Strategies to Fast Forward Retirement

Yep that's huge. When we had our first child my wife was in the mothers group and coming home with all sorts of crap. Not that it was competing it was just expected that was what was done. Get away from all that nonsense and watching what others do and run your own race!

@ellejay do you come across many others that are doing locum to get ahead? We haven't come across many. Some think they are but some are just doing it to get away from their husbands i think!
There's a few kiwis getting over to wa to make the most of it.
Can you get contracts in qld or other states too? We're thinking of getting a tassie one next year for a getaway

 

My goal used to be able to retire by the time I turn 40. As that's now less than six years away and life has thrown up a few roadblocks for me recently, I don't think that's happening.
I've redone my goals and the goal is now for me to go down to work 3 days a week by the age of 45 and for my wife to work one or two. This goal will be very achievable and is very conservative, but enough to make me happy, which is good enough for me.

 

There's a good mix of people here, some come to try it out and stay forever, some hate it and leave pretty quickly. You'd think people would have saved a fortune but I haven't met many who have, must be some doing though surely. I could go anywhere, I've registered with Queensland and hoping to do NSW when I can be bothered with the application. Tassie would also be a good option, so would your wife do the locum and you do the stay at home stuff?

 

Yeah i get the hard stuff!
Nurses have changed over to national registration now which made it a lot easier! Even with WA trying to fight it for some reason but they're the ones with the shortage!
I think it's like the fifo way of life - earning big spending big, except that there's no line up of people trying to get into it!

We enjoy it and it's hard to go back to normal work in Sydney. The flexibly and shift work is really good. Id be doing 5-6 days per week with 10hr days plus sydney traffic

We've come across a couple of families doing it to travel around Australia. Stop and do a contract to top up the bank account

 

When I started did the same, I count my $ in the door not the number of properties, took a while to get to this point though.

 

My dogged belief system may some day blow up in my face but fingers crossed, the portfolio has performed slowly but surely since day 1 and hopefully will continue to...so why sell? My strength and strategy has always been to pick (perceived) safe, well located properties, not timing the market.

I've always had a 6th sense of when to get in...but not when to get out eg bought my last Sydney props in 2012, gorged on Brisbane and the GC just before it started getting off the ground in 2014, etc.

 

There is no right or wrong, but if a portfolio does not generate cash flow it means you can not give away the day job. All to their own,

 

I get it and agree. And I guess it comes down to personal risk and preference. Its like buying in NYC and SF as opposed to Atlanta. One has better cashflow, the other doesn't but is desirable and thus more resilient to shocks.

 

No, not so, Atlanta property has achieved both income/cash flow and growth, at least doubled/tripled in value in 3 years and that does not include the currency play of around 30% on top of profit when bringing it back home to Australia.
Though NYC and SF of course desirable areas but investors in 2011 who were chasing cash flow in US market could not achieve this in these cities because entry level way too high.