? Don't get me wrong, I love being American and everything, but there are plenty of places where you can live literally EXACTLY like you do in the US.

For example, what's really that different between living in Toronto, Sydney, or San Francisco?

Off the top of my head, a list of places where I wouldn't even hesitate to live if required (in fact, I'd rather live in these cities than basically all of the rural areas of the US) include: -Montreal -Toronto -London -Paris -Brussels -Sydney -Melbourne -Auckland -HK -Singapore

NOTE: This is only a list of cities where language wouldn't be an issue.

“Millionaires don't use astrology, billionaires do”
 
Nouveau RichieIs this supposed to be a tough question? Don't get me wrong, I love being American and everything, but there are plenty of places where you can live literally EXACTLY like you do in the US.

For example, what's really that different between living in Toronto, Sydney, or San Francisco?

Off the top of my head, a list of places where I wouldn't even hesitate to live if required (in fact, I'd rather live in these cities than basically all of the rural areas of the US) include: -Montreal -Toronto -London -Paris -Brussels -Sydney -Melbourne -HK -Singapore

NOTE: This is only a list of cities where language wouldn't be an issue.

It's not a tough question-there's no right or wrong answer. I said nothing about America being unique or even the best. It's just where we're from. It's an opinion question and your answer can be completely different from the US. You listed places similar to America, but the question was where would you want to move to. Some people might rather move to the French countryside, Chile, Japan, or some other unique place.

I just thought it'd be an interesting to think about and hear other opinions.

 

Either Scandanavia or a major Asian hub (Hong Kong, Singapore)

There have been many great comebacks throughout history. Jesus was dead but then came back as an all-powerful God-Zombie.
 
wandererIf language was no issue, I would move to a ski village in Switzerland and become a ski bum. Of course, I'm assuming I would have bleak white collar job prospects (as I was banned from the US).

I almost put Switzerland on mine too. That'd be a cool place to be for sure.

And you may be joking, but I guess I didn't really mean banished literally like that. More of an imaginary banishing that has no effect on your life abroad. I'll edit that. So white collar jobs are fair game. You'd have plenty of BB's in Switzerland though haha.

And like I put in that first assumption, job considerations are fair game. The Carribean might be a sweet place to retire, but you probably wont get your dream job there.

 
everythingsucks
arbitRAGE.Lawhore. Baghdad. Kabul.

It's Lahore. And it's actually an amazing city. Not remotely similar to the other two.

"everythingsucks"

I win here, I win there...
 

My top choices: Nigeria, South Africa, Botswana or Canada. Last choices: Northern Europe

I am not cocky, I am confident, and when you tell me I am the best it is a compliment. -Styles P
 
eokpar02My top choices: Nigeria, South Africa, Botswana or Canada. Last choices: Northern Europe

Not to harsh your buzz dude, but Africa? Little risqué for me.....

 
monkeysamaNot to harsh your buzz dude

The 80s called, they said that the 70s want their syntax back. haha.

“Millionaires don't use astrology, billionaires do”
 
monkeysama
eokpar02My top choices: Nigeria, South Africa, Botswana or Canada. Last choices: Northern Europe

Not to harsh your buzz dude, but Africa? Little risqué for me.....

Africa has some of the best investment opportunities in the world. Land is freakishly cheap and undeveloped. And the countries that I listed are stable democracies. Their stock markets often rise like 80% a year. Check out Abuja! I was there two years ago and loved it.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/78364/cnbc-originals-dollars-and-danger-afric…

I am not cocky, I am confident, and when you tell me I am the best it is a compliment. -Styles P
 
monkayNorway, highest standard of living

They also have 50% tax rates.

I am not cocky, I am confident, and when you tell me I am the best it is a compliment. -Styles P
 

[quote=arbitRAGE.] The irony... http://www.chartattack.com/news/70524/church-arsoned-in-norway[/quote]

Dude, got stuck in a train cart with a bunch of black metallers on an overnight train ride to Malmö once. I was with a few fellow Uni students, one of whom was a girl, and we were all dressed really preppy/proper; we couldn't have been any more different than this group. Anyway, they they kept staring at us and giving us really menacing looks the entire night. We weren't able to sleep at all, scary as hell.

Moral of the story: Fuck those people.

“Millionaires don't use astrology, billionaires do”
 
Best Response

Great question. While the U.S. is definitely one of the most desirable places to live, it can never produce the allure nor the cultural experience that a new country could. As a result, I'm actually seeking to actively banish myself from the U.S. after business school and build my career abroad.

I'm pretty flexible, but my top destinations are: - Spain - Argentina - London (Not as exciting -- and not a country, I know) - France (my girlfriend would love this one, I've never even been) - Anywhere else in Western Europe or Sweden

Also -- if you don't know the language, LEARN IT! I find few things more rewarding in life than learning a new language, even if it does take time.

As for places I have minimal desire to live/work: - Anywhere in Asia (sorry folks) - Anywhere in the Middle East - Anywhere in Africa

I'm pretty risk adverse when it comes to safety. I'd go visit the Middle East in a second if I didn't feel like I was putting my life at risk.

CompBanker’s Career Guidance Services: https://www.rossettiadvisors.com/
 
CompBankerGreat question. While the U.S. is definitely one of the most desirable places to live, it can never produce the allure nor the cultural experience that a new country could. As a result, I'm actually seeking to actively banish myself from the U.S. after business school and build my career abroad.

I'm pretty flexible, but my top destinations are: - Spain - Argentina - London (Not as exciting -- and not a country, I know) - France (my girlfriend would love this one, I've never even been) - Anywhere else in Western Europe or Sweden

Also -- if you don't know the language, LEARN IT! I find few things more rewarding in life than learning a new language, even if it does take time.

As for places I have minimal desire to live/work: - Anywhere in Asia (sorry folks) - Anywhere in the Middle East - Anywhere in Africa

I'm pretty risk adverse when it comes to safety. I'd go visit the Middle East in a second if I didn't feel like I was putting my life at risk.

Like your style Comp, especially on Spain and Argentina. I would also be pretty interested in living/working in those places, at least for a few years. (spanish is the one other language I kinda know already, although it needs a little polish). Have you done any research on finance careers in Spain/Argentina?

 
ibintx
CompBankerGreat question. While the U.S. is definitely one of the most desirable places to live, it can never produce the allure nor the cultural experience that a new country could. As a result, I'm actually seeking to actively banish myself from the U.S. after business school and build my career abroad.

I'm pretty flexible, but my top destinations are: - Spain - Argentina - London (Not as exciting -- and not a country, I know) - France (my girlfriend would love this one, I've never even been) - Anywhere else in Western Europe or Sweden

Also -- if you don't know the language, LEARN IT! I find few things more rewarding in life than learning a new language, even if it does take time.

As for places I have minimal desire to live/work: - Anywhere in Asia (sorry folks) - Anywhere in the Middle East - Anywhere in Africa

I'm pretty risk adverse when it comes to safety. I'd go visit the Middle East in a second if I didn't feel like I was putting my life at risk.

Like your style Comp, especially on Spain and Argentina. I would also be pretty interested in living/working in those places, at least for a few years. (spanish is the one other language I kinda know already, although it needs a little polish). Have you done any research on finance careers in Spain/Argentina?

I've done a fair amount of research into PE shops in Spain/Argentina. It's the classic question of correlation = causation, but it appears as though the employees are all locals with no ex-pats. So, I imagine it will be a struggle for a guy like me (or you) to land a position in either location without a very definitive angle. I'm hoping b-school will enable me to make the transition. I've got some high level connections in Argentina, including PE, but I won't be holding my breath. I'm guessing the best way to crack this nut is to go work for an international PE shop, such as Advent International, and then transfer to your desired region.
CompBanker’s Career Guidance Services: https://www.rossettiadvisors.com/
 

I'm surprised to see Singapore come up so often. The place always struck me as a hermetically sealed biodome of a city. Good food (OK, great food) and maybe a nice place to raise a family, but no place for young expat in his prime.

I'd have to go with an English-speaking country; not hearing my mother tongue for longer than a few months is tough on me. With that in mind, Vancouver would be high on my list. Tokyo would be fun too, but only for a few years.

 
EngPhDI'm surprised to see Singapore come up so often. The place always struck me as a hermetically sealed biodome of a city. Good food (OK, great food) and maybe a nice place to raise a family, but no place for young expat in his prime.

I'd have to go with an English-speaking country; not hearing my mother tongue for longer than a few months is tough on me. With that in mind, Vancouver would be high on my list. Tokyo would be fun too, but only for a few years.

Lots of hot asian chicks whose love for white guys is less only than their love for putting out for white guys, perfect. They speak English (or at least some form of it) there too.

 
rfxm3
EngPhDI'm surprised to see Singapore come up so often. The place always struck me as a hermetically sealed biodome of a city. Good food (OK, great food) and maybe a nice place to raise a family, but no place for young expat in his prime.

I'd have to go with an English-speaking country; not hearing my mother tongue for longer than a few months is tough on me. With that in mind, Vancouver would be high on my list. Tokyo would be fun too, but only for a few years.

Lots of hot asian chicks whose love for white guys is less only than their love for putting out for white guys, perfect. They speak English (or at least some form of it) there too.

Singapore was really nice, but I got a bit sick of the malls and monotonous citylife after a bit though. I really enjoyed Orchard street nonetheless.

Thailand was pretty fun, I enjoyed it a bit more than Singapore. There was more stuff to do and more places to visit. I found a bit of a language barrier though.

I'd like to visit Tokyo some day though.

 

I am not actually living in the US but if I was banned from Austria, my picks would be:

Zürich/Geneva London/Paris HongKong/Kuala Lumpur

 

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