You did WHAT?!

When Polly (my wife) and I first announced our decision to uproot our family from SoCal in order to reverse-migrate to Manila, Philippines we were met with a wide range of comments, enthusiasm, and criticism. We got everything from, "Wow…that's AWESOME!" to, "Wow, you guys are so brave!", to "Sounds like an adventure!", to "Why the HELL would you do that?! Most people are trying to get OUT of the Philippines!". Well, for me the choice was rather simple…it really was about trying to offer a better life for our kids.

"What?! A better life for the kids by moving AWAY from the US?! How could that be?!" i'm sure many might be thinking. The ironic thing is, THAT was the exact reason that my parents originally migrated FROM the Philippines TO the United States (despite having NO friends and NO family there) back in the late 1960's…to provide a better life for their (then) unborn children (me and my brother). So, how is it that I could possibly think that I could be offering my kids a "better life" by moving them to a 3rd world country? Well, let me explain.

Most of it has to do with the sad state of the US Economy. Most Americans work day in and day out for someone else's successful company and make just enough to pay the bills...many living paycheck to paycheck. That's OK, when you're young and don't have anyone that depends on you, but when there's family and kids involved it just won't cut it, IMHO. Don't get me wrong though...I'm not saying that money buys happiness. I'm not saying I wanna be Donald Trump, or Bill Gates. I just want the financial freedom to be able to give my kids the life that they deserve.

So, why the Philippines? Well, I've always been Entrepreneurially motivated. I've always felt that the most viable way to build true wealth is to be the OWNER of that successful business...and not "just" an employee. Problem is, the small business world in the US is not necessarily a great place to be. The fact of the matter is that 8 out of 10 small businesses in the US will fail within the first 5 years. That's not very good odds. Even in our neighborhood of Hermosa Beach back in Southern California, I saw it all the time. Small businesses in the area were always popping up, and just as quickly as they popped up, POOF, they'd be gone. Not too promising.

Is the small business failure rate lower in the Philippines than the US? Well, honestly...statistically, I don't know. But the Philippine economy IS actually getting stronger (I dunno if "booming" would be an appropriate term) and I truly feel like there is more opportunity here...especially for small-business minded people like myself. It's definitely not fool-proof but it sure does feel like the small business success rate in the Philippines is higher from the people I have talked to. I sure intend to find out, hopefully to the benefit of our kids.

Are there things that I will and do miss from the US? HELL yes...every F'n day. Are there benefits to living here over living in the US? There are definitely some. Ultimately, will making the move to the Philippines be worth it? I guess only time will tell...