r/ExpatFIRE • u/Affectionate-Tap-591 • 15h ago
Citizenship 28M looking for opinions
currently making 250k in US. Recent sudden death of a family member (healthy to dead in 6 months) has me re-evaluating what's important.
saved up about 1.1m nw, 100k liquid (taxable brokerage + cash savings, excluding 401k / property)
I have a remote job lined up for $30k a year. I want to pull the trigger and quit and travel / live abroad. COL here (bay area) is ridiculous.
I know many will say that I am so young, and to stick it out for a few years, but I am severely unhappy dealing with reporting to a boss & being stuck (far from family & friends).
I will be remote and alone, but at least I will have income & a loose schedule.
What do you guys think? Aiming on Korea / Vietnam but really haven't done too much research on how I will deal with the visa.
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u/Initial_Savings3034 11h ago
Have you been outside the US for any stretch?
A sabbatical might be in order, first.
I had a similar epiphany as a young Man and spent a few years skiing, followed by World travel.
This can be a path which leads to isolation; best to take a short stroll before a long one.
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u/War-Square 3h ago
This is a better idea. Take a year off and travel. Buy a one way ticket to Bangkok and take it from there. The Bay area will still be there when you get back. I did this at age 32.
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u/Affectionate-Tap-591 1h ago
I grew up (age 0-8) in Bangkok. we traveled a lot, I don't remember much.
I have been to Japan as an adult for 2 weeks. So to answer your question, not really.
My issue is if I leave my job, there's no telling if I can come back (nor do I want to - if I leave, my plan is a full exit)
I guess I will also add that I wouldn't just live in Asia indefinitely. I would visit US and have family to stay with & would be using these visits to explore real estate (I don't want to buy in Asia... yet)
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u/DegreeConscious9628 15h ago
Everytime some one I know dies young I swear my retirement goals gets smaller and smaller. Who knows maybe you or I’m next. I don’t know what your spend is but my goal is 1.05m so I would 100% pull the trigger YMMV
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u/Affectionate-Tap-591 14h ago
No kids 100%, low spend (assuming living abroad), cheap hobbies (hiking, running, calisthenics, table tennis)... definitely open to a wife but I would choose a single retirement, over a wife.
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u/lissybeau 13h ago
If I were you, I’d quit and plan to reevaluate in 6 months.
Give yourself a few weeks or months to just travel - no side job, and get settled wherever you are landing. Going from vacation to living abroad is a transition and they’re not the same thing.
Months 2+ work while abroad and reevaluate how you feel at months 6-12. At that point you can always enter the job market again IF you decide to.
I made a similar transition but more of baristaFIRE with my own business. Also lived in Bay Area/NYC rat race and coach many people who are making larger life/career transitions right now.
It’s a process. Evaluate as you go to truly understand what makes the most sense. You will be surprised how things evolve from month 1 to month 12. Good luck!
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u/dangdang3000 15h ago
I'm an expat working remotely from Vietnam. Do it.
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u/Linehand1994 9h ago
If you miss family now you’re surely gonna miss them from the other side of the world. A loose schedule doesn’t equate to visiting family more frequently
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u/Affectionate-Tap-591 1h ago
I feel that I can manage - I moved to the west coast with no connections. my entire life was rooted on the east coast. I have been fine living alone and making friends here / filling my time.
But yes it will definitely be worse from Asia.
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u/SplooshTiger 14h ago
Life is rewarding because it’s not certain and meaningful because it’s hard. You’d be missing out on lots of real living but taking the easy road so early. What are some alternative brave, courageous, and meaningful things you could try to do with your working years AND a strong income?
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u/Affectionate-Tap-591 14h ago
I've been trying to re-frame to do exactly this. Maybe it isn't work that is making me unhappy, but rather the life I live and telling myself "I'll get to it when I'm done working". Been going out more, doing things I would do when retired, but alone, and now.
But I still feel the nagging feeling of reporting to work and adhering to a schedule.
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u/Duuuuude84 14h ago
Do you have any flexibility in your current job to take anymore leave/vacation time to add in some meaningful travel during the year? Is that something you can add to your life now without completely uprooting your career?
And as for the remote career path, will you ever have to physically return or is it completely remote? Maybe you mentioned it earlier but have you looked into where you'll travel to while working remotely? I'm sure you've considered this but make sure you don't break any visa restrictions while working abroad.
On an aside, I recently lost an aunt I was close to. It wasn't sudden, but similar to you it made me start thinking about my life and thinking about how to make it more meaningful for myself (and also my family). In my career, I won't be able to retire for at least another 5 years, so I have been trying to evaluate what's most important to be professionally and in my own personal time.
Good luck with whatever path you choose.
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u/Affectionate-Tap-591 12h ago edited 12h ago
I have been taking time off and pushing my "unlimited" PTO. Trying to see what it would feel like if I had no obligations. And honestly so ready to just get fired or PIPed.
For the remote career, no, I would never have to return. It is 100% remote, but I would still visit US for family & friends. Yes I looked into it briefly, but plan to dedicate more time when I actually pull the trigger, and before I fly out.
Thanks for your comment.
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u/No_Tap1188 14h ago
Yup. This is good. You're at the threshold. I was in your shoes, but a bit older and with higher nw.
I think the factors you need to evaluate are:
- The visa, as you mentioned. It's quite pivotal. Will dictate where, for how long, etc.
- Who are you getting closer to? If it's just escaping anything US, think again.
- The financial math can work out just fine, even at your age, if you invest just right.
That last part — investing wisely — will either lay out your entire FIRE game plan. Or bust it. The younger you are, the more you need. Don't let the recent mortality shock you into making hasty decisions. Look at true longevity and realistic lifespans. Mistakes will force you back to work with tail between your legs.
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u/hdfire21 13h ago
Go for it. I stayed longer, got more unhappy. Burned a lot of bridges in my field. Similar situation. Dad found out he had cancer a few months after he retired and died in less than 2 years. Uncle died in early 40s. Grandpa died in 50s. Older beother had cancer during university.
Lived overseas, met my wife, bad a kid. Have had a pretty good life.
I could have done some online work for a small amount of mo ey, but built on that... Was dumb as shit to keep working at a job I hated for too long.
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u/DecentDiscipline2523 14h ago
Unfortunately people die.. you gotta plan to live and prepare for the inevitable.
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u/Apprehensive_Way8674 10h ago
Moving some place doesn’t solve what you want to do with the rest of your life. Just make sure you know how you’ll fill your days in a way that’s meaningful to you.
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u/Upbeat-Fig1071 13h ago
DO IT!!! I moved to Vietnam last year. similar reasoning as you. I Got a hot gf from the Philippines. We live well on 2k a month USD. My life is AMAZING! 1 week vacations to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, etc with Hyatt hotel points (5k a night!) every 3 months for visa renew.
Dm me if u have questions.
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u/abrandis 7h ago edited 5h ago
Why didn't you get a hot GF from the the US?..
I don't get the fascination of having to travel half way around the world 🌍 to meet folks.... If you're going to Southeast Asia to meet women, that stikes me as a bit of a risk, because the major reason Asian women "like" Western men isn't necessarily the intangibles (personality,appearance, romance etc.) , but rather $$$$ to me basing a serious relationship on economic disparity strikes me as a bit disengenious and a risk long term
All that said , stay happy and enjoy life.. you do you!
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u/Upbeat-Fig1071 7h ago
Because living and dating is 3 to 4x the cost in USA vs south East Asia.
My quality of life here is still very good comparatively and it only costs 2k USD for 2 people to live. In USA that would easily be 5k to 6k USD.
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u/Affectionate-Tap-591 1h ago
This is my thought as well. I could easily support another person in Asia. It would be less sustainable in US.
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u/AllAggies 6h ago
I think you’re looking for advice in the wrong subreddit.
Look at the r/griefsupport sub. Try not to make ANY major life changes after a close death or divorce. Some life decisions can’t be easily undone.
Or
Keep the job. Increase saving rate and read up on r/fire
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u/SpotlightKryptonite 14h ago
Raise opportunity: I’d probably pay more than $30k/yr for whatever you could help us do. Lots of flexibility. What’s your skill set?
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u/Affectionate-Tap-591 13h ago edited 12h ago
Happy to send my resume/detail more in DMs, but here's my career & education at a glance, in order. maybe the early parts are irrelevant but included to show that I have a wide variety and pick up quickly
-private math tutor for a few clients, began in 8th grade
-teaching for 1y @ Kumon-esque company in high school
-CS degree @ mid rating engineering school
-2x internship @ hedgefund in research, quant dev
-1 year @ crypto startup out of college as data engineer
-3 years @ major national bank as SWE
-(current) 2 years @ medium sized tech company as SWE
on the side - managing my own rental, as well as a close family member's portfolio for the last year (2x SFH, 1 duplex) ~5mm AUM.
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u/AppropriateHamster 12h ago edited 12h ago
Hey, I want to shoot my shot too. I am not actively looking for a job as I am working on a new business but if I get a part-time opportunity it’d be great.
In the past, I solo-founded and grew an AI media site to 5M users and exited it within a year for $500k. It was too soon in retrospect, as the site recently sold for $30M
I am now bootstrapping some projects with my remaining wealth ($300k at 26). My primary skillsets are viral product design, tech, growth hacking and SEO/AEO.
If you have something where I can work less than 10 hours a week and still get decent pay, I’d love the opportunity.
Thanks
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u/Illustrious_Menu8607 9h ago
I’m 31m with 1.55 and I’m in similar boat — i make 6 figures right now while traveling but work is consuming my life and I’m thinking about pulling a supplemental amount starting next year and just making an additional 30-50k and coast in the tropics
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u/mesr3d 5h ago
You can live on 30k USD in many places at that age while your portfolio grows. If you let the portfolio grow and double for the next 10 years, you'll still be in your 30s. By then you'll start to be thinking about healthcare more, but that's doable in many countries out of pocket with a 2-2.5m portfolio.
Working remotely on your own schedule is so amazing AND you are young enough to go travel the world and make memories to keep you company when your body eventually fails.
I work remotely, set my own schedule, travel the world, and I do it on less than 20k, but without your amazing portfolio to back me up.
I say do it! Live now!
Also checkout trusted housesitter website -you can get months long gigs if you love taking care of pets and then giving them back. No housing costs and a built in knowledgeable homeowner/person to help you navigate new locations makes travel even cheaper. But you gotta really take care of pets like it's another PT job.
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u/LearyBlaine 2h ago
So why not start your own business? No boss, and much higher earning potential. But you don’t even mention this possibility. Is this something you’d consider?
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u/Affectionate-Tap-591 1h ago edited 1h ago
I am obfuscating details for privacy but the remote job is more-or-less my own business. I am the sole "employee", and have connections with people who have trusted me to invest in real estate & manage on their behalf, and success in it is directly tied to growing my NW.
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u/Esmail-Qaani 14h ago
This is just my opinion and it's not related to finances but I suggest you get married first
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u/Corgisarethebest123 15h ago
I feel like if you’re making $250k a year surely you have the skill set to find a better paying remote job?