All four authors of this blog are CFP® professionals working for fee-only registered investment advisory firms. That is what our blog and study group is about. However, an additional commonality is that we all moved to a new state in order to start out job. As a result, we often talk about the challenges living in a new area as well.
Moving to a new state can be intimidating. Sometimes my friends from high school who have not moved away from home comment how they could never do so because they would miss their family too much. That is a valid argument but one that, in my experience, does not have to be true. I am closer with my family now that I live in a different state than compared to when I lived with them. I call my grandmother about once a week. I write letters to my aunt. I text my uncle about the Buffalo Sabres games. I frequently speak with my parents on the phone and exchange emails with my mother. Proximity does not equal closeness and lack of proximity does not equal distance as it relates to family relationships. By making an effort to keep in touch with family, I have become closer with them despite the distance of living apart.
Others may have different circumstances. Talking on the phone is certainly not the same as seeing someone in person. However, for those who might be hesitant to move away for fear of missing family, I would encourage them to consider the possibility that it might actually bring them closer together. That has been my experience.