I can be FIRE in 4 years, but...

[typisk]

Hello!

I'm a 24 year old guy that is working on my laptop while travelling around the world. This has enormous tax benefits as my tax rate is ~5% with 85000 USD/year. I'm saving 80% of that. I can be FIRE in 3-4 years (have bunch saved already), but my girlfriend who has a non-digital job wants to gain experience in her field in our home town, understandably so. I should also mention she gets a bit bored when I work 8 hours per day in a foreign country, also very understandable. She does not "get" FIRE and "mustachism" and has expressed interest to work her whole life.

So, I have the amazing opportunity to get FIRE in just 4 years at 28 + travelling the world. The other option is staying in my hometown (expensive as Switzerland) and saving maybe half and using 8-10 years.

I'm not from US.

Tips on how to move forward?

[Psychstache]

Strongly consider what you want to do with your life and determine if you your life goals are compatible with those of your girlfriend before you commit to spending your life with her.

[okits]

That you are unsure suggests the absence of "I can't live without you" feelings for your girlfriend.  Regardless of what the other option is, you probably want to evaluate whether you should be in a serious relationship with this person. 

[FreedomInc]

Holy crap! I'm impressed. Can you go into a bit of detail about how you make 85k a year from your laptop?

[gergg]

Wait...how are you avoiding paying income taxes?  Did you actually move to a different country?

[limeandpepper]

I think more information may help. You're not obliged to answer all these questions, but -

Are you something like a digital nomad, or do you have a job that sends you off to travel frequently? Does your girlfriend accompany you wherever you go? Is she working at all at the moment? What are your priorities, and how much are you willing to compromise? How badly do you want to spend the rest of your life with her? The money that allows you to be FIRE in 4 years, does that cover only you as an individual or both of you as a couple, or in other words, do you have her covered financially if she follows you and hinders her own career path as a result?

[forummm]

I made major life changes for a relationship that I shouldn't have been in (and eventually ended). My life has worked out fine, but the decision has cost me a lot in the meantime. It made my life much more difficult in certain ways for the past 10 years (even though we haven't been together for most of that). I still had other great things happen as a result of my life changes, but who knows what would have happened in the alternative universe where I made the right decision from day 1. YMMV.

[HairyUpperLip]

interesting thread ...

[typisk]

I'm a digital nomad, yes. I'm freelancing for a few clients in my home country and living somewhere cheaper doing a bit of "geo-arbitrage". When I have enough stash I can travel indefinitely with a 4% SWR with a partner. This is done typically by renting an apartment for 1-6 month(s) and living like a local.

I've only been a nomad for 1 year and she has joined the last 6 months. She's not into digital jobs (like virtual assistant) and can't use her education or qualifications since it's totally offline based and it would require an employment visa. She is now in her home town working and I'm travelling around and working. Obviously not the dream situation.

We have been together for 6 years and maybe we've just grown apart from each other. I'm heading "home" in about two weeks and I guess we have to sort this out.

[CommonCents]

If you've been together for 6 years, you probably should know by now if she's "the one" or not.  Going home will likely help you sort it out, as you say.  This will let you know how much to prioritize the relationship versus the money.

Also, there's some in-between options other than 4 home or 8-10 overseas.  You could work 1-2 years abroad, and come back for 4-6 more (working in total about about 6-7 years).

[limeandpepper]

The lifestyle that you are having right now, and the one that you envision for the future is something that my partner and I would love to do! But I can see how it can cause issues when you aren't finding common ground in your career paths or ideal lifestyle goals. I think it'd be pretty tough if you want to travel freely while she wants to work for as long as possible. If you two have a great relationship other than this problem, I do hope you can work out a plan that's satisfactory for the both of you. But it is also okay to end things if your visions of the future just aren't converging. Good luck.

[Goldielocks]

Probably doesn't apply to you, but...

One group with severe financial problems here are expat seniors who return to Canada and haven't paid into benefits over the years (taxes) and don't qualify for much of the usual govt support, which ensures a minimum income of around $15k for singles per year plus healthcare.  Without it, they get a tiny amount only and are large proportion of users of food banks among seniors.

You may want to include in your plan working in the home country for x number of years, while playing the taxes need to qualify for some of this protection.  After you Fire and can choose your work to suit your lifestyle.

[typisk]

Our lifestyles are indeed very different. She is very eager to settle, buying a house, working and hinting about kids. I'm not just there yet. If I move back home to "settle" I would for sure go into depression knowing that I could be travelling the world AND save instead of paying 40-50% taxes + having a mortgage.

goldielocks:
I've checked this out and I have 12 more years that I can be abroad without losing the minimum benefits when I return.

CommonCents:
I could work 2 more years abroad and take more time at my home country, but I'm not sure that she'll wait that long. I'm not sure I would wait that long either! I can only visit my home country 6 weeks per year, and that's like christmas + new year, one or two birthdays/weddings and a few weeks in the summer.

[mozar]

Understand that you have plenty of time for fertility and she doesn't. Better to break up now so she can go find someone who is ready and you can start looking for a partner after FIRE.

[frugaldrummer]

I agree with the last poster. She wants to have children and a home; realistically, from a biological standpoint, the next 6 years are prime fertility years.

Conversely, you desire a lifestyle right now that not only precludes having children but that also either precludes being with your girlfriend OR requires her to give up her career plans.

I think if you truly loved her, you would support her career goals and be happy to sacrifice some time to FIRE. But that's not what I'm hearing- and that's ok, you're young. Maybe she's just not the one for you.

[College Stash]

I agree with the last poster. She wants to have children and a home; realistically, from a biological standpoint, the next 6 years are prime fertility years.

Conversely, you desire a lifestyle right now that not only precludes having children but that also either precludes being with your girlfriend OR requires her to give up her career plans.

I think if you truly loved her, you would support her career goals and be happy to sacrifice some time to FIRE. But that's not what I'm hearing- and that's ok, you're young. Maybe she's just not the one for you.

In fairness, she could compromise for him as well. Relationships aren't one-sided after all.

[frugaldrummer]

Plus, her compromising with him means giving up her career; him compromising just means delaying FIRE. She would be taking the much bigger risk.

And ditto on the fertility issue. If she agrees to wait until 30 to have kids, she risks her fertility, yet he could remarry and have kids years later with a younger woman (I know several women that this happened to).

Not saying that there is anything wrong with OP pursuing HIS dreams, it just doesn't sound like kids and house are his dreams right now and they are hers. They may just be incompatible at this age because of this.