Hi, everyone, I'm Nikki, an American currently living and teaching English in China. I found MMM about 3 months ago, and finally started taking a really good look around the place. I'm still in the process of setting my long-term goals (besides the obvious, being debt-free and being financially independent) as I figure out what I need for moving back to the US for a year.
I pretty much always assumed i would have to work for the rest of my life, and as long as I had a job that I like I didn't think it would be a big deal. However, after turning 40 a couple of years ago, I realized that although i probably will work for the rest of my life, I'd rather not have to. Hence, I'm setting up some things to be able to be FI by the time I'm 55 (I'm 42 now). Luckily I don't have any children to worry about educating, and I "only" have about $25,000 in student loans (not great, but not as bad as many people I know). I've always wanted to retire to a country outside the US, so i'm going to spend the next several years working in various countries, saving money, and deciding where I want to hang my hat in 2026!