How to Retire Early and Live Abroad: Your Guide to Making FIRE Last (Plus: 2025 Gas Prices Explained)

NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast

NerdWallet Personal Finance

Business, Education, Investing, How To

4.2 • 665 Ratings

🗓️ 3 July 2025

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Learn how to navigate gas prices this summer, then hear how to make your money work after retiring early and moving abroad. What’s going on with gas prices this summer? How can early retirees turn their savings into income abroad? Hosts Sean Pyles and Elizabeth Ayoola discuss gas price trends and smart investment options for early retirees to help you plan a smoother ride — both on the road and in your financial journey. Joined by NerdWallet’s Anna Helhoski and AAA’s Aixa Diaz, they begin with a discussion of 2025 gas prices, with tips and tricks on timing your fill-ups, choosing the right fuel blend, and prepping your car for summer travel. Then, Sean and Elizabeth answer a listener’s question about how to turn $150,000 in savings into ongoing passive income after achieving FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) and relocating to Spain. They discuss how to balance accessibility with growth through options like CD ladders, T-bills, REITs, and dividend ETFs. They also explore considerations around managing rental properties from abroad, currency risk, and the importance of working with a CPA to avoid tax pitfalls when investing internationally. Use NerdWallet’s free compound interest calculator to see how your savings and investment account balances can grow with the magic of compound interest: https://www.nerdwallet.com/calculator/compound-interest-calculator Dividend aristocrats are stocks that raise their dividends every year. Here’s an overview of how to invest in them: https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/investing/top-dividend-aristocrats-list Dividend stocks can be a great choice for investors looking for passive income and portfolio stability. View NerdWallet’s list of the best high-dividend stocks and learn how to invest in them: https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/investing/how-to-invest-dividend-stocks Here’s NerdWallet’s list of the best ways to send money internationally: https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/banking/best-ways-to-wire-money-internationally In their conversation, the Nerds discuss: gas prices 2025, summer gas prices, how to save money on gas, why are gas prices rising, AAA fuel cost calculator, road trip cost calculator, gas price trends, crude oil price impact on gas, how to prepare for a road trip, car maintenance for road trips, road trip emergency kit checklist, what affects gas prices, hurricane impact on gas prices, early retirement abroad, how to generate passive income after FIRE, CD ladder strategy, high-yield savings alternatives, best short-term investments, moving to Spain finances, cost of living in Spain vs USA, living off rental income abroad, managing rental property from overseas, REIT vs dividend ETF, opening brokerage account abroad, FATCA rules for expats, real estate income planning, investing while living overseas, treasury bills vs CDs, compound interest calculator, diversifying passive income, financial planning after FIRE, and retiring in your 40s. To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email [email protected]. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Today's episode is sponsored by Dell. Let's talk about the new Dell AI PC powered by the
0:05.2	Intel Core Ultra processor. It's not just an AI computer, it's a computer built for AI. That
0:11.6	means it's built to help do your busy work for you. So you can fast forward through
0:15.6	editing images, designing presentations, generating code, debugging code, categorizing your
0:20.3	financial transactions, running lots of apps without lag, creating code, debugging code, categorizing your financial transactions,
0:21.6	running lots of apps without lag, creating live translations and captions,
0:25.1	summarizing meeting note, extending battery life, enhancing security, finding that file you are looking for,
0:29.9	organizing your receipts, managing your schedule, meeting your deadlines, drafting financial summaries,
0:34.3	responding to Cody's long emails, leaving all the time in the world
0:38.3	for more you time and the things that you actually want to do. No offense, Cody. Get a new Dell
0:44.1	AI PC starting at 699 at Dell.com slash AI-PC. That's Dell.com slash AI dashPC. How those ahead stay ahead.
0:56.2	You've done it. You've achieved fire.
0:58.5	Financial independence retire early.
1:00.6	An amazing accomplishment, but now how do you take all that hard-earned money and put it to work for you?
1:06.7	We'll answer a listener's question about what follows fire.
1:14.7	Thank you. We'll answer a listener's question about what follows fire. Welcome to Nerd Wallet's Smart Money podcast, where you send us your money questions,
1:18.6	and we answer them with the help of our genius nerds.
1:21.2	I'm Sean Piles.
1:22.3	And I'm Elizabeth Ayola.
1:24.1	Later this episode, we're going to be talking with a listener about what happens when you've
1:27.9	achieved your dream of early retirement. But first, our weekly money news roundup where we break
1:33.3	down the latest in the world of finance to help you be smarter with your money. Our news
	...

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