Heck, I could start a blog about it. lol

I think the main reason that he posted this article is because he wants us to be inspired. He read the 4 hour workweek but accdg to him “the practices in that book are hard to actually implement because they are pretty vague. What the book does really well is show you what is possible – it’s up to you to figure out a way to do it.” He ingested the idea of working w/ plenty of time, came up w/ a good business model and sticked to it.

I’ve been freelancing for nearly two decades and have a family of four. Yes, it can be scary, but happiness is worth a lot. Sticking with a job that makes you miserable just isn’t worth it.

You don’t have to be single and you don’t have to move out of the country to take value from this article.

To answer another commenter’s question about healthcare, it isn’t that hard. There are a couple of things you can do (assuming here that you don’t have a spouse with access to health benefits through his/her job).

* A lot of organizations and guilds offer health insurance through the organization. You might look into that. Some schools even offer decent programs for alumni.

* If you’re self-employed, you do have some ways to help offset health insurance even if you do have to bite the bullet and pay a high rate for your family. For example, if your health costs are over a certain percentage of your income, you can deduct them. That helps us out a lot. It’s also where a good accountant comes in. Skip the chain accountant “stores” and find a good accountant that has other clients in your field.

The problem I have with Sean’s article is that it’s almost entirely dependent on employing others in the Philippines. He says he doesn’t take US jobs because he’d just do the work himself if he had to hire US employees…well, then he wouldn’t have the TIME which allows him to live like a millionaire. I do the same thing, I have employees from India working for a fraction of US employees. If I were to do the work myself I’d be working 16 hour days, and still probably couldn’t sustain it, and if I hired US employees there wouldn’t be enough of a profit margin to be worth it.

Enjoy profiting off of cheap labor, that’s all your doing. The fact that you’re also living in a country with a favorable exchange rate helps too. If you were doing what you’re doing living in the US with US employees it wouldn’t work. Period.

http://johnnybtruant.com/my-so-called-rock-star-life/

Not that this should stop a person, but I think acknowledging and planning for the possibility of failure rather then ignoring for the sake of keeping positive.

Do you also correct Spanish-speakers who misspell, or butcher, English words? Or is that too non-politically correct? Seriously, I’m curious as to how bi-lingual spelling cops operate.

Come back and write when you have a family to support and tell us how you live like a king. Until then, this is just some single guy lucky enough not to have any obligations which tie him to real life. Nothing to learn from here….

Also, I seriously doubt you are living for less than $365 a year, as the title suggests – because once you get over 99 pennies – it would be $ a day. Or maybe it should be “….on thousands of pennies per day”.

I applaud Sean’s courage for getting out there and doing his thing. It takes cajones to move to a foreign land and start a business, no doubt. Nobody I know is doing that.

I’ve been thinking about the whole lifestyle blogging thing lately, so this is not directed at Sean specifically, but his post triggered me to write some things down.

I’ve been reading a lot of personal finance, lifestyle hacking, self improvement, entrepreneurial blogs these days. The net is just filled with these sorts of posts and blogs and marketing schemes all piggy-backing on one another. They all feel very slippery, light, and tenuous. I can’t shake the feeling that if you poke them with a pin they will just pop. I’m not sure about this, but just giving my honest impression.

At the same time, I wonder if I should join the club and get me some of that sweet and juicy internet blogging/marketing/affiliate/lifestyle business/ebook/micropayment/google ad mula! These folks are making real money, right?

I guess people need to see positive examples of people out there kicking some butt and overcoming obstacles on their way to achieving their dreams. This gives people hope that are stuck in the salt mines, I get it. I guess, to me, some folks seem to be trying to make money as little more than peppy cheerleaders and some people are actually more like life-coaches with solid practical approaches and detailed advice. I would definitely put J.D. into the latter category, but some others I have been reading, not so sure.

Good story, but more details.

Which part of Thailand do you live in, and if you don’t mind me asking, about how much can you put away each month?

I move to Thailand 4.5 years ago and have been working as Managing Director of two separate business- the first for 2 years, the second for 2+ years (still working there) with 5 months off in between jobs.

I earn good money ($250K USD a year) but work very long and intense hours- 12 to 16 hour days are the norm. I am also living in Bangkok commuting to Ayutthaya each day, it’s 1 – 2 hours each way.

We own our place here so our living costs are pretty low- basically all disposable income for eating out, consumer goods and traveling- spending about $3000 a month and banking the rest.

Because of this low cost lifestyle we have 50+ years worth of living expenses now saved up even though the wife and I are in our 30′s.

Still working though- enjoy it some days- other days are unbearable. Just like other aspects of life I suppose.

-Mike

That’s not true. There are plenty of people who work incredibly long hours to support their family. Who have children with special needs which take up a lot of time. Who have their own health issues which take up a lot of time. It’s easy to say “just prioritise better”, but for some people there are priorities that they cannot shift. In fact, for more people than you realise. You shouldn’t just ignore them because a generalisation is easy.

I travel constantly, am my own boss (wedding photographer) and best of all I work with my husband. We don’t have kids, if/when we decide to have them, we’ll find a way to incorporate them into our jet setting lifestyle. That’s not selfish, that’s just the way we choose to live.

First off, as for the giving away US jobs, these never were US jobs and never would be. It was either hire someone abroad or do the work ourselves.

However, on that note, who is to say someone in the US is more important than someone in the Philippines? We pay them enough money to provide for their family and have a life that most people in their country would kill for. They are just like you and me. So US or not, they are human, and I think that is what is most important.

As for the people who who question whether or not I can actually “live like a millionaire”. The post wasn’t necessarily meant to be taken literally in that sense. Essentially what I meant by it is that by thinking outside the box, and in my case pursuing a lifestyle business, you’re able to be truly happy in what you do – hence making you feel like a millionaire, whether you make a bunch of money or not.

As for health care. Thats absolutely important, and I’d never tell you otherwise. I pay it just like everyone else and I just have to plan around it. By making that more of a priority than, say, a new TV, I’m able to continue living this lifestyle.

@El Nerdo, as you can guess I have read the 4 Hour Workweek. But like you said, the practices in that book are hard to actually implement because they are pretty vague. What the book does really well is show you what is possible – it’s up to you to figure out a way to do it. If you already have a business you love, then that’s awesome, I couldn’t be happier for you! I actually am currently running my business from the US as well, so that’s definitely possible.

As to Des’ comments about place in life and family. Its all about priorities, it isn’t hard to start a business in your free time if you’ve decided that’s important to you. In no way do I advocate doing anything irresponsible, but it’s just a matter of figuring out what is really important. See Adam Baker or SoulTravelers3 for excellent examples of families who are traveling.

Thanks again for all the different points of view, its great to get varying perspectives!

However, I haven’t found a way to put his business model to practical use, mainly because I like living in the USA and I like to stay put, plus I already have a business I love. As for the uncertainty– we eat it everyday for breakfast

Was your move inspired by Timothy Ferris, or did you arrive to these conclusions on your own?

And I would have said the same things as this author. “Anyone can do it.” “Lower your expectations” Etc.

But truly, age and family status do matter. I can’t up and start a new business whenever I darn well please. My husband is wonderful, and he would support any decision I made, but it wouldn’t be fair to him to be flippant with our money and our lifestyle. If we want to make a change, it has to be for real, it can’t be “let’s try it and see”. It will only be harder with kids. You get less and less selfish as your family increases (or, at least, you should.)

*Could* we do anything we want? Sure. Would it be *wise*? THAT is the better question.

What’s with the “live like a millionaire” talk

Doesn’t sound like you live like a millionaire. Sounds like you live like a single young guy who travelled to a different country with an extrememly low cost of living and work on web-based activities.

You speak of how little money it takes, yet compare to living like a millionaire, without the “fancy cars and houses” and stuff.

None of that sounds like living like a millionaire to me

I don’t really get this article either. He says he’s living like a millionaire, but never really defines what he means by that. He says it wasn’t the exchange rate and low cost of living, but provides nothing to back up that statement. Certainly, it doesn’t seem like his live-like-a-millionaire system would work in New York or San Fransisco. And for anyone with a family, or even just strong ties to their community, moving to a different city–never mind Thailand–isn’t worth it for the cost of living.