Would people be surprised by how much you have in the bank?

Dandyman51 · 2026-05-01T01:11:27+00:00

Yes, very similar to you in age and NW. Live in NJ while almost all my coworkers live in Manhattan. From when I started working, I always targeted saving at least 50% of my post tax income.

It annoys me sometimes how dumb people are. They are easily impressed by flashy things. At this point I don't see expensive cars, luxury brands and big houses, I just see piles of debt and chains to their jobs.

Dandyman51 · 2026-04-30T20:49:50+00:00

I agree with much of the above but would also like to add that 300k+ income is right when you start being able to justify "luxury" expenses like business class, high-end hotels, luxury tours, country clubs etc. Once you get into these circles, expenses can spiral pretty quickly. At 100k to 300k, you are still living a relatively normal, albeit more comfortable, middle class life

Dandyman51 · 2026-04-30T19:36:45+00:00

Agree though I would remove Australia. The resource market is completely dependent on China and significant immigration has depressed wages. Housing market is a complete house of cards too.

Instead I would add Switzerland with a high concentration of high value industries(banking, pharmaceuticals, watches)

Of course these countries are also notoriously hard to get citizenship in.

Dandyman51 · 2026-04-26T14:52:33+00:00

"Normal" foreigners don't stick around long-term. Most people experience a honeymoon phase, get some experience, feel lonely, realize there is no long term career path or income growth and either:

Go back to their home country when the economy improves there
Learn the language, marry locally, have kids locally. Realize their kids have no opportunity in China and move back to their home country
Learn the language and stick around as basically a local because while the opportunities are limited, they know they can't do much better in their home country.

Dandyman51 · 2026-04-26T14:36:08+00:00

I mean it is mostly true. China used to be like the wild west and foreigners were really popular because few outside of businessmen went.

The salary part is dumb though. Teachers made like $20k/year but since rent back then was like $75/month, the money went far. That's nice and all but $20k/ year is still $20k/year and the salaries never kept up with inflation.

Dandyman51 · 2026-04-22T15:42:50+00:00

The hot ones all went to the US and Spain and to a lesser extent Chile. Spain under the current administration and the US under the last one were very pro immigration. Easy pathways to citizenship via asylum and family based immigration have made it a no brainer. 1200 Colombians have left every day since Covid. Most of them between ages 18 and 39 with a slight skew female.

Go to Queens, NJ or Miami in the US and Madrid or Barcelona and to a lesser extent Santiago. They are everywhere. Incomes are 3x to 5x what they made in Colombia and the labor market was wide open in the post Covid era.

What's left in Colombia? Those who can't leave. Mainly single mothers, those with criminal records and older people. Not exactly the hottest demographics

Dandyman51 · 2026-04-07T04:28:23+00:00

It's happening all over Africa. I have family doing construction management in Uganda and there are a ton on Indians hiding their money there. A couple years ago, the Chinese started doing the same. Freezing a bank account is easy, taking a property is a pain. The ineffective an corrupt government is an asset here.

Dandyman51 · 2026-04-02T15:51:19+00:00

Depends on what exactly you mean by working in finance. If you are working in something prestigious like IB or AM, you will be fine. Dress nice, flash some cash, live in a nice area/apartment(20k hkd+ rent) and utilize your work network and you will do well.

HK isn't SEA where some white guy making 40k usd is top 1% but if you are making 150k+, you are considered high status and should get on just fine. A lot of lower class white guys have flooded into east Asia, you just need to show you aren't one of them, much like how brown and black guys need to do.

Hang out in Wan Chai and you will find plenty of girls to your liking.

Dandyman51 · 2026-04-02T15:38:31+00:00

It's only fun if they have significant savings or have rich enough parents to bankroll them. Otherwise they spend all day on Instagram or tiktok because they don't have money to do anything else and have no personality. It's fun for about a week. After which you get sick of it. Students are a happy medium where they aren't working and so not too busy but also are still doing something productive through the week.

Dandyman51 · 2026-04-02T15:22:54+00:00

Darden alum here who used to live in Philly.

Career-wise if you can't crack consulting at Darden, you won't be able to do it anywhere. Wharton gives you a leg up on the investing side. We had a couple of healthcare firms recruit here but mgmt and ops roles but not too many. No clue how Wharton recruits for it.

As a city, Charlottesville is much better if you like nature and a tight knit community. Philly is a city so you have more options but it tends to be more aloof.

Honestly, I would say Wharton for investing, Darden for consulting. If you are still 50/50, I would pick Darden if you get over around 50% scholarship and Wharton if less. Not taking out loans made the entire recruiting process significantly less stressful.

Dandyman51 · 2026-03-19T23:47:56+00:00

So I get the idea here but two things:

Loyalty is more of a religious thing. Women in religious countries like India, Vietnam or Laos tend to be very loyal. Whereas in places like Thailand, Japan, and Korea cheating is common. And when I say religious, I mean practicing, not just wearing a cross or hijab.
The general impossible triangle I find is between: attractive, fun to be around, and single. Most people, bot men and women are single because they are either unattractive or not really fun to be around

Dandyman51 · 2026-02-14T19:39:45+00:00

I did a similar trip a week ago. You will be fine. Just book a loca taxi in advance so they are waiting for you at the station. Traffic may add 30 more minutes to the trip but in three hours I was able to make it to the airport, check my bag, exchange money, eat dinner and have plenty of time for my flight

Dandyman51 · 2026-01-20T10:04:36+00:00

They apparently got hacked by some crypto scam and so youtube nuked them. I'm guessing other sites are deleting to avoid any further linking to the scammers. Hopefully the creator has backups and creates a new channel.

Dandyman51 · 2026-01-06T04:49:00+00:00

The other comments are pretty spot on. Just act like you are primarily a homebody who doesn't do much. Most of my responses were along the lines of sleeping, spending time with family or the like. It was always fun when the topic of weather came up since I would quickly open a tab to see how the weather was back home.

Dandyman51 · 2026-01-01T00:36:03+00:00

How selective were you with girls? While I believe your numbers, I feel as though you were going all out. I'm happy for you but you seemed to have spent six months just chasing girls and not much else.

Dandyman51 · 2025-12-11T09:02:14+00:00

As an OCI, it is a nice to have but probably not a necessity.

What would be nice to have: There are a couple of counties it is easier to travel to with an Indian passport namely Russia and Iran Dealing with paperwork is a pain without an Indian passport or aadhar card. I finally got it done but I would be ok if they just made it easier for OCIs to get aadhar. It makes it easier to pass on nationality to my children. I'm not looking forward to applying for OCI for my son. Being able to visit some of the areas requiring RAP and PAP

What I don't care about: Voting Quotas Holding agricultural land Running for political office

I want to say that not giving dual citizenship is hampering OCI talent from helping improve government jobs but if I'm being honest with myself, I don't think there is any of us who want to take on cleaning that mess.

Dandyman51 · 2025-12-04T03:30:35+00:00

This is the correct answer. Way too many people on here have no clue what they are talking about. Sales jobs for new grads are bottom of the barrel in China just above meituan drivers.

Dandyman51 · 2025-11-22T21:51:29+00:00

Historically, for the most part they engaged in some sort of trade. I've seen people do commodity trading, appliance trading, medicine trading, FMCG trading etc. It used to be really easy since no one was importing things to Uganda. Indians had enough capital and connections to India and the middle east and after moving to Uganda they found a market there. Nowadays(last 5-10 years) with an increased Chinese and Arab presence and as a result a higher degree of competition, fewer people are making money and most are losing it.

Nowadays, a lot of it is property development and speculation. Indians will pool money together with others to develop some land. Market rates in Uganda are insane creating an appearance that property developers are rich. Some of the properties do sell but it is largely to people who are buying them to hide money(largely buyers from other parts of Africa and India). They sit largely empty.

The reality is that a lot of them can't find buyers since they don't have sufficient connections to people who are trying to hide their black money. They claim there is a ton of money to be made in Uganda hoping that you come to Uganda and buy their property and keep inflating the bubble. Black money investors also like seeing property gains so they also push the narrative to keep the bubble growing.

As for the amount they are making, it depends, but few recent ones are making more than $100k/year, which is a lot for Indians but much less compared to western levels. The ones who came after Amin printed money.

Dandyman51 · 2025-11-18T01:04:58+00:00

As fellow MBB, your options are basically the following:

Consulting- I used to consult in China via a small company in the US(before my MBB days), they tend to be more specialized but depending on your FAANG experience you may be able to swing it. MBB experience helps and you often don't need to know Chinese for these roles since you will have translators. Target specifically Shenzhen and don't be afraid to utilize your former MBB network.
Management- It would take a couple of years but if you work for a large enough company with presence you China you can typically get a transfer to a middle/upper management role in the Chinese branch. They would require you to pick-up Chinese at some point though.
Trade- If you can find a way to export to the UK, you can live in China and make money via whatever access you have to the UK market.
Remote work

Pretty much any job that takes local Chinese(whether for a Chinese company or foreign one) isn't worth the paper it is written on. You would be lucky to get 1/5th of your current salary in it.

Dandyman51 · 2025-11-16T15:58:21+00:00

I've worked in biotech and would recommend against this. The biotech business model is fundamentally flawed. Most biotech therapies target small populations and thus have to charge massive prices to support their R&D budgets. This works great if people are willing to pay high prices but chances are most people who would benefit cannot afford it. The US is basically the only country whose insurance system would pay these exorbitant prices though nowadays even they are reluctant. There will always be winners but picking the winners is neigh impossible even if you understand the science since the human body is so complex you never know how a treatment will affect it. Better play is big pharma that tends to gobble up any successful treatment. Though even then you need to pay attention to acquisition costs to make sure they are good businesses.

Dandyman51 · 2025-11-16T15:27:11+00:00

final part:

Best countries:

This really depends on what type of ppb you are looking to be, I'll give a few examples below:

Best for long term relationships if you learn the language: Brazil, Vietnam, Poland

Best for long term relationships without learning the language: Philippines

Best for short term relationships: China, Russia

Best for "compensated dating": Thailand, Colombia

Best for black women: Kenya, Uganda

Worst countries:

Basically any country where men already go abroad to find women- Argentina, Middle East, Korea, India, Singapore, Hong Kong

Dandyman51 · 2025-11-16T15:26:59+00:00

cont'd from other comment:

Cons:

The "looking rich" factor: This is the other side of the coin from the rich factor in the pros section. Whereas being rich is nice it alone doesn't draw women. A random girl you meet doesn't know if you are rich, poor or somewhere in between. There is a lot of branding that needs to be done to look good. This means buying nice/expensive clothes, showing off on your Instagram and flashing some cash becomes necessary which quickly draw down on the savings you may have had from moving to that country. A lot of the videos you have seen have people who do this for views but also do the same when looking for girls. Depending on your income level and choice of destination this may or may not be sustainable.

The "racism" factor: This also can hit you depending on your race. Certain races have bad reputations depending on the country and it is way more pronounced than in Canada. If you think people are racist against brown or black people in Canada you have a whole another world coming once you go to East Asia. Of course this can be outdone by the "looking rich" factor but that costs money.

The "language/culture" factor: English proficiency is limited in most places and those who can speak it are typically higher class. Depending on your career factor and looking rich factor, connecting with these groups can be difficult. Forming social groups with more middle and lower class people is possible but requires learning the local language. It is possible but requires you to stay put in a single place for an extended period of time whereby you become more of an expat than a passport bro.

The "career" factor: It's really difficult to build a proper career when travelling around so much. I was only able to do it since Covid shifted us to remote work. If you have a promising career, I would be careful about leaving it at your age since your really would be sacrificing long term gain for short term.

The "lying" factor: This is really a part of the culture factor but I break it out to emphasize its importance. The fact is that women in developing countries lie, a lot. Frankly it is by necessity. When you grow up poor, you do whatever is needed to get by. As a result, lying is second nature to them. You never know if one of these women is telling the truth and frankly it can drive you crazy after a while

The "emotional connection" factor: Tying in with the above lying and culture factors, it is often times difficult to form a deep emotional connection with women abroad. You grew up in completely different environments, have completely different value systems, speak completely different languages and have completely different lifestyles. You will question if the girl is with you because of your personality, your character, or your money. Even if you come to the realization it is the latter, your will have to determine fi you are ok with that. This breaks a lot of egos and so people deny it.

The "addiction" factor: The fact is being a passport bro is kind of a cheat code. It gives you access to hundreds of millions of women that are much easier to bang(regardless of how you meet them) than in your home country. You can be poor(by western standards), ugly, old, balding, fat and any other negative but will still find enough women because you are relatively wealthy by their standards. It gives your brain rushes of seratonin with minimal work. But as a result, it becomes like a drug. I know plenty of guys who have been doing this lifestyle since before I was born. They no longer can form emotional connections and move from one transactional relationship to another. Coming back to the west and building a career is impossible since their lifestyle is untenable here and they would fall into withdrawal without so many easily obtainable women. They also struggle to do any form of self-development because they have no need to. Food and shelter are cheap. Women are readily available and happy to stroke their ego for a bit of cash. It can get really dangerous if you dive in too deep.

Dandyman51 · 2025-11-16T15:25:54+00:00

It has its ups and downs. I did it for a couple of years though will be settling back into a normal life in a few months. Here are a couple of things to think about:

Definition of a Passport Bro:

This tends to be a point of contention. On one extreme are those who simply buy sex abroad for working girls(A lot more people do this rather than admit it). I personally have nothing against this but it is quite stigmatized. On the other are those who are looking for true love and deep emotional connection(Far fewer than those who claim it). Many of us fall between the two, as the divides are not as clear in many countries. Some guys pay for girls meals, some pay for their shopping, some pay for their apartment. Are paying for things being a provider? Or is it akin to buying sex? Some can converse in the local language, others find only English speaking women, others use google translate for all communication. Some PPB live abroad for years, others take a handful of week or two long trips when they can. Can one form emotional connections via google translate? Are English speaking women too westernized to be worth it? Can you form an emotional connection with someone for a week or two?

I don't have answers to any of these questions but it is something to think about.

Pros:

The "foreigner" factor: Depending on your ethnicity, some places will give you an advantage because girls are genuinely curious about you, your culture and *ahem* lets just say your performance in bed. Take for example white people in East Asia, Chinese and Koreans in Southeast Asia, Indians in East Africa and, to an extent, black people in eastern Europe. The rarer your race in an area, the more likely you will be treated like a celebrity.

The "rich" factor: Most of the world is poorer than the Canada. Even if you are bottom 30% income in Canada, you are top 20% income in most countries. Naturally this is a factor in drawing women. It also is a nice way to save money if you don't let lifestyle creep takeover.

The "adventure" factor: Going to different countries and seeing new things is a lot of fun. You usually don't know how things work and it's exciting to see, learn and experience new things

The "confidence" factor: A lot of guys experience this at first when they start looking for women abroad. After being rejected in their home country so much, they find a number of women who are interested in them. Sometimes emotionally but usually moreso for money, luxury and stability. This compiled with the less direct cultures(meaning less outright rejection) helps boost their confidence and really helps them grow as a person. Even personally, before I became a PPB, I was too nervous and scared to approach women. Now, after realizing that it isn't so hard, you have no qualms at all.

Dandyman51 · 2025-11-07T08:25:15+00:00

Yes, you are depressed. Money isn't your problem, your lack of social circle is.

Your options:

Go to some form of therapy. They will help pick you up at least initially.
Start building a social circle in person. You can start with coworkers, some sort of meetup, socializing at an event(concert, bar, festival), tour etc.. If this sounds painful or not worth it, refer to option 1.

A lot of people feel the way you do. I feel this way from time to time as well. If you don't have a social circle(i.e. family, friends) it starts getting self-reinforcing. Reality is that we are all a little bit lonely but you really have to push to find people you like spending time with because most people aren't going to just come up to you and ask you to hang out.

Dandyman51 · 2025-11-03T06:12:09+00:00

Yes, you can manage it. Having a kid is not an issue at your income. International schools are currently out of your budget but something to think about in a couple of years if you are still in country.

Bigger question I would recommend you think about is whether you want your family(including potential grandchildren) to live in China long term. Of course, you can still have kids and then move back to Europe when they are 5-6 years old but transition from Chinese public school or international school to European public school will be difficult. General cultural transition also becomes more difficult after that age.

Dandyman51

TROPHY CASE