How to Move To DR Without Sacraficing Your Career

In this edition of the Grubernation Weekly Newsletter:

• How to Move to DR Without Sacraficing Your Career (Even if Family Isn’t Ready)

• This Tells Me DR Real Estate Values Are Going UP!!

• Do THIS Before Moving to Dominican Republic

Feeling like no one understands your desire to move to or invest in DR? Join the DR Inner Circle! 

For just $9/month, you’ll not only get INCREDIBLE connections with 100+ like-minded people - but also expert Q&A, weekly live meetings and exclusive content PLUS you’ll get discounts at select restaurants in DR. Hope to see you in the Inner Circle!

How to Move to DR Without Sacraficing Your Career (Even if Family Isn’t Ready)

“I’d move in a second if I can find a good job there”

That is one of the MOST frequent messages I get.

But here’s a hard truth that you need to hear..

That’s NOT going to happen!!

The idea that you’re going to find a job paying in the high 5-6 figure range in DR is possible .. but so is cold fusion.

They exist - don’t get me wrong - but they’re few and far between.

The truth is .. there are two BETTER strategies to earning income in DR ..

1. Own a business locally

2. Work remotely from the US

Let’s focus on number 2.

Start learning AI in 2025

Keeping up with AI is hard – we get it!

That’s why over 1M professionals read Superhuman AI to stay ahead.

• Get daily AI news, tools, and tutorials

• Learn new AI skills you can use at work in 3 mins a day

• Become 10X more productive

Sign up and start mastering AI

In this article, I will lay out case studies and specific steps for how to keep your career AND live in paradise that NO ONE thinks about!

Remote Work Abroad

You’re working HARD in a corporate career - in a grey cubicle or white office with that miserable fluorescent light beaming on you.

While hunched over your computer and eating chipotle, you look outside to another corporate building and LONG for a better life.

Did I capture it?

There are two options for you to free yourself and keep your income.

First - Switch to 1099

When you’re employed by a company, you’re a ‘W2 employee’.

They provide you with health insurance, 401k, a salary, etc.

You’re part of the company so you have to abide by the same rules as the other employees.

In many industries, however, there is the ability to simply switch from W2 to 1099.

What that means is you do the same work for the same company, but instead of working inside the company, you service the company from the outside.

Here’s an example:

Alexandra worked in PR for her company doing specific work on social media and marketing. She went to her bosses and asked if they’d consider allowing her to leave her position and instead pay her as a 1099 employee/consultant to do the EXACT SAME WORK.

She sacrafices some things - like health benefits, her 401k match, and company management of taxes.

But she gets a lot in return - location freedom, additional tax write-offs, the ability to set her own schedule

A W2 employee is paid for their time.

A 1099 employee is paid for their results.

Alexandra can work as many or as few hours as she wants - as long as she’s delivering the desired result.

She’ll need to source her own health insurance and manage her own taxes, but she can also write off more AND she can be paid more than her salary.

When a company pays $80,000/year in salary, they’re also paying another $30,000 in benefits, insurances, etc. So leaving and asking for $95,000 saves them money and gives you a little more to buy that health plan.

And hey, if you’re moving to DR, the insurance is MUCH less 😉 

But look - if I proposed this at Progressive Insurance when I worked there, they would NEVER go for it.

Maybe that’s what you’re thinking about your company.

Second - Quit and Consult

This is a scary good, underutilized option that applies to almost ANY industry!

Laura is an example.

She was an Insurance Claims Manager (I remember those days!) who accumulated a TON of technical knowledge and experience.

As scary as it was, she decided to quit and open a consultancy working with other insurance companies on a project basis leveraging her skills.

Companies have needs that fall short of hiring a full time employee and instead they need a bridge in the form of a consultant.

Whatever your profession, I guarantee you there are businesses that would pay for your knowledge IF you’re good and deliver a great service.

Let’s hit some specific work arrangements:

• Blue collar work - how about a licensing prep school you can teach virtually? Or consulting for a smaller outfit doing virtual trainings or onboarding for new employees?

• Medical professionals - ever consider telemedicine? Oh wait, you’re concerned about licensing complexities - then become a health coach from abroad and provide virtual support!

I guarantee I can come up with ways for MOST industries - but MOST people will give me a reason why they can’t.

And you know what they say about excuses .. if you want to fight for them, good news! You get to keep them.

“But .. My Family Isn’t Ready”

So you switched to 1099 or opened a consultancy and you can make the move!

Rather than fight the family, make an agreement with them.

Do it for 3 months .. or 6.

Keep your home and rent it out on Airbnb, or FurnishedFinder.

Make an arrangement where you split the year.

Need to travel?

Then choose Punta Cana or Santo Domingo so you can travel back and forth as often as you need.

(I know a family where the wife travels back every other week to NYC - but raising their kids in DR is THAT important to them). 

These aren’t some pie in the sky strategies.

They’re real, executable options with only ONE THING in the way.

You!

This Tells Me DR Real Estate Values Are Going UP!!

Over the last few months, the reality of the US economy has been in contradiction with what I and many others assumed would be true.

Tariff’s should create inflation, reduce consumer confidence and tax policy won’t offset the rise in cost for the American family .. I thought.

And it’s partially true.

But overall, if you look at inflation, CPI reporting, jobs reports and many other metrics, the US economy is showing that it’s INCREDIBLY resilient.

And that’s good for DR.

When I did some videos on this, I was called all TYPES of names for not understanding ‘basic economics’ .. to which I’d reply ‘you don’t understand basic data’.

The biggest data point that people threw in my face was consumer confidence. A month ago, it was down and, according to some ‘that’s all that matters’.

Well .. if that’s the case .. then I need them to create a new argument.

Because it’s up .. way up actually.

So add that to the ‘win’ column for the US economy.

• Inflation down

• Jobs strong

• Unemployment flat

• Rates flat

• Consumer confidence up

• Consumer spending flat

Oh .. and if the argument is GDP retraction in Q1 .. it’s a bad one.

It’s an anomoly caused by a spike in imports due to - you guessed it - tariff policy.

Here’s what is true — the tax policy will NOT offset the increases felt by tariffs.

At least, not for everyone.

If you make under $100,000, your net family expenses per year will go up by a few thousand dollars. Save some in tax, pay more in consumer goods.

But .. and here’s where DR prices start to rise ..

Households in the US that make over $100,000 start to actually see MORE disposable income with all of these policies enacted.

For anyone red faced right now because you can’t see past who the President is, even though I haven’t mentioned his name, this is a policy analysis — not a political one.

Someone today told me in a light way ‘I still think you’re a Trumper’.

My response?

Any man who places their identity with a politician is weak .. and I’m not weak.

In other words, don’t place your own small thinking on me … I’m an opportunist and a family man .. so let’s look at the opportunity for your family.

If you’re someone making $200,000+, all estimates show that YOU benefit from current policy.

I’m not celebrating that .. it’s just a fact.

So that means higher income earners and higher net worth individuals feel less of a financial crunch, are seeking a place to deploy capital, and with the US markets being wonky, places like DR become very attractive.

But these folks aren’t buying $89,000 condos .. they want a nice 2-bed for $300,000 a few blocks from the beach, or $1.5m on the beach.

The development in DR is trending that way - up market - already.

And this analysis will only further create opportunity for the luxury market - not the budget folks.

So if you own here, indications are your price will go up over time.

If you haven’t purchased but have been thinking about it, indications are you’ll never pay less than RIGHT NOW.

Again, my sense of policy was this will cause a dip in the demand for real estate and tourism in DR .. go back and watch the entire YouTube video I did on that.

But just because something seems logical doesn’t mean it happens.

Indications are a recession is now unlikely, an economic boom is more likely, lower income folks will suffer the most and the higher income folks will benefit.

The US economy defied my logic and looks like it will continue to .. if it shifts, I’ll tell you.

Last thing .. and this is FASCINATING!

When COVID, the Great Recession, the dot com bubble recession and even the savings and loan crisis in 1987 happened, the majortiy of media didn’t predict it.

In fact, 80% of media coverage showed ZERO indication of a downturn.

Instead, the minority of media - about 20% - were calling it, but were considered crazy.

Which means every recession or downturn happened without warning.

So the next one is likely to happen that way too.

Right now, 80% of media is predicting a downturn being imminent .. and the sheep are believing them.

20% sounds like me - they analyze policy and metrics and say something different.

But it’s easier to call someone like me a ‘Trumper’ because they have low IQ.

If history is an indication of the future, the 20% just might be more right than the 80%.

Food for thought.

If you’re looking to buy and need a realtor, feel free to use one I receommend by filling this form out and we’ll figure out someone great for you to work with.

Do THIS Before Moving to the Dominican Republic

This may be my most important video.

I not only share a VERY CLEAR plan to leave the US, but also go over costs and even use ChatGPT to help!

Check this one out if you haven’t already! And feel free to subscribe and leave a comment.