#remote-work

5 articles

6 Months in Lisbon: Keep the NYC Apartment or Break the Lease?

Three options, three answers depending on duration. Sublet wins for 3-6 month trips with strong recovery; lease break wins past 9 months; keep-empty almost never wins. The math, the legality wildcards, and the re-entry trap.

I Was 11 Days Short of FEIE — Here's What That Cost Me

FEIE excludes $130K of foreign income from US federal tax — but the 330-day Physical Presence rule is binary. Miss by even 1 day and you owe full federal tax on the entire amount. The math, the trap, and the workarounds people don't talk about.

Your Company Wants -15% to Move Remote: the Break-Even Math (It's 35%)

Companies offer 10-25% pay cuts on relocation, but break-even on a typical SF→Austin move is closer to 35-40%. The gap between 'company offer' and 'true break-even' is your savings rate boost. Math, scenarios, and the negotiation lever most engineers miss.

$200K SF to Austin: $36K/Year Savings Boost, $510K Over 10 Years

We ran the cost-of-living math for the typical SF tech worker considering Austin. The savings rate jumps from 25% to 38%. The 10-year wealth gap is $510K. The honesty correction: real moves usually capture 70-80% of theoretical savings, not 100%.

Remote Work = $11,600/Year of Net Savings = $15K Pre-Tax Raise Equivalent

Average commuter saves $6K commute + $2.5K food + $900 wardrobe + $1.8K parking − $1.2K home office costs = $11,600/year. Tax-free. Equivalent to a $15,263 pre-tax raise at 24% bracket.