From the Field

Dispatches from the Field

Real stories about early retirement, living abroad, and working for yourself.

All Dispatches

RETIRE
RETIRE 4 min read

Why I Ignored the 4% Rule (And Retired at 43 Anyway)

The 4% rule is gospel in early retirement circles. Pull 4% from your nest egg annually, the orthodoxy goes, and your money will last forever. Or at least thirty years, which is close enough for most spreadsheets. I ignored it completely. Not because I'm reckless with money — quite the opposite. I spent fifteen years as a corporate finance guy, building models that predicted quarterly earnings to the penny. I know how math works. I also know how life works, and life doesn't follow withdrawal ra
I Spent 18 Months Tracking Every Peso in San Miguel: Here's What $1,800 Actually Gets You
RETIRE 4 min read

I Spent 18 Months Tracking Every Peso in San Miguel: Here's What $1,800 Actually Gets You

My spreadsheet has 547 rows. Eighteen months of tracking every peso spent in San Miguel de Allende, from the fifty-peso tip to the woman who waters our plants to the 28,000-peso quarterly property tax bill. Every café cortado, every Uber to the doctor, every bottle of mezcal bought for friends who visit from the States. Why track it all? Because "Mexico is cheap" tells you nothing. Because expat Facebook groups are full of people arguing whether you need $1,200 or $3,000 per month, and nobody

I Spent 18 Months Tracking Every Peso in San Miguel: Here's What $1,800 Actually Gets You
RETIRE 4 min read

I Spent 18 Months Tracking Every Peso in San Miguel: Here's What $1,800 Actually Gets You

My spreadsheet has 547 rows. Eighteen months of tracking every peso spent in San Miguel de Allende, from the fifty-peso tip to the woman who waters our plants to the 28,000-peso quarterly property tax bill. Every café cortado, every Uber to the doctor, every bottle of mezcal bought for friends who visit from the States. Why track it all? Because "Mexico is cheap" tells you nothing. Because expat Facebook groups are full of people arguing whether you need $1,200 or $3,000 per month, and nobody