Personal opinions please About life in USA

[NewBetterBonio]

Good Day All

Thank you so much for your responses. Very interesting points were made, very helpful.
Britsimon I would just like to thank you for always being so helpful and taking out the time to give Good advise to us all here on this forum, you are a Absolute Star.

Britsimon thank you for sharing that information about your life so candidly. Yes, you are in a very fortunate position, being able to travel the world, and obviously alot of hard work and money goes into moving between countries as you mentioned. And that was one of my fears, that this might drain us financially But I dont want fear to hold me back from taking risks or realizing my dream. Most successful people are in that "position" because they took more risks than the average person. So I guess I will have to give this some serious thought.

SussieQQQ and BetaPhaggot I am from SA (third world country), without stating the obvious problems here, we have not suffered at the hands of crime here, but economically alot has impacted us. Husband was without a job for a few months but he is working now again. The rise in food prices, petrol, electricity, toll gate bullying etc... the list just goes on. Our mortgage is 7 years old, all our debt beside the home is just about $12 000. But on the upside, we have about $8 000 in savings, and my pension at work is about $46 000 and should we sell our home we will also cash in on some money. So on these standards I guess we are not doing to bad, however I just feel that we are not living a quality life. Our currency is so poor,, R10.97 to the US$, that is horrific. Our money just feel soooo useless and we both Love travelling but cant really dare travelling to Europe or USA, it will cost us a fortune!!!
My husband have adult children all married and have several grandchildren, but we dont have kids of our own. I know this must sound a bit selfish, but we both want to do this to expand our horizons. Want to delve into a new culture, travel more and just doing something outside the box. My husband is very young at heart and real zest for life, he is more of a free spirit than me... I always think of financial impact of a situation where he is "living in the moment"type of person always reminding me that life is short, while you have the health and money you must go for what you passionate about.


So against the background I gave you above, we want to do this for ourselves not because we have children that we have to consider, as with many people I have read on forums about. But we also realize that it will not always be easy and that this will not be a walk in the park... but we think this could be a crazy yet fun journey.
Thank you for your time and interest in my story and sorry for the looong message LOL.

Your responses are really Appreciated and I hope you all living your dreams! Cause life is too short to not be Happy and not living your passion!

It seems that you are quite convinced about the emigration from your country to US, so my advice it, do it, if you don’t try it - you might regret it.
However, based on information you gave if I were you I would not burn the bridges, try to keep your job (career break, arrangements …) / house (rent it) if possible.

The thing is - you have high expectation and whether you actually meet them are dependent on many factors - even luck, so go there if you win the lottery , try new life
and if you don’t like it, you will be free to go back to your country.

I can give you an example, my aunt, immigrated to States 12 years ago (more than 40 years of age at the time) she had a good state (office) job in her country of origin, however
coming from Easter Europe - once she had opportunity to emigrate to States she did it simply because of the money – the difference in salaries and standard of life were obvious.
Now, she arrived in states - not knowing the language too well she had to start from scratch, she works and have been working as a nurse, so even if she does better – money wise –
comparing to her “previous” life, she is not that better off, she has to work hard and savings after all of the expenditures are not that big (some of her peers / friends who
remainded behind does better).

I’m pretty sure if she would have kept similar standing in society she had in original country she would be completely content, this was not possible, though.
Now after that many years she has no choice, old contacts, job gone, there is no way back.

So that’s my 2 cents, good luck.

 

[SusieQQQ]

Good Day All

Thank you so much for your responses. Very interesting points were made, very helpful.
Britsimon I would just like to thank you for always being so helpful and taking out the time to give Good advise to us all here on this forum, you are a Absolute Star.

Britsimon thank you for sharing that information about your life so candidly. Yes, you are in a very fortunate position, being able to travel the world, and obviously alot of hard work and money goes into moving between countries as you mentioned. And that was one of my fears, that this might drain us financially But I dont want fear to hold me back from taking risks or realizing my dream. Most successful people are in that "position" because they took more risks than the average person. So I guess I will have to give this some serious thought.

SussieQQQ and BetaPhaggot I am from SA (third world country), without stating the obvious problems here, we have not suffered at the hands of crime here, but economically alot has impacted us. Husband was without a job for a few months but he is working now again. The rise in food prices, petrol, electricity, toll gate bullying etc... the list just goes on. Our mortgage is 7 years old, all our debt beside the home is just about $12 000. But on the upside, we have about $8 000 in savings, and my pension at work is about $46 000 and should we sell our home we will also cash in on some money. So on these standards I guess we are not doing to bad, however I just feel that we are not living a quality life. Our currency is so poor,, R10.97 to the US$, that is horrific. Our money just feel soooo useless and we both Love travelling but cant really dare travelling to Europe or USA, it will cost us a fortune!!!
My husband have adult children all married and have several grandchildren, but we dont have kids of our own. I know this must sound a bit selfish, but we both want to do this to expand our horizons. Want to delve into a new culture, travel more and just doing something outside the box. My husband is very young at heart and real zest for life, he is more of a free spirit than me... I always think of financial impact of a situation where he is "living in the moment"type of person always reminding me that life is short, while you have the health and money you must go for what you passionate about.


So against the background I gave you above, we want to do this for ourselves not because we have children that we have to consider, as with many people I have read on forums about. But we also realize that it will not always be easy and that this will not be a walk in the park... but we think this could be a crazy yet fun journey.
Thank you for your time and interest in my story and sorry for the looong message LOL.

Your responses are really Appreciated and I hope you all living your dreams! Cause life is too short to not be Happy and not living your passion!

I'm from SA too.

Some observations. Medical costs are big. Think what we pay in rands in SA, and it is pretty much in dollars there (I had a $1200 bill for an ER visit, drip and a couple of blood tests). Medical aid will probably cost you more and refund you less. Obviously domestic workers are much more expensive so no more fulltime help. Things are expensive, changes a lot though depending where you want to live for example housing is much cheaper in Florida than California. Cars are a lot cheaper than SA so that helps the budget, but day to day stuff like food and eating out is probably more expensive than you think. Your savings will help you for a while but you'll need to work obviously, you don't mention the fields you are in? For us all the advantages are worth it. I look at street view of the areas we want to live and can see the houses, not just high walls and electric fences!! For us the kids do have a lot to do with it though. The points the others raise are important. Even if they cannot legally discriminate on age, your husband is at a disadvantage. Almost everyone takes a step back work wise when they move over; at his age, he probably won't get back to where he was. Do you have any network there? Family, friends? We don't have a huge one but we have some and that is a comfort. Life in SA is very easy in a lot of senses and a lot of that is hard to leave behind. Most people other than those in a significantly high income bracket take a step backwards in living standards. Obviously we think it's worth it and so do lots of others we know, but I haven't known anyone who's made the move over 60.

I'm not saying don't go for it but... Think about it carefully. Those savings are a lot in SA, not so much in the US - $8000 is well less than the annual poverty guideline for an adult for example. If you are confident you can get a decent job relative to where you plan to live, then go for it. It certainly will be easier to travel and see stuff in the US, and there is an awful lot to see. But now, I don't want to be sounding too pessimistic, but if you are unable to even afford the occasional trip to Europe or the US from SA it does worry me. Your move to the US will cut through your savings faster than you think. Try and get some numbers and budget properly for stuff, and see realistically how it looks.

Oh and tolls are very much part of life in the US!! OUTA wouldn't stand a chance there....

 

[SusieQQQ]

Just to add to what Simon just said, I wouldn't be taking this risk if I was in your situation mainly on account of your husband's age. Getting a job at 61 is going to be real tough, it's not going to be the same as the situation he's experienced back at home - being without a job for a few months. There's no social benefit he can depend/draw on.

.

There's not much of that worth talking about in SA either!!

However, based on information you gave if I were you I would not burn the bridges, try to keep your job (career break, arrangements …) / house (rent it) if possible.

The thing is - you have high expectation and whether you actually meet them are dependent on many factors - even luck, so go there if you win the lottery , try new life
and if you don’t like it, you will be free to go back to your country.
.

Advice we have overwhelmingly gotten from people - including those who have done exactly this - is that it's a bad idea. You never make the move permanent in your mind and every small setback you're just about ready to hop on a plane back "home".

SAfricans do have one advantage in the language at least.

 

[Sm1smom]

There's not much of that worth talking about in SA either!!

Same with where I come from. Regardless, I wouldn't recommend for any member of my family that advanced in age and with the economic standing described by the OP to contemplate immigrating to the US. Of course it's a different ball game if there are children in the equation. I've seen too many immigrants in similar situation descend into pits of despair and depression following such moves.

 

[Britsimon]

Same with where I come from. Regardless, I wouldn't recommend for any member of my family that advanced in age and with the economic standing described by the OP to contemplate immigrating to the US. Of course it's a different ball game if there are children in the equation. I've seen too many immigrants in similar situation descend into pits of despair and depression following such moves.

Yep exactly.

The more you have to lose, the greater the risk. If you have little, or your home country offers little, then you might say it is worth going for it. BUT having family and being cutoff from them (because of flights costs etc) must be awful.

The more advanced your age, the less working years you have to recover from the move - and again in later years you become more concerned with how to avoid having to work until you drop. I think those concepts are harder for a younger person to understand.

To the OP - if you can make it work because your skills will be highly paid over here then great. But be realistic about the costs of living here. I work with an American guy who is a manager level guy - early 50s. He just returned from a 1 week European vacation (three countries - Paris/London/Rome in 6 days - crazy in my opinion). I questioned him about the speed of the trip - and he responded saying it was a once in a lifetime trip - he couldn't imagine ever being able to afford to do it again. He must be on a pretty good income as a manager in IT ($150k plus - pretty good for NorCal), but even with that this was a huge thing for him.

 

[vladek15425]

Yep exactly.

The more you have to lose, the greater the risk. If you have little, or your home country offers little, then you might say it is worth going for it. BUT having family and being cutoff from them (because of flights costs etc) must be awful.

The more advanced your age, the less working years you have to recover from the move - and again in later years you become more concerned with how to avoid having to work until you drop. I think those concepts are harder for a younger person to understand.

To the OP - if you can make it work because your skills will be highly paid over here then great. But be realistic about the costs of living here. I work with an American guy who is a manager level guy - early 50s. He just returned from a 1 week European vacation (three countries - Paris/London/Rome in 6 days - crazy in my opinion). I questioned him about the speed of the trip - and he responded saying it was a once in a lifetime trip - he couldn't imagine ever being able to afford to do it again. He must be on a pretty good income as a manager in IT ($150k plus - pretty good for NorCal), but even with that this was a huge thing for him.

I think even if a person manages to secure a good job and some saving to afford a trip to EU, or to his home country, after few 3 - 4 time ....than he gets bored !
Travelling in localy in the US is much funnier IMO !
But than I remember the sad story, that other peep reported on the kenyan thread.....
It was about an old lady that moved to usa, but than after one trip back home she commited the unforgiveble :-/
May be she felt the shock of the civilisation!?
But in most cases, everyone I know, never regreted moving to the usa.

 

[Alien2010]

Another point to consider is job security. Even if you land an excellent job, one can experience "restructuring fatigue"; it is an easy hire-easy fire environment. Taking long vacations can be risky as well: if things ran fine while this guy/gal was away for 3 weeks, do we really need him type of mentality. Most Americans I know use their vacation time to extend a 3-day weekend instead of going bulk.
Of course one can afford a big house and a fancy car but would those alone make you happy? What good is a car if it does not take you where you really want to go? (or as Agent Smith put it: What good is a phone call if you are unable to speak?)
Keep in mind that it is a very litigious society, an accident can bring about financial ruin.
It has been my observation that immigrants who are happy are the ones who were able to realize their self-worth with the opportunities US provides (e.g. an engineer with 10+ patents who would otherwise be fixing things in old country).

Whatever your choice is, I hope it turns out much better than you expect.

PS. I think it was SusieQQQ who laughed when I mentioned the tarantulas of Walnut Creek. Did not know she was from ZA, now it makes sense. I grew up reading Wilbur Smith adventure novels romanticizing about that land. I will visit ZA... one day...

 

[SusieQQQ]

PS. I think it was SusieQQQ who laughed when I mentioned the tarantulas of Walnut Creek. Did not know she was from ZA, now it makes sense. I grew up reading Wilbur Smith adventure novels romanticizing about that land. I will visit ZA... one day...

Yeah,I don't mind bugs, especially ones that look scary but aren't very dangerous.

It's also been quite amusing - coming from Africa ("do you have lions walking down your street?") to read about the lady in Marin county who looked up to find a mountain lion staring at her through her window!!

Yeah, scary coming from Africa to NorCal, but I'll manage

 

[meme21]

Good Day All

and thank you so much for all you advise and points you raised. All these have made me to step back for a moment and ponder my decision,,, not totally change it but Definately give it a hard and long thought.

Just to quickly touch up on what has been said NewBetterBonio the story about your aunt are the type of things that made me start this thread in the first place. We all want better for ourselves and we also want to fulfill our passions. And sometimes acting on that can have a good or bad outcome, but I guess it is Life and there is no book out there that will tell us what we need or must do next to ensure Success in our lives! I really hope your aunt will make her dream a success cause our destiny can chance at any point in life.

Sm1smon good advise thank you. SusieQQQ, Alien2010 and Britsimon you all made very good points for sure. The USA obviously is a dream to alot of us living elsewhere, but the job insecurity, cut on vacation time (or little of it), medical and insurances and working extra loooong hours to make ends meet are but a few of the things that was raised here and I knew in the back of my mind that it need to be considered very seriously! So thank you all for putting that into focus once again. When I was in the States in 1998, merely 23 years old, I saw how difficult it was for immigrants to make ends meet. They also, unless they are fully qualified in a certian field, they have to settle for the low end jobs, work extra hard and vacation is Foreign to them.
South Africa is a BEAUTIFUL country without a doubt and I truly have to say that if I should ever HAVE to leave it will be beyond heart breaking!!! We have beauty here beyond your wildest imagination, Alien2010 you must surely come and experience it atleast once in your lifetime. You will have an amazing time here. SusieQQQ can bear testimony to this, however we are just all a bit unsettled with the political and internal issues in our country. You just want to know that there will be an escape route out, should it ever come to that.
With all of this said... I will definately be very cautious in our decision to make make a move. I will have to get my house in order, otherwise this move can turn into nothing but a nightmare. And all the advise here have helped me a lot and I hope everyone that view this thread,,,please take from the advise given here.

And on a final note: we went to a Holiday resort in 2011 and I will never forget what the Owner of that establishement said to me and my husband at the time. We asked him and his wife, why are you here in SA and not living back in your country (they were from France) and he said to us: "I would rather be Rich in a Poor man's country THAN to be Poor in a Rich man's country". This statement came back to mind when I read all your comments, advise and experiences on here.

Thank you All

 

[SusieQQQ]

.

And on a final note: we went to a Holiday resort in 2011 and I will never forget what the Owner of that establishement said to me and my husband at the time. We asked him and his wife, why are you here in SA and not living back in your country (they were from France) and he said to us: "I would rather be Rich in a Poor man's country THAN to be Poor in a Rich man's country". This statement came back to mind when I read all your comments, advise and experiences on here.

Of course, being rich in a poor man's country with the passport of a rich country is not the same as just being rich in a poor man's country with only the poor country's passport..... Just a thought.

Good luck with your decision, if you want to chat more feel free to message me too.

 

[meme21]

Very True SusieQQQ. Thank you for the invite, I will definately do that.

 

[Alien2010]

Of course, being rich in a poor man's country with the passport of a rich country is not the same as just being rich in a poor man's country with only the poor country's passport..... Just a thought.

Good luck with your decision, if you want to chat more feel free to message me too.

No doubt US passport / Green card opens many doors, except for those of foreign banks. One should also consider tax implications: A US resident/Citizen is liable with his/her worldwide income. Abandoning residency/renouncing citizenship is not free, there can be serious tax consequences. Somebody who is familiar with expatriation tax may chime in. US tax code is measured in miles if not parsecs!
Here is another movie quote for y'all
Sam (DeNiro's character in Ronin): Lady, I never walk into a place I don't know how to walk out of.

 

[Qewty]

I have been reading this thread with interest, as some of you may know that my husband and I are in the 50+ bracket and this year marks 4 (or is it 5?) years of trying for the lottery. I certainly agree with what many of the "seasoned" wise posters on here have written. Whilst there are some who have a smoother ride immigrating due to very fortunate finances, it is still nonetheless a very risky and expensive business to move overseas, and I always believed there are windows of opportunity in life. Sometimes however, those windows might just be closing, and a revisit of pros and cons needs to be had. Five years ago, the lottery would have been perfect for us, we still had significant financial ties (work) to the US. Now? We are no longer tied there (hubby was made redundant from US job, now works in Australia), and I am now fully entrenched in university, making the move so much more difficult were we to finally get a visa. Ageism is alive and well in the US, particularly in Silicon Valley. Healthcare, although perhaps on the improve in the US, does not compare to my home country either. Whilst the emotional draw is strong (very strong), the dreams and plans are now being challenged with the realities of age and whether it is truly worth the cost of immigrating at such an age and with an average financial footing. Will I apply again this year? I must say that we may not. As much as I still want to do what I had planned, the 'getter older and perhaps wiser by the minute' part of me is starting to see that window getting smaller. I don't worry though, another one will open. As I tease my husband, now that he has his Australian citizenship, perhaps it is time I got my Canadian one? Take care all, Q.

 

[SusieQQQ]

No doubt US passport / Green card opens many doors, except for those of foreign banks. One should also consider tax implications: A US resident/Citizen is liable with his/her worldwide income. Abandoning residency/renouncing citizenship is not free, there can be serious tax consequences. Somebody who is familiar with expatriation tax may chime in. US tax code is measured in miles if not parsecs!
Here is another movie quote for y'all
Sam (DeNiro's character in Ronin): Lady, I never walk into a place I don't know how to walk out of.

You don't come from a third world country, do you?
Some people have more critical things than worldwide income to worry about.
I have two daughters in a country with the highest rape rate in the world. Do you think it's worth paying a bit of extra tax for their safety?
Some people come from countries where they can be killed for being gay. Do you think they mind paying extra tax to live like normal people?
Etc.

Incidentally in the country I live in I have to pay tax on worldwide income too.

 

[Alien2010]

You don't come from a third world country, do you?
Some people have more critical things than worldwide income to worry about.
I have two daughters in a country with the highest rape rate in the world. Do you think it's worth paying a bit of extra tax for their safety?
Some people come from countries where they can be killed for being gay. Do you think they mind paying extra tax to live like normal people?
Etc.

Incidentally in the country I live in I have to pay tax on worldwide income too.

Those are very sad and valid points.
My comments were mostly addressing tax implications when one decides to leave US after getting citizenship; either continue paying US taxes while living elsewhere or give up citizenship and face expatriation tax.

 

[SusieQQQ]

Those are very sad and valid points.
My comments were mostly addressing tax implications when one decides to leave US after getting citizenship; either continue paying US taxes while living elsewhere or give up citizenship and face expatriation tax.

Yeah, assuming you have somewhere to go to after that... The kind of people above probably won't want to go home.
Of course many countries have double tax treaties with the US so it's more an admin hassle than a real cost.
But this very much falls into the category of #firstworldproblems

 

[meme21]

That is such a valid point and a huge consideration that I completely forgot about
Tax implications when you immigrate, thanks for raising that point Alien2010. Because the minute you activate your GC I believe
you have to file with the IRS, and we all know what that means.
But SusieQQQ don's SA have a Tax treaty with USA, I think I saw that somewhere. But it still doesnt completely exempt you
from having to pay for foreign income...Please help someone please shed some light.
Qewty thank you for your views, and that is the reason why I started this thread, for the not so young ones like us. I hope we can get more opninions and views out there of people's experiences that are more of the older generation that immigrated to the States.

How many older 45+ years plus people immigrated and made a success or the on the hand struggled???

 

[SusieQQQ]

That is such a valid point and a huge consideration that I completely forgot about
Tax implications when you immigrate, thanks for raising that point Alien2010. Because the minute you activate your GC I believe
you have to file with the IRS, and we all know what that means.
But SusieQQQ don's SA have a Tax treaty with USA, I think I saw that somewhere. But it still doesnt completely exempt you
from having to pay for foreign income...Please help someone please shed some light.
Qewty thank you for your views, and that is the reason why I started this thread, for the not so young ones like us. I hope we can get more opninions and views out there of people's experiences that are more of the older generation that immigrated to the States.

How many older 45+ years plus people immigrated and made a success or the on the hand struggled???

Both the US and SA require you to declare your worldwide income and pay tax on it. There is a tax treaty, and yes you have to file for the year that you land. Your total tax liability also depends on whether you declare yourself an emigrant to SARS or not. Ideally you want to do that so your SA tax affairs get closed off when you go. Obviously to do this there are implications/complications if you do not take all your assets/money out of SA though, because you then cannot hold an ordinary SA bank account, only a non-resident one. I think it's really best to speak to am emigration expert on the tax side of things and whether in your personal situation declaring emigration is hy right way to go.

 

[makeithappen]

I'm 50 my wife is 40. I have spent much of the last 20 years going back and forth between the UK and the USA and my work(IT consulting) meant it was very easy for me to find work as I am "known" within my niche part of the industry.

I was earning a good living in the UK, and my wife had an excellent VP role with a London bank - both on 6 figure salaries. Nice toys (cars/motorbikes). Grown up kids, grand kids and one young child. Couple of homes, On track to retire early - very fortunate.

So I had a good life there and knew I could have a good life here. So it was a tough decision. We had property in the USA and my brother is a citizen so we could holiday here as often as we liked, but for us, the UK weather was a factor. We weighed everything up and the USA was marginally better in some aspects, marginally worse in others. Honestly it came down to weather and knowing that our young child would grow up in a place where you could enjoy the outdoors year round. Coming to the USA means I will retire later. Moving around the world is financially damaging, you go backwards for a while and throw away lots of possessions you hadn't planned on replacing. It is a shock to the bank balance - I think it cost me around $100k and the change in tax position will cost me more than that again. However, the lifestyle is wonderful and we are rebuilding our lives. It's exciting.

Now, for you, I would be more cautious. If your husband is financially ready to retire, or exceptionally in demand work wise, then it won't be too bad. However, it is expensive to be here and there are much more concerns about healthcare costs and so on. Your perspective will be different to his. Doing this at 40 is a hell of a lot easier than doing this at 50, and doing it at 60 would be VERY brave. Deep pockets will make it easier, but if that does not match your financial position you need to be realistic. I can add up my costs in dollars and years of work. What will your move cost for your husband at a time when he may be eyeing the golf clubs and slippers....

Hi Britsimon,

I read your posts with interest and wondered if I could pick your brains as there are some similarities between our respective positions. I am 44, my wife is 34. We have 2 young daughters, aged 2 years and 4 months respectively. Having been selected on the DV Lottery program, we now have Green cards and are preparing ourselves for a permanent move to the USA early next year. I also work in IT Consulting, earning a reasonable living whilst my wife is a psychotherapist. We have no family in the USA, so it really will be a journey into the unknown. Whilst we're genuinely excited at the prospect, at my age I want to do all that I can to hit the ground running. What is the best approach to learning the American way and integrating ourselves into the culture? How difficult is work to come by? Would you recommend permanent or contracting work? What is the difference in tax position? What are the major expenses in the opening years? How do you cover healthcare for the family? Would you recommend renting or buying property? When do I need to start thinking about school for the 2 year old? Apologies for firing so many questions it would be great to get advice from someone who's been there, done that.

Thanks

 

[Britsimon]

Hi Britsimon,

I read your posts with interest and wondered if I could pick your brains as there are some similarities between our respective positions. I am 44, my wife is 34. We have 2 young daughters, aged 2 years and 4 months respectively. Having been selected on the DV Lottery program, we now have Green cards and are preparing ourselves for a permanent move to the USA early next year. I also work in IT Consulting, earning a reasonable living whilst my wife is a psychotherapist. We have no family in the USA, so it really will be a journey into the unknown. Whilst we're genuinely excited at the prospect, at my age I want to do all that I can to hit the ground running. What is the best approach to learning the American way and integrating ourselves into the culture? How difficult is work to come by? Would you recommend permanent or contracting work? What is the difference in tax position? What are the major expenses in the opening years? How do you cover healthcare for the family? Would you recommend renting or buying property? When do I need to start thinking about school for the 2 year old? Apologies for firing so many questions it would be great to get advice from someone who's been there, done that.

Thanks

OK well as I said before, a few years in age make a huge difference - and at your ages there is plenty of motivation to move to the USA. You say you are in IT consulting - well that is pretty broad so its difficult to be precise about work opportunity, but of course there are plenty of good jobs in IT centric places such as SF Bay area for example. As I tried to explain in my earlier posts, my wife and I both had good jobs, and life in the UK was great - we were doing very nicely, but America is just a little bit better on most comparisons. For us the weather (which is really about lifestyle) is what makes it very different.

What is the best approach to learning the American way and integrating ourselves into the culture?
Americans are very friendly, but a bit superficial, in my opinion. So - you can make friends easily but you have to work at it. It is best to make friends in the local area, so school friends, neighbors, country/golf/tennis clubs, church - all those things will help get you settled in.

How difficult is work to come by?
Pretty easily really. I think from previous posts you both have UK background. Yanks drool over the British accent and will assume you are smart and always tell the truth. So that gives you a headstart!

Would you recommend permanent or contracting work?
I did very well from contracting, but it depends on your skillset/niche market and the rates available for what you do. If you can network with people over here that can help. However, it may be wise to take a job to start with so the bills are paid while you build contacts and figure out day to day stuff.

What is the difference in tax position?
Similar to the UK. Perm jobs mean payroll taxes are witheld (like PAYE). Contracting you typically form a corporation and work for that corp. Contracting has tax advantages of course, as well as higher pay anyway.

What are the major expenses in the opening years?
Workwise or lifewise? For work as an IT contractor you don't mean much. For life outside of work you need a home, cars, furniture and so on - I posted about that somewhere - I'll try and find that.

How do you cover healthcare for the family?
If you take a job in IT, most companies will provide a full benefits package which typically includes good healthcare plans (my company provided a shopping list of various benefits with subsidized cost - so I could choose a $2000/month healthcare package and my cost is 200 - 300 per month. If you have to buy your own healthcare package you can get Obamacare packages very easily. I was paying about $1000 per month for a midrange plan (you can't get subsidies once your income goes over about $90/100k). Those healthcare plans all have some annoying charges - like $40 for every doctors visit. The higher the monthly cost, the less you pay of those charges.

Would you recommend renting or buying property?
Buy as soon as you can. It might take 6 months to a year to establish good enough credit history - ideally open a secured credit card over here now to begin that process. So - you will rent for the first year - take that time to figure out the areas and then buy after that year.

When do I need to start thinking about school for the 2 year?
Kids start school later here, but even so - plan early. The access to school is by catchment areas and therefore houses in good catchment areas carry a premium. You'll need to choose well to get the best school...

A couple of last things. I assume you activated your Green Card earlier this year - so you will have tax reporting liability for 2014 and may need to submit the FBAR report next summer. Don't fail to do those things.

Also make sure you use a forex broker to move money over here - makes a huge difference.