[Edward]

I've grown up in OC, lived in West LA for a while now (just turned 28 and also went to university here). I've always wanted to move to Manhattan even if for just a part of my life. I know people make the move both ways quite frequently, but I'm getting very tired of LA. The lifestyle bores me even though I have so much fun every single weekend with my friends.

Problem is, I'm 28 now and I feel like NY is more fun when you are younger. I'm not getting any younger and in fact am planning on getting married sooner or later to the next gal I dig that way. Everything is geared towards young people who are single and have jobs but want to have fun also. I also love not needing a car and walking everywhere. Just don't want to jump on the whole "move to manhattan" boat 4 years later than I should have.
I work in finance at one of the big ibanks doing corp pension asset mgmt and didn't have a good enough leg into something similar or different through the market crash (lucky enough to have held my job while everyone got massacred thru mid 08-early 09). Anyhow, now I can either move to our NY offices and take my rolodex with me and make exactly the same amount of money while inreasing my living costs by a ton, or I can leave this one and try to get a new one, but end up leaving a significant amount of deferred comp on the table that most other firms would never replace for me. Plus I'd have to sell my new car that I just bought.

Is it worth pushing against all cons and making decisions by the seat of my pants? or should I stay put and not be an idiot?

The only other viable opportunity I'd have to move to Manhattan is for B school if I ever went to Columbia or NYU parttime while also working. At least, then I could justify increasing my COL without matching it on comp.

I just keep catching myself thinking "you're a moron Ed. much of manhattan is trying to leave to come out to LA and be exactly where you are right now."