#22: How Jeremy and Winnie Retired in Their 30’s

Jeremy used to work 80-hour weeks to maintain his sprawling suburban house, car and motorcycle.

But around age 26 or 27, he took a life-changing vacation to the Philippines. He ate mangoes, laid on the beach and learned to scuba dive. By the end of the trip, he decided he wanted to retire and live overseas forever.

He devised a plan. He slashed his living expenses, renting a room in Seattle for $400 per month (and later, upgrading to a home he rented for $980 per month). He sold his car. He stopped dining out.

At a conference in Beijing, he met his future wife Winnie. She was already saving 50 percent of her income, and his ratty clothes caught her eye. She liked that he was so obviously frugal. He approached her to ask if she could help him haggle with street vendors in Mandarin. They hit it off immediately.

They married, moved to the U.S., earned a combined income of around $130,000 per year, and saved between 50 to 70 percent of this money. Roughly 10 years after Jeremy’s epiphany on the beach, the couple retired. They moved to Taiwan, had a baby boy, and live on their investment income (plus unexpected bonus blog money.)

How did they pull off this feat? What advice do they share? Find out in this week’s episode.