Shaw Chun Chen moved to Qiang May, Thailand, in late 2024.
With the permission of Shaw Chun Chen
Shao Chun Chen used to work more than 40 hours a week in his commercial career in Singapore. Now, he has a three -hour job that supports his family’s life in Thailand.
The 39 -year -old grew up in Singapore and spent most of his life in the city of the city before moving to Qiang May, Thailand, with his wife in November 2024. Today, he is.Supercommtes“From Thailand to Singapore, flying more than 1,200 miles once a week to work as an assistant lecturer at the National University of Singapore.
He says it brings about $ 2000 to $ 4,000 from Singapore (from 1540 dollars to 3,070 dollars) per month teaching a three -hour digital marketing chapter, and the amount that makes him teaching the course is sufficient to cover his trips and all his wife’s living expenses in Thailand.
“I am playing the system,” said Chen CNBC made it. “Three hours of work in Singapore can keep my expenses completely in Thailand.”
No salary, no problem
It took it to be discharged to make Chen realize that he was financially independent in early 2024, giving him flexibility to change his life.
For nearly a decade in Google, he lived under his liquids and was constantly placed to half of his salary for investments. So when it was unexpectedly discharged by the technology company in February 2024, Chen realized that Seven numbers portfolio It has been built over the years that he no longer needed to rely on a salary for a long time.
Its portfolio was worth about $ 2 million at the time, according to the documents reviewed by CNBC made it. Using 4 % base As a guideline, it means that it can withdraw about $ 80,000 from its portfolio and the same amount, amended to inflation, every later year.
In theory, this amount is likely to be small enough to keep it to support it for at least 30 years. Therefore, instead of jumping into another role for companies, Chen decided to give himself the opportunity to lead a different kind of life.
“I have been working over the past 14 years of my life, and because of the demobilization of workers, I had to take a break,” Chen told CNBC. “It was very devastating, it was a big blow to me, my identity, but it turned out, over time … I have somewhat imposed on thinking (about) what I really wanted in life.”
Although Chen found that he could live from interest, distributions and capital gains from his investments, he chose to treat them only as a source of negative income, and withdrawing money only when necessary to supplement his active income.
New income sources
In the past year, Chen has created multiple new sources of negative and active income.
Along with teaching as an auxiliary lecturer for three hours a week in Singapore, Chen also earns money by creating educational content On YouTube and his training work, through which he says he can impose $ 500 per hour, depending on the customer.
He also decided to try geographical arbitration. By maintaining its main source of income teaching at the University of Singapore, where the currency is stronger, Chen needs to work with the same extent to support a comfortable life with his wife in Thailand where the cost of living is much lower.
“Find a way to improve your skills groups, or to reach a situation where you can impose high fees per hour,” said Chen. “If you merge a high rate per hour with a low cost of living, you only need to work for a few hours to cover your expenses.”
He added that the cities and jobs that can pay the high hour rate tend to be expensive areas, but this is a lesser problem now after digitization enabled the work arrangements remotely.
While his job as an auxiliary lecturer is sufficient to cover his living expenses and his wife, other active sources of income of Shin cover his appreciation spending. He says that in total, he spends between four and eight hours a week, which includes his education, training and making YouTube videos.
Dollars, pale spending
Chen, since his move to Qiang May with his wife in November, says his lifestyle and the quality of life are “much better.”
“I am also aware that everyone cannot do that, and that the local population does not make what we are.” I no longer feel the need to be on the hamster or always produce. “
He added: “(Here) I eat breakfast for my wife, and in my previous life, I did not have this privilege. (I was) only rushing.”
Chen says that besides not feeling financial pressure or time on a daily basis, he no longer feels the need for “excessive planning” for his life. “For the first time in my life, I can just enjoy what Thailand offers,” says Chen.
In Singapore, he says, he was paying about $ 2450 a month for his two -bedroom buildings.
Now, he lives in a new one-bedroom apartment that costs $ 450 per month-which is more luxurious. “I already believe because I (paid) on a monthly basis … If I register an annual rental contract, it will be closer to $ 300,” says Chen.
Shaw Chun Chen lives in a one -bedroom luxury apartment in Xiang May, Thailand.
With the permission of Shaw Chun Chen
“It is a ridiculous apartment,” says Chen. “It contains several swimming pools. It contains a water slide … a fully equipped gym, and a huge area (and) its Pilates studio.”
As for other living expenses in Thailand, Chen says, he spends between $ 300 and $ 500 per month for food and grocery for him and his wife, and about $ 200 per month for transportation. It also spends about $ 250 per trip back and forth to Singapore every Friday.
“Anyone’s strategy wants to live in a country like Thailand is to really embrace local culture, local options, and a local way of life,” Chen says, “instead of trying to transfer your lifestyle to the place.
“I have already met some expatriates here, and they are not really happy because they were only attracted to Thailand because of the cost of living,” he says. They were complaining: “Oh, croissants do not taste well like returning home. They do not use real butter here, and they use palm oil “… then they need to find a specific cafe, and this is actually more expensive.”
Instead, expatriates can save money by buying local products such as Thai food, Thai medicine and Thai beer, Chen says. “Everything is made in Thailand cheap, but the moment you want to buy international options, such as wine from France … it’s the most precious.”
Although the decision to leave the world of companies to live in Thailand has given him more time and flexibility to enjoy life and build different income currents, Chen says, there are negative aspects.
For example, he no longer has the structure and the ability to predict him once. And when it comes to superior communication from Thailand to Singapore, traffic is often a big obstacle, as well as the amount of energy that you can travel to often, he says.
But in the end, he says, he is happy with his life in Thailand, although he is open to return to Singapore if the appropriate opportunity comes.
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