The really effective deal in the Bay Area is location arbitrage.  Move there in your 20s, take a job at either a big company or a fast-grower that&#x27;ll IPO within 4-5 years.  Have no life.  Bank a million bucks.  Then move someplace with a lower cost of living to raise a family.  You&#x27;ll be able to buy a house free-and-clear, and you often get a salary boost coming out of a brand-name Silicon Valley company.