Man Overseas Podcast

Nate is the Co-Founder of FreeeUp, a business he started in 2015 with $5,000. Since we recorded this episode a few months ago, FreeeUp has been acquired by HOTH—congrats bud! FreeeUp is a marketplace for connecting business owners and virtual assistants & freelancers.


He started making money online while he was still in school. He viewed his college degree as a backup plan if his online businesses didn't work out. They did. Massively!

Listen to him share exactly how he successfully built his current business in the eCommerce & Digital Marketing space to a powerhouse platform worthy of acquisition. Its new owners plan to grow the company from a $20 million company to $50 million in short order.

Not only will you come away impressed with Nate's high energy and business acumen, but you might also be convinced you need a Virtual Assistant (VA). We discuss the value of VAs, which I didn't realize until I read Tim Ferriss' The 4-Hour Work Week (https://amzn.to/3arNdQg).

Nate talks about how hiring a VA allows you to buy some of your time back. He's hooked me up with a VA—now I'm hooking you up! Just use this link: https://timeclock.freeeup.com/public/signup?a=365f94ff-23ea-4a16-aa3b-bfa8c845c640. Once you're signed up, send an email to [email protected] and I'll provide you with a $20 credit.

Thank you for listening. If you leave a review on Apple or Spotify, use the same email to send me a note letting me know. I'd like to properly thank you with a post card from my current location in the world.

I wanted the first podcast episode of 2020 to be special. So I upgraded my equipment for an enhanced audio experience, flew to New York City and invited back on the show a listener-favorite. Joseph Wells' first appearance, Buying Time-Freedom Before the 4% Rule with Joseph C. Wells, was very popular.

Since having Joe on in early 2019, he has become a prolific writer, developed an app called Blogcastr and was accepted into the Write of Passage Fellowship. Not to mention he's completed a half-Iron Man and written a guest post for ManOverseas.com. How to Become the Richest Man in Babylon BY GUEST WRITER JOSEPH WELLS, is an excellent summary of the first book I read after finishing school—the book completely changed the way I think about money.

In this episode, I ask Joe about being robbed at gunpoint, we dive deeper into topics previously discussed and each of us shares how we would invest $10,000 tomorrow. (Disclaimer: Every person's financial situation is different—do not make important investment decisions based on a Man Overseas podcast episode.) We also talk about two great articles written by our favorite online writer, Morgan Housel. The Degrees of Confidence & The Advantage of Being a Little Underemployed.

Topics we discuss:

• The story of Getting Robbed at Gunpoint

• Online people he's met

• Upside of social media

• Write of Passage

• Blogcastr

• Importance of physical fitness

• Benefits of writing online

• Doing what you love

• Obtaining financial freedom

• Playing with FIRE Documentary

Days in the Life

• Exercise as a warm-up for mental workout

• Committed to publishing once a week

• Been writing over a year

• Has written over 50 articles

• Feels immense joy when he hits the publish button

• Improving his information collection system

• Joe's relationship with Ashleigh (his girlfriend)

Glenda Hoon Russell is a serial entrepreneur who lives in an RV with her husband. She's a speaker, content creator and author. Her book, The Status Foe, will be out in Spring 2020.

This was easily one of my favorite conversations this year—deeper discussions stick with me. We talk a lot about focusing on what you can and can't control, Glenda's life on the road, and attaining true freedom & happiness.

She and her husband, Chris, have lived in an RV since 2017. He works a full-time job remotely in the back, while she works on projects of her own...from the passenger seat. She joins me on the podcast from that passenger seat!

Here are topics we cover:

• Life in an RV since 2017

• Focusing on what you can control

• Stigma of being alone

• Women empowered

• Benefits of marriage

• Redefining 'professionalism'

• Working for fulfillment

Relationships

• Giving space to your significant other

• Differences between men & women

• Maintaining trust to clients as they travel around the country

• Creating genuine relationships with people who can potentially help you

Creating a Great Life

• Living a debt-free life

• Getting in ‘Gazelle Mode’ (Dave Ramsey)

• Importance of safety nets

• The true path to happiness

• Embracing Stoicism

• Role of Buddhism

• Her night routine

The Questions

• How many hours per day do you spend with your husband?

• How did you make the decision to live on the road full-time?

• How much did you pay for your RV?

• How much does it cost for you and your husband to live [every month]?

• When you save & invest money, what do you do with it?

• Is there a quote that you've internalized and live by?

• What do you mean by ‘death should be a positive thing?'

• Do you have a favorite Podcast (besides Man Overseas)?

• Is there a book that both you and your husband have read?

• If life was a game, what game would it be and why?

• What is one piece of controversy from your book?

Mr. & Mrs. Nomad Numbers enjoyed 13-year careers at major tech companies in Silicon Valley. Then at age 36 and 37, they realized they'd become financially independent, quit corporate America and started traveling the world.

They believe life should be lived to its fullest potential. Their blog, nomadnumbers.com, was created to share their nomadic journey of slow travel and show that the cost of traveling the world can be much cheaper than staying at home. [Sounds nuts, but can confirm.]

In this podcast episode, we discussing full-time travel, real estate & tech investing and negotiating sweetheart deals with your employer.

Other topics include:

• Mrs. Nomad's initial attraction to Mr. Nomad

• Having the courage to ask for what you want

• Why they've chosen to remain anonymous

• Europeans are better at living in the moment

• Working at Yahoo & Amazon

• 6-month plan to travel Southeast Asia

• Benefits of meditation before bed

Money Talk:

• Extreme early retirement

• Slow travel is less expensive

• Spending $30,000 in their first year of travel

• Resisting lifestyle inflation

• Balancing travel & savings

• Decision-process before purchasing anything

• Why they chose to buy rental properties in Houston, Texas

• Using Bigger Pockets as a real estate resource

• Leasing their rentals for $1500/month

Life & Mindset in Early Retirement:

• Traveling slowly & mindfully

• Having goals to stay focused

• Prioritizing time-management

• Expense tracking

• The glory of FU money

• Quarterly check-ins with spouse

Tool to Track Cost of Living Around the World:

• Tool they've developed to help others track expenses around the world

• Their tool is open-source for all to contribute

• Leaving each place visited a little better than when they arrived

Fun questions:

• What is the simple path to wealth?

• Is there a book that most impacted your decision to retire early?

• If you were 17 years old today, would you go to college?

• If someone dropped $1 million in your lap, what would you do with it?

• If you were given the chance to visit only two countries next year, which would it be?

Mr. & Mrs. Nomad Numbers enjoyed 13-year careers at major tech companies in Silicon Valley. Then at age 36 and 37, they realized they'd become financially independent, quit corporate America and started traveling the world. 

They believe life should be lived to its fullest potential. Their blog, nomadnumbers.com, was created to share their nomadic journey of slow travel and show that the cost of traveling the world can be much cheaper than staying at home. [Sounds nuts, but can confirm.]

In this podcast episode, we discussing full-time travel, real estate & tech investing and negotiating sweetheart deals with your employer. 

Other topics include:

• Mrs. Nomad's initial attraction to Mr. Nomad 
• Having the courage to ask for what you want
• Why they've chosen to remain anonymous
• Europeans are better at living in the moment
• Working at Yahoo & Amazon
• 6-month plan to travel Southeast Asia
• Benefits of meditation before bed

• Extreme early retirement
• Slow travel is less expensive
• Spending $30,000 in their first year of travel
• Resisting lifestyle inflation
• Balancing travel & savings
• Decision-process before purchasing anything
• Why they chose to buy rental properties in Houston, Texas
• Using Bigger Pockets as a real estate resource
• Leasing their rentals for $1500/month

• Traveling slowly & mindfully 
• Having goals to stay focused 
• Prioritizing time-management
• Expense tracking 
• The glory of FU money
• Quarterly check-ins with spouse

• Tool they've developed to help others track expenses around the world
• Their tool is open-source for all to contribute
• Leaving each place visited a little better than when they arrived

• What is the simple path to wealth?
• Is there a book that most impacted your decision to retire early?
• If you were 17 years old today, would you go to college?
• If someone dropped $1 million in your lap, what would you do with it?
• If you were given the chance to visit only two countries next year, which would it be?

Every morning Frank Dekker goes to work at Starbucks. He’s not a barista—he’s an American whose job as a Software Architect allows him to work from anywhere (as long as there’s a Wifi connection). So he moved to Thailand.

His story of moving halfway around the world is awesome and hilarious. He met his wife through Facebook and they were engaged a month later.

Frank is a Christian living in a country that is 99.5% Buddhist. He appreciates Thai people, who he believes exemplify humbleness and humanity.

The podcast starts with a discussion about the 12 soccer players trapped in a cave last year in Northern Thailand. The incident allowed the world to see the selflessness and sacrifice of Thai people. Rescue workers searched for the boys until they were saved 10 days after they went missing—a Navy Seal lost his life during the rescue.

We also talk about family, finances and adapting to Thai culture. Other topics include:

• The selfless attitude of Thai people

• White Westerners’ (FARANGs) impact on Thailand

• Starbucks are opening throughout Chiang Mai

Frank’s Journey to Thailand:

• Leaving America and moving to Thailand

• His attraction to Asian women

• Deciding to fly and meet his wife in Thailand

• His surprise marriage proposal

• Deciding to live a simple lifestyle

Thai Culture:

• Thai nightlife

• The culture of giving dowry before marriage

• Whether he would ever move back to the States

• His study of Asian culture & Eastern languages

• Transportation in Thailand

Balancing His New Life & Work

• Convenience of working at a coffee shop

• Working remotely as a software architect

• Putting in 12-hour days

• His family not attending his wedding

• His baby is an American citizen

• The changes he faced after marriage

Personal Finance:

• Managing his finances

• Frank’s savings plan

• What does he do about health insurance?

• Monthly budget for living comfortably in Thailand

• Taking calculated risks

Fun Questions:

• Do you have a favorite book?

• Favorite passage from The Bible?

• Have you heard people in Thailand talk about Donald Trump?

• What advice would you give to your 18-year old self?

• If someone dropped $1 million in your lap, what would you do with it?

My guest is Leif Dahleen, aka Physician on FIRE. He retired from medicine in August to live a bigger life.

I was excited to have POF on the podcast for a few reasons. First, I've recommended POF's insightful blog, PhysicianOnFIRE.com, to several friends of mine over the years. He's been sharing a wealth of knowledge on personal finance, early retirement, medicine and other miscellany since 2016.

Second, doctors are notoriously bad with money. In fact, The Millionaire Next Door author Thomas Stanley wrote that doctors are the worst under-accumulators of wealth (UAWs) among high-income professionals. But Leif's a contrarian. He took exception to the UAW moniker and became the change he wanted to see—then started blogging to track his progress toward early retirement.

Despite reaching financial independence (FI) at age 39, Leif kept doctoring. Who knew "doctoring" could be used outside of baseball? I digress. Finally, at age 43, he hung up the scrubs, adding RE (retire early) to his FI.

Now he's a FIRE'd full-time family man focused on content creation (last year alone POFire.com had over 3.5 million page views). He & his family also plan to do volunteer work in Honduras and travel overseas [POFO?].

His travels have already begun—he recorded this episode from Guanajuato, Mexico. Here are topics we discuss:

• A major uprising in Ecuador

• Why his family loves Guanajuato, MX

• Political instability in Barcelona, Spain

• Language learning with Duolingo

• Homeschooling kids

Life as an Anesthesiologist:

• Why anesthesia made me question my Catholic upbringing

• Examples of high-stress situations he faced at work

• Grueling schooling required to be a doctor

• Why residents are called residents

Blog Life:

• My theory of why POF is so prolific in producing content

• A day in the life of a retired physician

• Attending Camp FI

• The importance of providing a rich cultural experience for his kids

• Website he used to plan a trans-pacific international cruise

• Plans for a 5-month trip (LA to Shanghai)

• AirBnB tips & advice (use this link for $55 toward your 1st booking)

Money Talk:

• Where he learned the value of a dollar

• What Financial Planners disagree with him on

• Inspiring friends to pursue financial independence

• How Leif handles Twitter trolls

• Tracking & sharing your net worth online

• Online net worth "pissing contests"

More Money Talk:

• How much POF is withdrawing from his assets to live on

• How much POF will spend annually in retirement

• The Rule of 72

• $10 million net worth by age 60

• How J-Money became a millionaire

• Leading cause of physician burnout

• Getting to FI within 10 years of finishing residency

David Peré is an active-duty Marine who devotes his free time to teaching service members and veterans how to build wealth through real estate investing, entrepreneurship and personal finance.

In today's podcast episode, David shares by what age he plans to become a millionaire, and exactly how he intends to do it. You'll also get a sense of his mindset, discipline and determination. You'll hear why it's not a matter of "if," but when, he will become a FIRE (financial independence retire early) millionaire.

His blog FromMilitaryToMillionaire.com and Youtube channel, which were started with service members in mind, has grown to reach a much wider audience.

Here's what we discuss:

• A debt of gratitude
• Freedom is not free
• A veteran in Paris
• D-Day in Normandy, 1944

Military travel:

• David's favorite country to visit
• Seeing the sunrise at Mt. Fuji
• His best memories of his military experience so far
• He talks about his sense of purpose
• Why he wanted to go back to Afghanistan

Big Questions:

• First investment everyone should make
• Detaching yourself from emotions
• Our media playing on emotions & fear
• The Serenity Prayer
• Solitude in the military
• David's "Why" & Vision Board
• His 25-day mistake
• Learning to determine what you can/can't control
• The similarities between Afghans & Americans
• Controlling his time & creating more time with family

Investing & Personal Finance

• Developing a high aptitude for risk-taking
• Risks you should take at a young age
• Learning to take more calculated risk
• Buy & hold real estate vs. buying flips
• Does he advocate for long-distance real estate investing?
• Buying a house as a kid's college fund

Fun Questions:

• Is it true there are no atheists in foxholes?
• Have you even met anyone in the military you suspected had Communist sympathies?
• What personal finance or real estate book has taught you the most?
• Do you have a favorite FIRE book?
• By what age do you think you'll be a millionaire?
• If someone dropped a million dollars in your lap tomorrow, what would you do with it?
• What are you most grateful for?

I'm grateful that I've had a very purpose-filled life so far . . . and that I've been able to build up this community to start creating another purpose for myself, so that when I get out of the service, I'll still have that sense of purpose." - David Peré, Founder of From Military to Millionaire

When I met Paul Benson, host of Financial Autonomy: Financial Independence Through an Australian Lens, in Washington DC, he had a great idea—an impromptu episode without a host. Instead, we'd ask each other random questions that we thought might interest our audiences.

Paul is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) in Melbourne, Australia, who focuses on financial strategies that give his clients choices. This podcast was an opportunity to learn about wealth-building strategies from an expert. BIG thank you to Paul for putting this episode together.

Don't miss Paul telling the story of his first MLB game, which turned out to be the best game of the season. Also, I give my NFL Super Bowl prediction. Here's what else we discuss:

A Full-time Travel Lifestyle:

• Living in a different country for 30 days at a time
• What it's like to travel full-time
• My writing trip to Costa Rica

Real Estate Investing:

• Why Brad chose real estate for the pursuit of financial independence
• Do CFP's discourage clients from investing in real estate?
• Podcast guest James Lowery from ReThinkTheRatRace achieved FIRE in 3 years

Asset Allocation & Risk:

• How important is asset allocation?
• What is the right asset allocation for a 39-year old who wants to retire a little early?
• When & where to make risky investments with 1% of your paycheck
• Diversification strategy: real estate, equities, bonds, etc.

Compound Interest & Knowledge:

• When your income should skyrocket
• One of the first questions Brad asks coaching clients
• The value of compounding knowledge

Why the Rich Get Richer:

• Using leverage (or not) to achieve financial independences
• A discussion on low interest rates
• Property value appreciation vs. rental yields
• Personal returns are not relative

Happiness:

• The Mindset for Happiness & 7 Habits of Highly Happy People
• Money can buy a lot of psychological well-being & reduce sadness
• "Keeping up with 'The Jones'" in America & Australia
• Happiness as progress toward worthwhile goals
• Excitement vs. fulfillment

Christian Modjaiso is Founder and CEO of OBSERVE. He is the Xtreme Stress Coach, helping extremely stressed people to deal with their stress by observing it for themselves.

Christian lives in Democratic Republic of the Congo. He speaks six languages, was on a university chess team before he went to high school and attended a top engineering school in the US. He has a bachelor’s degree in pure mathematics.

This episode wasn’t all love and praise; however, Christian & I had serious disagreements about important topics, including race, relationships and anxiety. But as students of human nature who love to learn, we enjoyed every minute of it.

Other topics we discuss:

• Dikembe Mutombo vs. Michael Jordan

• His expectations of America vs. his experience

• Understanding American jokes

• Getting spanked vs. caned

• Adapting to American’s perception of child abuse

• His favorite African-American comics

• My friend in Zambia, Bonie

Getting an American Education:

• Coming to America [from Africa] at age 19

• Being a minority for the first time

• “White people-smart” vs. “black people-smart”

• Racism in America

• Culture of dependence

• Victim mentality

• Incidents of racism he experienced in America

American Culture:

• Attending a top engineering school in the USA

• Getting a Math degree

• What Christian thinks of the term “African-American”

• “Black culture” in America

• Feelings of inadequacy

• “Looksism” vs. Racism

• The African-American comedians he admires

• Latino culture in America

Dealing with Stress & Anxiety:

• Ending human suffering

• Having a strong desire not to suffer

• Catalyst for starting his company

• Getting kicked out of school

• Understanding your suffering

• How he observes emotional states

• How he became better at handling his own mental stress

• The difference between stress and anxiety

• Capacity for emotional intelligence

• Separating thoughts from emotions

• Confidence stemming from preparation

• Coach Christian’s 3-step program

Fun questions:

• If someone dropped a million dollars in your lap, what would you do with it?

• What’s your favorite book for dealing with stress?

• What’s your favorite podcast?

• What are you most grateful for?

The solution to a stressful situation isn’t something you control. The effects [to causes] happen on their own . . . Focus on what you can do . . . Observe the facts . . . The solution will take care of itself. – Christian Modjaiso

• Connect with Christian

• Get free coaching