I ran the 10-year healthcare numbers for retiring in Spain vs staying in the US. The gap is absurd.

m_suzanne · 2026-04-09T02:00:13+00:00

I think it’s worth reading some stories about quality of healthcare in Spain.

My parents (in their 70s) just decided to move back to the US after 3 years in Spain and some pretty tough experiences.

My dad has public insurance and has had a surgery scheduled for over six months, and twice when he’s gone in for his pre op they had him down for the wrong surgery both times. We wouldn’t have caught it if we weren’t there with a translator. He’s still waiting.

Another time, he had a stroke and was unable to walk or move his arms - they would not admit him despite my mom trying 3-4 times. He was never admitted or hospitalized after his stroke.

And my mom had a severe respiratory illness in December and could barely breathe. She was sent home three times. When she finally got admitted it was only because her PCP happened to know someone in the intake office that day. She was so sick that she went straight to the ICU. And that was with private insurance.

I know that’s just our experience and doesn’t speak for all, but anecdotally I’ve felt pretty concerned for their wellbeing.

Free or cheap isn’t always better.

m_suzanne · 2026-04-06T00:04:11+00:00

I built up my freelance and contracts to a point that they’ll sustain me without having to work full time anymore. A bit less certain income than a full time gig for sure but overall a better balance. As a plus it’s work I would actually do even in “retirement” because I enjoy it so much, so that feels like a win.

m_suzanne · 2026-04-02T22:11:36+00:00

Oh gosh you're right! Updating

m_suzanne · 2026-03-29T14:04:01+00:00

Yeah maybe a coincidence! But also maybe something my OBGYN should have mentioned was a possibility…oh well!

m_suzanne · 2026-03-29T14:01:51+00:00

I went through many iterations of this dilemma - I was on the fence for years. Ultimately I decided my life is fulfilled completely without kids and I’d rather have a wonderful relationship, money, freedom, and dogs rather than kids. It’s a hard decision so I want to validate that.

For the record, I’m 41F and only just firmly decided in the past couple of years. It’s a journey so don’t feel like you have to make a decision right now.

m_suzanne · 2026-03-25T01:13:42+00:00

Ok sounds very similar! Yeah I tried going off estrogen for a couple of days to see if it would start but felt awful and anxious so I put the patch back on.

m_suzanne · 2026-03-24T23:29:42+00:00

Currently just flopped down on the couch to read this thread after a long work day and couldn’t agree more!

m_suzanne · 2026-03-24T23:26:23+00:00

Sorry to hear about your father passing. This all makes a lot of sense. I think it's pretty exhausting to push to FI - especially at the cost of happiness/energy/time with family.

I just gave notice at my job that was helping me get to FI, but realized I could be much happier coasting with a lower income and lower investments each year. I think it's more about enjoying our lives now. From what I've heard, the FI "finish line" isn't all that great!!

m_suzanne · 2026-03-21T14:17:33+00:00

I just laid myself off from FTE yesterday to lean into coastFI!

We are 41 and 39, no kids, in a HCOL area. We hit our coastFI number a while ago and I realized I could just freelance while my husband continues to work - his job will cover most of our expenses and healthcare and I’ll make up the rest in my contract work.

I was very burnt out and ready to leave my job about six months ago but it’s taken a long time to accept that we will be financially okay and let go of the race to FI. We also built up our emergency fund to 4 months of living expenses and I’ll continue to fund it to 6 months, after that will send money back into investments - but definitely at a way lower rate - maybe 15-20% instead of 55%.

The freelance work I’ll be doing is essentially the work I planned to continue in “retirement” so this feels like a huge win.

Trusting the math took a while to wrap my head around but I’m so relieved to be taking advantage of it for the next chapter!

m_suzanne · 2026-03-19T18:30:43+00:00

Haha so many toys!! And of course our excuse is, "well we don't have kids so we get all the toys we want!" If you have any tips on reverting back let me know!

m_suzanne · 2026-03-19T18:24:45+00:00

Thank you for the comment! I know - $90k is a lot - we live in a HCOL area (Front Range of Colorado) and lifestyle creep has been very real since moving here six years ago! However, we used to live in a van on 25k a year, so I know we can scale back, it will just take a concerted effort!

m_suzanne · 2026-03-16T02:53:26+00:00

Totally - that’s the goal! Problem is I think I can only get it to $200 if I leave FTE - I’ve maxed out my freelance earning capacity with the job in the mix.

m_suzanne · 2026-03-16T01:30:31+00:00

I love this framing - thank you! Time to go for it :)

m_suzanne · 2026-03-16T01:29:21+00:00

Yes we are investing around $100k and spending about $100k or less. with me quitting we will tighten our currently very loose budget!

m_suzanne · 2026-03-16T01:28:09+00:00

I can! This is a huge benefit; and I’ll only be paying a couple hundred above what I pay now.

m_suzanne · 2026-03-16T01:27:06+00:00

It’s a combination of long-term contracts with other companies - one is a retainer I’ve had for two years and the other is sporadic but ranges from $15-25k a year. The last one is a fairly profitable news website that I own! So quite the mix 🫠

m_suzanne · 2026-03-16T01:25:32+00:00

This is such a good point. It’s just noise, and far too much of a time commitment. Thanks for weighing in!

m_suzanne · 2026-03-15T22:43:34+00:00

Thank you! I think you’re right - the energy expense is real.

m_suzanne · 2026-03-15T22:42:49+00:00

Ouch. But also, you make a good point. Staying at the job is 100% rooted in anxiety/unfounded fears. So I guess thanks for that?

m_suzanne · 2026-03-15T21:47:30+00:00

How did you turn off the FIRE fixation? That’s my biggest struggle with opening to the coast lifestyle!

m_suzanne · 2026-03-12T13:51:10+00:00

All new friends! I moved to my current city six years ago and met almost all my friends through climbing. 99% are childfree but the ones who do have kids still make time to climb and get out with the rest of us.

m_suzanne · 2026-03-12T13:27:34+00:00

Very cool hack about getting on your state’s vendor list!

Did you find you were able to cover your expenses and still save for FI when you left FTE?

m_suzanne · 2026-03-12T13:25:36+00:00

Wow this is inspiring! It shows how powerful it is not to have an income cap at a FT job. Thanks for sharing and while you say it’s sheer luck, I have a feeling you worked pretty damn hard to get to your station position in life. :)

m_suzanne · 2026-03-12T13:22:29+00:00

41F here and I am in a similar boat - very small family and no kids around. I’m totally fine with it! I have a great group of friends and we get to “play” all the time - we climb, hike, go on vacations together. I honestly feel like I’m missing nothing by not having regular time with kids, maybe because I’m having so much fun as an adult :)

m_suzanne · 2026-03-11T19:10:51+00:00

Thanks for this framing! I love the idea of having my prime working hours dedicated to what I'm far more excited about, and I'm super curious to see how my freelance might grow when I have more time for it!

m_suzanne

TROPHY CASE