He Sold His House to Retire in Thailand at 58 — 1 Year Later His Kids Had to Give Him $500
Dwayne Petty John, a 58-year-old HVAC technician from Evansville, Indiana, found his life irrevocably altered after 22 years of physically demanding work led to a severe shoulder injury. This injury, a rotator cuff tear that surgeons deemed beyond functional restoration for physical labor, forced him into early retirement. His marriage had ended 15 years prior, leaving him with a rented house and a monthly Social Security disability check of $1,400. Feeling his life narrow to the confines of a screen, Dwayne became engrossed in YouTube videos promoting early retirement and expat lifestyles in Thailand on budgets that made his modest income seem substantial.
These videos, often created by expats validating their own decisions, depicted a life where monthly expenses were under $1,000, allowing Social Security to provide a comfortable existence. Dwayne, convinced by the seemingly flawless math presented in these videos and the encouraging comments from other men, decided to sell everything he owned to chase this dream. He sold his house for $141,000 (netting $94,000 after mortgage and repairs), his 10-year-old Silverado for $9,500, and his professional tools for $11,000. Combined with a $41,000 separation package, $23,000 in savings, and $58,000 from his 401k, Dwayne amassed approximately $236,500 in liquid assets. This sum, the largest he had ever controlled, felt like a lifetime guarantee in Chiang Mai, a stark contrast to the four or five years of modest living it would afford in Evansville.
