2 year fired
First of all thanks for everyone who has posted in this forum, it's been a source of inspiration for many a year and without it I would be completely lost.
I find myself in a position where I've Fired recently but now find I need to rebuild the structure of life to give it some interest and meaning.
Background:
Single Male, 55, Born UK, now residing in Thailand.
I worked in Video Games for my entire life working in the UK, USA, Europe and Sweden, first as a programmer than running some big studios on a reasonable salary. I started saving almost by accident a decade ago as I was working so many hours and slowly came across Fire posts both here and on Youtube which encouraged me to dig a little deeper, spend a bit less and save more.
Numbers:
2021: £328 k ($441k usd)
2022: £445 k
2023: £561k
2024: £862k (+£200k from inheritance)
2025: £1m
2026: £1.1m to date (Approx $1.4m)
40% UK Real Estate - £18k NET rental income
34% Liquid shares
15% Pension locked shares
9% Cash
2% Crypto
Zero debt, no loans or mortgages.
My shares are mainly in tracker ETF's with around £50k in individual stocks (10k max per individual stock) which I'll pair back on soon and put into global trackers as I'm not thrilled with what the economy looks like in the years ahead.
I've been wondering what to do with the cash but I feel comfortable with the rainy day fund which would last 3+years OR I can put it into the market if prices dropped considerably. I find myself wanting to be more aggressive financially but this is more about boredom and I stop myself from tinkering too much and so far the strategy has been holding up although I feel it's not optimal.
Pulling the trigger:
I had just passed the £900k mark when I had a shitty meeting with the new boss of the company who frankly didn't know what end of a pen to use and after a particularly tedious meeting I just decided to quit that same day which was £100k earlier than planned but life is short I guessed.
When I got back to my desk in December2024 I sent the "Here's my 6 month notice" letter to HR (I was a senior in the company). The feeling of freedom when you can do this is just incredible and I embraced this FU move with glee. Fortunately we agreed I could depart within a few weeks to let them re-org and still get paid for the 6 months.
I got rid of my rented condo asap, put my minimal items into family storage and moved to Asia within the month and started to travel around Asia with a single backpack.
Location and costs.
After living in Asian Hotels for the first 8 months of 2025 I rented a Condo in Bangkok just to give me a home base. This costs me around £550 ($740) a month which was slightly less than paying for Hotels every night in various places. My biggest expensive is usually flights when I fly back to the UK to see aging family, flying in Asia until very recently has been very cheap and food costs are minimal.
4% of my NW is around £44k ($60k) but for the past 3 years I've spend very close to £35k ($47k) each year without trying. I track every penny I spend in a spreadsheet which gives me a sense of security that I'm not overspending and can be a source of a challenge to find ways to reduce costs if ever the need. It's also a fun night time project to keep tweaking with the spreadsheet.
Spending:
I'm so out of habit with spending money that I find it hard to justify a significant purchase. I'll do my research to make sure I'm buying a 'thing' of quality then when I go to the store I simply can't find the oomph to go through with the purchase.
It's oddly frustrating but I simply can't shake it then a month later I remind myself that I survived without the must-have purchase and life goes on as before. I worry that I'll turn up to see family and friends one day and look like Tom Hanks in Castaway after a decade away as I've not bought a new wardrobe in years.
I really want to get out of this habit and enjoy more experiences and have a small number of high quality things that makes life easier but living out of a single backpack (which has expanded to include a small carry-on suitcase), this keeps me honest in my purchases and my possessions to a minimum, I don't feel like this is being cheap but I could certainly loosen the wallet from time to time.
What I have noticed though is my financial focus always points to the next 50k goal. From £950k it moves to £1m, then up by another £50k then to £1.1m etc. and I've not found a level or a number that feels comfortable where I can start to relax. The story in my head changed from spending 4% of my net worth, to living on the passive income from my rentals plus a small amount from my cash pile. I come over in a cold sweat when I think about my net worth number going down.
Secrets:
The only person in the world I told about my financial journey has been my mother, only to give her calm as she's always been a worrier that I'll be poor and homeless (I was brought up in a £poor household) . I've not told any friends, girlfriends or accomplices and If they ask about money or what I'm doing I just say my costs are low and I do some consultancy to make sure I can pay my way. As I don't show any flashy trinkets nobody has ever questioned me beyond general life questions. I take joy in people not knowing that I can buy a few extra rounds in the bar but feel no pressure to perform to social expectations.
The future:
Life does get a little boring 4 or 5 months after Fire when the novelty wears off but the freedom never get's tiring. I cherish every day that I don't need to deal with the old corporate BS. I did a small consultancy gig 'for fun' and disliked every stresfull moment of it. I can't believe I actually lasted for so long in the pressure cooker environment when I look back. I have no urge to go back to work full time.
As I've been static with a rented home base here in Bangkok for 8 months or so, I feel the urge to travel again and I'm currently coming up with the new list of places to visit, I'll then give up the condo and go travel for another 6 months or so.
After decades in front line management running big teams, I do feel the urge to contribute more and have a sense of having pressed pause rather than stop. I'm not fighting this but it's something I need to find a way to scratch this itch of contribution and helping out in the world.
My finances are holding up although I worry when I read headlines about a decade of lower returns and all the doom stories in the news.
Lessons:
Wherever you wake up, you'll still find yourself still in your head.
Who you are is who you'll always be, if you're a scoundrel pre-fire, you'll be a scoundrel after fire. If you're not in the habit of spending pre-fire, you'll find it hard to spend post-fire. Same same with all your other habits, good or bad. The person you are is who you'll always be.
The joy freedom of choice gives you never gets old.
I take more joy out of researching an item to buy then actually buying the item.
After flying a decade in business class all over the world with work paying the bill, going back to economy is torture on the back. On my own dime I've allowed myself to upgrade to economy plus for any flight over 6 hours and my back thanks me the next day. This is the one luxury that I'd skip food for a week to keep.
Once again, thanks for all your help and support in this forum. I really appreciate all the stories and hints people share.