This article got me thinking:
https://nyti.ms/2C71Sm3It's not just about cryptocurrencies. The point is, anyone with significant assets can become a target of robbery or kidnapping. In my opinion, this is especially a problem with FIREd people who travel and live in foreign countries for extended periods of time, and even more so if you also blog or discuss your FIRE on the internet.
That being said, how do you feel about the importance of:
1. Keeping your real identity, location, and FIRE status a secret to people on the public internet--who knows what kind of people are reading your public internet posts?
2. Keeping your location and FIRE status a secret to people on Facebook or other social media--information shared on Facebook has been known to be exploited by robbers and thieves.
3. Keeping your FIRE status a secret to people you meet in real life--especially when living in foreign countries, would you feel safe if people knew about how rich you were?
I know there are bloggers and some posters around here who've shared quite a bit more about their identity and whereabouts than I would ever feel comfortable sharing. If you have shared information in this way, what are your thoughts?
Personally, I think I need to be very careful about what I share about myself, especially when traveling abroad. Getting kidnapped and held for ransom is no joke.
Should I go incognito and adopt a cover story when living abroad? Poor college student? Poor English teacher? Digital nomad scraping by on meager earnings? Just taking an extended vacation and burning through a few thousand dollars of savings?
If I want to live openly while traveling abroad, do I have no choice but to cower in fear of the locals and stick to "safe" areas of town? Honestly, that's no way for me to live.