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Any thoughts on Fat FIRE (e g. retirement on investments) in Germany with a family with 2 kids under 5? Generally smaller eastern EU countries would be much ea

Any thoughts on Fat FIRE (e g. retirement on investments) in Germany with a family with 2 kids under 5? Generally smaller eastern EU countries would be much easier on the wallet, but the quality of education and the need to learn irrelevant language bother me.

keiferski 3y ago
If your attitude is that a local language is "irrelevant", I don't think you're going to have a good time living abroad, no matter where you end up.
- kvdveer 3y ago
  Netherlands might work for them then. 15% of people here don't speak Dutch well enough to use it as a primary language, and this is generally accepted.
  - arlcode 3y ago
    I wonder whether these are communities that would accept him or that he wants to belong to. They speak a language and it's probably not his either.
- shortrounddev2 3y ago
  Not him, but I think there are languages which are important out of their home countries: many east Asian languages, Spanish, Arabic, Hindi. Languages which are widely spoken in other countries as a lingua franca as well as by immigrant communities. Outside of an EU perspective, German isn't a very useful language to know across the world economy. If you're going to move somewhere where your kids will grow up learning the language, I don't think it's a bad idea to weigh the value of them learning German vs. Chinese vs. Swahili and how it will help them in the future
  - keiferski 3y ago
    Sure, but it's a bit absurd and disrespectful to consider moving to a country while calling their national language "irrelevant."
    - shortrounddev2 3y ago
      It's a sober analysis of the pros/cons of moving to that country. Familiarity with Chinese or Arabic can help you navigate parts of the global economy. German less so. I don't think it's disrespectful to point out that Germany is culturally irrelevant to the vast majority of the world.
- barbazoo 3y ago
  especially in Germany
  - lostmsu 3y ago
    German is not one of the irrelevant languages though.
- lostmsu 3y ago
  I already live abroad, seems pretty OK. Many languages are really irrelevant though. Objectively. Like under 20m speakers total.
jonp888 3y ago
Retiring to Germany is highly problematic because of the health insurance requirements. It is mandatory for all German residents to have comprehensive health insurance which covers all treatment for any condition at any hospital with no deductibles. Employees are eligible for a government scheme which delivers health insurance for a fixed proportion of your income, and covers all non-working spouses and children for free. You would however have to purchase private insurance for 4 people which complies with German requirements, which would cost a fortune, particuarly if any of you have any pre-existing conditions. I think you also really don't know much about Germany if you think it is a good place to get by without learning the local language. German is such a widespread language that Germans can live their whole lives without having to have much contact with English, whereas in smaller countries films and books in English are widespread because it's not worthwhile dubbing/translating them.
- manchego 3y ago
  My reading of the comment was that the German language is used enough that it would make sense to invest the time to learn. But that languages from smaller countries are less relevant outside of the given county.
- darkclouds 3y ago
  [dead]
- voisin 3y ago
  > have to purchase private insurance for 4 people which complies with German requirements, which would cost a fortune Roughly how much are we talking?
ivan_gammel 3y ago
Set your expectations first, it is hard to reason about it without more context. You will need to learn local language anywhere and, if not English, it may not be very useful for you elsewhere. For children Germany is ok, but you have to take into account that they must attend school (yes, home schooling may be a problem here). No shopping on Sundays, housing crisis, low level of digitalization, terrible weather in winter (at least in Berlin, which I assume you would prefer as an expat).

keiferski 3y ago

If your attitude is that a local language is "irrelevant", I don't think you're going to have a good time living abroad, no matter where you end up.

kvdveer 3y ago
Netherlands might work for them then. 15% of people here don't speak Dutch well enough to use it as a primary language, and this is generally accepted.
- arlcode 3y ago
  I wonder whether these are communities that would accept him or that he wants to belong to. They speak a language and it's probably not his either.
shortrounddev2 3y ago
Not him, but I think there are languages which are important out of their home countries: many east Asian languages, Spanish, Arabic, Hindi. Languages which are widely spoken in other countries as a lingua franca as well as by immigrant communities. Outside of an EU perspective, German isn't a very useful language to know across the world economy. If you're going to move somewhere where your kids will grow up learning the language, I don't think it's a bad idea to weigh the value of them learning German vs. Chinese vs. Swahili and how it will help them in the future
- keiferski 3y ago
  Sure, but it's a bit absurd and disrespectful to consider moving to a country while calling their national language "irrelevant."
  - shortrounddev2 3y ago
    It's a sober analysis of the pros/cons of moving to that country. Familiarity with Chinese or Arabic can help you navigate parts of the global economy. German less so. I don't think it's disrespectful to point out that Germany is culturally irrelevant to the vast majority of the world.
barbazoo 3y ago
especially in Germany
- lostmsu 3y ago
  German is not one of the irrelevant languages though.
lostmsu 3y ago
I already live abroad, seems pretty OK. Many languages are really irrelevant though. Objectively. Like under 20m speakers total.

jonp888 3y ago

Retiring to Germany is highly problematic because of the health insurance requirements. It is mandatory for all German residents to have comprehensive health insurance which covers all treatment for any condition at any hospital with no deductibles. Employees are eligible for a government scheme which delivers health insurance for a fixed proportion of your income, and covers all non-working spouses and children for free. You would however have to purchase private insurance for 4 people which complies with German requirements, which would cost a fortune, particuarly if any of you have any pre-existing conditions. I think you also really don't know much about Germany if you think it is a good place to get by without learning the local language. German is such a widespread language that Germans can live their whole lives without having to have much contact with English, whereas in smaller countries films and books in English are widespread because it's not worthwhile dubbing/translating them.

manchego 3y ago
My reading of the comment was that the German language is used enough that it would make sense to invest the time to learn. But that languages from smaller countries are less relevant outside of the given county.
darkclouds 3y ago
[dead]
voisin 3y ago
> have to purchase private insurance for 4 people which complies with German requirements, which would cost a fortune Roughly how much are we talking?

ivan_gammel 3y ago

Set your expectations first, it is hard to reason about it without more context. You will need to learn local language anywhere and, if not English, it may not be very useful for you elsewhere. For children Germany is ok, but you have to take into account that they must attend school (yes, home schooling may be a problem here). No shopping on Sundays, housing crisis, low level of digitalization, terrible weather in winter (at least in Berlin, which I assume you would prefer as an expat).