At the tail end of 2023, Tiffany Grant had a health scare that served as a wake-up call.
“It made me realise life is too short to put off living where you truly feel at peace and energised,” says Grant, who is a financial wellness curator, Accredited Financial Counsellor, and founder of Money Talk with Tiff.
“I wanted to be somewhere that genuinely makes me happy and healthy.”
She drew on her past experiences travelling to Jamaica, where she found the sense of community and pace of life to be preferable to her home in North Carolina. In early 2024, she packed up her family and officially made the move.
Moving to a new country always comes with some speed bumps. Grant is a financial counsellor, so she had gone through the practice of creating a budget before she left. But upon arrival, she quickly realised that some things — like food and her children’s schooling — were more expensive in Jamaica than she had expected. Plus, figuring out new systems as an expat always requires a little bit of gymnastics.
She found that these hurdles, while initially challenging, were nothing insurmountable. And when she thinks about the ‘pros’ of making the move, the learning curve was more than worth the effort.
“The benefits have been huge for me, especially the improvement in my physical and mental health,” she says. “I feel more connected to my neighbours and the local community, and my day-to-day stress has dropped dramatically. The food, culture, sense of community, and slower pace of life have all been big positives.”
Grant maintains her business in the U.S., and her ability to earn income online means that she can work from Jamaica and still earn an income in USD. She recommends that people looking to make the same type of move ensure that their business can be operated remotely — and that the remote operations are legal in their new country.
To hedge against the headache of currency conversions, Grant does keep some of her savings and payments in the U.S., allowing her to save on conversion fees and wire transfers. For those times when she must work with multiple currencies, she uses digital banking solutions that allow her to transfer funds and pay bills internationally — all while keeping a close eye on fluctuating forex rates.
“It definitely takes planning,” Grant says, “but with technology and a little flexibility, it’s manageable.”
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Grant’s move away from the United States has led to a better quality of life. But there are some things she recommends you do to financially prepare before following in her footsteps, whether you’re a business owner or not:
When you immigrate to a new country, there are experiences to prepare for beyond the financial. Grant recommends connecting with online expat groups before you hop on a plane to learn more about things like local culture and customs, healthcare access, and school systems. The better prepared you are for these new systems, the less rocky your transition will be.
Some bumps in the road are unavoidable, though. She encourages American emigrants to prepare for this reality — while the transition can be an overall positive and exciting change, you should expect some growing pains.
“Give yourself and your family grace while adjusting, and be honest that there will be ups and downs,” Grant says. “Patience, openness, and plenty of research will help smooth the transition. Some things you can only learn once you’re there, so stay flexible and curious.”
While there is always a transition, Grant couldn’t be happier with her decision. Emigrating has provided her — and her family — with net benefits over life in the States.
“My kids went from, ‘I want my old friends back,’ to, ‘I have 17 new friends at school!’” she shares. “The transition was both the hardest and the best thing I’ve ever done.”
Part of Tiffany’s cross-border financial navigation includes raising money to help her community rebuild after Hurricane Melissa. Two weeks after the most powerful storm on record hit Jamaica, residents of West Negril were still without power, cell service, water and internet. Tiffany stepped in to help her resilient neighbours, who were overlooked in aid efforts. Today, her GoFundMe is feeding the community and getting entrepreneurs back in business.
Brynne Conroy is an award-winning personal finance writer, creator of the popular women’s finance site, Femme Frugality, and author of The Feminist Financial Handbook, which was an Amazon #1 New Release across multiple categories including Poverty and LGBTQ Demographic Studies. Her work has been cited in academic texts, and she’s spoken at venues such as Vanderbilt University, the Financial Planning Association and the 529 Conference. Here at PocketSmith, Brynne covers personal finance within American financial systems.
