Whether you’ve lived in California all your life or you’ve been planning to retire there for years, building a happy and prosperous future in one of the sunniest states in the US is all about advance planning.
It’s also a state that’s in flux, with new jobs forming and cities changing shape as demographic shifts take place. Here’s how you can plan your way through these changes to build a happy future in California.
Real Estate
One of the most attractive aspects of moving to California is the real estate. Here, you can divide the opportunities into two main areas. This is a large state, and many rural dwellings are up for sale for cut prices. Elsewhere, plots of land far away from the biggest cities are incredibly cheap – which is a dream come true for those who are attracted to a ranching lifestyle rather than one in the big cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Then there’s the other side of California, the very cities that ranchers might wish to avoid. These cities are full of innovation, youthful energy and creative ideas, which is exactly what draws so many people to them yearly. Property prices are high, but you can be sure that they’ll keep rising. Find a neighborhood that you think might come into fashion in the future for your first purchase, and build up a portfolio of real estate from there.
Companies
Then there are the companies that operate out of California. In the south, you’ll be able to look into new Silicon Valley startups, which are often the most exciting propositions and can return you the biggest margins. Many become unicorns within just a handful of years, and several have floated IPOs since their formation in the early 2010s. Meanwhile, there are entertainment companies in Los Angeles and manufacturing firms a little further inland – as well as lucrative farming companies in the rich and fertile valleys of California.
These options all make for savvy investments, whether you’re putting your cash behind a promising startup or a business that’s already established. If you’re soon to retire and you’d like to live a life of leisure and luxury in California, you’ll also have the option of investing in horses or wine estates that will give you access to leisure activities to pass the time.
Leisure and Experiences
There are few states that can boast as many experiences as California. This is a place where you can go off-grid in the hills, hike in the Sierra, white water raft in the canyons, or pleasure boat between the marinas of the biggest cities in the country. Each of these options comes at a price, of course, but if you have expendable income that you’re looking to attach to some fun experiences, California will certainly show you a good time.
One of the most pleasant ways to invest your cash in some future fun is to secure yourself a boat at one of the state’s many pleasant marinas. You can also find yourself spots in multiple of these marinas so that you always have a place to park your boat after a voyage – whether fishing or merely cruising up the coast. Find the best marinas in San Diego as a fantastic base for your vessel, and hit out into the sea whenever you have a free afternoon in the state.
Work
If you’re moving to California for good and you have several years of work left in you, then you should certainly look into the exciting employment opportunities in the state. Those with a creative bend in their personality might well do best in Los Angeles, where you may be able to make your dreams a reality through the huge entertainment industry that’s located there. Those who love working with their hands might prefer inland farms, ranches, and estates upon which to toil.
Others still will be drawn by the Palo Alto promise of technology and innovation. Moving to San Francisco will give you a balance of technology-focused business and hipster cool. Besides these most famous industries, there are several promising and emerging opportunities for adventurous and ambitious souls – from mining new minerals to making electric vehicles to helping launch rockets into space for humanity’s next great leap into the future.
California can truly claim to have it all, which is why you’re looking to move there. This guide is about how and where to invest in the state to get the most out of your time there.
