For tech professionals planning the move back

You've spent 10 years building your career in SF. You’re ready to move home. Does the math work?

A free field guide for tech workers running the numbers on a return to Minnesota — RSU liquidation, cost of living arbitrage, California exit tax, and the MN tax picture most out-of-state advisors get wrong.

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Written by a CFP® Former Coinbase Engineering Manager Made the move himself

I spent a decade in tech. Shipped code at Coinbase through the IPO. Watched RSUs vest, watched rent climb, watched friends stay in the Bay Area long past the point where it made sense because nobody had run the numbers on leaving.

Then I moved back to Minnesota. With a wife, kids, and a financial plan I built for my own family before I built it for anyone else.

This guide is what I wish someone had handed me before the move. It’s the arithmetic, the tax traps, and the first-year mistakes I watched other tech families make — written for engineers who want the real numbers, not the brochure.

What's inside the guide

Chapter 01
How Much You Actually Need
A framework for translating a Bay Area liquid net worth into a Minnesota-sustainable one. With the three numbers that matter and the ones you can ignore.
Chapter 02
The Cost of Living Arbitrage, Honestly
What your SF salary is really worth in the Twin Cities, Duluth, or Rochester — and where the savings are smaller than the internet tells you.
Chapter 03
RSU & ISO Liquidation Before You Move
Sequencing sales to manage AMT, capital gains, and the California residency timeline. What to sell before you go and what to hold.
Chapter 04
California Exit Tax & The Residency Trap
What triggers FTB scrutiny, why your move-out date matters more than you think, and how deferred comp and options get taxed after you leave.
Chapter 05
Minnesota Tax Reality
MN income tax compared to CA, the property tax picture, and the one-time moves (Roth conversions, QSBS) that are cheaper in a Minnesota year than a California year.
Chapter 06
Mistakes That Cost Tech Families Year One
The five things I watched cost people $20K–$200K in their first Minnesota year. None of them had anything to do with investment returns.
Adam Carlson, CFP

Adam Carlson, CFP®, Doctorate in Computer Science

Founder, Fireweed Capital · Former Senior Engineering Manager, Coinbase

Fireweed Capital is a Minnesota-based practice built around the financial complexity tech families actually face — concentrated equity, liquidity events, and the specific math of relocating from a high-tax coast back to the Midwest. Adam made the move with his own family in mind first.

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Important Business Relationship Disclosure: Adam Link is an Investment Adviser Representative of Portfolio Medics, LLC ("PM"), a SEC-registered investment adviser (CRD# 145958). Investment advisory services are provided through PM. Adam Link separately operates as an insurance agent through Fireweed Capital, a licensed insurance agency. Fireweed Capital and Portfolio Medics are not affiliated entities. Insurance products and services are provided through Fireweed Capital and are separate from any investment advisory services provided through Portfolio Medics.

This guide is provided for educational purposes and does not constitute personalized financial, tax, or legal advice. Consult qualified professionals before making financial decisions.

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