The car — the second-largest American consumer liability after a mortgage — presents a specific set of decisions for Americans planning an international move. The options: The right choice depends on two variables: the relationship between the car’s current market value and the outstanding loan balance (the equity or “underwater” amount), and whether the move […]
$2,500/month is around $30,000/year — roughly the take-home pay on a $42,000 salary after taxes, or about what many Americans in their late 50s collect in Social Security at full retirement age, or the approximate drawdown from a $750,000 portfolio at a 4% withdrawal rate. It’s a real number that represents a real income level
What $2,500/Month Gets You in 5 Different Countries: A Side-by-Side Comparison Read More »
Bringing a dog or cat abroad is one of the most emotionally significant and logistically underestimated elements of the international move planning process. Americans who expect the pet import process to be a simple matter of getting a vet certificate and boarding a plane routinely encounter: 6-month mandatory waiting periods for rabies antibody titer testing
The Core Reality: Your US Income Just Got More Valuable Most Americans earning $50,000 to $150,000 per year in the US live paycheck to paycheck. Rent consumes 30-40% of income. Healthcare eats another 10-15%. Childcare, transportation, and taxes combine to leave little left for actually building wealth. Move that same income overseas, and everything changes.
How to Keep Your US Income While Living Overseas (and Keep More of It) Read More »
Income The Backward Timeline Nobody Follows Most people wait until after they move to build remote income. They arrive in Portugal or Mexico with savings, job search from abroad, face visa barriers and time zone complications, and struggle to find anything at decent rates. This is backward. The faster path starts before you leave. Build
The Fastest Ways to Build Remote Income Before You Leave the USA Read More »
Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) forgives the remaining balance on federal Direct loans after 10 years (120 qualifying monthly payments) of employment with a qualifying public service employer — a government entity or a 501(c)(3) nonprofit — while enrolled in an income-driven repayment plan. For Americans living abroad who continue employment with a U.S. government
James was a 34-year-old UX designer in Chicago paying $2,100/month in rent, $800 in student loan payments, and $420/month for a car he barely used. When he did the math on moving to Lisbon, he realized his entire monthly budget there would cost less than his rent alone in Chicago. He spent six months telling
The Financial Checklist Before You Book That One-Way Ticket Read More »
Americans are used to budgeting eating out as a luxury. At $18–35 for a sit-down dinner entrée, $14 cocktails, and $8 coffees, going out frequently in a U.S. city is genuinely expensive — a category that financial advisors routinely tell people to cut. The average American household spends $3,639/year eating out, or about $303/month, and
Oaxaca de Juárez — the high-altitude colonial capital of Oaxaca State in southern Mexico — has emerged as one of the most compelling expat destinations in Latin America for a specific combination of reasons: food culture that rivals any city in the world (mole negro, tlayudas, mezcal distilled from a hundred varieties of agave), a
Oaxaca, Mexico on $1,350/Month — The Full Budget Breakdown Read More »
Most people know an EBT card covers groceries. Fewer people know it can also get you into a museum for two bucks, slash your phone bill, or score you a half-price gym membership. That’s money sitting on the table every month. Let’s fix that. Here’s a running list of everything you can get for free
The Full List of Freebies & Discounts You Can Get w/ an EBT Card Read More »
