What does a 30-something retiree do all day?
I retired at 38 for a life of slow, nomadic travel.
When I tell people this, their first question is, inevitably, “What the hell do you do all day?”
It’s understandable.
As a society, we’re so obsessed with being busy that describing a simpler existence sounds alien to most people. Prior to retiring, I would have thought the same.
Unambitious. Unfulfilling. Uninspiring.
As a result, I often feel I have to make it sound like I’m actually still “busy.”
“Oh, well, I’ve been writing a lot of articles and I’m working with a winery to increase their export sales.”
Which…
My fast-tracked journey to retirement in my 30s
Retiring less than 18 months after discovering the concept of financial independence is pretty extreme. But that’s exactly what I did.
I first learned about FIRE from a BBC radio program in March 2019, and I reached financial freedom in October 2020.
Since writing about my experience in Making of a Millionaire, a lot of people have contacted me to ask how I did it so quickly.
So, here are the exact 9 steps that took me to financial freedom in such a short time.
Step 1. WTF is FIRE?
For the first couple of months after hearing that radio program, I took no steps…
My brain basically thinks about wine and where to go next
I’m from England but I have no home
I’m currently living in an Airbnb in northern Spain. I’m not sure where I’ll be in 2021. Hopefully lots of places.
I’m not afraid of making big life changes
My wife and I founded a business and bought a house but then sold both of them when we wanted more freedom. I’m now unemployed and homeless. And loving it. I’m spending my time learning, writing, hiking, running and improving my Spanish.
And how you can overcome them
We’ve all read great advice about how to save money.
The problem is that putting it into practice can sometimes be difficult because of barriers that we’ve built up. It’s easy to say, “stop spending so much money on the three biggest categories: housing, transportation, and food,” but often much harder to actually make the changes that will cut costs.
Here are 3 mental barriers that might be stopping you save more money — and how to overcome them.
1. Reliance on convenience
After a busy day at work or an exhausting day looking after the kids, a pre-prepared meal or takeout sounds very…
Look beyond the clichés and you’ll see real benefits for everyone
Being a Digital Nomad is not just about sipping cocktails on a tropical beach while snapping a few pictures for Instagram. Nor is it about exploiting poorer countries to live like royalty meanwhile the locals scrape by.
Digital Nomads can benefit the communities they visit in deep, long-lasting ways. They not only bring money but also new ideas and fresh perspectives that can make a meaningful, positive difference.
Let’s dive into 6 ways I’ve witnessed Digital Nomads benefit the world that you might not have considered.
1. Digital Nomads can regenerate dying communities
Digital Nomads' needs are completely different to the needs of most tourists. They don’t…
Be careful how you lock away your money
By following conventional personal finance advice, do we think too much about investing for the future and risk limiting our options today?
We lock our investments away in tax-advantaged pensions or 401(k)s that we can’t access until later in life. The largest part of our net worth is often tied up in our own home, but this equity can be very difficult to access.
Having your money locked away in assets that are difficult or costly to liquidate may be tax advantageous but could mean that you’re not able to seize opportunities that present themselves today.
We map out our…
How simple living gives you contentment and meaning
Last October I took my minimalist lifestyle to the next level.
I left the UK for a life of perpetual travel with only 1 suitcase. It holds less than 100 things including all my tech, clothing, and personal items.
Having been on the road, living out of my suitcase for 8 months I’ve had time to discover the joys and pitfalls of minimalism in its most extreme form. And whilst the level of minimalism I choose might not be right for you, everyone can benefit from simplifying their life.
Minimalism isn’t only about how few items you own, after all…
REMOTE WORK
What you need to know about the ups and downs of life on the road
Eight months ago I left the British suburbs behind and started out on a new life of perpetual travel as a digital nomad.
It has been the most incredible experience — better than I could have ever hoped for. I’ve met fascinating people and made dozens of new friends. I’ve seen some of the most stunning scenery that Europe has to offer. I’ve seen eagles and dolphins. I’ve delved deep into different cultures.
But this totally new lifestyle took a while to adapt to. …
It’s not only Boomers who pin their hopes on life after retirement
Yesterday I received one of those phone calls everyone dreads.
It was from my mother, calling to inform me that a family member had died unexpectedly of a heart attack. He had just turned 70, had no pre-existing conditions and was by all accounts fit and healthy.
After a long career in engineering, he’d been retired for just 6 years and was finally living the life he wanted. He was on vacation at his holiday home in Devon and was looking forward to the arrival of his second grandchild in a couple of months' time.
I made these cringeworthy mistakes, so you don’t have to
I used to be a terrible saver.
In fact, I used to be pretty terrible with money, period. I wasted a ton of money on things I didn’t need and even more by simply not knowing where my money was going.
But I turned my situation around and became a saving ninja. I can now see just how wasteful I was with money and how I could have saved a ton of cash with better habits.
Here are a few of the terrible money habits I had that I’m sure a lot of other people have struggled with too.
1. I had my head in the sand
I…
