What is best age for guys to begin search? At what age will it be difficult?

[Larry]

A few weeks ago I had a conversation with Patagonie and we briefly discussed a topic that I thought might be of interest to guys considering a FSUW search.  I looked through the first seven pages of "The Adventure Begins" and "The Adventure Continues" and didn't see a thread on this topic.  So here goes.

1. Is there an age "sweet spot" for a guy in this search?  That is, is there an age range for a guy that would likely result in the best chance of finding success?

We have seen a number of guys in their thirties succeed quickly here.  There seem to be a number of guys here who married in their forties as well.  I'm not sure what kind of success rate guys in their fifties or sixties have had.

2. By certain age ranges will a guy's chance for success diminish, and if so how much?  As an extreme example, I suspect that a 70 year old guy would find success harder to achieve, all other things being equal (if the 70 year old has a nine-figure fortune then I don't think he would have too hard a time).  The general advice given to most guys is to not dip down more than 15 years from his own age.  My guess is that the international dating sites have relatively few FSUW over 55 years old. In addition, it's possible that far fewer FSUW over 55 are inclined to leave their homes and move to another country.

Let us assume that the guy goes about his search intelligently, following the usual guidelines suggested in certain threads here.  I hoped to isolate this discussion to the guys' chances at certain age ranges.

[Slumba]

I think the answer depends on whether or not you want to have kids. 

For myself, being 42 is not as good as being 39 or 40, which is a mental cutoff point that some younger women have.  If I did not care about kids, or felt I could easily accept a woman who already had a kid,  there are plenty of women around.

[Larry]

For myself, being 42 is not as good as being 39 or 40, which is a mental cutoff point that some younger women have.

My recollection was that a great many FSUW on the sites listed 40 as their cutoff point.  Quite a few listed 45.  Of course, many might communicate with guys who are a few years older than their cutoff points if they liked the guys' profiles.

[rosco]

Being as object as I can, I'd say that the sweet spot for success is a healthy balance between age and wealth. I was 28-32 during my search and had a good disposable income. This meant I could date the 20 something's who would view me as a serious prospect.

If I were to have tried this 10 years before it would be a party-fest, 15-20 years after would probably leave me looking at 30 something's with kids. I was either in the sweet spot or was lucky enough to have met some great prospects.

YMMV of course and it depends what we call success.

[Manny]

I was mid thirties when I got serious. I also had spare doh and was ready to travel as many times as necessary whenever, wherever.

The advantage that gave me was I was a decade younger - at least - than most other blokes writing the same women, so that means almost all replied in the positive, and serious ones pushed to the front early on.

Maybe one reason I found it easier than many seem to.

Slumba above is my age, I dunno how young of women he is writing to, but I am guessing too young if he is seeing issues at his age. Most guys do this in their 50's, Slumba still has a decade on them. Early 30's women will have no issues with a guy of 42, so he must be trying to fish in the shallow end.

Yes some young women quite rightly "cut off" at 40, but a good set of photos and a thoughtful letter from a proper bloke will overcome 24 months.

I think the cradle snatching days have gone....... unless you routinely date twenty year younger women at home. Which few do.

[sashathecat]

I looked in my mid thirties and feel that it helped me for the women in my target age group. It helps that I actually look 8 months younger than I actually am. If I were in my twenties I would probably be looked at as not serious and that would have been true.
As you age I think it is possible to find your other half, but may have adjust your list a little to find that someone is all

[Larry]

I was mid thirties when I got serious...

The advantage that gave me was I was a decade younger - at least - than most other blokes writing the same women, so that means almost all replied in the positive, and serious ones pushed to the front early on.

Maybe one reason I found it easier than many seem to.

That is exactly the sort of information I had hoped to elicit to answer question #1 of the original post.

[sashathecat]

For myself, being 42 is not as good as being 39 or 40, which is a mental cutoff point that some younger women have.

My recollection was that a great many FSUW on the sites listed 40 as their cutoff point.  Quite a few listed 45.  Of course, many might communicate with guys who are a few years older than their cutoff points if they liked the guys' profiles.

I have heard that there is a stigma attached to men who are over 40 and have never been married in the FSU. Similar to the married by 25 for women.

[andrewfi]

There's a hole for every pole. As long as one is sensible then I reckon that nothing much changes in relative terms. The 'being sensible' thing might well be an issue though.

[BelleZeBoob]

   As an extreme example, I suspect that a 70 year old guy would find success harder to achieve, all other things being equal (if the 70 year old has a nine-figure fortune then I don't think he would have too hard a time).   

I don't think that this would make sense for a RW who searches on the dating sites. How is she supposed to know about anyone's fortune if he is in America?

My suspection would be that the most RW would consider anyone who is in the usual retirement age as someone who is just passing by. In Russia, old age is something that goes together with the meager means.

[Larry]

   As an extreme example, I suspect that a 70 year old guy would find success harder to achieve, all other things being equal (if the 70 year old has a nine-figure fortune then I don't think he would have too hard a time).   

I don't think that this would make sense for a RW who searches on the dating sites. How is she supposed to know about anyone's fortune if he is in America?

It was just an example to show why I hoped to make an "apples to apples" comparison between bride-seekers.  It would not be helpful for our analysis to compare the prospects of a 50 year old median-income/assets guy with those of a 50 year old extremely wealthy guy.

[B.B.]

I think the cradle snatching days have gone....... unless you routinely date twenty year younger women at home. Which few do.

*raises hand*

(I'm in a band....)

I don't have much trouble pulling 20-somethings in FSU, but realistically, late 20s to mid-30s makes more sense.

I think the sweet spot for guys is 30 to 40.  JMHO.

B/B

[BelleZeBoob]

It was just an example to show why I hoped to make an "apples to apples" comparison between bride-seekers.  It would not be helpful for our analysis to compare the prospects of a 50 year old median-income/assets guy with those of a 50 year old extremely wealthy guy.

From the other side of the pond, however, I wouldn't say that a RW would be able to tell one category that you mention from the other. Should be still the same for her.

[Larry]

It was just an example to show why I hoped to make an "apples to apples" comparison between bride-seekers.  It would not be helpful for our analysis to compare the prospects of a 50 year old median-income/assets guy with those of a 50 year old extremely wealthy guy.

From the other side of the pond, however, I wouldn't say that a RW would be able to tell one category that you mention from the other. Should be still the same for her.

Extremely wealthy guys are likely to live in lavish homes, perhaps located on the ocean. The FSUW will probably see this on skype. Median-income/assets guys very rarely have such houses. Extremely wealthy guys often have very expensive cars and boats.  They can afford to frequently take the FSUW on very expensive vacations, while guys with median income/assets will typically be able to pay only for more modest trips.

It's possible that a guy with much less money could pretend to be wealthy.  He could blow tens of thousands of dollars from his savings on expensive vacation trips with the FSUW.  He could rent a beach house for a short term and pretend he owned it.  He could rent a high end car or boat for a short time and pretend he owned them.  But he won't be able to do this on a sustained basis.

[NS1]

The sweet spot is different for everyone.
It is part of who you are and where you are in life.
Are you really ready. Do you have your ducks in a row?
Can you do what it takes to see this through?
Some guys in there 30's still have their mother take them to the doctor.
Some guys in there 50's have only just moved out of moms basement.
I think it is when you are ready in many ways, the money, time and seriousness
to know what you want, what fits you and  your life. Knowing you are
capable to handle what your search for.

Best age IMO, 30 to 60, with as you said all the right parameters .

[Anteros]

Age doesn't matter if you date within a reasonable age gap, which for the FSU is about 10 years.

Age gap is easily increased with other mitigating factors, the number one being financial security.

Number two would be an older guy who also has a good income and is willing to date a woman with a child.

As to Belle's question:  there was the billionaire who married a very young beauty queen from Odessa; he was apparently recommended somehow by Trump.  Not sure what the particular details of that are.

[Isthmus]

The sweet spot is different for everyone.
It is part of who you are and where you are in life.
Are you really ready. Do you have your ducks in a row?
Can you do what it takes to see this through?
Some guys in there 30's still have their mother take them to the doctor.
Some guys in there 50's have only just moved out of moms basement.
I think it is when you are ready in many ways, the money, time and seriousness
to know what you want, what fits you and  your life. Knowing you are
capable to handle what your search for.

Agree, you need to be in the right head space, financial and housing situation and age takes a back seat to a degree. Five years ago I may have been in my mid 30s but I think I make for a much better potential husband today because I have done some growing up in recent years and my financial capacity to do this properly has also improved.

[Mikeav8r]

For myself, being 42 is not as good as being 39 or 40, which is a mental cutoff point that some younger women have.

My recollection was that a great many FSUW on the sites listed 40 as their cutoff point.  Quite a few listed 45.  Of course, many might communicate with guys who are a few years older than their cutoff points if they liked the guys' profiles.

I have heard that there is a stigma attached to men who are over 40 and have never been married in the FSU. Similar to the married by 25 for women.

Not just in the FSU...that stigma is alive and well here in the states...

[Danchik]

The stigma is worse in the FSU.

As far as age, you also have to distinguish from living in the FSU or not. For example, take a retiree. Someone in his early 60's could relocate to a FSU city and do quite well, including a much larger age gap.

A man willing to relocate can move that gap from 0-15 years to 0-25 years, no problem if he has boots on the ground on a mostly permanent basis. His options increase 100 fold IMO. These odds, of course, are also true for any younger guy.

[tonton]

I thought it was more sensible not to play around with an age gap, given where my wife and myself were at in our lives:

Myself, a business involving flying to all parts of the globe each second month, as well as two daughters living with me.
Her, high job in Tomsk, more money coming in than medium salary of workers in all Western countries, one son.

We were both 33 when we met, we are both 43 and 8 years into marriage she recognises some of her friends in Siberia missed the boat looking at older guys in late 40's/early 50's as they did not find a common connection-now they are looking at same age (early 40's).

Sparky and myself are both married to slightly older ladies, and while Sparky may be close to 84 in age, my English mate does in fact look younger than his age, closer to mid-40's...truth in the rumour that men can look younger than photos in real life is correct we are both extremely handsome men Sparky, our wives are lucky 

All aside, age should only depend on whom you are communicating with, and if they (him or her) are happy to further communicate and explore further possibilities based on whether in 30's, 40's, etc then all is possible.

Bottom line for any age, get on a plane regularly,communicate daily and don't
propose until you've had at least a handfull of arguments resolved.

[patagonie]

For myself, being 42 is not as good as being 39 or 40, which is a mental cutoff point that some younger women have.

My recollection was that a great many FSUW on the sites listed 40 as their cutoff point.  Quite a few listed 45.  Of course, many might communicate with guys who are a few years older than their cutoff points if they liked the guys' profiles.

Yes, this is a real cutoff, when you hit 40. On sites, especially on the west ones. Also in FSU sites, but if they really like your photos and your value is high they would like to meet you.

I think that everyone has his public, no matter with the age.
Just we need to define the limits of the exercice.

Too young is generally putting you out of the game because your don't have enough to provide a stable life. And on an other hand choose a girl under 28 is a little risky for many reasons already discussed. As men, even young, generally like younger women, we can imagine that the bottom threshold is 30, i would say better is 33 or 35.

At 40 you suffer from this mental cutoff but this is a little inconvenience.
The core of FSU chase is IMHO 40 (around, pretty much).

At 50 the mental cutoff is more important but you can play the age gap wider. However the limiting factor is about children, because some men would like to not grow kid(s).
So they have to choose their target carefully. The mother with one children is perfect.
You have also many young ladies around 40 with childrens already adults.
IMHO this is the important parameter : are you ready to give birth or not ? What are woman's expectation ?

Reaching the 60 really loads your shoulders. But there are still some amazing women of 45 or 40, and if you speak russian and you are ready to spend half life minimum in FSU you will find a large audience.

[Chris]

Sparky and myself are both married to slightly older ladies, and while Sparky may be close to 84 in age, my English mate does in fact look younger than his age, closer to mid-40's...truth in the rumour that men can look younger than photos in real life is correct we are both extremely handsome men Sparky, our wives are lucky 

Having met both of you (Tonton and Sparky) a few times, I can vouch for the fact that you both do look younger older than your respective ages (but only by a few years) and how those two lovely ladies put up with you both is a bit of a conundrum           



PS Although I can vouch for the fact Sparky is married, having met his wife a few times, I have yet to have it proven Tony is, he keeps telling us he is bringing her over to Blighty, but it never happens 

Hey Tony, hope your leg is getting a little better, I guess pulling it doesn't help 

[BelleZeBoob]

It was just an example to show why I hoped to make an "apples to apples" comparison between bride-seekers.  It would not be helpful for our analysis to compare the prospects of a 50 year old median-income/assets guy with those of a 50 year old extremely wealthy guy.

From the other side of the pond, however, I wouldn't say that a RW would be able to tell one category that you mention from the other. Should be still the same for her.

Extremely wealthy guys are likely to live in lavish homes, perhaps located on the ocean. The FSUW will probably see this on skype. Median-income/assets guys very rarely have such houses. Extremely wealthy guys often have very expensive cars and boats.  They can afford to frequently take the FSUW on very expensive vacations, while guys with median income/assets will typically be able to pay only for more modest trips.

It's possible that a guy with much less money could pretend to be wealthy.  He could blow tens of thousands of dollars from his savings on expensive vacation trips with the FSUW.  He could rent a beach house for a short term and pretend he owned it.  He could rent a high end car or boat for a short time and pretend he owned them.  But he won't be able to do this on a sustained basis.

That makes sense. At the same time, would a really well off man be that stupid in order to readily flaunt his material possessions on skype in the hope to attract a prospect?

In my opinion, stupidity and wealth are rarely compatible in one man.   

[Eduard]

In my experience it is a lot easier to find a pretty woman in her mid-twenties to early 30s who hasn't had a child yet for guys up to 40, maybe 42 years old.

After that although it's still possible, it gets a lot trickier and a man in his mid to late 40s might have to accept the idea of accepting a "package deal" (meaning a woman with a child) if he wants to find a younger, prettier woman. And the age of a potential mate can be in the range of around 27 to mid or late 30s depending on the man himself (his preferences, his looks, intelligence, sense of humor and what he is bringing to the table)

Early 50s to 60+yo is definitely not too late to find love in the FSU. However a man's success will depend on how realistic his expectations are. I would advice to forget about women in their 20s at this point and focus on women from mid 30s and up.
It's pretty much a given that a man in this age range will have to accept a woman with a child or two especially if he wants to find a younger, prettier woman.

If he doesn't particularly look forward to raising somebody else's child/children he might consider looking for a woman 38 yo and up. Many of these ladies had their child/children earlier in life and the kids are now grown and out of the house, living their own lives. Men in their mid to late 50s shouldn't have a problem finding a very attractive, in-shape FSU lady in her late 30s or early 40s.

Of course there will always be exceptions and a lot depends on the 2 people involved.
The more realistic your expectations are the easier it will be to find a partner (this applies to women as well).

[Eduard]

It was just an example to show why I hoped to make an "apples to apples" comparison between bride-seekers.  It would not be helpful for our analysis to compare the prospects of a 50 year old median-income/assets guy with those of a 50 year old extremely wealthy guy.

From the other side of the pond, however, I wouldn't say that a RW would be able to tell one category that you mention from the other. Should be still the same for her.

Extremely wealthy guys are likely to live in lavish homes, perhaps located on the ocean. The FSUW will probably see this on skype. Median-income/assets guys very rarely have such houses. Extremely wealthy guys often have very expensive cars and boats.  They can afford to frequently take the FSUW on very expensive vacations, while guys with median income/assets will typically be able to pay only for more modest trips.

It's possible that a guy with much less money could pretend to be wealthy.  He could blow tens of thousands of dollars from his savings on expensive vacation trips with the FSUW.  He could rent a beach house for a short term and pretend he owned it.  He could rent a high end car or boat for a short time and pretend he owned them.  But he won't be able to do this on a sustained basis.

That makes sense. At the same time, would a really well off man be that stupid in order to readily flaunt his material possessions on skype in the hope to attract a prospect?

Yes. Some wealthy men would do exactly that to attract a woman.

In my opinion, stupidity and wealth are rarely compatible in one man.   

That's debatable. I have noticed that in some cases financial success doesn't necessarily go along with emotional maturity and emotional intelligence. Some of these men approach relationships and marriage as a business deal and a number of them get themselves in a heap of trouble marrying women who look at marriage the same way...