Teacher Retires Early at 45 Thanks to Strategic Living (FIRE in Paradise!)

Teachers aren’t known for their high salaries, so how did this one reach early retirement and FIRE at just 45 years old? Through “aggressive” saving and smart cost-of-living choices, Amy Minkley was able to quit her demanding international teaching job only three years after finding out about the FIRE movement. Now, she spends her days living in paradise and hosting “FI Freedom Retreats” once or twice a year for like-minded FIRE-chasers. To reach FIRE in your 40s, you must make some strategic moves like Amy. Thankfully, you don’t need to make six figures to retire early in 2025. Throughout Amy’s career, she never entered the “high income” threshold but could still save aggressively, thanks to the perks of teaching at international schools. We’re talking free rent, subsidized travel, and plenty of paid vacation. But it wasn’t always the dream life that it sounds like. Amy had constant stress and was routinely feeling burned out, forcing her to take multiple sabbaticals, change where she lived, and deal with some of the money trauma that had plagued her past. Now, she’s FIRE, thriving, and living entirely on her terms. You can (and should) do it, too! In This Episode We Cover How to reach FIRE in your 40s even if you feel like it’s too “late” for you Why teachers should look into teaching abroad to save a significant portion of their income Investing from abroad and what to do when you have little-to-no social security contributions How much cash you should keep on hand when you’re ready to retire early Living off the three percent rule (instead of the traditional four percent rule) by moving to low-cost-of-living areas Why you must take a sabbatical at least once in your working career And So Much More! Links from the Show Mindy on BiggerPockets Scott on BiggerPockets Listen to All Your Favorite BiggerPockets Podcasts in One Place Join BiggerPockets for FREE Email Mindy: Mindy@biggerpockets.com Email Scott: Scott@biggerpockets.com BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group Follow BiggerPockets Money on Instagram “Like” BiggerPockets Money on Facebook BiggerPockets Money YouTube Channel Save $100 on Real Estate’s Biggest Event of the Year, BPCon2025 Reach FIRE Faster with "Set for Life" Sign Up for the BiggerPockets Money Newsletter Find an Investor-Friendly Agent in Your Area From Making $40K/Year as a Teacher to Reaching FI in 4 Years by Doing THIS Connect with Amy Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/money-610 Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email advertise@biggerpockets.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices