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In 1991 Billy and Akaisha Kaderli retired at the age of 38. Now, into their 4th decade of this financially independent lifestyle, they invite you to take advantage of their wisdom and experience.

The Best Investment Move We Ever Made

Billy and Akaisha Kaderli

Buddhist Temple, Chiang Mai, Thailand

It wasn’t supposed to work out this way.

According to the financial pundits, we should have run out of money long ago, barely getting by, living on social security, and with little possibility of travel. At least, according to the money managers who write article after article on how Americans are not saving enough, investing poorly and need to follow their advice to succeed.

If their advice is so great, why are they still working?

Our situation

Instead, we have a higher net worth today than when we retired in 1991, after decades of spending and inflation. AND we continue to travel the globe. We have been through more market crashes than a GM vehicle on a test track and are still going strong.

As I write this looking out at the glistening gold of the nearby Buddhist Temple from our hotel room in Chiang Mai, Thailand, I think about how different our lives would have been had we listened to those experts and not pursued our dreams.

Divorced? Maybe. New homes, cars and toys and the debt that goes with them? Definitely.

But that’s not how it worked out. We chose experiences over stuff, and as they say, “they can’t take away the dance you danced.”

 

 

 

 

Money, money, money

Because of the power of compounding, tax management and lower living expenses, retiring early was a great investment move for us.

The S&P 500 Index’s growth has annualized over 10% with dividends for the last 33 years, and has increased our portfolio's value significantly, out pacing our spending and inflation. We chose low cost living areas with quality lifestyles, and our spending has been well below the 4% guidelines. We managed our tax liability by using tax efficient Index funds and also planned years prior as to the impact on our taxes of receiving social security. This combination has worked well for us and now in our seventies, we are looking at the next tax hurdle which is Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs), beginning at age 73, and minimizing that tax liability.

We are not saying to throw caution to the wind and not be financially prepared before you make the great escape. But you do have options. From living in lower cost locations not only in the United States but in other countries like Thailand, Mexico and Guatemala where your Dollar goes further, to receiving quality health care without jumping through continuous hoops in order to see a doctor, specialist or dentist at a fraction of the costs in the States. In most cases you can walk in off the street.

We are writing about this from decades of personal experiences with all of the above. We have walked the walk - and now, talk the talk - adapting to changing economies, locations, languages and culture.

When we gave up our careers in 1991, there was no internet, online banking or digital photography. We tracked our finances in a notebook on a sheet of paper, documenting all of our spending. We followed our investments when we could get a newspaper with stock quotes. Back then, our “online connection” was a portable Grundig shortwave radio where the BBC and Voice of America would broadcast news and give a brief market update a few times a day. Life was good, traveling throughout the Caribbean, Mexico and the USA, and at various times, in our fifth wheel trailer.

Fast forward a few decades

With the online financial tools available today there is little reason for not taking control of your finances and becoming your own investment advisor. With these tools you can create a sustainable financial future for yourself.

A general rule is to subtract your age from 120 and that is the percentage amount of stock investments you should have. We use VTI (Vanguard Total Market) ETF as one of our holdings. Everyone's risk tolerance is different and and your number may be higher or lower than recommended. We all have to follow our own financial path with which we are comfortable.

In the nineties when we were in our thirties, we maintained a 100% stock/mutual fund allocation, in order to gain the maximum exposure to the equity market. Today in our seventies and receiving social security, we are able to have a higher cash/bond position and continue to use Index ETF’s for growth. We still track our expenses and look for value-packed travel destinations.

 

 

 

 

So the next time you read one of these articles stating that you will never be able to retire, realize that the author is still working too.

They are selling fear and dependency and you don’t have to buy.

Retire Early Lifestyle appeals to a different kind of person – the person who prizes their independence, values their time, and who doesn’t want to mindlessly follow the crowd. 

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About the Authors

 
Billy and Akaisha Kaderli are recognized retirement experts and internationally published authors on topics of finance, medical tourism and world travel. With the wealth of information they share on their award winning website RetireEarlyLifestyle.com, they have been helping people achieve their own retirement dreams since 1991. They wrote the popular books, The Adventurer’s Guide to Early Retirement and Your Retirement Dream IS Possible available on their website bookstore or on Amazon.com.

 

Retire Early Lifestyle appeals to a different kind of person – the person who prizes their independence, values their time, and who doesn’t want to mindlessly follow the crowd.

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