Retire at Age 40: Episode 009

Want to retire at 40? Find out how Wendy Holt did it. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/wendy-holt Do you want to retire at Age Forty?  Wendy Holt did it! Wendy Holt picked up everything and was able to retire at age 40. She downsized, moved to Costa Rica and is enjoying the retirement of her dreams. So I guess that you could say that she is completely rocking it in the adventure area of retirement! Wendy is from Los Angeles, CA, and she went from the hustle and bustle of the big city life, working over 2000 hours a year in a high-stress job to living in a 500 square foot home in the rural jungles of Costa Rica. Wendy and her husband at the time, always wanted to retire early, but didn’t know that they could retire at age 40. They had traveled a lot over the years, but they really loved Costa Rica. They decided to visit Costa Rica to just do research on the housing market with no intention of buying a home. During that trip, they ended up finding their perfect home and bought it. They went back to Los Angeles, sold their house, sold their cars, quit their jobs, and left to retire at age 40! What’s happening now?  How is she Rocking her Retirement other than the fact that she lives a less stressful life? Social and Family * Wendy created a social club when she first moved to Costa Rica to meet new people and make friends. * The marriage, however, didn’t work out. Wendy says that there is a high divorce rate among expatriates, usually because one of the two likes the lifestyle more than the other. * Selling Real Estate in a small town helps her meet new people. * Running a vacation rental on her property. http://www.thevillahermosa.com/home.html helps her keep connected with visitors and also gives her the opportunity to show them the sites and charitable activities when they desire. She lets the guests decide what kind of interactivity they want with her.  Some want her to show them around, and some want privacy.  Wendy is ok with it either way. Adventure and Travel * Wendy is obviously adventurous or she wouldn’t have picked up and left the work world and the home she knew to retire at age 40! * She can’t travel as much as she used to, because of course she doesn’t make the same amount of money she used to make, but she plans on taking some trips to South Africa, Madagascar, and California to visit family and friends. Volunteer and Philanthropy * Her love for nature and animals drew her to Costa Rica, and she wanted to help people and animals.  Now she does! * She does charity work at a wild animal rescue and has gotten to hold animals that you and I would never dream of holding! * She is designing and donating a website to an orphanage. http://www.lafortunaorphanage.com/ * This orphanage needs your help!  If you ever go to Costa Rica, see what supplies they need and stuff a few into your suitcase! Wendy is full of energy, full of life, and keeping her mind and body healthy. She is making the least amount of money she has ever made in her life but is the happiest she has ever been. Like Wendy says, if there’s a will, there’s a way and she has definitely mastered finding a way.  If you want to retire at age 40, you can do it too, but you may have to be willing to give some other things in your life up. Tim Ferris actually discussed how this in his book