Ten years ago, I decided to leave the United States and travel for one year. That year was one of the most fulfilling years of my life, and I enjoyed every month, day, minute, and second of the experience. So much so that when it was time to come home, I couldn’t. Now I can … Read more
Many people love the idea and possibility of financial independence, but in the current mix of average salary of ~$67,000 to average cost of living in the US, $60,000 to $70,000, that dream of retiring early can feel unlikely. With barely any financial room to breathe as is these days, the idea of stoic austerity … Read more
For the aspiring expat, aiming to leave their home country for a more comfortable life abroad, with a slower pace and more time, Colombia always comes up as an option – and with good reason. As an expat who has been living abroad for more than a decade, spent years enjoying South America, and spent … Read more
Many people fantasize about what life would be like if they could travel wherever they desired – financially secure enough to make such adventurous wanderings not just possible, but commonplace. In same moment, most people dismiss this “forever travel dream” as an impossibility. But as I sit in a public park in Montevideo, Uruguay, scouting … Read more
Calculate the portfolio you need for “semi-FI” — where part-time income covers part of your expenses, and your investments cover the rest. Enter your annual expenses, your expected part-time income, and your withdrawal-rate assumption to estimate your Barista FIRE number, then adjust the “dial” to see how much faster financial independence can become when you … Read more
Find Your “Travel-Funded FI” Number and Make the World Your Default Nomad FIRE isn’t “vacation forever.” It’s financial independence built for movement—living out of one or two bags, changing countries every 1 to 6 months, and using geoarbitrage to keep spending sustainable while still experiencing the world. If traditional FIRE is designed around a home … Read more
Expat FIRE is what happens when you use global living—not just frugality and index funds—to make work optional. Find Your “Two-Numbers FI” Target (Local and Global) and Make Geoarbitrage Real The core idea is simple: if your lifestyle costs less in the right place abroad, your “FI number” can drop dramatically. Not because you gave … Read more
Find Your FI Number Where Compounding Does the Heavy Lifting Coast FIRE is the moment your portfolio hits a size where—if you stop contributing—time and compounding can carry it the rest of the way to traditional retirement. In other words: you don’t have to “hit FIRE” today. You just have to reach the point where … Read more
Most people would love to achieve financial independence, but this lofty goal, with large “FI numbers” and pots of cash to save, often feels out of reach on average salaries. Many of those same people often dream of a life abroad, perhaps on a slow tropical island or steeped in an exotic and metropolitan city, … Read more
If you’re an aspiring nomad, expat, or FIRE follower who wants to find a good visa or residency option to live abroad long-term in your country of choice, the internet does not make it easy for you. You get listicles that confuse tourist visas with residency, half-translated government pages, and “ultimate guides” that quietly ignore … Read more