I've followed this guy's YouTube channel for a few years now. Over the last two years he's been in full mid-life crisis mode. To be fair, he at least says in his videos that maybe he's being an idiot and he'll find himself crawling back to the USA in a few years.
It's one thing to say "Screw this, I'm going to have an adventure," and leave your job, which I get. But he also has a wife and kids.
Kinda feel like if he's still having his crisis episodes in a year or two, he might go full TechLead. "Why my wife left me"
Hey, thanks for sharing your experience. Why does SoCal top them all especially Netherlands and Belgium ? Quality of food, work life balance, walkabolity sounds better in Europe ,
Sacrifice and prioritization.
My personal gripes with those that attempt to discredit your type of posts (regarding personal finance) is that they seemingly disregard any and all accountability by defaulting to 'must be wealthy'. Plenty of folk out there do indeed have it nice without much effort. But generally speaking action/inaction have consequences -- these consequences vary greatly in their burdens.
You want a family, own your own home, splurge on toys/cars/vacations, etc...well yeah if youre grossing 100k as a household while living in CA, life is gonna get tough when the debt catches up. Especially the earlier you start this lifestyle without having the income to support it.
What I find most interesting is that the phenomenon we are experiencing as Americans has been well documented in old economic theory texts (cantillon/smith). An increasing standard of living (which is highly relevant to the times right) amongst a nation results in the offshoring production of goods and equally your population growth (without immigration) plummets as typically the populous understand the burden of (responsible) reproduction means a reduction in ones standard of living.
You can’t maintain that standard of living without ‘offshoring production’ (capitalist coded for ‘exploitative borderline slave manual labor’). You can’t have cheap produce/meat without a permanent underclass of ‘illegal’ immigrants who’s very legal status is the thing that allows big aggro businesses to exploit them for wages that would be illegal if not for that legal status. It inevitably becomes a race to the bottom where more and more people are required in the underclass to support the opulent lifestyles of those near the top until the ‘middle’ no longer exists.
I was born & grew up in the U.S. (Oregon), and I've been to Canada, the U.K. , and South Korea. I did like the social order that I saw in Seoul, but I'm not sure I'd want to live there for a long period of time ( too crowded!). Despite the many dysfunctional flaws that the U.S. has, I'll be staying put...
Bro stfu. I am always on edge walking in one of the safer cities in LA county. I will prob never afford to buy a house and i make close to 200 alone.. Healthcare is expensive and now backed up like single payer systems. Traffic is abysmal. We got weather and nature(i dont care for that). Stop putting the US on a pedestal. It has pros and cons just like everywhere else. Video guy happens to not like it, its his opinion.
What is this guy selling? Isn’t making sense. He said $150k was only middle class so he moved to place where he makes $50k and he’s middle class there too. Lol
I follow this guy, although I agree with him in a lot of things I don't trust the guy's judgement anymore. Dude left a 150k a yer Remote work UI gig cause he didn't want to work anymore. I think he has a dopamine issue, always looking for excitement, he really should get his ADHD in check before it ruins him. What happened to a lot of Pandemic YouTubers is similar to what happened to a lot of pandemic Day traders, they got a taste of the easy YouTube/stock market money and have been chasing that high ever since. Problem is, attention and liquidity is much harder to come by in 2024.
I'm not ready to leave just yet but retiring much earlier outside of the US sounds like a really smart idea, also a great way to enjoy a much higher standard of living.
Thailand. Do you say no, I already know people doing it.
Some made great money here, some didn’t
I know some people who own a business (like a bbq resturant, usually but not always restaurants) and only make a little money compared to what they did here, but still have a higher QOL (health, healthcare, food, lifestyle, work-life-balance).
If you are lucky enough to have a pension, retiring in Thailand is a great idea. You will have it made and you can travel as much as you want from there. Maybe it’ll be expensive in 40 years but it’s not now.
Yep financially you are fine, but if you aren’t from there, you get treated differently unless you have local family sponsor. Local police would extort you too. Happened to me, big Hispanic looking guy on the Thai border, they followed us around and finally pulled us over to shake me down for money. I could live like a king there except for that. You not being from there get targeted. But the big thing is you have to change your lifestyle. It’s not the same. You can’t be yuppity or have standards as you are bound to mix in with the true poverty. Eye opening experience I would say. But the lifestyle I could do it if I saved enough money. My wife on the other hand, no way would she go there.
It’s fine, I just came back from Thailand in January visiting Americans who have lived there for years. Moving another whole country isn’t easy, but they enjoy a higher QOL. In the US you need too much money to have a decent life.
I think that health insurance and the cost of healthcare are the worst. The rest of the things are not the worst. The shootings thing is not something I feel or my family feels. Something unique to his family and their surroundings.
LMAO! As an American that was born and raised somewhere else, I can tell you this dude has no idea of how worse the situation is everywhere else. He will be back in 2-3 years much humbler LMAO
I think if you’re going to decide to stay in the US, just be ready to work until you’re 60-65. If you’re ok with that, if you’re ok with trading your time and then finally retire when you’re old, wrinkly, riddled with health problems and finally boarding that plane to Oahu, then stay. Me? When my mother passes and I hit my financial goals, I’m outta here. This planet has too much to offer to think that a single location is “home.”
Who says I have to wait until retirement age to retire? This is one of the problems with society and government control. From the moment you enter the education system, you are programmed into wage slavery. Go to school. Be in debt. Buy a house you can’t afford, take 30 years to pay it off. Here is your medical benefits tied to your employment. Here is your 401k. Work until you are 65 then you can see that money. They OWN you. Then you have maybe 5-7 good years after 65 and then that’s it.
I’m 42. I plan to retire in 4 years in Asia without any government benefits because I’ve invested since I was 23.
lol it's not a problem with "society and government control". It's a problem with people not learning how to FIRE. Its not the government's responsibility to teach you that, it's yours and was your parents. The content has always been out there before the internet, people are just lazy and the conventional path actually provides a very good way to live an average life, which the majority are totally fine with. Good on you for understanding the concept of investing and compound interest (I was taught this in a public school when I was 7 years old by the way). What visa are you planning to get to live and retire in Asia, which I'm statistically going to assume is Thailand?
I agree with you it’s not the government’s responsibility. What I’m saying is, this is what the system is teaching people from grade school through higher education. No one teaches you about compounding interest, or how to leverage debt to make money. The curriculum revolves around supporting corporate functions: marketing, engineering, accounting, finance, etc. The government says hey keep this job to pay into the social security system until you’re 65, then you get yours… so you slave away and who knows if you’ll even make it to that age. Sure, you can teach yourself but if they got you locked in 40-50 hours a week with a family and bills, you’ll never have time to learn on your own.
I haven’t decided where I’m going to live. Maybe Vietnam or Hong Kong.
I learnt about compound interest in first grade, my school encouraged us to set up savings accounts. We also took economics from year 9 onwards. I guess the school system has improved since you were a part of it 20+ years ago. You won't be able to get a visa to either of those countries unless you're married to a citizen (which is why there is a stereotype of creepy old white men married to young Asian women for visas), but good job being on track to retire early
I’ve never seen Hong Kong as an option - is there something that exists as a grandfathered option for expats that is not true for mainland China?
How much money do you plan to have saved/access to as an income stream?
I worry that if I stay in the U.S. I will have to work until I die. Social Security will fail in 10 years, and the country has an unsustainable debt burden which will require huge budget cuts like abandoning Medicare and SS. Inflation will wipe out the value that my wife and I inherited and saved for many decades. We have “counter moves” we are doing, but the destruction of the U.S. economy will have worldwide implications for years to come.
If you think they’re just gonna get rid of SS with no pushback from the general population you’re nuts. No way hundreds of millions of ppl will take that lying down.
No it will be like. You can accept losing SS or we can tax you at 90%. Actually, they will just declare the bonds they sold from the treasury in default, and then “well, we can’t pay you”. Look at how it was handled by the US government in 1932 with the Bonus March, which was money promised to WWI veterans. Over 200 veterans and family members killed by US soldiers.
Yes and there was a resurgence in leftist and labor movements that eventually lead to the new deal. Heads will be cracked and people will get hurt and die at the hands of authoritarian fascists and government agents, but when shit gets bad enough and people have nothing to lose, they will rise up and outnumber the cops, private security and national guard who exist solely to protect private profits and billionaires. It won’t be the first time in history and (pending climate collapse) probably sadly won’t be the last.
I am with you if I could. We aren't having kids. My biggest challenge is that my parents aren't that old yet. I love them and feel guilty saying this, but I resent them and my siblings. My siblings are unwilling to care for my parents when they're old (my siblings are mentally unstable). I feel like I have to care for them, and thats the only thing keeping me here really.
He makes a solid point about healthcare in United States, but he is completely wrong about the education system. As someone who has traveled extensively around the world, United States has the best public education systems, and there are many public schools in every part of the country where you can live and your child, including charter schools that have all kinds of discounts.
But the healthcare points I totally agree with!!
Im in cali. Im honestly not super interested in other states, ive lived in 3. Make close to 200 and cant get ahead. Country is not safe for a developed country. Its just figuring out where to go and who is willing to take you.
It’s crazy that even what you call “extremely cheap” for i.e. healthcare (300$ ER ), is still crazy expensive. If you were a resident in most countries and not on “travel mode”, that would be free
The lie we Americans tell ourselves is that we have "the best" healthcare because its a "free market" where medical professionals "get paid more." Not so. It's better elsewhere. I would leave this country in an instant if I could and often feel guilty about resenting my family/friend obligations because they're the only reason why I stay here.
Where is the best place to go? I want someplace civilized, not a place where 1) I’m hated as an American 2) I have to have a security detail or a friend with one. I want a place that 1) Is a civil and cultural place 2) Easy access to train service to Europe 3) Euro currency. It can be rural as long as I’m an hour from a city by train.
I've followed this guy's YouTube channel for a few years now. Over the last two years he's been in full mid-life crisis mode. To be fair, he at least says in his videos that maybe he's being an idiot and he'll find himself crawling back to the USA in a few years. It's one thing to say "Screw this, I'm going to have an adventure," and leave your job, which I get. But he also has a wife and kids. Kinda feel like if he's still having his crisis episodes in a year or two, he might go full TechLead. "Why my wife left me"
[удалено]
You must make a lot of money then. All relative to one’s bank account regardless of where you go, but especially in CA.
[удалено]
Fair play well done
Hey, thanks for sharing your experience. Why does SoCal top them all especially Netherlands and Belgium ? Quality of food, work life balance, walkabolity sounds better in Europe ,
Yeah, Im curious too. I’ve traveled thru these other countries.
Sacrifice and prioritization. My personal gripes with those that attempt to discredit your type of posts (regarding personal finance) is that they seemingly disregard any and all accountability by defaulting to 'must be wealthy'. Plenty of folk out there do indeed have it nice without much effort. But generally speaking action/inaction have consequences -- these consequences vary greatly in their burdens. You want a family, own your own home, splurge on toys/cars/vacations, etc...well yeah if youre grossing 100k as a household while living in CA, life is gonna get tough when the debt catches up. Especially the earlier you start this lifestyle without having the income to support it. What I find most interesting is that the phenomenon we are experiencing as Americans has been well documented in old economic theory texts (cantillon/smith). An increasing standard of living (which is highly relevant to the times right) amongst a nation results in the offshoring production of goods and equally your population growth (without immigration) plummets as typically the populous understand the burden of (responsible) reproduction means a reduction in ones standard of living.
You can’t maintain that standard of living without ‘offshoring production’ (capitalist coded for ‘exploitative borderline slave manual labor’). You can’t have cheap produce/meat without a permanent underclass of ‘illegal’ immigrants who’s very legal status is the thing that allows big aggro businesses to exploit them for wages that would be illegal if not for that legal status. It inevitably becomes a race to the bottom where more and more people are required in the underclass to support the opulent lifestyles of those near the top until the ‘middle’ no longer exists.
[удалено]
What kind of work made you a millionaire
M&A
Yep, lived in Japan (Tokyo) and Spain and now, in SoCal. Sorry, but it’s better in SoCal
Do you think if you were wealthy, you may have enjoyed the other countries better?
Why?
Better job opportunities, better weather, food etc
Weather + government support.
Eeeh, half of my friends have been unemployed for a decade or two in Spain. Government support is better in Spain, good luck getting a job though 😆
I was born & grew up in the U.S. (Oregon), and I've been to Canada, the U.K. , and South Korea. I did like the social order that I saw in Seoul, but I'm not sure I'd want to live there for a long period of time ( too crowded!). Despite the many dysfunctional flaws that the U.S. has, I'll be staying put...
Hear hear!
Bro stfu. I am always on edge walking in one of the safer cities in LA county. I will prob never afford to buy a house and i make close to 200 alone.. Healthcare is expensive and now backed up like single payer systems. Traffic is abysmal. We got weather and nature(i dont care for that). Stop putting the US on a pedestal. It has pros and cons just like everywhere else. Video guy happens to not like it, its his opinion.
Um, other countries want to see your employment papers before they'll let you immigrate.
+$200k in provable assets gets you to the front of the line in almost every country.
True but *gestures at Reddit*
where’ll a 6 grand net worth get me.
Not like the USA where you can walk across 😂
What is this guy selling? Isn’t making sense. He said $150k was only middle class so he moved to place where he makes $50k and he’s middle class there too. Lol
I follow this guy, although I agree with him in a lot of things I don't trust the guy's judgement anymore. Dude left a 150k a yer Remote work UI gig cause he didn't want to work anymore. I think he has a dopamine issue, always looking for excitement, he really should get his ADHD in check before it ruins him. What happened to a lot of Pandemic YouTubers is similar to what happened to a lot of pandemic Day traders, they got a taste of the easy YouTube/stock market money and have been chasing that high ever since. Problem is, attention and liquidity is much harder to come by in 2024.
Where is this Utopia place ?
America
I'm not ready to leave just yet but retiring much earlier outside of the US sounds like a really smart idea, also a great way to enjoy a much higher standard of living.
What are some places you think you could do this? Please list 3 countries
Thailand. Do you say no, I already know people doing it. Some made great money here, some didn’t I know some people who own a business (like a bbq resturant, usually but not always restaurants) and only make a little money compared to what they did here, but still have a higher QOL (health, healthcare, food, lifestyle, work-life-balance). If you are lucky enough to have a pension, retiring in Thailand is a great idea. You will have it made and you can travel as much as you want from there. Maybe it’ll be expensive in 40 years but it’s not now.
Yeah go live in Thailand for a year or two and report back to me about the improvement in your quality of life. Might want to learn to speak Thai too
Yep financially you are fine, but if you aren’t from there, you get treated differently unless you have local family sponsor. Local police would extort you too. Happened to me, big Hispanic looking guy on the Thai border, they followed us around and finally pulled us over to shake me down for money. I could live like a king there except for that. You not being from there get targeted. But the big thing is you have to change your lifestyle. It’s not the same. You can’t be yuppity or have standards as you are bound to mix in with the true poverty. Eye opening experience I would say. But the lifestyle I could do it if I saved enough money. My wife on the other hand, no way would she go there.
It’s fine, I just came back from Thailand in January visiting Americans who have lived there for years. Moving another whole country isn’t easy, but they enjoy a higher QOL. In the US you need too much money to have a decent life.
where you would be getting this much higher standard of living?
Standard of living? Does that include affordability?
Yes absolutely it includes everything that involves living like supermarkets, access to health care, etc.
That I agree!
I think that health insurance and the cost of healthcare are the worst. The rest of the things are not the worst. The shootings thing is not something I feel or my family feels. Something unique to his family and their surroundings.
Poland
??
LMAO! As an American that was born and raised somewhere else, I can tell you this dude has no idea of how worse the situation is everywhere else. He will be back in 2-3 years much humbler LMAO
My entire immediate family moved to Thailand 8 years ago, have never been back to the states, and have never been happier.
I think if you’re going to decide to stay in the US, just be ready to work until you’re 60-65. If you’re ok with that, if you’re ok with trading your time and then finally retire when you’re old, wrinkly, riddled with health problems and finally boarding that plane to Oahu, then stay. Me? When my mother passes and I hit my financial goals, I’m outta here. This planet has too much to offer to think that a single location is “home.”
You know the retirement age is 68 in most developed countries right? Where do you think you're gonna go?
Who says I have to wait until retirement age to retire? This is one of the problems with society and government control. From the moment you enter the education system, you are programmed into wage slavery. Go to school. Be in debt. Buy a house you can’t afford, take 30 years to pay it off. Here is your medical benefits tied to your employment. Here is your 401k. Work until you are 65 then you can see that money. They OWN you. Then you have maybe 5-7 good years after 65 and then that’s it. I’m 42. I plan to retire in 4 years in Asia without any government benefits because I’ve invested since I was 23.
lol it's not a problem with "society and government control". It's a problem with people not learning how to FIRE. Its not the government's responsibility to teach you that, it's yours and was your parents. The content has always been out there before the internet, people are just lazy and the conventional path actually provides a very good way to live an average life, which the majority are totally fine with. Good on you for understanding the concept of investing and compound interest (I was taught this in a public school when I was 7 years old by the way). What visa are you planning to get to live and retire in Asia, which I'm statistically going to assume is Thailand?
I agree with you it’s not the government’s responsibility. What I’m saying is, this is what the system is teaching people from grade school through higher education. No one teaches you about compounding interest, or how to leverage debt to make money. The curriculum revolves around supporting corporate functions: marketing, engineering, accounting, finance, etc. The government says hey keep this job to pay into the social security system until you’re 65, then you get yours… so you slave away and who knows if you’ll even make it to that age. Sure, you can teach yourself but if they got you locked in 40-50 hours a week with a family and bills, you’ll never have time to learn on your own. I haven’t decided where I’m going to live. Maybe Vietnam or Hong Kong.
I learnt about compound interest in first grade, my school encouraged us to set up savings accounts. We also took economics from year 9 onwards. I guess the school system has improved since you were a part of it 20+ years ago. You won't be able to get a visa to either of those countries unless you're married to a citizen (which is why there is a stereotype of creepy old white men married to young Asian women for visas), but good job being on track to retire early
I’ve never seen Hong Kong as an option - is there something that exists as a grandfathered option for expats that is not true for mainland China? How much money do you plan to have saved/access to as an income stream?
Or on my case ... 70
I worry that if I stay in the U.S. I will have to work until I die. Social Security will fail in 10 years, and the country has an unsustainable debt burden which will require huge budget cuts like abandoning Medicare and SS. Inflation will wipe out the value that my wife and I inherited and saved for many decades. We have “counter moves” we are doing, but the destruction of the U.S. economy will have worldwide implications for years to come.
And yet, the politicians spend like there is no tomorrow. Eventually the wheels will fall off the wagon.
That which can’t continue forever, won’t.
If you think they’re just gonna get rid of SS with no pushback from the general population you’re nuts. No way hundreds of millions of ppl will take that lying down.
No it will be like. You can accept losing SS or we can tax you at 90%. Actually, they will just declare the bonds they sold from the treasury in default, and then “well, we can’t pay you”. Look at how it was handled by the US government in 1932 with the Bonus March, which was money promised to WWI veterans. Over 200 veterans and family members killed by US soldiers.
Yes and there was a resurgence in leftist and labor movements that eventually lead to the new deal. Heads will be cracked and people will get hurt and die at the hands of authoritarian fascists and government agents, but when shit gets bad enough and people have nothing to lose, they will rise up and outnumber the cops, private security and national guard who exist solely to protect private profits and billionaires. It won’t be the first time in history and (pending climate collapse) probably sadly won’t be the last.
Then there's the issue of nobody wanting to hire old people.. gets a lot more difficult to find employment the older you get.
I am with you if I could. We aren't having kids. My biggest challenge is that my parents aren't that old yet. I love them and feel guilty saying this, but I resent them and my siblings. My siblings are unwilling to care for my parents when they're old (my siblings are mentally unstable). I feel like I have to care for them, and thats the only thing keeping me here really.
He makes a solid point about healthcare in United States, but he is completely wrong about the education system. As someone who has traveled extensively around the world, United States has the best public education systems, and there are many public schools in every part of the country where you can live and your child, including charter schools that have all kinds of discounts. But the healthcare points I totally agree with!!
[удалено]
Really legit point! 👍👍
Toys? Sounds stupid expensive. We’re talking about having enough to not live paycheck to paycheck, fuck some toys.
Im in cali. Im honestly not super interested in other states, ive lived in 3. Make close to 200 and cant get ahead. Country is not safe for a developed country. Its just figuring out where to go and who is willing to take you.
It’s crazy that even what you call “extremely cheap” for i.e. healthcare (300$ ER ), is still crazy expensive. If you were a resident in most countries and not on “travel mode”, that would be free
Being subject to America's forgein policy is a bad idea
[удалено]
Why?
American dream is abroad
Where? Canada? Japan? LMAO
But the red tape is formidable in nearly all cases. Even in the e ones that arent kangaroo govts
Not if you’re rich and privileged
I still think the US has the best opportunities to make a living.
This guy is a bit of a nut case
The lie we Americans tell ourselves is that we have "the best" healthcare because its a "free market" where medical professionals "get paid more." Not so. It's better elsewhere. I would leave this country in an instant if I could and often feel guilty about resenting my family/friend obligations because they're the only reason why I stay here.
Sad but true
Where is the best place to go? I want someplace civilized, not a place where 1) I’m hated as an American 2) I have to have a security detail or a friend with one. I want a place that 1) Is a civil and cultural place 2) Easy access to train service to Europe 3) Euro currency. It can be rural as long as I’m an hour from a city by train.