Things to Get Used To
There are a number of things which are difficult to get used to living in the US. The first is finding a brand of something you recognize. Most of the brands that I was familiar with in Canada are still sold down here, but not all of them. It’s rare enough that I’m not hopeless in a grocery store, yet it occurs often enough that I’m reminded I’m in a different place now.
Next is the banking system. I pay ~$15/150 cheques down here where I was used to ~$25/1000. At the same time, debit card usage is free, ATM usage (at my bank’s ATMs) is free, cheque writing is free. It’s different, but I can get used to it. In Canada the banks want you to pay them ~$12/month to waive transaction fees, up to a certain limit, anyways.
Saving for retirement. The principles remain the same - put money in an account and watch it grow. The more and the earlier, the better. However the differences between 401k and IRAs is confusing. I’m still not certain how a rollover works, or why I even need to worry about one in the first place. Shouldn’t *I* be picking who will manage my retirement money?
That’s it for now. i’m certain I’ll come up with more later.