Three years ago, if you had asked me to point out Oklahoma, let alone Tulsa, on a map, there was no way I could do it. Fast forward, and today, although my geography knowledge hasn’t improved much, not only can I point out Oklahoma on a map, I live there.
I’m a native Californian born in San Jose, raised in Orlando, and moved to Los Angeles after college. I never planned on leaving California, but when the pandemic hit in 2020, my priorities quickly shifted.
My life is filled with stories of being the “first” and/or “only” person in my family, community, or profession to achieve certain goals. I am the first in my family to attend college and the only person to earn a graduate degree. I am the first female entrepreneur in my family and the only person to own multiple rental properties. I recently became the first Black female Certified Financial Planner in the state of Oklahoma and remain the only Certified Financial Planner.
Financial Transactions
I was the first in my family to move to Oklahoma, but thankfully I’m not the only one here. In the three years since we moved to Tulsa, I’ve convinced my sister, parents, niece, and several cousins to come with me. We now have nine family members here, and hope to convince more to move with us. We all moved from California, purchased four properties in the Tulsa area, and have volunteered over 2,000 hours with local Tulsa organizations.
Moving to Tulsa allowed me to be closer to my family and regain the balance in my life that I didn’t have in California, but ultimately it was a calculated financial move.
To understand my story, let’s step back a bit. My father was a self-employed butcher for over 45 years. I grew up watching him work hard to build his business while my mother put her own dreams on hold to raise me and my three sisters at home. We weren’t wealthy, but we lacked for everything. My parents poured their meager disposable income into supporting us, sending us to a private Christian school, playing sports, and attending every school event and fundraiser. They never limited our imaginations or allowed us to limit ourselves. Growing up in that environment has laid the foundation for my personal success and motivated me to give back to my parents, even if it wasn’t an arrangement that asked for something in return.
Now, back to 2020. During the pandemic, I was living in Los Angeles, renting an overpriced townhouse, paying a loan on a car with no place to drive, and my family lived in Northern California seven hours away. Work-wise, my business effortlessly shifted to a virtual format, and I was able to see triple the number of clients in a week without sitting in traffic. Financially, I was saving money because I wasn’t eating out, spending money on gas, shopping, and participating in other costly activities.
With that change, I finally had some disposable income and it gave me the opportunity to think about what to do with it. I considered buying property in Los Angeles, but I ran into three big problems. First, I couldn’t bear to pay such a high price for so little. Second, I would end up spending so much that I would probably be “house poor” and not be able to maintain the lifestyle I wanted. Finally, and most importantly, I missed my family and wanted to live closer, but they couldn’t afford to live in Los Angeles and I didn’t want to live in a rural town in Northern California.
Being the kind of person who doesn’t compromise, I found a solution. We needed to move to a place that had business and entertainment opportunities, was affordable, wasn’t too rural, and didn’t have the hectic life of Los Angeles. So I started researching, created a spreadsheet, a list of pros and cons, a projected budget, and made a targeted list of places to move to. I included quantitative measures of statistics like average home price, median cost of living, demographics, proximity to an airport, etc. I also included qualitative measures like family-friendly activities, city history, charitable organizations, etc. I was surprised to find that Tulsa, Oklahoma, ticked all the boxes above all the other cities. It’s one of the cities with the most philanthropy per capita in the U.S., is home to Black Wall Street, has a low cost of living, and has an organization called “Tulsa Remote” that will pay you $10,000 just for moving there. It was the easiest decision I’ve ever made.
From renting to buying a home
Although there were many “emotional” benefits, it was the financial benefits of the move that ultimately sealed the deal for me and my family. I booked a flight for September 2020 and made an appointment with a local real estate agent to view homes. My dad, who was much more cautious than I was about the move, accompanied me and helped me choose our first home. I closed the deal on the property in November 2020, sold all my possessions in LA, packed my car, and was in Tulsa by December 7, 2020.
I never imagined I would own a home at 29, because it was financially impossible in California. We were able to buy a house for the same monthly mortgage as renting a room in a townhouse in North Hollywood with no yard or property. At the same time, I told my parents I was moving, because I chose the city for them, and they were going to move too, and I needed to start preparing. (I wasn’t reluctant to be the “first” and “only,” but they knew I would tire them out eventually.) I convinced my mom how much I would enjoy living near me again. I hadn’t lived near my parents since I went to college at 17. I convinced my dad by doing the math together and showing him how much money we could save by moving. He’s retired now and on a fixed income, and even with cost-of-living adjustments, money just wasn’t there for him like it used to be. I also knew that as my parents aged, they would eventually need some kind of in-home care, which I couldn’t provide if we lived across states.
While I will always claim California as home, Tulsa is now my home. Since moving, I have purchased two properties, started my own financial planning firm (Bamboo Financial Partners), and earned two additional professional certifications.
But those are just numbers. What my financial spreadsheets couldn’t have predicted was having free time to play in a local volleyball league, raising and step-mom to my teenage nieces, finally having time to care for my dog (my Smokey Bear), being able to watch my sister finally not have to work three jobs to make ends meet, volunteering and serving on the boards of local organizations (thanks Tulsa Boys Home, Leadership Tulsa, Tulsa Dream Center). Most importantly, getting to experience life with my family. These are moments, years, and memories that can never be gotten back. Though I made the decision with finances in mind, the ultimate benefits of the move can’t be quantified, only felt.
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