Continue reading “Why I Can’t Travel Hack & You Shouldn’t Either”
Tag: Shenzhen
January 2019 – Net Worth Update
January 2019 – Net Worth Update
January 2019 was a good month, both personally and financially. My girlfriend and I started a 21 day fast of Video Media (YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, etc), fast food, alcohol, meat, unhealthy snacks. We were pretty disciplined and stuck to our sacrifices, even though we had with a few slip-ups along Continue reading “January 2019 – Net Worth Update”
Degrees with Debt: How I paid off $27,000 in Student Loans in 2 years
After high school, I never REALLY knew what I wanted to be or do. Does anyone, really? I did know one thing. I was going to college! My older sister was the first person in my immediate family to receive a bachelor’s degree, and later a Masters Degree. Being the competitive little brother I am, I went out and chased the same goal. Fast forward a few years, I’m walking across Continue reading “Degrees with Debt: How I paid off $27,000 in Student Loans in 2 years”
Welcome W-T-Fi’ers
Welcome W-T-Fi’ers. I’m a 25 year-old millennial from Atlanta, GA. After 3 years with a “real” job, I quit, moved to Shenzhen, China (aka the “Silicon Valley of Hardware”) and began to teach English as a Second Language (ESL). (Did I mention I’m a millennial?) One thing I haven’t changed is my coveted goal of reaching Financial Independence (FI). This blog is about my path to reach FI, and maybe a few travel and expat experiences along the way. Enjoy!
Goal
My goal is to reach FI in ten years (2029). With annual expenses of $24,000 (USD) per year. Using the basic rule of 25x times your annual expenses, I will need approximately $600,000 (USD) to never have to trade my time for money again.
History
I first discovered the FI “rabbit hole” when I was 16 years old. I was working a summer internship at my local water department. The internship went well but, I spent most of my time surveying old pipes in bad parts of town. Fortunately, I made friends with the construction crews. One day, one of said crew members, “Big Mike”, introduced me to Dave Ramsey while we were eating lunch in the truck. I heard a loud-mouthed, big personality, radio guru who preaches about the benefits of living a life with no debt. This was my first exposure to personal finance. I was hooked! I spent every free moment absorbing personal finance blogs, podcasts, and books. Unfortunately, even with this knowledge, I managed to accumulate more than 40k (USD) in student loan debt. I was so disappointed in myself that when I graduated college and got my first “real” job, I paid off 30k of my debt. And I won’t stop there.
Thank you for taking the time to join me on my path. Feel free to comment and give me ANY feedback, suggestions, or encouragement to reaching my goal.
-Mr. W-T-FI
