Many Indians dream of going to the US once in their lifetime with the aim of either working or settling down there. The US has been one of the top choices for Indians going abroad for studies, job or for other purposes as it offers lucrative pay benefits and an experience of life-time. However, there are multiple things that Indians, after spending some time abroad, miss about their country.
It could be people, family or just them being Indian. For the past few years, it has been noticed that people have returned to the country after earning well abroad, and settled in India.
One such person shared a long post on reddit, sharing how his decision to go to the US increased his income to a level that he has made multiple sources of earnings, apart from a home and two lands. The post was shared on X by a user.
“Indians are making millions of dollars in the US and coming back home more than ever before. They’re buying property 99% of salarymen in India couldn’t afford in a lifetime all while keeping the US option open. It’s hard to financially justify never leaving the country,” the X user said with the screenshots of the reddit posts.
Went to US in 2007, returned to India 2016
The reddit user, who said he was in his 40s, left the country in 2007 to pursue his master’s in the US. “At that time, I took a loan of about 5 lakhs for my studies and my dad was already managing around 40 lakhs of debt. Instead of taking up a job after graduation, I started a small software company while still studying and began picking up projects from different countries,” he said.
In just 13 years, the man said he paid off all the debt which was over Rs 45 lakhs, and also managed to buy a home for his family while in the US. “…(I) then steadily invested further in real estate. In 2016, my father passed away, and that was when I decided to move back to India. Since my work was fully remote, technically I could have stayed in a smaller city, but I chose Pune for my kids’ education and future opportunities,” he added.
Listing out his strong portfolio, the user said over all these years, he has managed to have agricultural land worth around 2 crores (ancestral, no rental income), residential flats worth around Rs 2 crores in total, generating around Rs 34,000 rent monthly.
Apart from this, he has two offices worth about Rs 3 crores, generating approx. Rs 1 lakh monthly rent. A self-occupied flat for my family (worth Rs 2 crores), stocks worth 2 crores (dividends earn Rs 2 lakhs per year). He also has gold worth Rs 1 crore (ancestral + purchased), and Rs 50 lakhs in cash.
He added that his software business continues to generate about Rs 80 lakhs profit annually, which is his “main source of active income”. The user said he is also exploring international mutual funds to create a “hedge in case the Indian market slows down.”
Does he miss the US?
The reddit user mentioned that he doesn’t like the US. Though he loved his seven years there because of clean air, water, and systems, he never felt “unhealthy in India either”.
“…so I don’t see much difference in all that rhetoric. What I value here is that I can take care of my mother, raise my kids close to family, and hire help for daily tasks (something that’s tough in the US where you always have to do everything yourself and still live frugally to save). Although I sometimes feel depressed that all my friends and cousins are settled in the USA,” he added.
Road traffic is one thing the user complained about in India, calling it “annoying”. However, he added, since he is not required to commute daily, “I simply plan outings at non-peak hours. Overall, I’m much happier here.”
Mysore resident’s ‘6 figure salary’ experience in US
A resident from Mysore (Mysuru) in Karnataka also shared a similar post on reddit, explaining how she has made significant wealth while in the US. The user said she went to the US for her masters in 2009.
“(I) Got job in 2011. Married in 2012 . Husband lready had a GC so no issues with immigration . Both of us had high six figure incomes , had 2 kids . 5 and 3 years old now. Net combined worth of 4 million USD. Hubby got an opportunity at the Indian office of his Bangalore so we took the opportunity to come back last year,” she said.
The woman added that they got their US citizenship in 2022 “so don’t have to worry about losing residency . Bought a house in Mysore ( husband travels 3 days a week to Bangalore for work ), I quit my job . I have a maid , a cook and a part time driver . A lot of my childhood friends still live in Mysore , so does family . It’s heaven :)” she added.
The only thing she regretted about is the traffic in Mysore which she called worse, and “Bangalore traffic is pure hell . But other than that , I really don’t see any downsides here.”