Retired Early at 40. Now What the Heck Do I Do?

After 20 years climbing the corporate ladder, I finally retired early at 40. Today marks the first day of my next chapter – no more job or address, just exploring the world. From IPOs to layoffs, it’s been a wild ride. Come along for insights on how I made early retirement possible, and ideas to fund your dreams too!

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Published On: July 24, 2015

Latest Update: April 10, 2024

About the author

Hi, I'm Marco Sison. I worked in finance for Fortune 50 companies before retiring early at 41 years old. I have been an expat for over 10 years, living in over 50 countries to show you the best ways to save, invest, and live in amazing countries outside the USA. I am a trusted resource on personal finance and overseas retirement for US News & World Reports, HuffPost, MSN Money, USA Today, ABC Network, Yahoo Finance, Association of MBAs, the iTunes documentary Seeking FIRE, and the Amazon Best-Seller- Abroad: Expats That Thrive.

Have you ever been sitting at your desk job after a 12 hour day and dreamed what your life would be like if you retired early? I did to. Then I finally made it happen.

Today is the first day of the next chapter of my life! I am officially no longer employed. The last 5 years have been a ridiculous roller coaster: IPO planning, IPO cancelation, Mass Layoffs, IPO cancelation #2 and #3, Record revenues, IPO celebration, First M&A deal, Brazil business start up, Brazil business shutdown, and finally my exit.

I'm been working non-stop at hard-charging, high expectation environments in Fortune 50 companies or startups since 2000. I always wanted to retire at 30, but the DOT-COM bubble nixed that idea. I had to bust my hump to recover from that debacle, only to get smacked by the Great Recession. So I ended up missing my retirement goal by 10 years (okay, 11 years, but 40 is just such a nice round number).

This day has been in the works for years, even though this exact day came by surprise. As in the CEO saying, "You don't have a job anymore...SURPRISE!!!!" No problems though. I'm prepared, planned, locked, loaded, and ready. The question is ready for WHAT?

For now, the only plan I have is to figure out where I wanna live next: South East Asia, Eastern Europe, or Latin America. I'm going to do some exploring before I put down some stakes. The current plan is a November 2015 departure for 24 countries in 24 months. There are a few events that have set dates: La Tomatina (Spain), Yacht Week (Croatia), Distortion (Denmark), Queen's Day (Amsterdam), Songkran (Thailand), and Great Migration (Kenya). Other than those, no set itinerary. My plan is to go with the flow.

Anyone wanna meet up? I will not have a permanent phone or address, but I can be reached at on my Contact Page.

You can reach me on Whatsapp or click on any of the social media icons to reach me there.

Alright then...I'm off to Explore.

A man of ordinary talent will always be ordinary, whether he travels or not; but a man of superior talent will go to pieces if he remains forever in the same place.

-Mozart

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We moved the comments to the New Expat Forums

  • Congrats on your great accomplishment. My wife and I have been working on building our wealth. I anticipate at age 40 we’ll hit a milestone.

    • Hi Jonathan,

      Thanks for the shout out. From following you and Jacque, you guys are well on your way to hit your goals.

      PS: My dad’s side of the family is all from Omaha. I’ve become an adopted Cornhusker.

      Hope you guys are staying safe.

      Cheers,

      Marco

  • Hi! Just came about your page and the content looks great. I’ll definitely keep reading more of it! Best of luck and hope you’re doing great.

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    About the author

    Hi, That's me. I'm Marco Sison. I am a survivor of the corporate rat race. I started Nomad FIRE to show you an alternative to the stress and grind of 70-hour weeks to pay off a mortgage, student loans, and countless bills. After getting laid off in 2015, I said screw it all and retired early at 41 years old. I have traveled the last eight years to over 50 countries to show you the best ways to save, invest, and live in amazing countries for 70% less cost than the US. I have been featured in: US News & World Reports, HuffPost, MSN Money, USA Today, ABC Network, Yahoo Finance, the iTunes documentary Seeking FIRE, and the Amazon Best-Seller, Abroad: Expats That Thrive. [view press...]

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