Retired at 45 After Discovering FI “Late” in Her Teaching Career

Episode #610

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Teachers aren’t known for their high salaries, so how did this one reach early retirement and FIRE at just 45 years old? Through “aggressive” saving and smart cost-of-living choices, Amy Minkley was able to quit her demanding international teaching job only three years after finding out about the FIRE movement. Now, she spends her days living in paradise and hosting “FI Freedom Retreats” once or twice a year for like-minded FIRE-chasers.

To reach FIRE in your 40s, you must make some strategic moves like Amy. Thankfully, you don’t need to make six figures to retire early in 2025. Throughout Amy’s career, she never entered the “high income” threshold but could still save aggressively, thanks to the perks of teaching at international schools. We’re talking free rent, subsidized travel, and plenty of paid vacation.

But it wasn’t always the dream life that it sounds like. Amy had constant stress and was routinely feeling burned out, forcing her to take multiple sabbaticals, change where she lived, and deal with some of the money trauma that had plagued her past. Now, she’s FIRE, thriving, and living entirely on her terms. You can (and should) do it, too!


00:00 Intro
03:27 Getting Paid More to Teach Abroad
07:20 Investing and Salary Abroad
13:10 Discovering FIRE Late
17:43 FIRE at 45!
21:39 How Much Cash to Keep
24:16 Spending Money (and Time)
26:21 Taking Sabbaticals
30:26 Amy's FIRE Retreats
36:50 FIRE Can Save Your Life
45:03 Biggest FIRE Mistake
46:45 Connect with Amy!