An exciting conversation with Jared about his path to FI as a traveling physical therapist and his current 5-month trip abroad, as well as a voicemail about healthcare planning and a review of Monday’s episode.
• Brad and Jonathan are releasing this episode while in Greece.
• Brad talks about the challenges of buying foreign currencies before a trip abroad.
• Travelers can open a Schwab Bank High Yield Investor account to get an ATM card with no transaction fees, and the flexibility to get more currency when you need it.
• Review of Monday’s episode: is a degree worth it at more than $100k a year in student loans?
• Brad and Jonathan were surprised to learn how much Samm paid for school, compared to the average income for a dentist, and the student loans that almost all dentists take on. Listen to the full episode with Samantha Keith here.
• A Facebook post from Jim to share that he’s 100% debt free.
• A voicemail from Jordan (3rd generation FI), who spoke with his employer about high 401k administrative fees, and ultimately his employer agreed to cover those fees and help employees save more.
• Message from Jennifer: concern about planning for healthcare in the future.
• Voicemail from Cara with strategies for healthcare planning:
◦ Purchase a good disability insurance policy
◦ Aim for Fat-FI
◦ Take the best care of your health possible
▪ Go to regular doctors and dentist appointments
▪ Use traditional health insurance, not high deductible
▪ Stay geographically near good healthcare if necessary
• Jared graduated from physical therapy school in 2015 and is working as a traveling PT while saving almost 90% of his income.
• In the healthcare profession there are many travel jobs that pay more because they are temporary positions.
• Jared and his girlfriend are taking 5 months to travel the abroad, even though he’s not quite at FI.
• 11 countries + 5 months = $6,000
◦ Most significant flights were purchased through credit card rewards.
◦ Majority of the trip will be in southeast Asia, which is inexpensive.
• How did Jared decide where to travel, and how did he plan his hotel stays through reward points?
• Save money on structural expenses (flights, lodging) so that you can spend more on activities.
• How does Jared manage his health and fitness while traveling?
