Retiring Early - Part 4 - Next Steps

Good idea: don’t just focus on adding more positives, look to reduce negatives. Such as gambling, boozing, stress.

Need to consider multiple income streams. Ideas for freelance work include;

Who pays writers, Problogger.com/jobs, Upwork, LinkedIn jobs or maybe Seek, Flex jobs, Freelance writers den, Solid Gigs, working in content.

Ok so this is what I had done some research on ages ago when I first put together the draft of this post. The top line is a key one - need to cut down on frivolous spending for sure. But the next? Well if I was younger I might consider it. Also if I was "close" to being financially free I could consider these kinds of things to supplement my income. Actually I think that's the key now I think of it. I had been thinking I need about $2.5 million in order for me to retire. If the Vietnam / SEA thing comes off again then that might work in 10 years. Retiring at 60 would be an achievement I think, but to be honest, I want to look at retiring earlier than that even. I guess the challenge will be while the kids are still dependants and at school.

In the meantime, if I am to go back to Asia, I need to think about where to keep my money. Sending it back here is probably ok, although remembering my tax audit of a few years ago is not fun. Plus I have numerous assets here now, so I don't know if sending a lot of money back to Oz would be a potential tax issue. So today I Googled it. Of course there are myriad opinions and options on the net, but a site called Nomad Capitalist popped up. I have seen content from them before, and believe them to be reputable and clever. So here is an option:

This is likely not a Day #1 option, due to the minimum investment. But once I have got to $350k offshore, it well could be. And I like Singapore as a base for it as it will be secure.

Another thing the blog post I read spoke about was fintech. That being modern online financial solutions. I have looked at a couple of these when they pop up in FB feed for instance, but they all seem to come with plenty of consumer warnings.

"go where you're treated best" That's a philosophy I can deal with. I like what these people talk about. I guess it isn't as simple as that though, as I am likely to be very reluctant to go to a country that my kids don't live in. Yes you can't live for others I know, but they are central to my world. We'll just have to see.

Another development here is Kuan. He runs a channel on YT about Aussie retirement, focussing very much on Superannuation. I certainly learned a lot from him, including that I can retire and access Super at 60 - I don't have to wait to 67! He also gives good understand of tax on super and in retirement, and has me thinking about salary sacrificing more. With his guidance, I am getting closer to knowing what I need to know and what I need to have, in order to make this early retirement happen. 60 is now very much the goal.

Continue to watch this space.

Chills

That's what wifey calls them. What she means of course, is chilli sauce. We have two staples in our household. Well in truth we have four or five, but two that we make ourselves.

Chilli sauce and spiciness in general is simply a part of life for Asians. And as I am a wannabe Asian, or a Chinese man in a white mans body, according to wifey, I too love the hot stuff.

Recently, the unthinkable happened, and we ran out of both staples at once. OMG, life was a bit tough for a while there! I mean we have ABC Chilli in stock at almost prepper levels, and yes while it is nice, it ain't chicken rice chilli, nor cut chilli with soy. Nor is it bird's eye chilli, which I also reacquired after a long spell recently. That one is a Malaysian shop-bought sauce, which packs a punch. I gave Ma and V a bottle once, and they quickly gave it back.

But not the good old family favourite, which is the sauce shown below. It has been in the fridge at Mum's place for as long as I can remember. She uses woollies chilli, which is not that potent, plus soy, sugar, sesame oil and that's about it. We do much the same, but don't put in the sugar. It's great in a small dish to have with noods, for dipping, or to drizzle on your salmon when we have that with greens and rice. It is largely slightly-watered down soy, but with a nice hint of chilli. In Malaysia it is ubiquitous in hawker stalls when you order noodles. Here's what it looks like:

That is a staple, and we love it. However, the real star of the show is the home-made chicken rice chilli we put together, again as shown below:

It is a blend of spicy chilli, larger and more docile chilli's, some capsicum to bulk it out, plenty of salt, garlic, ginger, vinegar, fish sauce, shallots, and a bit of sugar to round it out. The potency varies according to the spiciness of the small chillis. Sometimes we can get nice hot ones, other times, not so much. But it always packs a nice kick, and has a wonderful taste. It's great to have with dishes, blend with stews and even curries, and even on sandwiches. We absolutely love it!