I think that the lesson is -- if you can get your expenses down to $20,000 (which is really hard), you have a chance. In real life, you'll have to make up the difference somehow
1. Work a little
2. Get expenses even lower
3. Find ways to get the 8% return you need (rental property?)
Even the site's writer admits in comments that he's not there. My biggest gripe is healthcare -- in the US, you need to factor in health insurance costs.
So how do you pay for medical bills when you or a spouse gets cancer and needs chemotherapy, or even something as basic as a root canal causing horrendous pain? Will all that fit in a 27k budget?
My countr(ies) of permanent residence have health care for all.
Also, checkout what happened when I took a foreigner into the ER in a Third World country (Ecuador) [1]
When I made the journey, I got a bunch of immunizations (free in Canada) and the doctor had lived and worked in Central and South America for many years. His advice was not to bother with Travel Insurance, because outside America, it would be cheaper to just pay for whatever I needed than pay the premiums, then deductibles, the deal with the hassle. Health-care is only unimaginably expensive in America. In other countries it's priced reasonably and I'm certain something like a root canal or even a broken bone would not have made a significant impact to my budget.
1. Work a little 2. Get expenses even lower 3. Find ways to get the 8% return you need (rental property?)
Even the site's writer admits in comments that he's not there. My biggest gripe is healthcare -- in the US, you need to factor in health insurance costs.