Montana Residency

[IronRick]

docj & 17 Oaks,

I appreciate all the help to me that both of you as well as the others provided. There is so much more for me to learn.

There are no plans for me to return to Illinois. I may pass through however if I understand you correctly I would only have a problem if Illinois was my primary state of residency. So, now it's a choice of FL,TX or SD.

For income I receive $25K a year for disability from Social Security and nothing else. Currently Medicare is secondary and my wife's insurance is primary however I will have to change that after the divorce. Anticipated proceeds to me from the sale of my home is $55K after paying off the mortgage and all personal credit.

People have done this (Fulltiming) with far less than I will have and for that I am very fortunate. So my plans going forward is to see which state is best for Medicare, Absentee Voting and Concealed Carry as I will have to give up my high priced Illinois license to practice what is my 2nd. Amendment RIGHT.

Then after the divorce I will be implementing everything above as well as buying my used Diesel Truck & 5th. wheel and then starting my life over as I will be 60 in June. It will be bittersweet.

Any and all other advice and recommendations would be highly appreciated.

Thank You All & Happy New Years. May 2019 be better than 2018 but not as good as 2020.

Roll Tide Roll.

Rick

[17 Oaks]

Originally Posted by IronRick

docj & 17 Oaks,

I appreciate all the help to me that both of you as well as the others provided. There is so much more for me to learn.

There are no plans for me to return to Illinois. I may pass through however if I understand you correctly I would only have a problem if Illinois was my primary state of residency. So, now it's a choice of FL,TX or SD.

For income I receive $25K a year for disability from Social Security and nothing else. Currently Medicare is secondary and my wife's insurance is primary however I will have to change that after the divorce. Anticipated proceeds to me from the sale of my home is $55K after paying off the mortgage and all personal credit.

People have done this (Fulltiming) with far less than I will have and for that I am very fortunate. So my plans going forward is to see which state is best for Medicare, Absentee Voting and Concealed Carry as I will have to give up my high priced Illinois license to practice what is my 2nd. Amendment RIGHT.

Then after the divorce I will be implementing everything above as well as buying my used Diesel Truck & 5th. wheel and then starting my life over as I will be 60 in June. It will be bittersweet.

Any and all other advice and recommendations would be highly appreciated.

Thank You All & Happy New Years. May 2019 be better than 2018 but not as good as 2020.

Roll Tide Roll.

Rick

Rick, let's review the bidding:

60 yrs old: Medicare becomes primary due to disability upon divorce IIRC?? But you have no secondary Ins and due to cost cannot afford.

After sale of home etc you pocket $55k, you need a 5th wheel and a truck: 5th wheel, go SHORT, look for a used one less than 30 ft. Truck, small = less towed weight, they pass on the diesel and look for a F 150 or F 250 with a gas engine. A quick perusal of Auto trader gives one almost 100 to pick from all less than $10k. https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...firstRecord=50

5th wheel under $15k, here is a 100 of them: https://www.rvtrader.com/Used-RVs/rv...e%3Aasc&page=4

Dunno on Medicare by state or absentee voting, but Texas is a gun state and CCL is cheap, I voted absentee most of my life in Tx no issues at all.

Here you go, camp at as little as $12 bucks a night here: https://www.camphalfprice.com/page.php/Texas

Figure anything close to cites at around $400 monthly. Suggest you get off the main highways by 8 or 10 mi in the country and monthly some under $300...

[creativepart]

Rick,
One thing you mentioned that sent up a red flag for me... have you figured out what the early termination fee will be on your leased F150? If not, you should do so right away as it may effect your plans. Early Termination of a lease can cost many thousands of dollars. I know this from personal experience.

Best of luck.

[IronRick]

Originally Posted by 17 Oaks

Rick, let's review the bidding:

60 yrs old: Medicare becomes primary due to disability upon divorce IIRC?? But you have no secondary Ins and due to cost cannot afford.

After sale of home etc you pocket $55k, you need a 5th wheel and a truck: 5th wheel, go SHORT, look for a used one less than 30 ft. Truck, small = less towed weight, they pass on the diesel and look for a F 150 or F 250 with a gas engine. A quick perusal of Auto trader gives one almost 100 to pick from all less than $10k. https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...firstRecord=50

5th wheel under $15k, here is a 100 of them: https://www.rvtrader.com/Used-RVs/rv...e%3Aasc&page=4

Dunno on Medicare by state or absentee voting, but Texas is a gun state and CCL is cheap, I voted absentee most of my life in Tx no issues at all.

Here you go, camp at as little as $12 bucks a night here: https://www.camphalfprice.com/page.php/Texas

Figure anything close to cites at around $400 monthly. Suggest you get off the main highways by 8 or 10 mi in the country and monthly some under $300...

17 Oaks, Thank You very much for your recommendations. I plan on boondocking a lot as I actually enjoyed it when I had my Diesel Pusher from 2008 to 2010 and I was also a VIP at the Kelso Depot. My disability is a major Neck & Back injury with plates and screws. On the 29th. I am scheduled for an outpatient surgery for the BurstDR Pain Stimulation device which blocks the pain. Also, the dry heat of the desert reduces my pain. So, I am able to man an info desk talking with visitors and minimal walking.

Originally Posted by creativepart

Rick,
One thing you mentioned that sent up a red flag for me... have you figured out what the early termination fee will be on your leased F150? If not, you should do so right away as it may effect your plans. Early Termination of a lease can cost many thousands of dollars. I know this from personal experience.

Best of luck.

I was told that I will have to pay 1/2 of my monthly payment to end the lease early so I have allocated $6K for that. I will stop into Ford tomorrow and get a more accurate estimate as we are planing our divorce will happen this summer.

After that $6K I will have $55K left for my vehicle and fiver. I am open to a diesel pusher like the YouTubers RVLove who purchased a 1999 40Ft. Country Coach (they paid $25K) and maybe a cheap jeep for a toad.

Always open for suggestions from those with far more knowledge than I.


THANK YOU ALL. Seriously, I really appreciate it.

[17 Oaks]

Originally Posted by IronRick

17 Oaks, Thank You very much for your recommendations. I plan on boondocking a lot as I actually enjoyed it when I had my Diesel Pusher from 2008 to 2010 and I was also a VIP at the Kelso Depot. My disability is a major Neck & Back injury with plates and screws. On the 29th. I am scheduled for an outpatient surgery for the BurstDR Pain Stimulation device which blocks the pain. Also, the dry heat of the desert reduces my pain. So, I am able to man an info desk talking with visitors and minimal walking.




I was told that I will have to pay 1/2 of my monthly payment to end the lease early so I have allocated $6K for that. I will stop into Ford tomorrow and get a more accurate estimate as we are planing our divorce will happen this summer.

After that $6K I will have $55K left for my vehicle and fiver. I am open to a diesel pusher like the YouTubers RVLove who purchased a 1999 40Ft. Country Coach (they paid $25K) and maybe a cheap jeep for a toad.

Always open for suggestions from those with far more knowledge than I.


THANK YOU ALL. Seriously, I really appreciate it.

OK, got it:

Arizona, Yuma, Quartzite etc. Boondock world, why, BLM land, lots of people live there most of the year and then head N for the summer months.

Yes but AZ has a state income tax. Yes so you need a anchor somewhere...Escapee's, Livingston, Texas. We lived in AZ for over 6 years, I maintained Texas plates on my cars, Texas DL and Texas for tax purposes.


Jeeps: Bad news, there AIN'T no cheap Jeeps. But if you got some coin buy something '97 or newer, if not you will wish you had. I have been driving Jeeps since the 60's and I stopped after my '89, it was KILLING my back with leaf springs all the way around. In '97 (IIRC) they went coil spring and the ride was a world of difference, since then I have driven them over 200,000 miles and still love them.

[twogypsies]

If you have low income AZ would work. Jeep? Look at a Jeep Liberty. They're not made anymore but they are a very fine vehicle and very comfortable, very roomy and capable of off-roading. We rode many trails with the big boys and they were surprised at what our Liberty could do. We did lift it 3" and put bigger tires on it so we could do harder trails but it's excellent as is on milder ones.

[IronRick]

Originally Posted by 17 Oaks

OK, got it:

Arizona, Yuma, Quartzite etc. Boondock world, why, BLM land, lots of people live there most of the year and then head N for the summer months.

Yes but AZ has a state income tax. Yes so you need a anchor somewhere...Escapee's, Livingston, Texas. We lived in AZ for over 6 years, I maintained Texas plates on my cars, Texas DL and Texas for tax purposes.


Jeeps: Bad news, there AIN'T no cheap Jeeps. But if you got some coin buy something '97 or newer, if not you will wish you had. I have been driving Jeeps since the 60's and I stopped after my '89, it was KILLING my back with leaf springs all the way around. In '97 (IIRC) they went coil spring and the ride was a world of difference, since then I have driven them over 200,000 miles and still love them.

It sounds like the best deal is Texas for me. Now, I need to see what Texas charges for plates for Used Vehicls whether it is a individual or dealer purchase. When I bought the 2002 HR Navigator 45dcds in 2008 I bought it from an individual in Montana for $157K and paid IL. $1,500.00 for Sales Tax. If I bought it from a dealer my sales tax would have been $13 Thousand. A savings of $11.500 however IL. has changed that and I am taxed to the max. Hell, they are now working on adding an additional 30 Cents a gallon of gas to the already 62 Cents raising it to 92 Cents a gallon of gas making it almost the highest in the country.

I stopped at Ford today to get the early lease payoff however only 1 person was working in the finance dept and I would have been waiting a few hours. I will make it next week.

In the meantime I will continue to look at the various sites for used rv’s and vehicles to get an idea of what is out there. They have a few rvshows here in Chicago in the next few weeks so I will go and tire kick to find what may be best and then look for a used one in my price range.

Yes, I will boondock south like you mentioned however from my research I have found numerous places up North.

Thank you for all of your help and recommendations.

[IronRick]

Originally Posted by twogypsies

If you have low income AZ would work. Jeep? Look at a Jeep Liberty. They're not made anymore but they are a very fine vehicle and very comfortable, very roomy and capable of off-roading. We rode many trails with the big boys and they were surprised at what our Liberty could do. We did lift it 3" and put bigger tires on it so we could do harder trails but it's excellent as is on milder ones.

I will look into the Jeep Liberty if I go the route of a diesel pusher. When I had my Diesel Pusher I pulled a Toyota FJ and I have always had various 4 X 4’s as I love exploring. I won’t be doing it as much due to my injury getting worse but hopefully my upcoming surgery on the 29th. will improve my condition enough that I can do some.

Thanks.

[Ken C]

Originally Posted by docj

When full-timers choose a state for their domicile, they usually select one that doesn't have a state income tax. That list doesn't include MT. Furthermore, from the list of "no income tax" states, there are only a couple that permit you to establish residency with only a mail forwarding service address.

For these reasons the most popular states for full-timers are South Dakota, Texas, and, to a lesser degree, Florida.

That is not the case for SD. We established SD residency in 2005 and used the campground address and a copy of our receipt from the campground as our residence and our PMB as our mailing address. Worked for our DL, voter registration, etc. Some financial institutions don't like the PMB address, but so far it has worked for banking, credit cards, and retirement accounts.

[docj]

Originally Posted by Ken C

That is not the case for SD. We established SD residency in 2005 and used the campground address and a copy of our receipt from the campground as our residence and our PMB as our mailing address. Worked for our DL, voter registration, etc. Some financial institutions don't like the PMB address, but so far it has worked for banking, credit cards, and retirement accounts.

I'm not sure what you're saying "is not the case for SD". We've been SD residents since 2010 and we use our PMB address for both domicile and mailing purposes. Originally, in 2010 I had to use the recent CG address on my CDL and to register to vote. But the CDL issue was resolved several years ago and most counties have by now agreed to use the PMB for voter registration purposes, also.

We've only had one financial entity in 8 years ask for a physical address in order to comply with Patriot Act rules. We gave her our daughter's address and that was just fine. Under Patriot Act "Know Your Customer Rules" the address you provide them is simply "a place where people probably know how to contact you." The address we provided didn't affect either the billing or mailing addresses for the account we had with them.

[MtCamper]

As a Montanan you would have to pay income tax but there are several exemptions depending on age and disability you have. If you wait til you get to Mt to buy your RV, no sales tax. If you buy a TV over 10 years old, permanent plates. RVs are permanent plated from new. Lots of BLM land on the east side and forest service land on the west to boondock on. Many of the smaller towns have free camping at local parks. If you are a veteran, most sheriffs recognize that for CCW, if you're not a vet there are many low cost classes available. Head south from Montana around October and head back north sometime in April. I'm pretty sure you can use a PO box to declare residency.

[17 Oaks]

Originally Posted by IronRick

It sounds like the best deal is Texas for me. Now, I need to see what Texas charges for plates for Used Vehicls whether it is a individual or dealer purchase. When I bought the 2002 HR Navigator 45dcds in 2008 I bought it from an individual in Montana for $157K and paid IL. $1,500.00 for Sales Tax. If I bought it from a dealer my sales tax would have been $13 Thousand. A savings of $11.500 however IL. has changed that and I am taxed to the max. Hell, they are now working on adding an additional 30 Cents a gallon of gas to the already 62 Cents raising it to 92 Cents a gallon of gas making it almost the highest in the country.

I stopped at Ford today to get the early lease payoff however only 1 person was working in the finance dept and I would have been waiting a few hours. I will make it next week.

In the meantime I will continue to look at the various sites for used rv’s and vehicles to get an idea of what is out there. They have a few rvshows here in Chicago in the next few weeks so I will go and tire kick to find what may be best and then look for a used one in my price range.

Yes, I will boondock south like you mentioned however from my research I have found numerous places up North.

Thank you for all of your help and recommendations.

Fees for Texas Tags

The fees below are base fees ONLY and do not include service fees, taxes, or local fees.

New registration and registration renewal.
Cars and light pickup trucks: $51.75.
Vehicles from 6,001 to 10,000 lbs.: $54.
Heavy-duty pickups, RVs, and commercial vehicles: Fees vary by weight.
Trailers and travel trailers up to 6,000 lbs.: $45.
Replacement License Plates:
Most plates & stickers: $6.
PLUS
Automation fee: $0.50.

https://www.dmv.org/tx-texas/license-plates.php

[RightUR]

Originally Posted by IronRick

It sounds like the best deal is Texas for me. Now, I need to see what Texas charges for plates for Used Vehicls whether it is a individual or dealer purchase. When I bought the 2002 HR Navigator 45dcds in 2008 I bought it from an individual in Montana for $157K and paid IL. $1,500.00 for Sales Tax. If I bought it from a dealer my sales tax would have been $13 Thousand. A savings of $11.500 however IL. has changed that and I am taxed to the max. Hell, they are now working on adding an additional 30 Cents a gallon of gas to the already 62 Cents raising it to 92 Cents a gallon of gas making it almost the highest in the country.

I stopped at Ford today to get the early lease payoff however only 1 person was working in the finance dept and I would have been waiting a few hours. I will make it next week.

In the meantime I will continue to look at the various sites for used rv’s and vehicles to get an idea of what is out there. They have a few rvshows here in Chicago in the next few weeks so I will go and tire kick to find what may be best and then look for a used one in my price range.

Yes, I will boondock south like you mentioned however from my research I have found numerous places up North.

Thank you for all of your help and recommendations.

Wait, wait wait. Buy your RV 1st before you establish a TX residency. If you buy a RV Texas will tax you at 6.25% and then you have a Locality rate which is 2%. So lets hypothesize you buy a RV for 100K, that's 8k+ in taxes. We paid over 30K in taxes. I cried for days.

[17 Oaks]

Originally Posted by RightUR

Wait, wait wait. Buy your RV 1st before you establish a TX residency. If you buy a RV Texas will tax you at 6.25% and then you have a Locality rate which is 2%. So lets hypothesize you buy a RV for 100K, that's 8k+ in taxes. We paid over 30K in taxes. I cried for days.

X2.

Texas has a sales tax as stated, but if you do a Montana LLC then you can register and License you RV in Montana and avoid it. I have done it before when I bought my motorhome with its almost $30k in sales tax. I am a loyal citizen of Texas I paid the tax on my 5th wheel.