• I'm the youngest of three siblings — and the only Gen Zer.
• When I graduated this year, I faced the realities of job-hunting and adulthood.
• I learned lessons from observing my sisters and other millennials navigate their 20s.

After 16 years in the education system, my time as a student ended on a random Wednesday afternoon in April. I was finally free from lectures, tests, and group projects — but thrust into the realities of a scarier world: adulthood.

In this world, there were no set milestones to tell me I was on the right track. Everyone seemed to be on a path to something greater, but I felt directionless.

I know I'm not alone. Every 20-something has probably felt at least a little bit lost in life. But amid mass layoffs and the threat of AI replacing jobs, stepping into the job market as a fresh graduate in 2024 felt like diving head-first into an abyss.

An August report by an early careers platform, Handshake, surveyed 1,925 graduating students. They found that 57% of the students felt pessimistic about starting their careers — an increase from 49% of graduating students last year. Of the 57%, 63% said the competitive job market contributed to their pessimism.

The stress of not knowing whether I could secure a job was compounded by uncertainty about my career. I had studied journalism but wasn't sure if it was the right fit. I had the irrational fear that if my first job turned out to be the "wrong" choice, I'd be relegated back to the start line of the rat race.

Amid a brewing quarter-life crisis, I looked to my sisters, aged 28 and 31. They do many things that people of my generation may scoff at, like watching Instagram reels exclusively and using the laughing emoji. But they seem to have figured out one thing: life after college.

Here's what I've learned from watching them conquer the Roaring Twenties.

Life doesn't end when school ends

Toward the end of college, I mentally prepared myself for the fast-approaching expiration of youth.

"You must treasure your university days," relatives constantly reminded me at yearly Lunar New Year gatherings. They painted adulthood as a bleak portrait of bills, mundanity, and loneliness. So, when the time came, I was reluctant to let go of my identity as a student.

But as the youngest sibling, I also watched my sisters graduate from college, get married, and build their own homes. I saw them achieve promotions at work, find new hobbies, and start a life outside the one I knew of us growing up together.

Adulting isn't easy — I now know that. But there are also so many new milestones and freedoms that come with it, and there is so much to be excited about.

A job is just a job

My elder sister works in communications and the other in architecture. Even when their hours stretched into the night and weekends, they built a whole life outside work.

One started a sticker side business, and the other is now an avid runner.

It wasn't always smooth. My second-oldest sister burned out after working too much in her first job and took a career break. She prioritized work-life balance at her next job.

In that way, millennials and Gen Zers are alike. A 2024 report by Deloitte found that work-life balance topped the priorities for both generations when choosing an employer. When asked which areas of life were most important to their sense of identity, both generations agreed that jobs came second only to friends and family.

Distancing myself from the idea that my job had to be my one true passion lifted a weight off my shoulders. As much as I still want a job that gives me purpose, I also make time for other aspects of life that fulfill me, like working out and spending time with friends.

Just give it time

As with most worries, the fear that I'd never find a job was unfounded. In July, I started my first job as a junior reporter. But when the first day at work finally ended, I trudged home in a daze.

"I have to do this every day for the next 40 years?" I asked my second-oldest sister, who laughed. It wasn't that I didn't like the job. It was the change in routine from school life to a 9-to-5 that unsettled me.

"You'll get used to it," my sister said. Six months in, I still don't know if I will. But seeing my millennial counterparts thrive has encouraged me.

It's not just my siblings who have set an example. At work, my millennial colleagues are a constant source of guidance to the Gen Zers in the office. On social media, millennial influencers brand themselves as "internet big sisters" and give advice on navigating the complex years of their 20s.

Older millennials are now turning 40, but they were once in the position of Gen Zers, being scoffed at by the older generations for being "lazy" and changing work culture.

Now, they've drawn the map for Gen Zers' entry into the strange world of adulthood. It's made adulting just a little less scary.

• As a graduate student at Stanford, Alex Yin, 32, had to decide between two internship opportunities
• He chose an internship in Bhutan, even though it was less relevant to his career.
• During his monthlong stint as an IT consultant, he learned how to grow from discomfort.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Alex Yin, 32, an options trader from New Jersey. He graduated from Stanford Graduate School of Business in June. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

As a Stanford Graduate School of Business student, deciding where to intern was tough.

I had two offers under the school's international program, the Global Management Immersion Experience. In order to graduate, fulfilling this program is required — either through the work abroad program or by taking a course on international business.

My first option was to work for a family office in Madrid, analyzing various investments. I had studied finance and statistics undergrad at New York University and had spent seven years in Chicago trading options at a large firm. It seemed like a natural fit and could be useful for anything I wanted to do in the future.

But I also had a second offer — a monthlong internship as an IT consultant at a hazelnut farm in Bhutan.

I had wanted to go to Bhutan ever since I went on vacation to Tibet when I was 17. It was such a magical place, and I wanted to return to a similar environment. I also knew it was a difficult country for visitors to visit as the government limits tourism.

It was a battle between my heart and my head. My heart was screaming, "Go to Bhutan! It doesn't matter what the job or company is. It's a cool opportunity."

Usually, I trust my head, but for this, I just listened to my heart.

I took the second offer

In August 2023, I flew 14 hours from New York to New Delhi and another five hours to Bhutan.

On the night I arrived, I met the CEO of Mountain Hazelnuts — an eccentric and friendly British man. The next morning, he took me to Tiger's Nest, an iconic monastery in Bhutan. It was an intense two-hour hike with steep and muddy trails.

Before the trip, I told myself I wouldn't care how uncomfortable it was and that I could spend a month without complaining. But it was day two, and I was like, "Wow, this is not easy. It's hot. I'm sweaty. There's a lot of poop around me. I'm about to fall." Still, I pushed through, and it was a magical experience at the top.

Later, we took a 16-hour car ride to Lingmethang, a small town in the eastern part of Bhutan, where I would work. I stayed in a three-bedroom home above the corporate office.

My week was divided between days in the office and field visits. As an IT consultant, my job responsibility was to manage a very limited IT budget and improve the security of their backup systems.

There was a point when I realized I'd actually never done any of this stuff before. "Am I qualified for the role?" I wondered to myself.

However, I learned that you can achieve a lot if you spend your time fully focused on solving a problem, even if you haven't had that direct experience before.

After work, I'd go to the village, drink a beer, and eat some momos, a type of dumpling, with my colleagues. They were locals between the ages of 25 and 45, and could all speak English well. I had to adjust to the simplicity, but I really appreciated it after a year at Stanford, where social events were nonstop.

Growing from discomfort

My biggest takeaway was that transitioning from a comfortable to an uncomfortable state isn't easy. But once you're in that uncomfortable state, it's pretty easy to maintain it.

In the village, I didn't have a lot of creature comforts. I had a pretty spartan life. But I was just as happy there, without the technology and distractions I had in Palo Alto. It's such a beautiful place that I didn't feel bored.

At night, I'd fend off mosquitoes, as locals don't kill them. I ran out of mosquito repellent in the first week, which was hard. The food also took a bit of getting used to, as it was mostly vegetarian.

Now, I live in New Jersey and am back in options trading. Although the internship was not entirely relevant to my career, it helped me gain confidence that if I try my best to solve a problem, I can still accomplish something.

I also appreciated how cohesive the company in Bhutan was. Although it wasn't doing well, everyone wanted to contribute their best. They held company barbecues where people would bring their families, dance, and sing into the night. I never heard anyone complaining during my time there.

I have found that this cohesiveness is hard to find in the US, where firms incentivize loyalty with money. I'd like to apply that to my future work places.

I will never regret choosing Bhutan, and I plan to return for a visit at some point.

• Nicole Echeverria felt unsafe in the US and wanted to try living abroad.
• She applied for graduate school because she thought getting a student visa would be easier.
• She now lives and works remotely from Nazaré, a beach town an hour and a half from Lisbon.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Nicole Echeverria, 31, who moved from New York to Portugal in 2019. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I'd had the itch to try living abroad for some time.

I grew up in New York, graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor's degree in economics in 2015, and then moved to Boston for work.

After the 2016 elections, I began to feel anxious about my safety. That's when I started seriously considering moving abroad. I just needed to find the right opportunity.

I knew a student visa would make it easier to move, so I thought, why don't I apply to graduate school abroad?

Most people think graduate school is only worth it if it can propel their careers forward. However, I saw it as a way to gain valuable life experience and keep me in the same career field.

I had a few requirements: The degree had to be business-related, taught in English, and American-accredited. It also had to be in a country with a lower cost of living so that I could pay for my degree without taking loans.

In the winter of 2018, I found the right program. It was a two-year Masters of Science in Business program at Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics.

At that time, the program cost around 14,300 euros, which I had in savings.

I left Boston, where I had been working in content marketing, and moved back home to live with my parents in Long Island. For nine months, I focused on saving up as much as possible while commuting to New York City for work.

In August 2019, I moved to Lisbon. Although I had traveled to other parts of Europe, I had never visited Portugal. I went purely on the faith that if I wasn't happy there, I'd return to New York once I graduated.

I got really lucky that I ended up loving it. Lisbon instantly gave me a Los Angeles vibe. The weather was hot, but the beaches were beautiful. Everyone had a relaxed attitude, and people weren't on edge like they were in New York.

I didn't intend to stay

Around half a year into my program, the pandemic struck, and everything went remote. Many of my international classmates returned to their home countries. That's when I was faced with the question: Do I want to go back to New York?

Back in the US, I was always hyperaware of gun violence. Anything could happen walking in the streets of Manhattan, for example. A crazy person could approach you, and you just have to keep walking. It also looks like it's gotten worse, with incidents of women getting assaulted on the streets.

As hard as it was to be away from my family and close friends, prioritizing my health and safety was worth the loneliness of moving abroad. I felt less anxious about safety in Portugal, which solidified my decision to stay.

Portugal has a post-graduation work visa that grants international students a year of residence to find employment. After being on the visa for a year, I registered as a freelancer on a regular work permit and have worked as a social media manager since.

My family was surprised by my decision to stay. My dad told me that when my grandparents ask about me, he has to remind them that I live in another country now. But I still return a few times a year for Christmas or special occasions.

I'm planning a wedding in Portugal

In 2022, I met my fiancé through TikTok. He's Portuguese and commented on one of my videos. After two years, we moved in together in Nazaré, a beach town an hour and a half away from Lisbon.

We're planning our wedding in Portugal for August next year. We picked a venue an hour and a half away from Porto in the countryside. It's a gorgeous historic building built in the 1700s, and we're super excited about it.

The venue will cost $3,500 for a two-day rental, offering us the chance to have an affordable wedding.

Sometimes, I tease my fiancé with the idea that once I get my Portuguese passport, we can move to Greece or elsewhere in Europe.

For now, we dream of living in Lisbon and having a summer vacation house in Greece. From the relaxed way of life, lower cost of living, and the fact that I can work remotely as a freelancer, it just makes more sense to have my life here.

I'm definitely planning on staying for the long term.

• Alex Teo, 36, left his corporate job to take over his family's joss paper business.
• The journey has not been easy in modern Singapore, where religious affiliations are declining.
• Teo's career goal is to reinvent the traditional business for the younger generation.

The latest smartphone, a three-story villa, and a private jet. Alex Teo has sold it all — for the dead.

Teo, 36, is the third-generation owner of Ban Kah Hiang Trading, one of Singapore's oldest joss paper businesses. They sell incense sticks, joss papers, and paper effigies — or paper replicas of real-life objects — which are designed to be burned as part of Chinese ancestral worship outside homes and in temples.

His grandfather opened the shop in the 1950s before his father took over in the early 1990s.

But it's an increasingly tough business to run in Singapore, where religious affiliations are waning. Many joss paper business owners of his father's generation have closed down because their kids did not want to take over, he said.

So, at 28, he stepped up. "I thought it would be a pity if I were not to continue it," he told Business Insider.

Now, he's on a mission to reinvent the traditional business for the new generation.

He had no interest at first

During traditional Chinese festivals, believers in Chinese folk religion burn joss paper — also known as "hell money" — as an offering to deities or ancestors.

Some also burn paper effigies of the latest products, such as cars and cameras, for their ancestors.

"The belief is that by burning these items, they will become 'real' in the afterlife and can also be used by their loved ones there," Terence Heng, a sociologist from the University of Liverpool, told BI.

Although Teo grew up helping at the shop, he was never very religious and had no interest in taking over. After graduating from college with a degree in business management, he worked for the public service and then an insurance company, assessing medical claims.

But things changed in 2016 when his dad got sick. His parents, then in their late 50s, asked him whether he could take over.

"I thought, 'Should I give up my corporate job? But I would have to give up some social life,'" he recalled, explaining that most people in the industry are significantly older, unlike the colleagues he had formed friendships with in his previous jobs.

Teo, who now has four kids, said his wife supported the career switch. "She thought that if I were to do my own business, I would have more time for her," he said.

He was also enticed by the thought of being his own boss.

"If I work hard in the corporate world, I can only wait for my bonus. But here, I'm the boss. If I work hard, I earn more money," he said.

The business of religion in modern society

Still, his journey has not been easy. Since taking over the business, Teo says he has seen retail sales fall as the younger generation drifts away from religious beliefs.

In Singapore, between 2010 and 2020, there was an increased proportion of residents with no religious affiliations across all age groups, data from the Singapore Department of Statistics showed. The same data showed that the percentage of Taoists and Buddhists — religious groups that use joss paper products — fell by 2.1% and 2.2%, respectively.

The decline in religious beliefs is part of a wider trend across the world. In the US, around 28% of adults described themselves as atheists, agnostics, or "nothing in particular" when asked about their religion — up from 16% in 2007, a 2024 Pew Research Center survey found.

Meanwhile, complaints about the environmental impact of burning joss paper have been simmering in Singapore.

In February, the Singapore government ran a second campaign to improve burning etiquette by encouraging people to pray in temples instead of outside their homes and to clean up after prayers, per a press release from the Alliance for Action.

Teo said that in the past, business at his family's retail shop would pick up during festive periods like Lunar New Year and the Hungry Ghost Festival but lull during other times of the year.

Running the retail shop also affected his parents, who worked over 10 hours daily and wanted to retire.

So, in May last year, Teo sold the retail shop to focus on wholesale distribution to companies and temples from their warehouse.

Teo saw it as an opportunity to invest more time in innovating their products to meet the needs of a changing consumer base.

"We had to think about how we can prolong tradition and culture to fit into the current modern mindset," he said. "If we were to continue to sell the traditional way like my dad did, I don't think we can be sustainable."

Keeping up with the times

In 2023, Teo partnered with his close friend, Chris Huang, who works in FinTech, to establish Base Genesis, a modern joss paper startup.

The pair invested a mid-five-figure amount to set up the business. While Teo focuses on operations, Huang oversees finances. They've since hired seven employees who work on branding, marketing, and livestream sales.

Their new business aims to innovate traditional joss paper products to appeal to younger generations — from packaging to sustainability.

Early this year, they were approached by MullenLowe, an advertising agency, to develop an eco-friendly hell note. The "Eco Hell Note" has a denomination with 48 zeroes — the largest possible denomination of money in the Chinese language. Instead of burning a stack of notes, burning one piece would suffice. Teo added that their note is ashless and smokeless, unlike traditional notes that create smog when burned.

"Burning joss paper is deep-rooted in our Chinese culture," he said, adding that a ban on the practice is unlikely to happen despite frequent complaints. "So we have to come out with a compromise to control the pollution and not become obsolete," he said.

Teo, who sources the paper from China, said the team had to experiment with different types of paper to determine which material is the most eco-friendly.

Developing such products doesn't come cheap. Although they have not decided on a price for their Eco Hell Note, their eco-friendly products are slightly more expensive. A pack of 500 "Eco-friendly Gentle Smoke Joss Sticks" costs 11.50 Singapore dollars, or $8.50. In comparison, a pack of 500 traditional sandalwood joss sticks costs SG$10.

"Everything takes time and money. You need to do a lot of research and development," said Huang. Each phase will come with additional costs, and it will take time for the company to grow, he added.

Their Eco Hell Note is not yet available for purchase, but the pair hopes that it will take off among younger Singaporeans once they launch it in time for Tomb Sweeping Day, a tradition for honoring ancestors in April next year.

Heng, who researches Chinese religions, said their eco-friendly products would be better received by the younger generation, who are more eco-conscious. While they are not as religious, they may keep up the practice out of filial piety.

"It does still align with the demands of ritualistic burning, where a physical object is transformed into a spiritual one. It's a really good first step in finding solutions to burning joss paper," he said.

Beyond innovation, Teo hopes to expand the business to the Western market, specifically to those who engage in these religious practices.

"We will maybe tweak the design to cater to their taste. For example, come out with a hell note in US dollars," he said.

These are more experimental ideas, Teo said. "But we are still keeping in mind the tradition and culture. That's what we are trying to preserve."

• Floating fish farms used to be a common sight along Singapore's coast.
• But now, their numbers are dwindling: As of October, there were 74 sea-based fish farms left, down from 98 in 2023.
• Local farmers say they face high operational costs and cheaper imports from regional competitors.

Once a week, Alvin Yeo hops onto a small, white skiff at Lim Chu Kang jetty and heads out to a farm on the water owned by his dad.

It's a breezy five-minute journey that takes him past dozens of similar floating farms along the Straits of Johor, which separates Singapore from the neighboring country of Malaysia.

Formed by interlocking planks held together with thick nails and buoyed by floating barrels, these platforms are living relics of the country's fishing village past.

The sun is harsh on most days, but the water is surprisingly calm, save for the waves created by the passing coastal guard boats patrolling the area. Towering apartment buildings loom in the background, a stark contrast to the weatherworn wooden platforms bobbing in the water.

Yeo's father — a former civil engineer — has been in the farming industry for almost 30 years, having started a fish farm in the '90s with his brother out of passion.

"My father is a hobbyist. He likes to rear fish," Yeo, 35, told Business Insider. "But he's not exactly a businessman, so the farm wasn't really making any money."

For small businesses like theirs, it's a constant struggle to stay afloat. Amid rising costs, environmental challenges, and a growing reluctance among younger generations to take on the demanding job, traditional farming in Singapore almost feels like a sunset industry.

Yeo is a rare exception.

Dwindling fish farm numbers

Around 2020, Yeo — a freelance musician — decided to join the trade. Together with his father, the duo separated from the original business to start Heng Heng Fish Farm.

Like most traditional farms, the fish are reared in open-net cages lowered directly into the sea.

While his father oversees the farm's day-to-day operations, Yeo mainly handles the business side of things.

Yeo is also trying to adopt more modern and sustainable techniques to their traditional farm, such as using solar panels for energy and introducing pelleted feed, which pollutes the water less than typical fish feed made from expired confectionary and other food by-products.

"I just felt that I needed to do it because I have feelings for the sea I grew up in. So I didn't want to see it just deteriorate as years go by," he said.

Much like street peddlers and traditional villages, the floating fish farms are a part of Singapore's cultural and economic identity that is rapidly disappearing as the city-state evolves past its fishing village origins.

The country's "kelongs" — offshore wooden platforms used to trap fish — used to be a common sight along the coast. The government stopped issuing new licenses in 1965.

Now, there are only four "kelongs" left in Singapore.

"With the dwindling catch from the wild and increasing cost of raw materials for maintenance of the 'kelong,' 'kelong' owners also saw the need to move toward fish farming as a viable commercial operation," the Singapore Food Agency, or SFA, told BI in a statement, adding that some of them have transitioned to coastal fish farms over the years.

Many locals still refer to these floating fish farms as "kelongs," even though they're not quite the same thing, Yeo said.

Fish farms are dwindling in numbers too, even as the resource-scarce country inches toward the deadline for its "30 by 30" goal — an initiative set by the Singapore government to be able to produce 30% of its nutritional needs by 2030.

Tough to beat prices from regional competitors

According to SFA data, there were 74 sea-based fish farms left in Singapore as of October, down from 98 at the end of 2023. This means about a quarter of these farms have shuttered in the past year.

Some farmers told the local paper The Straits Times that they had between June 2023 and June 2024 to take up a grant of 100,000 Singapore dollars, or $74,500, from the SFA to help them wind down operations. Those who had accepted the grant cited high costs, environmental conditions, and retirement as reasons for exiting the industry. The SFA did not share with BI the number of farmers who accepted the grant.

"To be competitive in the market, you have to be cheaper than imports. But it's hard to fight the cost of imports, especially from places like China, Indonesia, and Malaysia," Yeo said.

The cost of running a business in Singapore tends to be higher compared to neighboring countries, Kevin Cheong, an adjunct lecturer at the Singapore Management University who recently co-authored a study on sustainable fish farming in Singapore, told BI.

"Electricity costs, land costs, labor costs, all these things stack up against the consumer," Cheong said. "Primary production in Singapore, essentially agriculture, would be very challenging."

In Yeo's farm, the tilapia he grows can be harvested in six months. At the current scale of his production, he can harvest 12 batches of around 7,000 fish each in a year.

Since the floating farms are made from wood, their structure requires regular upkeep — and a metric ton of Chengal wood can cost up to SG$4,000, Yeo said.

"We don't really earn much. At the end of the day, it's just enough to keep the farm running," Yeo said.

A challenging environment

Beyond cost constraints, farmers are bogged down by the effects of the climate crisis.

Rising temperatures can lead to a higher incidence of disease outbreaks and algae blooms, Toh Tai Chong, a senior lecturer at the Reef Ecology Lab at the National University of Singapore, told BI.

Algae blooms are deadly for fish because they deplete the oxygen in the water and cause widespread fish death, he added.

"Open-pen sea-based farms are particularly susceptible because the fishes are reared in the natural environment, which is almost impossible to regulate," he said.

Farmers, in turn, have to grapple with worsening conditions.

"In my dad's era, fish didn't really have to be taken care of," Yeo said, gesturing at the bags of fish pellets behind him. "You could simply feed them till they got big, then sell them. But now, you have to feed and raise them."

Dean Jerry, an aquaculture professor who teaches at James Cook University's Singapore and Australian campuses, told BI that to cope with the changing environment, sea-based fish farmers have to rear more hardy species or invest in aquaculture technologies.

Many of these solutions are focused on closed-cage containment so farmers have more control over the environment, he said.

The challenge is compounded by the fact that most sea-based farms don't have mains power, he said. This means farmers will end up incurring extra costs installing diesel generators or solar panels to run these systems, he added.

"It's very, very costly to implement any sort of technological solutions because a lot of technological solutions will require power," he said.

The challenging nature of the job seems to have discouraged younger locals from stepping up to continue the trade.

Yeo, who only knows of one other farmer around his age, has two employees — a husband and wife duo from Myanmar who work and sleep on the floating farm.

"Local help is just impossible to get," he said.

Efforts to stay afloat

To help farmers sustain their businesses, the local government has stepped in with plans to overhaul the aquaculture sector.

In November, the government announced its Singapore Aquaculture Plan. Some new initiatives include increasing the supply of locally produced, genetically superior eggs and facilitating the exports of local fish to China.

"Our fish farms, as part of local production, cushion us from overseas supply disruptions and complement our efforts to diversify import sources of seafood," said Damian Chan, the CEO of SFA, per a media release.

The SFA told BI in a statement that farmers who are keen to increase their farms' productivity can rely on the SFA for advice and funding support for technology adoption.

On the other hand, the Singapore government will support those who choose to exit the industry by providing job-matching and training initiatives, it said.

Despite uncertainties about the aquaculture industry, some young farmers are finding alternate ways to stay afloat. Wong Jing Kai, who left his marketing job a decade ago to run Ah Hua Kelong, is one of them.

"Farming is considered a sunset industry," said Wong, 35. "Nobody wants to do it. So I'm like, if people don't do, I'll do it then."

But instead of being a wholesaler and pitting himself against more competitive imports, Wong opened Scaled — a seafood restaurant — and a fish soup hawker stall, to move his fish stock.

He can support his farm by supplying his own fish to his eateries, he said. "My plan is to have five fish soup stores and three to four restaurants on land. Then, I think we're more or less covered," he said.

Others, like Yeo, believe that the industry will survive as long as local consumers become more receptive to eating local fish.

"Of course, I hope to grow the business and be in this industry for a long time," he said. He hopes to have a high-tech fish farm one day — ideally on land, where conditions are less unpredictable.

"I take each day as it comes," he added.

• Nicole Kidman said she considered giving up on acting after the birth of her third child in 2008.
• Her mom, however, encouraged her not to give it up completely.
• Kidman said she's inspired by other working moms who "keep going."

Nicole Kidman once almost gave up on acting.

In an extended interview with CBS posted on Sunday, the "Babygirl" actor reflected on moments when she thought of leaving her career.

"When I gave birth to Sunday, I was like, well, I think I'm pretty much done now," said Kidman, 57, who gave birth in 2008. At that time, she had moved to Nashville and was living on a farm.

But it was her mom who encouraged her to reconsider. "My mom actually said, 'I wouldn't give up completely. Keep a finger sort of, in it,' and I said, 'No, no, no, I'm done now.'"

Her mom had responded, "Just listen to me. I think, keep moving forward. Not saying that you have to do it to the level you've been doing it, but I wouldn't give it up completely," she recalled.

"And that came from a woman who obviously was from a generation that didn't have the opportunities that I had, but she had helped create for her daughters," she said. Her mom probably wished she had that advice when she was little, so she could give it to her and her sister, she added.

Kidman's sister became a lawyer in her 40s and has six kids, she said.

"It's fascinating to me that we both, and there are only two of us, just keep going. We're inspired when we look around at other women in the world who, at a particular age, do keep going," she said. "They are still raising their children, doing the things they love, but also have careers and not apologize for it."

Kidman shares two kids, whom she adopted with her ex-husband, Tom Cruise, and two daughters, who are 16 and 13, with Keith Urban.

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Kidman said she thought her career was over when she turned 40.

"Things are changing now, don't you think? Doors are opening. People are living longer and there's more to be said, and more stories to be told," she said.

Returning to work after having kids

Allison Venditti, the founder of Moms at Work, an organization for working moms, previously told Business Insider that work can give moms meaning and provide structure to their day.

"Work is a familiar space — and for many women who have worked hard and studied hard, they don't want to not work," she said.

The most important thing, however, is for women to have the choice, she said. "Choice in how they approach work and family, choice to go back to work early, choice to take more time off," she added. In the US, paid parental leave is not guaranteed.

Katie Alexander previously wrote for BI that she felt judged when she chose to return to work eight months after giving birth. But doing so allowed her to be a better parent, she said.

"My daughter comes first, full stop. Shaming working mothers who have no other option — for whatever reason — helps no one," she said.

A representative for Kidman did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours.

• Kylie Kelce said that there are toys she wouldn't want in her house on the latest episode of "Not Gonna Lie."
• Her 'please don't buy this for my children' gift guide includes toys with too much glitter and pets.
• Kelce's podcast topped the charts on Spotify and Apple after its premiere last Thursday.

If you're wondering what gifts to buy — or not buy — for kids this festive season, Kylie Kelce has got you covered.

On Thursday, during the second episode of her podcast "Not Gonna Lie," the media personality and wife of Jason Kelce shared her "brutally honest" gift guide for kids.

"I don't know about you guys, but I often see toys when I'm out shopping or scrolling social media, and I just think to myself, 'Not in my house,'" she said.

Referring to the list as her 'please don't buy this for my children' guide to holiday shopping, she recommended that other parents share it with "aunts, uncles, grandparents, friends — anyone who has asked, 'What can I get the kids for Christmas?'"

"This is your opportunity to have me deliver that harsh reality," said the soon-to-be mom of four.

1. Toys that require more than 5 minutes to assemble

When a kid sees a box with a picture of the toy, they will immediately want to play with it, the former field hockey player said.

"And you know what they're going to do the whole time you're trying to assemble it on a Christmas morning, a Hanukkah evening?" she said. "They're going to stand behind you and say, 'Are you done yet? Are you done yet?'"

"Don't do that to people. Let's not," she said.

2. Anything with too much glitter

As a mom of three daughters, all aged 5 and under, Kelce said that "pretty much everything" they get has glitter on it. "It makes their hearts so happy. I can't veto glitter as a whole," she said.

What she doesn't like about it is how glitter falls everywhere. "I need you to get something that glitter is sealed; I need it attached to that surface; I need it not leaving it," she said.

3. Toys with no volume control

Kelce said that when her daughter Wyatt was 2, she received an electronic drum set. However, it didn't come with volume control.

"I tried taping over the speaker, I tried putting it on a blanket when Wyatt wanted to play with it," she said.

She eventually retired the toy a week later but said the same person, Ed Kelce, her father-in-law, got her kid a new drum set the following Christmas. Thankfully, the new drum set did have volume control, she said.

"But there's still a lot of deep amount of guilt associated with the fact that I hid a Christmas gift from my child because I couldn't stand to listen to that damn thing for one more minute at the volume that it was playing at," she said. "I'm so sorry, Ed."

4. Anything with a heartbeat

Her kids have yet to be gifted a pet, but Kelce said she fears that when the time eventually comes, she will have to respond by returning it.

Calling it a "sick, twisted joke to gift," Kelce added that it's the parents who will end up taking responsibility for the pet.

"I'm already proud of myself when I can keep three children alive each day. I don't need to be working on any more pets, specifically pets that I have not chosen to bring into my household," she said.

5. Toys with too many pieces

"Once the kids start playing with toys that have a million pieces, I then have to go around and pick up all the little pieces," Kelce said. Eventually, pieces go missing, rendering the toys useless, and she ends up stepping on them, she added.

6. Toy weapons

Kelce said her kids have received a few toy weapons. On one occasion, her daughter, Elliotte, got "picked off" in the backyard by an airplane gun that Wyatt played with.

"So, they've proved that they have not earned the trust required to receive weapons, because they will try to take each other out, and I don't want to mediate any of that again," she said.

"Not Gonna Lie" dethroned "The Joe Rogan Experience" to take the top of the charts on Spotify Podcasts and Apple Podcasts after the release of its first episode last Thursday.

"It absolutely blew my mind," Kelce said at the beginning of her second episode. "I really appreciate you guys having such positive feedback, considering I'm still a rookie, and we're working out the kinks."

The podcast is produced by Wave Sports + Entertainment, the company behind her husband's podcast, "New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce." In August, the brothers signed a three-year deal with Amazon's Wondery worth over $100 million.

Kelce previously opened up about her rise to fame following her marriage to former NFL player, Jason Kelce.

"As public figures, Jason and I know there's talk about our marriage, but we don't give much thought to it," Kelce previously told Business Insider.

"We use social media in a way that is authentic to us and I make a conscious effort not to offer us up for the opinions of others."

A representative for Kelce did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular office hours.

• In May 2023, Jennifer Kusch relocated to Dubai for a job opportunity.
• Her teen sons were initially against the move and said she was "ruining" their lives.
• But she says the experience of living abroad has brought them closer together.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jennifer Kusch, 47, who works in talent acquisition. Kusch moved from Idaho to Dubai with her kids in 2023. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

Early last year, my company approached me about a job opportunity in Dubai.

At first, I said no. I had just bought a house in Idaho, where I was raising three kids. As a single mom, moving to the Middle East sounded hard, so I declined. But my boss at the time encouraged me to apply, and I thought, "Fine, why not?"

I got the job and was set to start in 30 days. My daughter was 18 then, and my sons were 15 and 13. When they came home from school, I read them the book "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" by Dr. Seuss and then said, "Guys, we're moving to Dubai."

My daughter was about to graduate from high school but was excited about an adventure. My 15-year-old, on the other hand, said, "You're ruining my life. My people are here. This is where I belong." And my 13-year-old echoed his brother.

The job commitment was for two years. I said, "We're going to go for two years. We're going to see what happens."

I remember crying in my bedroom after thinking, "Oh my gosh, I'm doing this selfishly. I want to do this for my career. Am I ruining my kids' lives?"

But then I thought about how many other teenagers must have said the same thing to their parents.

And so I had another discussion with my children a week later and said, "I hope that you can look at this as an adventure."

It was a big move for all of us

I had traveled outside the US but never lived abroad or been to Dubai. I traveled to the city alone last April while my kids were finishing the academic year.

When I arrived in Dubai, I tested out the public transportation so I could teach my kids how to ride the bus, hop on the metro, or take a taxi.

I found a townhouse-style villa away from downtown Dubai and spent six weeks furnishing the place so that all the kids would have to do was unpack their suitcases. My company provided an allowance to "settle in." While it didn't cover rent, it helped me set up a home for my family. They also covered the flights and most of my kids' school fees.

When I was done, I flew back for my daughter's graduation. I decided to sell everything I owned — apart from my house — as I didn't want to have to pay loads of money for storage.

Although my initial commitment was for two years, I was on a local contract and could stay in Dubai as long as I had a job. It was a calculated risk, selling everything and anticipating my love for living abroad.

In May 2023, I flew with my kids to Dubai. We arrived at the beginning of summer when many expats tend to leave the city because of the heat. The high temperatures in Dubai between May and August range from around 100 to 105 °F.

That summer, my kids didn't have any friends. However, they had one another. I was grateful for that.

Before I went to work, I said, "While I'm gone, I want you guys to make your bucket list of things you would like to do in Dubai."

When I got home, our wall was full of sticky notes with things to do. We planned fun outings, like visiting Warner Bros. World in Abu Dhabi and having an Emirati dinner. When we were done, we would move the sticky notes on the wall from "to do" to "done."

So, instead of sulking and being sad inside, we were excited about what we could discover.

My kids have benefited from living in Dubai

My sons now attend a school with an American curriculum, but they are the only American students. It has allowed them to meet people from all over the world.

They also have independence here that they never had in the US. My 14-year-old son will get in a taxi and go wherever he wants. There's freedom and safety that they have not experienced before.

This has all contributed to why they now love Dubai. On Thanksgiving last year, my older son said, "I'm so grateful that you moved us here." That was music to my ears because I've watched them grow up a lot.

Nothing is the same here. But they've navigated it with resilience, agility, and grace.

The experience brought us closer together

It can be lonely to be an expat in a new place.

But having to rely on each other and experiencing new things together have made us closer. My kids enjoy my company, and I am so grateful for that.

I miss my family and friends, and I know they would like us to come home. At this point, however, I love Dubai and our quality of life here.

My daughter has since returned to the US for work, and my sons will soon leave the nest as well.

I don't know what the future holds, but for now, Dubai is home.

• Ryan Reynolds opened up about the future of "Deadpool."
• He explained that producing the Marvel action-comedy "swallows" his "whole life."
• He added that he didn't want to miss out on spending time with his 4 kids, whom he shares with Blake Lively.

Ryan Reynolds is feeling the dad guilt.

On today's episode of Variety's "Actors on Actors" with Andrew Garfield, the actor opened up about balancing work and parenting.

When Garfield asked Reynolds what the future of "Deadpool" looks like, Reynolds said he didn't know. "My feeling is that that character works very well in two ways: one is scarcity and surprise."

"Deadpool & Wolverine" was released in July, six years after "Deadpool 2." "Deadpool" was first released in 2016.

Part of the reason for the six-year gap after "Deadpool 2" was because it "swallows" his "whole life," said Reynolds, who played the title character and was a producer and writer on the show.

"You can't take your hand off the stick all the way through development, through post-production, into marketing and promo," he said.

Reynolds has four kids, whom he shares with Blake Lively.

"I don't ever want to be on a first-name basis with any of them. No, I don't ever want to be absentee, and I don't ever want to miss stuff," he said. "I, like, kind of die inside when I see their face, and they have a competition or sports thing or something, and I missed it."

In August, Lively shared a similar sentiment on balancing work and family.

"When you're working, sometimes you feel guilty for, you know, not being in your personal life in those hours you're at work," Lively told Entertainment Tonight. "And then when you're at work, you feel guilty by being distracted by wishing that you were at your personal life," she said.

In February, the "It Ends With Us" actor said that she and Reynolds agreed "not to work at the same time" when they started dating.

Juggling work and family is "like a circus act with no intermission," well-being experts previously told Business Insider.

Veronica West, a psychologist and the founder of "My Thriving Mind," said that instead of dividing work and personal time into "neat, equal slices," she said that a better way is to think about it as "work-life rhythm."

"The trick is learning how to balance energy, not just time, so you're surviving and enjoying each part of your day," she said.

A representative for Reynolds did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI sent outside regular business hours.

• David Martin and Harry Shen are chefs from St Vincent's Care, a nursing home in Melbourne.
• The chefs understand that not all nursing homes have the budget, but they hope to raise standards.
• Their efforts come as nations worldwide are facing aging populations.

David Martin can still recall the conversation that changed his career path.

He was 25 and had spent the past decade working in the restaurant and fine dining scene. The hours were brutal — up to 16 hours a day — and he was on the verge of burnout.

His parents brought up the idea of working in a nursing home. They had a cousin who worked in that industry and suggested he try it.

"I told them, 'Why would I want to go to aged care? That's where people retire. My skills will go to waste,'" Martin recalled. Still, with an open mind, he decided to give it a shot.

He hasn't looked back since. Martin, now 35, is an executive chef manager at St Vincent's Care, a nursing home facility in Australia.

By his side is Harry Shen, 39, a senior head chef who also left the restaurant scene to try something different. They share the same vision: to raise the standard of food in aged healthcare.

Apart from working under top chefs, including Donovan Cooke, Shen had also picked up shifts at Australian nursing homes in the past. It was during that time that he noticed frozen food was often the norm.

So when he saw a job posting from St Vincent's for a chef to elevate nursing home food, it stood out.

"This is something I also wanted to do. To change things," he told Business Insider.

A premium offering

With Shen on board, Martin and his team worked during the pandemic to reinvent meal plans at one of St Vincent's healthcare centers in Kew, a suburb of Melbourne. The facility doubles as an aged care home and a hospital.

It's a more premium nursing home option. According to St Vincent's Care's website, a stay at a standard room in the facility costs 171 Australian dollars a night, or around $111 — almost double the basic daily fee for nursing homes in Australia, which is AU$63.57. The room has an ensuite toilet, and residents can access a café, cinema, and hairdressing salon within the facility.

A typical meal plan at St Vincent's is as follows: In the morning, residents are offered a continental breakfast and a tea cake of the day. For lunch, they have a main with a selected sauce, a starch, and two vegetables.

They end the meal with a sweet — warmed apple coconut strudels on some days and a green tea cheesecake on others — then round the day up with an afternoon tea snack and a generous dinner selection.

"We want to break the stereotype that aged care food is just a lump of food on a plate," Shen said.

Cooking for older residents does come with certain considerations. In particular, the chefs have to look out for residents who have dysphagia, a geriatric syndrome that affects swallowing. According to the Mayo Clinic, 10% to 33% of older adults have dysphagia and can face malnutrition as a result.

As such, the chefs provide a range of options for residents with different needs so that everyone — even those who struggle to swallow — can enjoy a hearty meal.

Nursing home food on the world stage

Martin and Shen wanted to show the world that nursing home food can — and should — be just as good as restaurant food.

In 2023, they decided to compete in culinary competitions together. After placing in several local competitions, they were approached to apply for the International Salon Culinaire, one of the world's top competitions for chefs. Previous winners of the competition include Gordon Ramsey and Michael Deane, a Michelin-star chef.

In March this year, the duo competed alongside top chefs worldwide over the three-day competition in London. Their dishes included coconut rice pudding with crème brûlée and seafood paella — food they can serve at a nursing home.

They emerged with two silver medals. But more than the accolades, they hoped that people would focus on the message they were trying to send.

The chefs are well aware that not all nursing homes have the same luxuries of staffing and budgets to prepare premium meals. Still, it's about setting a standard, they said.

"We want to make this industry better for now and into the future for our parents and grandparents to be respected in," Martin said.

"The main thing is the frame of mind. The chef can be creative, whether it's adding a bit more garnish for presentation or baking things in-house rather than buying," he continued.

A graying world

Shen and Martin's efforts come as nations worldwide are graying rapidly. In October, the World Health Organization called for an urgent transformation of care and support systems for older people. They projected that 1 in 6 people will be 60 or older by 2030. By 2050, this number will double to 2.1 billion.

In the US, the aging of the baby boomer generation means that the number of Americans ages 65 and older requiring nursing home care could increase by 75% by 2030, a recent report by the Population Reference Bureau found.

That's where the importance of food comes in.

Dr. Andrea Maier, a professor of medicine at the National University of Singapore's Centre of Healthy Longevity, told BI that raising food quality is especially important in nursing homes, where people are often at the final stages of their lives and need nutrition.

"If they don't have an appetite, they're losing muscle mass, and their health is deteriorating. So food needs to be fun." When food is fresh and well-plated, it gives residents motivation to eat, she added. "It's a double positive."

Then there are the emotional impacts of having a good meal.

"When you're in a care home, life is relatively unrushed. Dining is one thing that I think people look forward to other than engagement activities," said Wee Shiou Liang, an associate professor of Gerontology at the Singapore University of Social Sciences.

"So, that experience is even more important."

Martin and Shen now collaborate as co-creative directors on menus in St Vincent's homes across New South Wales and Victoria. They also manage and mentor chefs in the region.

Neither chef intends to return to the restaurant scene. Seeing their impact on their residents has moved them to stay.

Working in end-of-life care, Martin said each meal, pastry, or salad could be the last dish their residents eat.

"And that's big to me because if you can give comfort to someone when they're in serious pain, that is a present to them," he said.

"They don't need to remember your name. They don't need to remember the dish. But if at that moment they realize they were at ease and were comforted by you — that's the heart of it."

• Mark Cuban learns about new technologies and trends through his teenage kids.
• Knowing about social media also allows the billionaire to connect with them.
• Cuban recently left "Shark Tank" to spend more time with his kids.

Social media may feel like unchartered territory to some parents — but Mark Cuban is leaning in.

In an interview with People posted on Thursday, the entrepreneur shared eight rules that he follows in life — including this one parenting tip.

"Number one, follow the scroll," Cuban, 66, said. "Oh my goodness, I learned so much from my kids. I learned what 'skibidi' is," he said, referring to the Gen Alpha lingo. "Skibidi Toilet" is an animated YouTube series about singing and dancing toiletlike creatures that want to take over the world.

Social media is an integral part of their lives, he added. "I keep on learning from them because they are exposed to all these new technologies."

Referring to himself as a "tech guy," Cuban said he tries to understand how social media algorithms influence his kids' lives.

Knowing about social media also helps him connect with them.

"They're in the car, and I'm driving my son. I can look over at a stoplight and see him scrolling through his Instagram or TikTok and know exactly what he's interested in," he said.

"Trying to be able to connect to him, which, like for any parent, could be almost impossible, but it's just informative," he added.

Cuban has three kids, who are 14, 17, and 21.

In May 2020, he posted a video on Instagram of him dancing with his daughters. "Teaching me to dance 😂😂😂," he wrote in the caption.

Last November, Cuban announced that he would leave "Shark Tank" after Season 16, which premiered in October on ABC.

"I'm leaving just to spend more time with my kids — they're teenagers now," he told The Wrap in October. "We shoot in June and September, and just getting the opportunity now when they're getting out of school to be able to spend time directly with them, that's important. I'm tired of missing that."

Cuban is not alone in using social media as a tool of connection.

Nina McCollum recently wrote for Business Insider that she uses TikTok and Instagram to communicate with her teenage son. They watch social media content together and have discussions about them.

"Politics, religion, science, life choices, and risk-taking are just some of the discussions social content has sparked," she wrote. "None of this connection would be happening if we didn't communicate through these videos."

A few celebrity parents have resorted to other means of connection.

"Modern Family" actor, Julie Bowen, said she hangs out around the house so her three teen sons know where to find her if they need her.

"If you just kind of park it, make fake cookies in the kitchen no one's ever going to eat, they start coming in and out. You start having conversations with teenagers," Bowen said in an October episode of "The Three Questions with Andy Richter" podcast.

Molly Shannon, a "Saturday Night Live" alum, advised parents of teens to change their attitudes about parenting in an interview on "Today with Hoda and Jenn." She added that they should have empathy when interacting with their teens.

"Most of the time, they just want to be heard. I try to think of that," she said.

Cuban did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.

• Khloé Kardashian said she tried to "close a lot of chapters" when she was 39.
• Kardashian, who turned 40 in June, called the process "shedding."
• Approaching midlife can be comparable to a second puberty, an expert previously told BI.

Khloé Kardashian prepared herself for her 40th birthday.

In an interview with Bustle published on Wednesday, "The Kardashians" star discussed her birthday milestone.

"When you're young, you think 40 is so old, and now I'm like, 'Wait — I feel so good!' said Kardashian, who turned 40 in June.

"I am in the best shape of my life. I'm doing new career stuff. I've only been 40 for about six months, but it's the absolute best. You don't give a shit about some of the stuff you once did," she added.

She said she intentionally "tried to close a lot of chapters" at 39.

"I called it shedding — shedding this decade of my 30s and this energy I wanted to leave behind," she said, adding that there are "so many new things" she's doing in her first year of being 40.

Turning 40 can be a daunting period. It's approaching midlife — a "biological regularity comparable to a second puberty," Hannes Schwandt, an associate professor of human development and social policy at Northwestern University, previously told BI.

"When you're young, you are typically overestimating what you're getting in the future," he continued. But not everything in life turns out the way we expect them to, and this can lead to disappointment, Schwandt said.

Aimee Pearcy previously wrote for BI that she felt disappointed when she hit the birthday milestone. "I always thought I'd be a millionaire by the time I turned 40, but here I was, living in a van, broke," she wrote.

However, she eventually came to terms with her age. "I realized that age is just a number," she wrote.

"Now that I'm in my 40s, I feel like my life is just beginning."

A representative for Kardashian did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.

• Brandon Chia and his wife felt like they didn't have enough time for their newborn in Singapore.
• They are both nurses and when they came across a job opportunity in New Zealand, Chia applied.
• Since moving, their quality of life has improved, Chia said.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Brandon Chia, 31, a nurse in the South Island of New Zealand. Chia moved from Singapore to New Zealand in 2022. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

In 2022, my wife and I had our first baby. We were juggling the demands of parenthood while working as ICU nurses in Singapore.

After 16 weeks of paid maternity leave — the standard amount for Singaporean mothers — my wife, Jiar Lin, and I started working alternate shifts to care for our newborn daughter.

I worked the morning shift, and she worked the afternoon. We would hand our baby over to each other and go out to earn money.

When our daughter was about to turn one, we realized we weren't spending enough time with her. We were always exhausted from work and didn't have time to enjoy time together as a family.

So, we thought, what other options can we consider? Quitting our jobs wasn't possible because the cost of living in Singapore was high.

At that time, we noticed many job advertisements on social media from Australia and New Zealand that were looking for ICU-trained nurses. My wife said, "Just apply and see how it goes." So, I did.

Within two weeks, I heard from the hospital. Two hours after my interview, I received a job offer. It all happened so fast. I remember thinking, "OK, this is getting real." My wife and I had a chat and then decided we'd give it a go.

Initially, our parents didn't want us to go. The flight from Singapore to New Zealand takes almost 10 hours. But we told them not to feel like we were abandoning them. Rather, it was a way for us to have more time for our daughter.

At the time, my parents were full-time caregivers for my late grandfather, while my wife's parents lived in another city. We knew we didn't want to ask them to look after our daughter on a permanent basis.

Our quality of life increased

In October 2022 — around four months after receiving the job offer — I moved to the West Coast of the South Island in New Zealand, a three-hour drive from Christchurch. My wife and daughter joined me seven months later once things had settled down.

The South Island feels like the countryside. There are no shopping centers near our house, and many people grow their own fruit and vegetables. We live in a nice community where people and colleagues often share their produce. I also started to learn gardening and now grow tomatoes in our backyard.

From the beginning, I noticed a big difference in the work culture. The environment is less stressful, and there's a lot of emphasis on not bringing work back home.

The shift patterns here are more regular. In one week, for example, I'll work the afternoon shift for three, and then the next week, I'll work a stretch of night shifts. In comparison, at my previous job, I sometimes worked a morning shift the day after completing an afternoon shift.

In New Zealand, my wife is able to stay home to care for both our daughter, who is now 3, and our 9-month-old son, who was born here. She says it's a privilege to be able to spend time with the kids in their formative years — that's the reason we moved to New Zealand. She plans to return to work on a part-time basis to keep her nursing skills up to date in the future.

My annual income increased by around 15% in New Zealand. However, income tax rates can go as high as 30%. In comparison, the national income tax in Singapore is 11.5% for salaries between SG$80,001 and SG$120,000, and lower for those earning less.

Although I make less overall after taxes, I get more cash on hand compared to Singapore. There's more flexibility because I don't have to contribute to the Central Provident Fund, a compulsory savings account in Singapore comparable in some ways to a 401(k) in the US. In Singapore, the account is mandatory and run by the government.

I also get more annual leave in New Zealand — around 25 days in total.

We get to spend more time together as a family

With more spare time, we get to take short monthly family vacations. Sometimes, we drive north to hot springs, down south to explore the rainforest, or to Christchurch to eat the Chinese food we miss.

In New Zealand, we can afford to have a car. Our decent secondhand Toyota was around $7,500. In comparison, a car in Singapore can cost more than $100,000. It's much more convenient than taking buses and trains everywhere.

The drawback is that we no longer have support from family members. We've made friends since moving here — most of whom we've connected with through our Instagram page. So, if we need help, we'll reach out to them. But of course, it's always a lot easier to reach out to family for help.

Raising kids in a less stressful environment

When I was in school as a kid in Singapore, there was a huge emphasis on doing well academically. Even when I was working as a nurse, I remember my colleagues getting together during lunch break to discuss national exam papers and the tutors they needed for their own children. I didn't even have kids then and was already aware of the stress it could cause.

In comparison, the focus here is more on character-building, outdoor adventure, and being close to nature. Hopefully, our children can pursue whatever dreams they want.

We rent a two-bedroom house in New Zealand for 340 New Zealand dollars, or around $200 a week. We've received our New Zealand residency, and our next goal is to buy a house.

Our plan for now is to stay in New Zealand and take trips home regularly to visit family.

• Mercer's Quality of Living City Ranking 2024 looks at factors such as political stability and healthcare.
• There were 12 Asian cities that made it into the top 100 in the rankings this year.
• Singapore was the only Asian city to make the top 50.

If you're considering moving to Asia, a new report can help determine which city would be the top choice.

Mercer, a human resource consulting service, recently released its yearly Quality of Living City Ranking, which ranks 241 cities across five continents. The ranking process considers factors such as political stability, healthcare, education, infrastructure, and socio-cultural environment.

In an era of remote work, the ranking also considered the cost of living in different cities.

Mercer said that the most "successful destinations" were those that "blend flexible governance around mobile talent with a high quality of life and an affordable cost of living."

Although many European cities were featured high on the list, with Zurich maintaining its top spot, 12 Asian cities made the top 100 this year. Singapore was the only city in Asia to make the top 50, at 30th position.

Take a look at the top 10 cities in Asia:

10. Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (85th)

Abu Dhabi recently ranked second, with Dubai taking first place, among the most popular locations for executive nomads, according to the Executive Nomad Index by real estate firm Savills.

The capital of the UAE is known for its modern skyline and shopping megacenters. Expats make up more than 80% of its population, per InterNations, a Munich-based expat network.

9. Taipei, Taiwan (85th)

Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, is tied with Abu Dhabi at 85th. Between 2019 and 2021, Taiwan was ranked first out of 59 destinations in the InterNations Expat Insider survey for the job security expats enjoy and the state of the local economy.

Alex Teachey, a New Yorker who moved to Taipei in 2020, previously told BI that he enjoys the city for its affordability.

"I live a 20-minute bike ride from my office — I never could have afforded anything remotely similar if I'd stayed in New York City," he said.

8. Dubai, UAE (83rd)

Known for its glitzy skyscrapers and modern architecture, Dubai is also an expat hotspot. According to the Dubai Statistics Center, 92% of its 3,655,000-person population are non-Emirati.

Expats in Dubai previously told BI that they liked the city for its convenience and ease of making friends. "There are so many interesting and new people to meet here with different perspectives than we're used to," said Kiran Ali, who relocated to the city with her family earlier this year.

7. Seoul, South Korea (81st)

Seoul, the capital of South Korea, clearly has more to offer than just K-pop. With a population of 9.4 million, the city is popular for expats seeking affordability and a rich culture.

Besides Seoul, Busan was the second city in South Korea to make the top 100, ranking 100th.

6. Hong Kong (76th)

Hong Kong is known for being a global financial center with a thriving food scene. It is also one of the most densely populated cities in the world, with an overall density of around 17,311 people per square mile.

Kaitlyn Cheung, who moved from California to Hong Kong, previously told BI that she was impressed by the country's efficient public transport system and found the city to be diverse. "I routinely made friends from all over the world, which allowed me to broaden my horizons and learn about different cultures," she said.

5. Nagoya, Japan (74th)

Located in the center of Japan, Nagoya is the capital of Japan's Aichi Prefecture with a population of 2.3 million people.

LaJuan, a content creator, moved to a shoebox apartment in the city and pays $230 a month in rent. He appreciates the city's slow and simple pace of life.

"Nagoya, to me, is a perfect balance of both city life and just having some space for yourself," he told BI.

4. Osaka-Kobe, Japan (68th)

Osaka is a port city known for its nightlife and history. It's Japan's second-largest metropolitan area after Tokyo. Kobe, a city known for beef, is 22 miles from Osaka, or just 12 minutes away by the Shinkansen bullet train.

Grace Cheng, who visited Japan 11 times, said Osaka is ideal for foodies. "Whenever I go there, my sole mission is to eat," she told BI, adding that she recommends the city's tonkatsu and takoyaki.

3. Yokohama, Japan (58th)

Located less than 20 miles south of Tokyo, Yokohama is a port city with skyscrapers and is home to Japan's biggest Chinatown.

The district around Yokohama Station earned the top spot for livability in the Greater Tokyo rankings by Recruit Co., a Toyko-based human resource service, for seven consecutive years, per local reports. The same survey found that reasons for wanting to live in the area include the availability of cultural facilities and large-scale shopping complexes.

"Yokohama was so safe that I took public buses by myself at 8 to meet friends in different parts of the city," Alicia Erickson, who moved to the city as a kid, told BI.

2. Tokyo, Japan (56th)

The capital of Japan is home to over 14 million residents and is easily recognized for its neon-lit skyscrapers and busy streets.

David McElhinney, who moved to Tokyo in 2018, was surprised by cultural differences. He added that knowing how to speak a little Japanese goes a long way in the city. "Big cities — especially ones as dynamic, complex, and multifaceted as the Japanese capital — always bring new surprises," he said.

1. Singapore (30th)

Singapore, a small island nation in Southeast Asia, was ranked the highest among Asian cities on the list. Widely hailed as the "most expensive city," Singapore's foreign workforce makes up around 30% of its population of 6 million.

Nick Burns, who transferred from San Francisco to Singapore, said he appreciates the city for its affordable healthcare, safety, and hawker food. "I can't see us leaving anytime soon," he said.

• Jennifer Lopez plays the mother of NCAA wrestler Anthony Robles in 'Unstoppable.'
• Jennifer Lopez said she asked herself if she was enough for her kids when she was a single mom.
• She shares two kids from her previous marriage with Marc Anthony, which ended in 2014.

Jennifer Lopez said she wondered if she was enough for her kids.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly published on Monday, the actor opened up about being a single mom.

"I've been a single mom at times in my life and [I've asked], 'Am I enough for them?'" said Lopez. "And the truth is, all you need is really one good parent to love you."

Lopez, 55, is the mother of 16-year-old twins Emme and Max, whom she shares with her ex-husband, Marc Anthony. The couple married in 2004 and divorced in 2014.

In the film "Unstoppable," Lopez plays Judy Robles, the mother of NCAA wrestler Anthony Robles.

The film, scheduled to stream on Prime Video on January 16, is based on the true story of Robles, who was born with one leg and went on to become a champion wrestler in college.

"You hear it in Anthony's voice, and look what he's been able to accomplish," Lopez continued. "That's what the movie gave me: You are enough."

In May, Lopez discussed raising teenagers on Live with Kelly and Mark. "I'm alone in this in the teenage years," she said, explaining that most of her close friends don't have kids. "So yeah, it's challenging, you know, but I love my kids, and they are so brilliant and lovely and beautiful, and I enjoy it."

Lopez, who is in the middle of a divorce from Ben Affleck, is not the only celebrity to have had questions about parenthood. In October, Hoda Kotb, who adopted two daughters, said she wondered whether she deserved her kids at one point.

"And I thought, 'I'll just work really hard to be really good, because I'm not sure,'" she said.

In April, Ashley Espinoza, who has a daughter, wrote for BI about the loneliness of being a single parent.

"I focus my attention on something I can control, like paying off my student loans, writing a book, and having fun with my daughter every chance I get, assuring her that one parent can be enough," she wrote.

Sheila Hageman, a divorced parent with three kids, wrote last year that she's learned to cut herself some slack.

"I'm giving myself the grace to recognize that the experts aren't living our lives and that I don't have to be a 'perfect' single mom but rather a good-enough mom who loves her family and is willing to be flexible and creative in the face of challenges," she wrote.

A representative for Jennifer Lopez did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI sent outside regular business hours.

• 29 countries offer residence visas for remote workers, or "digital nomad visas."
• Spain and Italy have joined the growing list of countries offering digital nomad visa programs.
• Governments hope the visas will help develop more sustainable tourist economies.

In the lead-up to the election, Business Insider reported millions of Americans were considering leaving the country if former President Donald Trump won his 2024 campaign. After his victory was announced, searches for the phrase "moving to Canada" spiked — along with inquiries about international digital nomad visas.

The specialized visas allow remote workers to live and work in countries like Malta, Portugal, and Costa Rica — as long as their income comes from outside the country.

And as some American tourists consider moving abroad, dozens of countries have, in recent years, launched special visas designed specifically for remote workers to drive tourism in their countries.

In some countries, the visas have become so popular that they've had to start turning people away. As of October 2024, for example, Cyprus is no longer accepting digital nomads after it filled the 500 slots it had available for its visa program.

Nonetheless, there are still plenty of options elsewhere. Here are 29 countries that offer visas specifically for remote workers, the minimum income required to apply, and how much they cost.

Europe digital nomad visas

Malta

Malta, an island south of Italy, has a permit that allows nomads to keep their jobs elsewhere and legally stay in the country for one year with a chance of renewal.

To be eligible, you must be from a country outside the EU and EEA and have a minimum gross annual income of 42,000 euros. The Nomad Residence Permit requires applicants to have health insurance, hold a valid travel document, have a rental or purchase agreement, and pass a background check. There is no application deadline, but there is a 300-euro application fee.

Latvia

Latvia introduced its digital nomad visa in February 2022, allowing applicants to spend up to a year in the country with the opportunity to renew for another.

Digital nomads must either work for a company based in a member state of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe) or a company registered in one of those countries for at least six months.

They must also have health insurance and make at least 2.5 times the country's average monthly salary of the previous year, which the government website reports is about $4,043 (€3,843). There's also a $63 (€60) state fee for the visa application.

Romania

To apply for Romania's digital nomad visa, digital nomads must show proof they can work remotely, either as freelancers, business owners, or employees of a company registered outside the country.

Applicants are also required to have a clean criminal record, medical insurance for the duration of the visa with a minimum liability of $31,580 (€30,000), make at least three times the average gross monthly salary in Romania, around $3,467 (€3,300), and pay an application fee of $126 (€120).

Hungary

Known as the White Card, the digital nomad visa in Hungary requires applicants to be employed by a company outside the country, have shares in a company outside the country, or work as a freelancer.

In addition to providing proof of health insurance and proof of accommodation, those keen on getting a White Card must earn at least $3,146 (€3,000) a month. Application fees can cost as much as $297 (€284).

Croatia

Croatia allows non-EU citizens to apply for its digital nomad visa program, which grants up to one year of residency for remote workers.

The program also allows residency for close family members of the visa applicant so long as the family meets the country's income requirements. To be eligible, applicants must make a minimum of 2,870 euros a month (or $3,035) or have a minimum of 34,440 euros (or $36,430) already available in their account.

Iceland

In Iceland, a long-term visa for remote work can grant you 90 to 180 days while working. The program requires that you are from a country outside the EU and EEA and also from a country that does not need a visa to travel to the Schengen area (US citizens can travel to Iceland without a visa).

Applicants must also have a monthly income of 1,000,000 Icelandic króna (or $7,156) or 1,300,000 Icelandic króna if they bring a spouse.

Greece

Greece started its Digital Nomad Visa in 2021 and is still operating today. The program lets non-EU digital nomads, with a 3,500-euro monthly income, stay for 12 months.

The application fee is refundable at 75 euros, and there's also an administration fee of about 150 euros.

Portugal

Portugal has been kind to digital nomads. With its "Temporary Residence Visa for the Exercise of Professional Activity Provided Remotely Outside the National Territory," or D8 visa, launched in 2022, non-EU nomads can still freely work there.

Applicants must be over 18 years old, prove income over 3,280 euros a month, and show proof of accommodation for at least 12 months. The application fee ranges from 75 to 90 euros.

Estonia

Estonia launched its Digital Nomad Visa (DNV) program in 2020, offering up to a year of residency for eligible workers looking to live in the Northern European country bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland.

Eligible remote workers must prove they earn at least 3,504 euros a month (or $3,706) and apply in person at their nearest Estonian Embassy or Consulate. Application fees range between 80 and 100 euros ($84 and $105).

Spain

Spain's Digital Nomad Visa Program allows remote workers, their spouse or unmarried partner, and dependent children to reside in the country for one year.

Applicants must have an undergraduate or postgraduate degree from a "University, College, or Business School of prestige" or have at least 3 years of work experience in their current field, in addition to earning at least 200% of the monthly Spanish national minimum wage — currently set at 37.8 euros/day ($39) or 1,134 euros/month ($1,199).

Italy

Italy's Digital Nomad Visa is available to non-EU citizens who are highly specialized workers with careers that require post-secondary degrees or at least three years of professional training or experience.

The visa lasts up to one year for the applicant, their spouse, and dependent children. To be eligible, the applicant must prove that their salary is at least three times the annual minimum wage of 24,789 euros (or $26,221) and that they have at least 30,000 euros (or $50,000) worth of medical insurance coverage.

Asia and Africa digital nomad visas

Bali, Indonesia

In April, Bali introduced a Remote Worker Visa (E33G), which allows digital nomads to work from Bali for a year. Foreign workers in Bali must be employed by a company outside Indonesia and receive a yearly income of at least $60,000.

The application fee for a standard single-entry visa costs 12,900,000 Indonesian rupiah, or about $810.

Thailand

The Destination Thailand Visa allows digital nomads to stay in Thailand for up to 180 days per visit, on a multiple-entry basis, within five years. The visa fee costs 10,000 Thai baht, or $284.

Applicants must be at least 20 years old and have at least THB 500,000, or about $14,400 USD, in their bank. Employed workers are required to have a foreign employment contract, while freelancers need a professional portfolio.

Japan

Japan introduced a new digital nomad visa in April. This visa allows holders to work remotely in the country for up to six months. Visa holders must be nationals or citizens of selected regions, including the US and UK.

Applicants must have an annual income of at least 10,000,000 Japanese yen, or $65,000, and submit their applications in person or by mail to the nearest embassy or consulate general of Japan. A single-entry visa costs $22, while a multiple-entry visa costs $43, but some countries, including the US, are exempt from this fee.

United Arab Emirates

UAE's virtual work residence visa allows holders to live and work remotely in the UAE — including Dubai and Abu Dhabi — for up to a year. Applicants must make at least $3,500 a month and have sufficient health insurance coverage within the country.

The service fee to apply for the visa is 300 United Arab Emirates Dirhams, or about $80.

Cabo Verde

Cabo Verde's Remote Working Program allows remote workers to stay for up to 6 months, with the option of renewal after. Individual applicants must have an average bank balance of 1,500 euros, or $1,570, in the past 6 months.

The visa fee costs 20 euros, and applicants must submit an online form to indicate their interest.

South Africa

South Africa recently launched a remote work visa, which allows holders to stay for at least 3 months and up to 3 years. While details are still being finalized, the latest visa requirements state that applicants must have a salary of at least 650,796 South African Rand, or about $36,000, and a valid foreign-based employment contract.

Caribbean digital nomad visas

Grenada

To receive a digital nomad visa from Grenada, you need a valid passport, an annual income of at least EC$100,000 a year, or about $37,000, full COVID-19 vaccination, and valid health insurance.

There is no application deadline. The fee is $1,500 for individuals, $2,000 for a family of four, and $200 for each additional dependent.

St. Lucia

St. Lucia's Digital Nomad Visa program, "Don't Just Visit, Live It," has no income threshold. The one-year visa is available to remote workers, freelancers, and students.

The application fee costs $125 XCD (about $47) for a single-entry visa or $190 XCD (about $70) for a multiple-entry visa.

Curaçao

Curaçao's Digital Nomad Visa, the At Home in Curaçao program, has no salary requirements. Still, you must be employed, own a business, or have freelance clients outside the country.

Health insurance, a clean criminal record, and proof of accommodation or a lease on the island are also required. The visa application fee is about $294.

Dominica

To qualify for Dominica's Digital Nomad Visa, the Work in Nature (WIN) Program, you must be 18 years old and have a clean criminal record.

You will also need an income of at least $50,000 or have sufficient funds to support yourself and any family members accompanying you during a 12-month stay.

The application fee is $100. The individual visa costs $800, and the primary applicant can also apply for their spouse and dependents for a total fee of $1,200.

Anguilla

The digital nomad visa in Anguilla has no income requirements, but interested travelers must fill out an application at least 7 days before arrival.

Digital nomads also need proof of a negative COVID-19 test 3 to 5 days before they step foot on the island and proof of a health insurance policy covering COVID-19 complications.

Antigua and Barbuda

To nab Antigua and Barbuda's two-year visa through the Nomad Digital Residency Programme, applicants must be 18 or older, earn at least $50,000 a year, and have a clean criminal record.

Their employer must be outside Antigua and Barbuda as well. Application fees range from $1,500 for a single person to $3,000 for a family of three, plus another $650 for each additional dependent.

Barbados

Introduced in June 2020, the Barbados 12-Month Welcome Stamp offers a one-year visa for digital nomads interested in the island and the opportunity to renew.

Applicants must make at least $50,000. Fees are $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a family bundle and must be paid within 28 days of application approval.

North, Central, and South America digital nomad visas

Bermuda

The Work from Bermuda certificate was created for "remote workers, self-employed digital nomads and university students engaged in remote learning," according to the program's web page. It lasts for 12 months and is renewable on a case-by-case basis.

The application fee is $275, and interested applicants must be at least 18 years old, have a clean criminal record, and have valid health insurance.

There is no official salary requirement, but applicants must demonstrate that they "have substantial means" or a "continuous source of income," though no official range is provided.

Colombia

Colombia's "Visa V Digital Nomads" program allows expats from more than 100 countries to live and work remotely in the tropical country for up to two years. Applicants must make a minimum income of three times the current legal monthly minimum wage in Colombia, which currently equals about $885 a month.

The application costs $54, and if approved, the Visa itself costs another $177. People hoping to become digital nomads in Colombia must also provide a contract or employment letter detailing their employment agreement and compensation details. Entrepreneurs may alternatively submit a letter outlining their business project and financial resources.

Belize

Belize offers citizens of the European Union, the United Kindom, the United States, and Canada the chance to live and work in the country via its "Work Where You Vacation" program. Applicants can secure a six-month visa by proving they make a minimum annual income of $75,000 or $100,000 if applying with dependants. Kids under 18 are eligible to enroll in the country's school system.

Applicants must submit a notarized banking reference, a police record, and proof of travel insurance. The visa costs $500 per adult and $200 per child.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica's digital nomad program extends the country's 90-day tourist visa to a full year with the option to renew for an additional year. Applicants must be foreign nationals who earn a minimum of $3,000 a month or $4,000 a month if applying with dependants.

All application materials must be submitted in Spanish. The application costs $100, while the visa is an additional $90.

Brazil

Brazil's digital nomad visa (VITEM XIV) allows foreign nationals from more than 100 countries to work remotely in the South American country for one year and to renew for longer.

The visa is available to remote workers who can prove a monthly minimum income of $1,500 or an available bank balance of at least $18,000. Applicants must submit a background check, a copy of their birth certificate, proof of valid health insurance in Brazil, and documents proving digital nomad status.

The visa costs $290 for US applicants and between $100 and $215 for UK applicants. Expats from all other countries will pay $100 for the visa.

• Rosé opened up about how she copes with anxiety.
• The Blackpink member said she only noticed her anxiety recently and uses stress balls to help.
• This is not the first time she has discussed mental health — a topic that can be seen as taboo in the K-pop industry.

K-pop megastar Rosé is speaking up about how she copes with anxiety.

On Wednesday's episode of "Therapuss with Jake Shane," the Blackpink member said she only started to notice her anxiety recently.

"I think it's gone really bad over these past few years," said Rosé, 27. She added that her friends who have worked with her 3 or 4 years ago have told her she's been "a little different" this year.

"And I was like, 'Am I?' I think that's probably the anxiety," she said.

The "APT" singer said she had never needed things like stress balls before. "I'm like, 'I don't understand stress balls, like why would you ever need them?' is what I thought, until I came across one during a meeting once. I was like, 'Ew, what is that?' I touched it and thought it was disgusting. And then I touched it again and was like, 'Oh, it's kind of a cool texture,'" she recalled.

From then on, she started using stress balls at "every single meeting," she said. "I ended up doing this serious meeting with somebody, and I got through it so well," she said. She realized it was the stress ball. "It just helps," she continued.

That's when she diagnosed herself with "bad anxiety," she said.

Rosé said that having a stress ball helps her to cope with anxious feelings. "If I'm going for it, I'm like, 'I know I have anxiety.' So I know how to articulate it," she said, adding that she can tell the people around her when she needs a 5-minute break.

"You know how people go for smoke breaks? I need a squishy break," she said.

This is not the first time the K-pop star has opened up about mental health — a topic that can be seen as taboo in South Korea.

"The blame lies with South Korean society in general," Ryu Sang-ho, a neurologist from Busan, previously told The Guardian following the suicides of K-pop stars. "Many people with mental health issues are reluctant to take medication for fear of being seen as weak-minded," Ryu said.

Last November, Rosé spoke at a mental health event hosted by First Lady Jill Biden about the importance of taking care of mental health.

"In order for me to create and share positivity through my music, my mental health needs to be taken care of as a matter of priority," she said, adding, "Just as we train ourselves for better health and fitness, mental health can only be maintained with equally, if not more attention, as our physical well-being."

A representative for Rosé did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours.

Managing anxiety at work

Anxiety is a growing issue in the workplace. A March report by mental health service provider ComPsych found that the No. 1 presenting issue reported by US workers was anxiety, based on their sample analysis of more than 300,000 US cases.

Marla Deibler, licensed clinical psychologist, previously told BI that anxiety is a normal response to stress.

"Let it in when it shows up. Practice acceptance. Rather than trying to push it away (which tends to be futile, resulting in feeling more overwhelmed and less in control), make room for anxiety," she said.

She added that not every thought is necessarily true and can sometimes be unhelpful. "Notice the thoughts. Note that they are not objective truths. You get to decide whether the thoughts are worthy of your attention."

Beyond tips like practicing deep breathing, consuming less caffeine, and staying connected with friends, people who live with anxiety can consider seeking professional help.

• In 2018, at 46, Chris retired and left Chicago for Bangkok.
• He spent two years planning and saving for his move by investing in real estate.
• He enjoys the affordability of living in Bangkok and how easy it is to make friends.

As he soaked in the pool of his Airbnb in Bangkok, Chris wondered, "How can I make this my home permanently?"

It was 2016, and he had spent the past 25 years in the toy industry overseeing product development. His routine was the same: wake up, go to work, come home, play a video game, and sleep. At 44, retirement was weighing on his mind.

"There was nothing else I needed to really do," said Chris, now 52, who asked to be identified only by his first name to protect his privacy. "I mean, could I have worked longer to buy a cooler car? Maybe. Could I have bought a bigger house? Maybe. But nothing like that was really important to me."

At the same time, Chris knew he didn't want to retire in his home state of Illinois. He loved the city but couldn't stand the long and bitter winters. Most of his friends — unlike him — were married with kids. He wanted to challenge himself with a hard reset.

Chris had taken many business trips to Asia and started to love that part of the world. So, he mapped out a plan to save up, quit his job, and then live there full-time.

The first thing he did was tell no one

He didn't want to deal with negative reactions, he said. So, he kept his plan a secret for almost two years.

But behind the scenes, Chris worked feverishly to make his plan a reality.

First, he ramped up his real estate investments. Chris got more involved in the real estate market in 2014 after paying off the mortgage of his first home 17 years early. "When you pay off a house, it's the coolest feeling for a couple of weeks — you don't have a mortgage payment. And then you're like, what do I do?" he recalled.

He decided to invest in more property. By 2018, he had nine properties earning around the same amount as his full-time job.

He also visited Thailand eight times to ensure it was where he wanted to be. He had considered Hong Kong and Japan but eventually decided against them due to the higher cost of living.

"I wouldn't do touristy things. I would sometimes spend days just hanging out at the condo I was renting as if I already lived here," he said.

By September 2018, he had a six-figure safety net in the bank — in case he "didn't survive" and had hired a property manager to look after his properties. With a Thai Elite Visa — a long-term tourist visa that permitted his residency for the next five years, he left frosty Chicago for sunny Thailand.

The first six months were hard

Chris said he was used to being in a job where he had a team and worked on multiple projects.

"It was very strange to be fully retired and not have any responsibilities at a young age," he said. "I definitely, in the beginning, had some panic attacks where I'd wake up at 3 in the morning and be like, 'What did I just do?'" he recalled.

Things improved when he followed a friend's suggestion to explore a site for meeting people with the same interests. Through meetup.com, Chris was able to connect with other expats and make Thai friends. Playing pickleball was a great way to connect with new people, he said.

"Bangkok is such a massive city. It's so easy to walk up to almost anybody and say hello," he said. "I don't do it as much as I used to because I have a lot of friends now. I'm like, I can't handle more friends," he said with a laugh.

Living in Thailand is more affordable

Chris lives in an 882-square-foot two-bedroom apartment in Thonglor, a hip neighborhood in Bangkok with trendy bars and shopping centers. His rent is 62,000 Thai baht, or around $1,785 a month.

Before he left the US, he had set a budget of around $3,000 a month based on three factors: his age, lifestyle, and health. Describing his lifestyle as "semi-luxury," Chris said that he's increased his budget year after year to adjust to his changing circumstances. Now, his budget is at $3,800.

Still, it's almost half of what he spent in Chicago, which was over $6,000 a month.

Chicago is the most expensive place to live in the Midwest. Among 32 Midwestern cities, Chicago has the highest Cost of Living Index score, the Council for Community and Economic Research found last October.

"I get so shocked every time I go home once a year to visit my mom and see how it's gone up even more exponentially over the last couple of years," said Chris, who would spend a few weeks with his 82-year-old mom.

He recalled that his parents were more shocked about his early retirement than his move.

"I think this is important for people that move away from family," he said. "You can't think of it as how many years you have left with somebody. You have to think about it as how many visits you have left with that person."

Thailand is a popular retirement destination

Chris is not the only one who has found a retirement haven in Thailand.

According to the World Bank, the number of foreigners over 50 who received retirement visas to stay in Thailand doubled between 2013 and 2018 to nearly 80,000.

Retirees enjoy the country's slow pace of life and low cost of living.

John Walker, 73, moved from Australia to Chiang Mai, a province in northern Thailand, in 2019. He lives on an annual pension of around $18,000 and saves around 40% of his income. "People from all different countries come here," he told BI. "It's got a huge retirement community."

Similarly, Jeffrey Odgen, 75, decided to retire in Hua Hin, a beach town south of Bangkok. "The people here are very respectful. They respect their elders, whereas you don't get that in other European countries," said Odgen, who is originally from the UK.

For Chris, being able to live any type of lifestyle is his favorite part of living in the city.

"If you want to be a recluse and just hide in your condo all day and get everything delivered, you can do that. If you want to explore the city, the public transportation is amazing," he said. "There's a lot of great culture, and everything is just right at your fingertips."

Although he's been in the city for six years, Chris says it only feels like six minutes.

"It has been the fastest and the best six years of my life living here," said Chris, who has since extended his visa for 20 more years. "I absolutely want to stay as long as I possibly can."

Do you have a story about moving abroad to retire that you want to share? Get in touch with the reporter, Erin: [email protected].

• Teri Hatcher, 59, doesn't enjoy dating at her age.
• Hatcher said unlike what people think, men are not "lining up outside her door."
• She also feels like it would be "too much" to date younger men.

At 59, Teri Hatcher would rather spend time with her cat than date.

During an interview on Wednesday with Sherri Shepherd on the talk show "Sherri," the "Desperate Housewives" star said she doesn't date much anymore.

"I used to date, and you'd look across the table at the guy, and you'd think, 'OK, I wonder if we're going to end up in bed together. And now I look across the table, and I just think, 'When am I going to have to change this guy's diaper?'" she said, adding, "It's just not that fun anymore."

When asked if she would consider dating younger men, Hatcher said it would "just be too much."

"I'd just feel like I'd have to be keeping up. I'd have to, like, 'How do I look in a bikini today?' and I just don't care," she said.

The actor was previously married twice, to Markus Leithold from 1988 to 1989 and to Jon Tenney from 1994 to 2003, whom she shares a daughter with.

Now, people around her say that men must be "lining up out the door," she said. "And I'm like, 'No, no. I open it once in a while, and there's nobody there."

Hatcher, who stars in the holiday movie "How to Fall in Love By Christmas," said she mostly "dates" her cat. When she's on Duolingo learning French, her cat jumps onto her chest and sits there.

"It's better than any date well that you could possibly go on," she said.

In 2019, Hatcher told People that she is content with being single.

"I have been single for a very long time but there is nothing lonely about my life. I want to remove the stigma of that," she said.

A representative for Hatcher did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.

Dating later in life

After getting out of a long-term relationship, Jennie Young downloaded her first dating app at 50.

She quickly grew frustrated by the pool of potential matches on the app. "There were a lot of bad actors, and the behavior wasn't just annoying; it was deeply problematic," she previously wrote for BI.

Young, a professor of rhetoric and women and gender studies, responded by starting a project called the Burned Haystack Dating Method. This method encourages daters to filter out time wasters and red flags.

Other older women enjoy being able to experiment with dating apps.

Carolina Gonzalez previously told BI that it's "weird to go out with anybody" after being in a long marriage.

"Though there is still a hope you will meet someone and fall in love, but I am probably never going to meet someone and have what I had before," she said.

Still, she enjoys being able to meet different people of all ages. Her life is not shutting down with age, she said, but opening up.

And some prefer to stay single. Bella DePaulo, 70, previously told BI that she has never been in a relationship and doesn't intend to be in one.

"I'm happy and flourishing because I'm single, not in spite of it," she said.

• Patrick J. Adams left "Suits" after realizing he only stayed for the money.
• He added that he wanted to focus on his marriage to Troian Bellisario.
• The legal drama experienced a resurgence in popularity after being released on streaming platforms.

Patrick J. Adams knew it was time to leave "Suits" after a conversation with his mom.

On Tuesday's episode of "Dinner's on Me" with Jesse Tyler Ferguson, the Canadian-American actor said his character's storyline on the legal drama had played out by the end of the seventh season.

"It just all had happened, and I was like, where do we go from here?" said Adams, who played Mike Ross, a Harvard Law School dropout turned unlicensed lawyer.

At that point, he knew his costar and on-screen partner, Meghan Markle, was leaving the show. "And I was like, the only reason to do this was money," he said.

The "Plan B" actor talked to his mom and thought she would ask him to stay. "It was like, financially, you have to do this. It's responsible. You've already put in this much time. Just put in two more years," he recalled. "But really, she was the one who was like, 'Is the only reason you're doing this for money?'"

Adams added that he had no issue with anyone on the show. "It was just like, I've done it. When you reach the end of the thing, there's nothing more. I don't know what else to offer," he said. His mom responded, "Then you should go. You should be done," he recalled.

While Adams left the show after the seventh season in 2018, Gabriel Macht, who plays Harvey Spector, stayed on for the final two seasons.

"Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and think about the money that Gabriel made those last two years," Adams said. "But I never regretted the decision for a second. I knew it was the right thing for my marriage."

Adams, who married "Pretty Little Liars" star Troian Bellisario in 2016, had been in a long-distance relationship with her for seven years.

"It was time for us to start our lives. We wanted to be together. We wanted to have kids, which we knew would take a couple of years before we were comfortable doing that," Adams said.

The longer he stayed in Toronto to work on the show, the longer he was "putting on hold this life that I knew I wanted," he said. "It was time to realize that money is great, but, you know, I'd made enough money that I could go and have my life now."

First released in 2011, "Suits" experienced a resurgence in popularity after being rereleased on streaming platforms like Netflix. Nielsen, a media audience analytics firm, found that the show topped its list as the most-streamed television series last year, with 57.7 billion minutes streamed on Netflix and Peacock.

With its resurgence, the show's creator, Aaron Korsh, is developing a spin-off show called "Suits L.A.," which features Macht. Adams is not part of its cast.

A representative for Adams did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.

Knowing when to leave your job

In the corporate world, feeling unfulfilled in your job may indicate that it's time to move on.

AJ Eckstein told BI that he left his 6-figure consultant job in his dream company after feeling unfulfilled.

"When I started, my self-worth was high, buoyed by the excitement of a new career. As the years passed and my fulfillment waned, my sense of self-worth plummeted, too," he said. He eventually decided to leave his job to build a startup. " Leaving a stable job is risky, but so is staying when you feel unfulfilled," he said.

Similarly, Ashley Tan left her job as a JP Morgan analyst after feeling like she was wasting her life.

"I found it frustrating to have to stick to the old ways of doing things and I didn't feel fulfilled because I knew I didn't want to pursue marketing long-term," she said. Upon quitting, she decided to travel and explore DJing.

"I realize it's up to me to make the life I want a reality. It's been an enlightening change."