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$890,000 net worth (age 46)
“Escape” – 46, single, no kids, California (HCOL). Senior professional, $170k income. Assets: $750k in a 401(k), $140k cash, $0 debt (house is paid off). A longtime high earner in a high-cost state, he watched raises disappear into rent, taxes, and lifestyle, and now wants out. With $890k and no clear path to $1M in the U.S., he’s looking at Vietnam or Thailand instead. He plans to live on roughly $1,000 a month from cash, let the 401(k) keep compounding, build a Roth ladder later, and possibly inherit around $1.5M from his parents. On paper, the margin is thin; emotionally, it feels like the first real off-ramp he has seen in years.
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“I’m trying to find a remote job so I can move to Asia sooner. I don’t want to stay in California—the costs feel like golden handcuffs. A thousand dollars a month can cover a lot in Thailand compared to a six-figure paycheck here. Why stick around until 50?”
TAKE-AWAY:
Sometimes financial independence isn’t about hitting a magic number; it is about getting to a place where your spending finally lines up with what you already have. An $890k retirement plan might be unrealistic in Silicon Valley, but it can be a workable plan in Southeast Asia. The hard part is not just saving; it is being willing to walk away from the work and culture that built the nest egg in the first place.
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