Curious how hogh nw individuals like 2m+ handle their FIRE plan in Spain tax wise especially those living in wealth tax regions. Are you planning to move regions to avoid the wealth tax? Are you worried about the solidarity tax passed the 3m mark? Any steps you're taking to reduce ypur tax burden? Maybe buying a home to get the home allowance? Anything else?
I'm looking for advice from people who've successfully negotiated a fully remote arrangement with their employer.
I work for one of the largest multinational consulting firms in the workd, based in Europe and have been with the company for almost 10 years.
Before COVID, I was in the office every day. Since then, I've been working from home about 90% of the time. The interesting part is that this isn't because my role is officially remote—it's simply how my team operates.
I'm a business development strategist focused on helping the company win contracts, so I work in the bid/contract management space. I don't have any external clients; all of my stakeholders are internal. My manager is based in another European country, I work independently on my own projects, and the people I collaborate with are often spread across different countries or working at client sites. Pretty much every meeting I have is on Teams.
Because of that, from a practical point of view, it makes no difference whether I'm working from my current country or somewhere else. In the past five years, I've barely been to the office because everything has naturally moved to video calls anyway. I don't have face-to-face client meetings or any real need to be physically present most of the time.
This year, for example, I've only had to be in the office for one week. The problem is that I can never predict when that might happen, as it depends on the project.
I've grown used to working remotely and honestly have no desire to go back to office life. If I were required to be in the office regularly again, I'd probably leave and find a fully remote role instead.
The bigger issue is that I no longer enjoy living in the country I'm in. I've been here for 12 years, and I'd like the freedom to spend extended periods in other countries, especially since my girlfriend lives abroad.
Technically, I could continue doing what I've been doing and just fly back if I ever needed to be in the office. But I'd much rather have an official agreement—whether that's a fully remote contract, a different employment arrangement, or at least a clear understanding with my manager.
My concern is my boss. He's quite old-school and was very resistant to remote work when COVID started. Years ago, even getting approval to work remotely for a week was difficult. Over time, things naturally became more relaxed, and nowadays he rarely mentions it. A couple of years ago he suggested I should start coming into the office a few times a week, and I simply told him I'm less productive there and prefer working from home. That was the end of the conversation.
The reality is that I think the biggest obstacle isn't the nature of my job—it's the mindset of some of the more traditional managers.
I'm now 36, have built a strong reputation over almost 10 years with the company, and feel it's time to have this conversation properly instead of just hoping things stay as they are.
How would you approach this discussion? Would you frame it as a request, a proposal backed by results, or more of a negotiation? Has anyone here managed to turn an unofficially remote role into an officially remote one?
I'd really appreciate hearing your experiences.
EDIT: my company does offer remote roles in specific teams, including mine but at the global level (I'm hired locally now) so maybe an option is that to switch to such a team internally but I would need to let my manager know first that's my intention to switch teams internally.
Me and my boss have a great relationship he knows I dont wanna go to the office (he doesnt go to the office himself as he lives in another country even while working for the country I'm in) but he still has an old mindset about this stuff somehow so probably if he goes against me being fully remote I cna jusy apply internally to one of those remote jobs in my company but then id switch teams
I'm looking for advice from people who've successfully negotiated a fully remote arrangement with their employer.
I work for one of the largest multinational consulting firms in the world, based in europe, and have been with the company for almost 10 years.
Before COVID, I was in the office every day. Since then, I've been working from home about 90% of the time. The interesting part is that this isn't because my role is officially remote—it's simply how my team operates.
I'm a business development strategist focused on helping the company win contracts, so I work in the bid/contract management space. I don't have any external clients; all of my stakeholders are internal. My manager is based in another European country, I work independently on my own projects, and the people I collaborate with are often spread across different countries or working at client sites. Pretty much every meeting I have is on Teams.
Because of that, from a practical point of view, it makes no difference whether I'm working from my current country or somewhere else. In the past five years, I've barely been to the office because everything has naturally moved to video calls anyway. I don't have face-to-face client meetings or any real need to be physically present most of the time.
This year, for example, I've only had to be in the office for one week. The problem is that I can never predict when that might happen, as it depends on the project.
I've grown used to working remotely and honestly have no desire to go back to office life. If I were required to be in the office regularly again, I'd probably leave and find a fully remote role instead.
The bigger issue is that I no longer enjoy living in the country I'm in. I've been here for 12 years, and I'd like the freedom to spend extended periods in other countries, especially since my girlfriend lives abroad.
Technically, I could continue doing what I've been doing and just fly back if I ever needed to be in the office. But I'd much rather have an official agreement—whether that's a fully remote contract, a different employment arrangement, or at least a clear understanding with my manager.
My concern is my boss. He's quite old-school and was very resistant to remote work when COVID started. Years ago, even getting approval to work remotely for a week was difficult. Over time, things naturally became more relaxed, and nowadays he rarely mentions it. A couple of years ago he suggested I should start coming into the office a few times a week, and I simply told him I'm less productive there and prefer working from home. That was the end of the conversation.
The reality is that I think the biggest obstacle isn't the nature of my job—it's the mindset of some of the more traditional managers.
I'm now 36, have built a strong reputation over almost 10 years with the company, and feel it's time to have this conversation properly instead of just hoping things stay as they are.
How would you approach this discussion? Would you frame it as a request, a proposal backed by results, or more of a negotiation? Has anyone here managed to turn an unofficially remote role into an officially remote one?
I'd really appreciate hearing your experiences.
EDIT: my company does offer remote roles in specific teams, including mine but at the global level (I'm hired locally) so maybe an option is that to switch to such a team internally but I would need to let my manager know first that's my intention and not sure how to approach that convo either as we have a great relationship but he's a very old school person and he might take it like i dont like our team anymore. Or maybe I'm just overthinking it
One thing I've never really understood is when people say things like, "I'm 25, I've got another 40 years of work ahead of me, so I'm 100% in tech," or "I'm young, I can afford to take huge risks."
How do you know you'll actually have 40 years of stable employment?
You could burn out. Your industry could change dramatically. AI could replace parts of your job. Your income might fall. Or you might simply realize that corporate life isn't for you anymore and decide to pursue FIRE much earlier than expected.
I'm 36 and have followed the FIRE movement for years. My goal is to reach FIRE in the next 4–5 years. Even in my mid-20s, I never assumed I'd happily work until my 60s, so I've always invested with the goal of buying freedom rather than maximizing returns at any cost.
Working for one of the world's largest consulting firms, I'm already seeing AI eliminate roles and reduce hiring. Friends in tech, pharma, and other industries are seeing similar trends. That makes me question the common assumption that young investors automatically have decades of reliable employment ahead of them.
So I'm curious: how do you actually determine your appropriate level of investment risk?
Do you base it mainly on age? On your ability to earn? On your financial goals? On the possibility that your career may be much shorter or less predictable than you expect?
I'd be interested to hear how others think about this, especially those who balance long-term investing with the possibility that work itself may become less certain over the next couple of decades.
One thing I've never really understood is when people say things like, "I'm 25, I've got another 40 years of work ahead of me, so I'm 100% in tech," or "I'm young, I can afford to take huge risks."
How do you know you'll actually have 40 years of stable employment?
You could burn out. Your industry could change dramatically. AI could replace parts of your job. Your income might fall. Or you might simply realize that corporate life isn't for you anymore and decide to pursue FIRE much earlier than expected.
Working for one of the world's largest consulting firms, I'm already seeing AI eliminate roles and reduce hiring. Friends in tech, pharma, and other industries are seeing similar trends. That makes me question the common assumption that young investors automatically have decades of reliable employment ahead of them.
So I'm curious: how do you actually determine your appropriate level of investment risk?
Do you base it mainly on age? On your ability to earn? On your financial goals? On the possibility that your career may be much shorter or less predictable than you expect?
I'd be interested to hear how others think about this, especially those who balance long-term investing with the possibility that work itself may become less certain over the next couple of decades.
I'm curious to hear from people who left a corporate or remote/online job to start a physical business (store, café, gym, workshop, clinic, restaurant, etc.).
I'm considering doing something similar—not really for the money, but more for a greater sense of purpose, freedom, and to build something tangible. Another reason is that I may be moving to a new place, and I feel that owning a local business could help me feel more connected to the community and give me a stronger sense of belonging.
What did you do before?
What business did you start?
How was the transition?
Do you have any regrets?
What were the biggest lessons you learned?
If you could do it again, what would you do differently?
I'd love to hear the unfiltered reality—the good, the bad, and the unexpected. Any tips or stories would be greatly appreciated.
I'm curious to hear from people who left a corporate or remote/online job to start a physical business (store, café, gym, workshop, clinic, restaurant, etc.).
I'm considering doing something similar—not really for the money, but more for a greater sense of purpose, freedom, and to build something tangible. Another reason is that I may be moving to a new place, and I feel that owning a local business could help me feel more connected to the community and give me a stronger sense of belonging.
- What did you do before?
- What business did you start?
- How was the transition?
- Do you have any regrets?
- What were the biggest lessons you learned?
- If you could do it again, what would you do differently?
I'd love to hear the unfiltered reality—the good, the bad, and the unexpected. Any tips or stories would be greatly appreciated.
I'm curious to hear from people who left a corporate or remote/online job to start a physical business (store, café, gym, workshop, clinic, restaurant, etc.).
I'm considering doing something similar—not really for the money, but more for a greater sense of purpose, freedom, and to build something tangible. Another reason is that I may be moving to a new place, and I feel that owning a local business could help me feel more connected to the community and give me a stronger sense of belonging.
- What did you do before?
- What business did you start?
- How was the transition?
- Do you have any regrets?
- What were the biggest lessons you learned?
- If you could do it again, what would you do differently?
I'd love to hear the unfiltered reality—the good, the bad, and the unexpected. Any tips or stories would be greatly appreciated.
I’m close to FIRE and something doesn’t fully add up for me.
In investing we always say: past performance is not a guarantee of future results. That’s why we diversify, avoid chasing winners, etc.
But FIRE planning seems to rely heavily on exactly that same past data.
We take historical returns (like ~7% real equities), apply a safe withdrawal rate (3–4%), and basically assume:
“If history rhymes, I’m safe to retire.”
Example:
€2M portfolio
4% withdrawal = €80k/year
Backtests (mainly US data) say this usually works
But what if future returns are structurally lower? Or inflation/volatility regimes are different?
Then the whole “safe withdrawal rate” idea changes a lot, even if behavior stays perfect.
So my question is:
If we wouldn’t pick an ETF just because it performed best historically… why is it okay to retire based on historical return assumptions?
Is FIRE just assuming the same future distribution as the past, or is there something more robust behind the model that I’m missing?
Curious to hear from those that will FIRE put of Switzerland where they will go, what swr they calculated and anyone that is already doing it or done it what process did you go throguh, like how was the process from quitting your job to restructuring your portoflio for a FIRE life and the first months in your FIRE journey.
I get what qqq is, tracking the nasdaq, but why is the nasdaq sich a hyped index? Was it just great marketing back in time that stuck to people's mind and became a standard although it's just 1 exchange? I can't wrap my head around why people would want to only track 1 exchange.
Whats your take on this?
Im a non US investor: When US markets go up international markets go up less, when US markets go down, internal markets go down more, long term it doesnt seem to pay off.
I'm a VT guy so far but within vt in the top 25 position the only non US companies are the below, wouldn't it be better to just be all in like VOO and buy those separaetly if even wanted?
Among VT's top 25 holdings, these are the non-U.S. companies (and they dont move the needle anyways within the fund at those %):
Tsmc 1.53%
Samsung 0.84%
Sk hynix 0.72%
Asml 0.53%
Whats your tale on this?
Im a non US investor: When US markets go up international markets go up less, when US markets go down, internal markets go down more, long term it doesnt seem to pay off.
I'm a VT guy so far but within vt in the top 25 position the only non US companies are the below, wouldn't it be better to just be all in like VOO and buy those separaetly if even wanted?
Among VT's top 25 holdings, these are the non-U.S. companies (and they dont move the needle anyways within the fund at those %):
Tsmc 1.53%
Samsung 0.84%
Sk hynix 0.72%
Asml 0.53%
I noticed that at smaller portfolio sizes, many investors tend to lean into higher-conviction, more concentrated strategies, sector ETFs, thematic bets, or individual stocks. The underlying idea is often to accelerate growth and reach a level where the portfolio feels “enough,” with the intention of becoming more conservative later.
At larger portfolio sizes, the approach often shifts. Capital preservation and stability start to matter more, and broad market exposure (global ETFs, diversified index strategies) becomes more attractive. Complexity usually decreases, not increases.
This raises an interesting question:
Does your investment strategy logically change as your portfolio grows?
Or should the same principles apply from the beginning—simplicity, diversification, and long-term compounding—regardless of whether you’re starting with a smaller amount or managing a multi-million portfolio?
Put differently:
Would you run a 200K portfolio differently from a 2M portfolio?
If yes, what exactly changes—risk, strategy, or simply behavior?
If no, why do so many people adjust their approach as they scale?
Curious how different people think about this depending on where they are in their investing journey.
I'm 36 and currently work in a hybrid role at a big corporate. Ideally, I'd like to move into a fully remote position which is not possible in my company.
My background is mainly in helping companies win contracts by managing bids, proposals, and tenders. I also have experience in project management.
The challenge I'm running into is that most jobs I find on LinkedIn are either hybrid or "remote" only within a specific country. Truly location-independent roles seem much harder to find.
For those of you who have successfully landed remote jobs:
- Which platforms, websites, or communities would you recommend besides LinkedIn?
- Are there any job boards specifically focused on fully remote, international roles?
- Has anyone found remote work in bid management, proposal management, business development, or project management?
- What strategies worked best for you?
Any tips or experiences would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
If so, which city?
At what age did you FIRE, and what net worth and safe withdrawal rate (SWR) were you using?
I'm considering Mexico as a FIRE destination. I've spent over a year there, mostly in the Yucatán, and absolutely loved it: the people, the food, and the lifestyle. I'm also fluent in Spanish (I'm from Italy).
That said, my experience was always as a remote worker rather than as someone fully retired and living there long-term. I'd be interested to hear about your experience, particularly:
Which city did you choose and why?
What does your day-to-day lifestyle look like?
What are your actual monthly expenses?
How do you handle healthcare?
How do you manage taxes and tax residency?
Have there been any unexpected challenges or downsides?
Thanks in advance. I'm trying to understand whether Mexico could be a realistic long-term FIRE option for me.
Hi all,
So I got about 25 sovereign gold coins that I inherited early. I was never a buy gold kind of guy in my investing journey and I know gold price went quite up the last year and its very common for it to also stall for decades.
The price for each coin at my local gold dealer is about 900 usd (i pay no taxes on selling them as i live in a country where its tax free).
I'm thinking of selling them and putting it in my 90%VT 10%BTC portfolio but looking at what others think.
Thank you!
Hi all,
Curious to hear how others in the expat FIRE community structure their brokerage and banking setup, especially those who move between countries or plan to retire abroad.
In my case (from europe but travelling the world), I’ve mostly consolidated everything into Interactive Brokers as my main broker. It has worked well so far in terms of low fees, multi currency (anche cheap) support, and overall portability across borders.
On the banking side, I’ve been using a mix of Revolut and Wise for day to day international transfers and currency exchange, mainly because of convenience and relatively low FX costs.
I’m interested in how others approach this:
Do you stick to a single broker or split across multiple?
Which broker have you found most “internationally stable” over time?
What banking setup do you use for holding cash, spending, and currency conversion?
Any hidden downsides you’ve run into with your current setup?
Looking forward to hearing what’s working for others who are building a globally portable FIRE setup.
I keep running into a practical issue with FIRE that I’m struggling to resolve, both in my own planning and in conversations with others.
In theory, the framework is simple: reach a number (e.g., 25–33x annual expenses depending on 4% vs 3.5%), then you’re financially independent.
In practice, it feels much less clear.
Markets fluctuate, inflation changes assumptions, personal expenses shift, and “safe” withdrawal rates are still probabilistic, not guarantees. So even when someone hits their target, there’s always a rational reason to say: “maybe one more year.”
That’s where I’m stuck with the idea of “enough.”
For those who are pursuing FIRE or have already reached it:
How did you decide the point at which you stopped accumulating?
Did you set a strict number and stick to it, or adjust along the way?
Was it purely mathematical, or did lifestyle fatigue / life timing play a bigger role?
How do you avoid endlessly shifting the goalpost once uncertainty is still present?
It seems like FIRE only works if at some point you accept a level of uncertainty as “good enough.” But I’m not sure how people actually make that mental switch in practice.
Curious how others here have approached it.
Hi all,
36-year-old European here.
Over the past years I've managed to build an investment portfolio of around $2.2 million, currently invested mostly in a diversified global ETF portfolio. Financially, I could probably pull the plug on work today, but mentally I'm finding that much harder than I expected.
I'm increasingly tired of the corporate world, and I'm also no longer convinced that Europe is where I want to spend the next chapter of my life. I've visited Thailand many times over the years and always find myself drawn back to the relaxed pace, weather, friendly people, and overall lifestyle.
I'm seriously considering FIREing and moving to Thailand for at least a few years to test whether it's the right fit. My initial idea would be to base myself somewhere near the beach (rather than on an island), and perhaps later split my time between a beach location and Bangkok to get the best of both worlds.
My biggest concern is that I've worked my entire adult life, so the idea of relying on my portfolio feels psychologically challenging. I'm also hearing more and more people say that Thailand is becoming significantly more expensive, and I don't want to live an ultra-frugal lifestyle.
Ideally, I'd like:
- My own modern apartment (around 60m² or larger)
- To eat out most days without constantly checking prices
- A healthy social life
- Occasional trips and excursions
- Some hobbies and sports (I play padel occasionally, but generally enjoy outdoor activities that aren't particularly expensive)
For those who have already FIRE'd in Thailand, especially anyone who did it in their late 30s or early 40s:
What do you think is a realistic annual budget for this type of lifestyle today?
How much has your cost of living increased over the last few years?
Has Thailand remained enjoyable long-term, or did the novelty eventually wear off?
If you FIRE'd relatively young, how did you deal with the psychological transition away from work?
I'm trying to determine whether the lifestyle I envision at 36 could realistically be sustained indefinitely once inflation, market volatility, and future uncertainties are taken into account.
Also if it matters should i quit my job now at retirmenet age (65 but probbaly wil increase in the future) i would receive a 800 eur mo thly pension adjusted per inflation from Switzerland. Though i dont like to count on it as i would rather be surprised positively to receive it then if the world doesnt collapse 😅
Would love to hear from people who have actually made the move.
Thank you.