While a couple of my friends were chasing crypto moonshots and hot stock tips, I was buying VTSAX and falling asleep. Here’s why boring investments became my path to financial independence. Look, I’m not going to pretend that if I had dumped cash into Bitcoin, I wouldn’t have more money now. The numbers are absolutely … Read more
Monthly Budget: $3,000September Spending: $2,993 (99.8% of budget)Remaining: $7 My cost of living in Manila for September: $2,993 on a $3,000 budget. I relocated from Bali to the Philippines this month and barely stayed under my limit. Here’s the complete breakdown of what it costs to move countries while financially independent. Manila Cost of Living … Read more
The first taste of freedom wasn’t a sudden leap—it was a series of test drives that taught me what early retirement feels like. Per diem work (four shifts monthly), then contract work (six shifts), and finally the real tests: two months off in 2023, four months in 2024, and now six months and counting in … Read more
Even from an early age, I was good with money. My parents weren’t particularly finance-focused—Mom hunted garage sale bargains, Dad worked overtime at his blue-collar job to keep life comfortable, but that was about it. I spent lots of time with my Depression-era grandparents who knew how to pinch pennies. My grandmother’s advice stuck: “pay … Read more
Welcome to my new monthly series tracking the real cost of living in Bali and Southeast Asia during early retirement. Every first Friday, I’ll break down exactly what the cost of living in Bali (and other locations) looks like on a $3,000 monthly budget and what I learned about managing expenses while living abroad. After … Read more
The healthcare burnout had been building for years, but the unfair pay decision made it impossible to ignore. Here’s how workplace toxicity in healthcare became my motivation to pursue financial independence. In 2017, my employer told me that a brand-new nurse would now make 20% more than me for doing the exact same job I’d … Read more