Hello everybody,
I've read MMM blog since the day one of his articles was published on Lifehacker. I wouldn't say that it completely changed my life (I was born in Russia and raised in a frugal family), but I decided to live even more modest to be able to save most of my income and retire early.
I'm an international student who just graduated with a Bachelors' degree. I work for a small state college and earn decent salary. My state has also one of the lowest costs of living, so I'm able to save about 60 to 75% of what I make. My problem is that I don't know how to invest (given my situation).
First of all, I'm not yet eligible for my employer's retirement plans (they match up to 8% - but only after I've been here for 2 years). Second, I'm not sure whether I'll stay in the U.S. for very long time. While I certainly wouldn't want to go back to my country, I'd like to travel around the world and live in several countries. Third, I may need what I saved to pursue a Master's degree next year or the year after.
I thought about using LendingClub or Prosper, but they are still not available in my state. Also, I'm not a U.S. Citizen and not even a resident, so I'm not sure if they would allow me to invest even if I moved across the river to another state.
I would prefer to invest in something that pays more than 1 or 2% when using savings accounts or CDs. I don't want to spend too much time picking stocks or watching my portfolio either. Basically, I would prefer to transfer money and let it sit there and earn interest until I need it in the future.
Could you please recommend something?