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Financial security and strategic planning are crucial for long-term well-being, whether living abroad or domestically, and require careful consideration of income, savings, investments, and healthcare.
The host discusses personal updates, including a return to working out and recent trips, while also touching on the current precipitation in California, which has caused travel disruptions. He shares his experiences with a mild winter and the challenges of wet conditions affecting his car, highlighting the contrast with more severe weather in other parts of the state like Tahoe.
The conversation then shifts to expat life and future travel aspirations, with mentions of the Philippines, Hawaii, Japan, and various European and Central Asian countries. The host explores the pros and cons of living abroad, emphasizing the importance of financial planning, saving, and investing for retirement, particularly in light of potential automation in fields like teaching English and the rising cost of living in popular expat destinations.
A significant portion of the discussion focuses on the financial realities of retirement and living abroad. The host contrasts the potential for financial security in the US, with its social security system and higher earning potential in certain fields, against the challenges of maintaining a comfortable lifestyle and accessing quality healthcare in many expat locations. He advocates for a strategic approach to saving and investing, suggesting that while living abroad can amplify savings, it's crucial to have a solid financial foundation first.
The video concludes with reflections on budgeting for a comfortable life abroad, the challenges of teaching English, and the appeal of specific locations like Chiang Mai. The host stresses that while a budget lifestyle is possible, it may lack flexibility and preparedness for unexpected events like medical emergencies, advocating for a more robust budget to ensure a higher quality of life and financial peace of mind in retirement.
Financial planning for living abroad involves strategically managing your income, savings, and investments to ensure long-term security and a comfortable lifestyle overseas. It requires careful consideration of potential challenges like healthcare access and social security.
Saving money while living overseas is crucial and often involves diligent budgeting and prioritizing your expenses. Teaching English abroad can be an option, but it's important to consider potential wage stagnation and automation risks.
Yes, financial security is paramount for expats to ensure a comfortable retirement and handle unexpected expenses, especially when living abroad. A solid financial foundation helps mitigate risks associated with healthcare and changing economic conditions.
Retirement planning abroad presents challenges such as accessing reliable healthcare, understanding social security implications, and maintaining a sufficient income stream. It's vital to save and invest early to build a substantial net worth for a secure future.
The amount needed to live abroad varies greatly by location and lifestyle, but a budget of $1,000 per month might be insufficient for emergencies and quality healthcare. Robust financial planning and a higher budget are recommended for flexibility and peace of mind.
Jobs that involve physically moving atoms, like certain trades or hands-on roles, are generally more resistant to automation than computer-based positions such as teaching English online. This is an important consideration for long-term career planning abroad.
Retiring abroad requires careful financial planning and saving. A budget of $1,000 per month might be insufficient for emergencies, quality healthcare, and flexibility, suggesting a need for a more robust financial foundation. Prioritizing saving and investing early is crucial for building financial security.
Teaching English abroad can be a viable option, but it's important to be aware of potential automation, wage stagnation, and limited career progression. While it may offer a path to living abroad, consider the long-term implications for retirement and financial security.
Jobs that involve physically moving atoms are likely more resistant to automation than computer-based roles. This suggests that careers requiring physical presence and interaction may offer more long-term stability.
0:06 Hey everybody. We'll give it a bit for people to join on here. Thought I'd just do a live stream. It's been, I don't know, like a month or two since I've done one. But yeah, I hope everybody's doing well. Hope everybody had a merry Christmas.
0:43 We'll see if folks have a chance. Oh, hey, we got one person. Welcome. Welcome. How's everybody doing tonight or in the morning if you're in Asia?
1:46 I've just been enjoying a pretty mild winter here in California, all things considered. It still definitely gets chilly out here, but it's nothing like some places back east. Please give a thumbs up, guys.
2:02 Recently, I've had some trips to Sacramento and also Reno, which have been a lot of fun. And just working my office job out here. Everything's going fine. I'm not going to go into detail beyond that, except that I work in an office building.
2:26 Any other updates? I'm starting to get back into working out. So, as you can tell, I've mentioned it several times to try to shame myself, but I've gotten out of shape. And so, I started working out. I'm trying to work out probably like four days a week, probably like a Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday type thing.
2:44 Hey, how's it going in Hawaii, Derek? Good to see you. I'm here in Northern California and it's been chilly, but it's not too bad with the proper attire. But yeah, so I've been lifting weights again and I'll probably continue to do cardio.
3:07 But yeah, I miss lifting weights and I already feel a difference. I'm sleeping a lot better. My body feels a lot better, less achy. Trying to stretch more. It's so important as we get older to maintain activity. And I know too it will help when I do my next trip. I won't be so sluggish and I'll be in a better mood.
3:29 I've noticed my mood's definitely improved since I started exercising again. Fortunately, there's a gym in proximity to where I work. So, right after I get off work, I go and exercise and then I have a kind of a good feeling on my commute home.
3:51 I had to, you know, just change things up and get back into that. But, um, how is Hawaii, Derek? Actually, one of my co-workers, some of her family members recently had a trip there and they had a great time. They really enjoyed it. They spent about 10 days there.
4:36 What are you doing there in Hawaii, Derek? Trying to think of I.
4:49 Yeah, I'll probably get out of town this weekend depending. I've had some car stuff happen recently. I've had to have some work on my car. Oh, okay. You're retired in Hawaii. Excellent. Yeah, you earned it.
4:59 I've heard Hawaii is really an amazing place. I'd like to go eventually. I had plans to go during the pandemic. I planned to fly to the Philippines and then Philippines to Hawaii and then Hawaii back to the mainland. That did not materialize unfortunately, but I'm sure I'll make it in the future.
5:16 I've thought about doing another Japan trip in the future and doing something like going to Hawaii for a few days and then going to Japan from there or hitting it on the way back.
5:36 But I haven't visited Tokyo. I visited a lot of other places in Japan. Um, but I haven't made it to the big city. So I've been thinking, hey, maybe a Tokyo trip should be in the cards in the future because it's, well, the exchange rate's really favorable and I.
5:54 Yeah, I just, you know, I enjoy it a lot. Oh, Philippines. Heck yeah, that sounds awesome.
6:05 I haven't been to Lee Island yet, but I met some really nice people from there. My cab driver in Sibu actually, I can't remember, was that that may have been in January of this year. I had a cab driver, maybe it was February or March. He was from Lee.
6:29 And then I met a guy whose wife happened to be from Lee. He was visiting Dumagetti. What are you going to do in Lee, Derek?
6:37 Inside my car is soaking wet all the time. I place towels to absorb the water. I have to change the towels every two days. It feels like a bucket of water is stone inside my car. Is that Oh yeah. Yeah. The precipitation. You saw the title. Yeah. California, we've been getting a ton of rain and depending on where you are in the state, snow in the northern, like far northern part of California, like Tahoe is really getting just tons and tons of snow. So, it seems like it got delayed and it's just all coming down at once.
7:10 Definitely made my commute this morning hairy. I fortunately I got to work and a bunch of people were late so they were pretty understanding, but it was definitely stressful.
7:25 That sounds great, Derek. Well, yeah, I've heard cool things about Lee. I've heard it's like more provincial, less developed. The nature is really awesome. I've heard good things about the dating in Lee, too. It doesn't seem to get quite the number of tourists as like the urban hotspots Manila, Cebu, Dumagete or the places like Boracay or Sikihore. But I bet you're going to have a great time in Lee.
8:11 Oh, nice. You already have your house lined up. You have your place lined up in Lee. Yeah, that can be your biggest challenge is just finding a comfortable landing spot and you've already got that lined up. That's a big part of the challenge. So, I'm sure you'll have a great time in Lee. It sounds like you'll be there for a while.
8:34 I've been chatting with friends from Dumagetti. I just talked to my buddy Robbie who lives in Duma and then also talked to a little bit with Paul. Everybody knows Paul Old Dog. And who else have I talked to from Duma? Filipino friends as well. Shireen's not my friend Shireen is not from Dumagetti. I interviewed her on the channel a while back. She's from Bowan. Talked to her. Talked to her sister Jeten.
9:03 Who else? Oh Jen. Yeah, one of my friends, Jen and Duma, she's doing all right. She's got some personal challenges going on right now.
9:20 Yeah, I reached out to Mike a while back and Mike didn't get back to me. I also reached out to Jenna and she didn't chat a lot. I, you know, I don't really want to get into their, you know, whatever challenges they may have. I do hope they had a merry Christmas and hopefully, everything's going okay.
9:45 Um, yeah, I just haven't heard back from Mike to be honest. I think he may have some other stuff going on right now that's taking priority over his channel.
10:12 Check my messages as well because I talked to a few people I met in the Philippines that were just there on vacation. A good buddy of mine, James. Dazzle's great. Yeah, I think Dazzle puts a lot of work in and he does some unique stuff. Definitely enjoy Dazzle.
10:32 Oh, Will. Yeah, I've got a buddy Will I interviewed on the channel, one of the two gentlemen who struggles with disability. He's doing well. Uh David, who I haven't met, chatted with him. We just like have communicated through the channel and my buddy and co Zy and who else?
11:08 Yeah, that's most of the people. James, I chatted with James. You guys probably watch James and Carrot. I chat with him from time to time. Yeah, James is a really great guy and I enjoy their channel a lot.
11:26 The channel has helped to connect me with so many people. Actually, where I'm living now in California, I'm living with somebody I met through the channel. And so that's been going really, really well. They helped me to get back to work and to find opportunity. And aside from that, like just a good friend in general. Really supportive and encouraging and a positive person, resilient person.
11:52 I, you know, reflecting on all the expats I met. Yeah, there's some challenging guys out there. And I think that they should face scrutiny, but there's also a lot of like really cool expats that are just, you know, they're kind of living their life in America. They're not really interested in getting into the media. They plan to retire in the Philippines or Southeast Asia in general, but they don't really have a need or an interest to put themselves out there, but they're still cool guys. And there's so many of those people out there.
12:28 Um, I think more. I think as you know, one of the downsides like people talk about the expense in the Philippines going up. I think one of the upsides of that is you'll attract more and more professional type guys. You know, guys who, they have more professional type backgrounds. Not to say that's not been the case, but I think in the past, it's been possible to get by on say a thousand a month in the Philippines. And I think that could decrease in the coming years for better or worse.
13:05 Hey Dumaguette, nice to meet you. I don't think we've interacted before. It's great to see you on here. He's a farmer for the Colonel Chronicles. Got it. Yeah, James is really doing some interesting stuff and I think James as well is doing a lot of unique stuff.
13:28 How are things in Minnesota? Hey, good. Good to see you, Loner.
13:51 Yeah, it's definitely. In the northern part of California, it's the same case like the Tahoe area. There's been a lot of challenges there.
14:06 Yeah, I don't know if I'll try to live in a van for a few reasons. I think they may crack down on it more in the coming years. You know, I may consider it, but with the career I'm getting into now, I should be able to make enough and put a lot away without living in a van. I think that the arrangement I figured out is economical enough compared to a van in my current location. If I relocate in California, it may make sense to live in a van. But, uh, I like where I'm at pretty good here, and I should be able to travel and budget and save where I'm at currently.
15:16 It's, you know, it's a big. Oh, got by the way guys, please give a thumbs up if you're watching. We got nine people watching. Yeah, I mean, the challenge with the van, in California, some places have become really resistive to it, like they feel like it's, you know, hurting property values or it could lead to trash dumping, that kind of thing. I don't want to do those things, but I know it's possible for one person to ruin it for everybody.
15:44 With my career, I could move throughout the state, but there are parts of the state where I'd make what I make here in a more mid-range cost area. The pay would not necessarily reflect the increase in housing costs where it might make sense to actually live in a van. I'd want to set it up with cooking, proximity to a laundromat and gyms, and a safe place to park it, so I wouldn't get towed while I'm at work.
16:36 The flip side is with the housing crisis, it's like kind of a necessity in California to some extent. But I like it a lot out here; it's beautiful. With economies of scale, there are elements of living out here that are cheaper than back east because there's just so much excess resources.
17:04 Strange Day Diaries works Bay Area lives in a van. I'll check out Strange Day's Diaries; I know there's an RN apparently that lives in the Bay Area in a van and works tons of overtime. Oh, you know what? I think I have seen that. I'll subscribe.
17:50 Thank you for the heads up, Derek. I appreciate that, but I'm always interested to see more unique channels and people trying to find their way around the challenges of the current era. I think with my current career, if things go in the direction that I'm wanting them to, I should be able to do a few trips per year.
18:16 I debate on going back to Southeast Asia. There are quite a few regions I'd really like to see that I haven't seen much of. I've spent about two and a half years there in total and I'd like to see more. There are a couple of regions that are kind of oddballs, like Central Asia, such as Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, or Eastern Europe, like Serbia and the Balkan countries.
19:02 A lot of people like Western Europe, they like East Asia, but I've spent some time in both. I kind of want to try something different and just off the beaten path. Something very different would be like Central Asia or Eastern Europe. I could do Latin America again, or I'd be happy to go back to Southeast Asia.
19:31 I'd like to do a Malaysia trip, go back to Malaysia, see some other parts of Malaysia, maybe see some other parts of Indonesia. If circumstances were different, I'd take a look at Cambodia again. I'd like to do a Japan trip again, but it's been a while since I've been somewhere new.
19:48 The last time I went somewhere new was about three years ago when I went to Western Europe for the first time. I visited the UK, Portugal, Spain, and Morocco. Well, I take that back; I did go to Indonesia earlier this year, but that's not necessarily a new region. Vietnam was last year, so I see most of Southeast Asia at this point.
20:18 I'd like to see a different region. Maybe a buddy of mine's going to Albania; he's been talking it up. That might be on the radar. For my next trip, I'll probably have four to six weeks and I'd like to combine some stuff, like if I do Albania, maybe combine it with Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, or Bulgaria, something where I do like a week to 10 days in four countries.
21:03 Maybe I could do five if one's particularly small and not as eventful or exciting, but that's just what's been on my mind.
21:16 Do work for the government contractors or Department of Defense. That's not a bad idea, Derek. I'm heading to Thailand in two weeks, looking forward to seeing Ean this time, maybe Vietnam again and a beach location like Goa or Boracay.
21:39 I haven't been to Ean, but I'd like to go at some point. I've heard it's a really beautiful, kind of countryside feeling, and I think a lot of people would see that as a fresh mix-up from the hustle and bustle of places like Chiang Mai and Bangkok.
22:05 And who knows, I may just go back to Southeast Asia. It's so easy, you know, like the easy option for me is to just go to Southeast Asia because I know I like it. I know I like the culture, the scenery, the nature. Obviously, it's budget-friendly, and the women are lovely.
22:28 I have checked USA jobs, Derek, and the bulk of the jobs I've seen are not super well-paying, to be honest. Like I've seen a lot of $17-$18 an hour jobs, and a lot of them are reserved for military spouses as well. I could possibly find something if I get a graduate degree, but I'd want to make sure there'd be loan forgiveness.
23:00 I thought about going back for grad school actually for a few different reasons, but that's not a bad idea. I just wouldn't want to do it at the expense of being able to invest for the future. If I could get a job where I could save half my income, then I think it would be fantastic. If it would be a situation where I was breaking even, I feel like I'm at the point in my life where I want to make sure I invest and prepare for the future so that I'm financially comfortable in my retirement years.
23:28 So, that's kind of the battle as far as working abroad. You can make money, but it's harder to find opportunities or positions where you can save and invest.
23:41 Yeah, so teaching English, I couldn't do, and there's a number of reasons for that. I should probably do a video on that: why I could not teach English. There are a few challenges.
23:54 One, it's the risk of automation. I taught on Cambly for a while, and they're actually doing a lot of automation. They're using recordings of tutoring sessions to train their AI, and they already offer a fully AI tutor. So I think in the future, there'll be a lot more AI teaching English.
24:18 There's also been a lot of wage stagnation. So post-COVID, you've seen a lot of people from lower-cost-of-living countries like South Africa and the Philippines being willing to teach English for a much lower price. Wages have been stagnant for 10-15 years, but the cost of living keeps going up.
24:39 Korea is a big example. In South Korea, 10-15 years ago, you could actually make pretty good money doing it. But while South Korea's gotten a lot more expensive since then, the wage is roughly the same. So you're still making $2,000 a month, but Seoul has gotten a lot more expensive.
25:00 Rent in Seoul has gone up a lot. Food has gone up a lot. Seoul and South Korea in general function like an island because to the north they've got North Korea, and then to the west, they've got water on three sides in a country they don't have a good relationship with. So it functions like an island.
25:21 So energy costs and things like that can quickly raise the cost of living, but then the wage doesn't keep up with it. So people are making what they were making 10-15 years ago but aren't able to save as much.
25:40 The two countries where you can still get ahead would be China and Saudi, but you're still running the risk that English teaching is going to be automated and wages have stagnated in those two countries as well. So the cost of living goes up, but English teaching wages don't.
26:02 I think it's because so many people want to do it, right? A lot of people want out of the US, and it's a really attractive, easy option for a lot of people. And so, the third would be like there's not really a path up. If you want to teach English, you could potentially open a language school, but you're not really moving up the ladder.
26:29 In other careers, you can get promotions, you can take on more work. In the United States, as a citizen, I can open a business very easily. In some of these other countries, it's very difficult for foreigners to open businesses; you may not be able to fully own it.
26:46 Another fourth point is it's not the most intellectually stimulating. I did Cambly for a couple of years, and there were dozens of conversations where it was like, 'Hi, how are you? Where are you from? What do you like to do?' You don't really get in-depth conversations; it tends to be a bit repetitive.
27:11 But yeah, AI, like you said, AI is hurting entry-level IT jobs as well. I think I found something that's AI-proof. Elon Musk recently did an interview with Joe Rogan, and setting aside politics, he said jobs where you physically move atoms are probably going to be a safer bet in the long term compared to software engineering, accounting, things where you're working on a computer and doing repetitive work.
27:56 These are more likely to be automated versus other types of jobs where you're, like you said, moving physical atoms. So, yeah, it may mean I have to stay in the US longer. I may not be able to move overseas as quickly, but I'll be financially secure.
28:15 Plus, there's things that I'm enjoying about life in the US. There are hard days for sure, but there are other times where I'm like, man, it's really nice to have this beautiful air quality. And for me, a compromise as far as living abroad, California has some of the...
28:28 Living abroad. California has some of the things I really like about other countries, like diversity of landscapes, interesting people, and really good food. It's a lot better than I like it a lot better. It's just overall a better cultural fit.
28:58 Yeah, I like it a lot. And the wages are still high in California. I mean, it's hard to get into tech, but in other fields, there's still opportunity to make more money than where I'm from.
29:12 Also, my fear is, and there are a lot of English teachers in this position, maybe not as many as is known, that they get to their 50s and they haven't really saved any money. They haven't really invested any money. They're not employable in any other field. They're aging out of teaching in Southeast Asia because it tends to be oriented toward younger English teachers.
29:38 And so they find themselves are like, 'Okay, I'm in, I'm 50. I don't have any savings. I haven't paid into social security. I don't have any retirement funds. I'm starting to have health problems.'
29:58 It doesn't really, unless you've got like a master's in English and you're teaching doctors and business English, it's more competitive, right? Like it's hard to transition back to the western market. So, I think a lot of them do get trapped in English teaching, but it's kind of like I don't know. I find it hard to see an end date where they stop working and they get to relax and enjoy these countries.
30:27 They're recreating a nine-to-five lifestyle in another country where, I mean, yeah, the nine-to-five grind can suck here in the US, but you know, there's light at the end of the tunnel. You know, you're paying into social security. In a lot of fields, you can move up and make more money and save and invest for the future. You know, there's a social safety net.
30:54 Like if you have healthcare concerns in other countries, especially popular expat destinations, there is no free healthcare. Or if there is free healthcare, it's very, very limited. You might be in a ward with 30 other people and people are banged up and hurt. You're hearing babies crying, and they're not necessarily using. I mean, there's technically public healthcare in a lot of these expat destinations, but it's nowhere near what most Americans would consider acceptable, right?
31:27 Technically, it exists, but it's kind of like if I gifted you a Model T today. I know a Model T is probably worth a lot because of various reasons, but it wouldn't be useful as a commuter vehicle, right? Most people, if they own a Model T, it's in a museum or it's in a private collection. They're not driving back and forth to work in a Model T. So, yeah, it's technically a car, but it doesn't technically solve the problem.
31:51 There's other things too that are nice about the US. While you're working, you know, worst-case scenario, typically you're paying into social security. So it's like, okay, at least I know the average social security check is like $1,700 a month. I know that at 62, which for me is 29 years from now, I'll have inflation-adjusted. There may be a haircut to it, 20%, 25%, but there's going to be a lot of Americans continue to live on social security.
32:28 I don't think they eliminate it. I think they'll probably give it a haircut. It probably won't be the same purchasing power as what it does today, but it's probably going to be enough in the long term, I believe, to survive in a developing country and have a modest standard of living. Are you going to live like a king on social? Probably not. But you'll probably be able to live in a small apartment, eat local food, basically retire with more dignity than what you would have here trying to make it on social security.
33:04 Now, I'm fortunate that I've been saving and investing for probably seven years, a modest sum. I'm not a big-time investor, but modest amounts of money. If I continue on track, I'll probably retire with just my personal investments. That's if I maintain my current investment rate, which my income is likely to increase. I'll probably retire with at least $800,000 to a million.
33:33 Now, that's not going to have the same purchasing power as it does today, but it's also probably not going to be totally worthless. And it could be worth more. You're amplifying it by going abroad. I'm likely to get pay increases over the course of my career. I'm likely to be able to do things to maintain fixed costs. Like, I'm 33. I've only ever owned two cars in my lifetime. I'm not a buy-a-new-car-every-year kind of guy. I'm not a buy-a-new-phone-or-laptop-every-year kind of guy.
34:06 So, if I continue to be aggressive, I'll probably retire with a decent seven-figure net worth. If I'm aggressive about it, if I work really hard, I try to really grind it out and still have adventures and still have travel and still enjoy my life. That, to me, even though it's the sacrifice of not living abroad right now, it's a better bet than some guys I see that are young and they're thinking, 'Oh, it'll just work out.'
34:35 It'll just work out, and they fritter away their working years enjoying life, and then they get to be older and they're not prepared. I talked to a good friend of mine about it. He said something I've had to explain to my significant other is if you have a health issue and you need to see a doctor, there's no way around paying him. It's, you know, you can go cheaper on food, or you can rent a smaller apartment, or you can travel less, but when it comes to something like healthcare, there's no way around it, right?
35:11 Um, Kyle says, 'Hi, hey Alex. I enjoy your perspective and your experiences. It gives me a different view to learn from you.' Thank you so much, Kyle. That's really kind, and I appreciate that. I appreciate your kind words and your support of the channel. Your comments are always very thoughtful.
35:33 Invest when you're young. I started at 30 and retired at 56. I'm 59 and live off my investments, and the market has been good to me. That's awesome, Dan. I'm targeting like 57. So that's kind of my more realistic retirement date. I could probably do it earlier, but I feel like at 57, you know, with medicine improving, then I feel safer at that age, considering I get travel and I get vacations in the meantime, and I get to live in a state that I want to live in.
36:03 I think if you're looking at, like, 'I go Mississippi for the next 30 years,' there's nothing wrong inherently with Mississippi, but just seeing like the population numbers there, seeing that the people I've met from Mississippi have wanted to try living elsewhere, where California actually has a lot going for it. You know, unless you're really not upwardly mobile. I think if you're trying to get by on like a cashier salary, yeah, you're probably better off leaving California. But if you've got more of a professional job or professional career, California has high wages, great quality of life. Yeah, you pay a lot of taxes, but it's quite enjoyable.
36:54 I worked a factory job for 20 years. That 29 years, that's awesome, Dan. That you're able to retire early. 56 is definitely early retirement. I think most people would consider early retirement even up to like 62, 65, and you still got plenty of time to enjoy and relax, but you're also prepared. You're not thinking, 'Oh, I'm going to have to run back and get some kind of cashier job.'
37:16 Nothing wrong with being a cashier. I've done jobs I wasn't thrilled about, but it's one thing to do that when you're working your way up the ladder. It's another thing when you're trying to just hang on to the ladder.
37:29 Derek says, 'I have a military pension, social security, and wife has social security.' Yeah, you're prepared. And you made the sacrifice to work long and hard for many years to set yourself up for that. And that's the responsible expat. And I think that's the expat of the future. I think when costs rise in these countries, you know, I say I could make it on social, but I'm not planning to make it on social. That's like my worst-case scenario.
38:03 What's more realistic is having a more healthy budget, being able to live more comfortably, being able to afford quality healthcare, being able to travel. Like I met quite a few guys in Duma. I myself lived a very budget lifestyle in Duma on trying to do $1,000 a month. And there's no judgment. I get it, right? People have mishaps. People go through divorces. People pay child support. People try to give their kids a better life than what they had.
38:35 I don't shame guys trying to make it on $1,000 a month at all. I think it's unfortunate simultaneously. Not judging those guys, I think now that I've seen what that looks like, I've experienced what that looks like, I'd like to plan to do things a bit different. I'm cool with having a base, but I'd like to travel a couple times a year. I'd like to not worry so much about whether I'm shopping at the local market or shopping at the grocery store.
39:11 I'd like to be able to, you know, just have more flexibility in the budget than what I saw on the $1,000 a month budget. One, it may not be doable when I retire, but two, there's not a lot of flexibility there. You don't have as much options. It's like, okay, I'm renting a $100 to $200 a month studio apartment. I'm only going to have a bike. My dating is going to be somewhat limited. I'm not going to be able to afford an emergency. What if I get hurt?
39:47 Insurance costs could go up. You're living on the edge, right? Where if you're at more of the $2,000 to $3,000 plus budget, you can rent a $500 a month house, you can hire cabs, you know, rather than trying.
40:02 Rather than trying to get around on a motorbike. Nothing wrong with a motorbike, but if you have some kind of health concern come up, like I just had a friend on Facebook, he got in a bicycle wreck in Thailand. So for him, he's really banged up and planning to be in Thailand for about six weeks, he's spending most of that just laying in bed recovering.
40:28 That was totally unexpected. He's having to pay for the treatments and the medical care. It's unfortunate. Some of you may know who I'm talking about, but yeah, that's a reality and there's not really an alternative other than to pay for that.
40:54 Dan says, "I'm planning to move to Thailand in a year, maybe two. Where are you going to move to in Thailand, Dan?" There's a lot of great options. I'm partial to Chiang Mai.
41:28 Chiang Mai is fantastic. I miss Chiang Mai a lot. It's like my favorite city, especially the area near Maya Mallal and Chiang Mai University. It's just very the perfect amount of city for me.
41:44 You've got a lot of conveniences. I could, within walking distance, do all my chores: hospital, pharmacy, doctor, eye doctor, restaurants of all levels. I had sushi places, Thai food, there was Enko Reservoir, so I could go for walks around the reservoir.
42:12 There's Deutsu Tap, so you can go up the mountain and enjoy Deutsu Tap. It's such a special city to me. You can go into town, the reverse direction, and there's the old city, the temples, and the markets. It's just got such a classic vibe to me.
42:39 I don't know how to explain a timeless vibe. Chiang Mai to me feels very timeless. It's still going to be a cool place in the future. It's getting busier, definitely getting busier.
42:53 Before COVID, it had a more vibrant feel, but it's still a nice place and it can bounce back. These things happen in cycles.
43:04 Palm Chop says, "I like mountains." Very cool. Yeah, I like mountains too. I'm more of a mountain guy than a beach guy, and I think the vibe is cooler in Chiang Mai. It doesn't have as much of the party vibe as other parts of Thailand, and there's more of a focus on the culture.
43:26 It's a unique city for sure. What's everybody getting into this weekend?
43:52 Oh, NFL. My buddy's watching NFL too. He watched the Commanders and the Lions versus the Vikings yesterday.
44:13 I've got a lot to get into this weekend. I'm researching dividend stocks and exercising. I may make a trip to a nearby city to do a Costco run and hit up WCO and Trader Joe's and hang out with some friends. I'm debating on it.
44:50 The roads can be a little iffy right now. Traffic can be kind of iffy, but I slept great last night.
45:05 With the inclement weather, it definitely woke me up off and on last night.
45:32 Thanks, guys. I think the signal is choppy right now because of the inclement weather. I do apologize. I think I'm going to wrap things up, but feel free to comment down below what topics you'd like for me to cover next time.
45:46 Please subscribe if you haven't already and give us a thumbs up. It helps with the algorithm. I'm going to go ahead and wind down, guys, because I'm getting sleepy and my signal's choppy.
Follow the journey through expat life, travel experiences, and the realities of living abroad while exploring different places, cultures, and everyday life overseas.
