I’m parked on a bamboo stool at my favorite pavement café in Nimman, the hipster heart of Chiang Mai, when the person I’ve come to interview glides in on a second‑hand Honda Scoopy. Lightweight linen pants, faded sneakers, a hoodie despite the 32 °C heat—classic digital‑nomad camouflage.
He’s forty, grew up in Australia, but has called northern Thailand home for almost a decade. From a single 13‑inch laptop he manages three bite‑sized SaaS apps—think invoicing, task‑tracking, and social‑media schedulers for freelancers—plus a couple of automated dropshipping stores he checks once a day.. The kicker? By quietly funneling cash into index funds for ten straight years, he’s built a net worth just north of $2 million.
At his request, we’ll keep his identity private, so let’s simply call him the nomad.
“Pay yourself first—then dial it up to uncomfortable”
Nomad: “Most people save what’s left after brunch, gadgets, and Netflix. I flip it. I invest first, then make the leftovers work.”
He’s talking about forced‑surplus investing: every invoice that lands in his Thai bank gets split automatically—60 % vanishes into investments or a high‑yield cash account before a single baht hits spending territory. A $5 000 client payment translates to $3 000 siphoned off, leaving $2 000 for rent, pad kra pao, and anything fun.
Nomad: “If you never see the money, you can’t spend it.”
The spreadsheet that proves 60 % works
He flips his laptop around to show a Google Sheet:
*Assumes 7 % annual return, dividends reinvested.
Because life in Chiang Mai costs so little—10 000 baht (~$275) for a modern studio near the Maya Mall, 60 baht (~$1.60) for khao soi, and 30 baht for a songthaew ride—his personal burn rate hovers around $1 500 a month. Every income boost flows straight into that automated 60 % pipeline instead of upgrades.
Spending rules that keep him happy, not broke
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Geography arbitrage – “My rent: $275. A similar apartment in Sydney? $2 400.”
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Cash‑only lifestyle – “If the debit card won’t cover it, I don’t buy it.”
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A ‘fun‑money’ envelope – “I give myself 10 000 baht a month (~$275) for anything indulgent— craft‑beer flights, weekend trips to Pai. When it’s gone, I’m done.”
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Second‑hand tech – “I buy the previous‑year MacBook from a departing nomad on Facebook groups.”
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Quarterly subscription cull – “I cancel at least one SaaS or streaming sub every three months.”
He laughs that friends back home think he’s roughing it. Meanwhile his days start with sunrise hikes at Doi Suthep, coworking sessions at Yellow or Punspace, and 60‑baht mango smoothies for a mid‑day brain break.
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80 % broad‑market ETFs (S&P 500 + all‑world fund).
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15 % Thai SET50 ETF for local flavor.
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5 % cash in a 4 % U.S. dollar account.
No crypto punts. No options. No micro‑cap dart‑throws. Rebalance? Once a year, usually while sipping a coconut latte.
Nomad: “If checking your portfolio is exciting, you’re probably gambling.”
Fighting FOMO in a sea of traders
Chiang Mai is nomad central—every café buzzes with someone bragging about 10x AI coins or a Shopify drop‑ship windfall.
Nomad: “There’s always a louder miracle story. My rulebook keeps me deaf to it.”
That rulebook is literally a Notion page titled DO NOT BREAK:
Save 60 %. Never sell in panic. Never borrow to invest. Celebrate milestones; ignore markets.
Pitfalls he wants you to dodge
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Waiting for the “real” job or big client – Habits trump income size.
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Lifestyle creep disguised as “business essentials” – Fancy ergonomic chairs, daily oat‑milk flat whites—they add up.
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Endless optimization – “I spent months comparing robo‑advisors; the plain S&P fund won anyway.”
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Ignoring cash flow shocks – Keep three months’ spending liquid so downturns don’t push you onto credit cards.
Can you copy 60 %?
Maybe not straight away, especially in high‑rent cities. Here’s his ladder method:
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Start at 10 %—set an auto‑transfer the day your salary lands.
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Add 5 % every raise—your lifestyle never notices.
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Erase one monthly bill per quarter—move that money to investments.
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Cap fixed costs—he rents furnished places month‑to‑month; no long leases, no furniture purchases.
Nomad: “Your income might climb, stall, or crash. Your savings rate is a decision.”
What life feels like after $2 million
Today he still puts in laptop hours—about four a day—but on his terms. Mornings begin with a jog around the moat, afternoons often end by 3 p.m. Evenings rotate between Muay Thai classes, board‑game cafés in the Old City, and cooking experiments in his tiny apartment kitchen.
Biggest splurge? A six‑day silent meditation retreat in Mae Rim and a used Royal Enfield motorbike for weekend trips to Chiang Rai. No luxury condo, no Tesla, no Rolex.
Nomad: “Money’s job is buying time and options. I wake up every day and pick what to do. That beats leather seats.”
Quick wins you can steal this week
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Open a second account—funnel a fixed percentage the moment money arrives.
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Pick one global ETF, press buy—analysis paralysis solved.
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Audit your subscriptions tonight—cancel one, invest the savings.
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Plan a milestone reward—hit $10 k invested, treat yourself to a Chiang Mai massage.
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Track percent, not price—a crashing market just means discount day.
Final thought: future‑you is your most demanding bill
As we wrap up, the lunchtime heat rises and the scent of grilled pork drifts from a nearby street stall. The nomad swings onto his scooter, helmet dangling from the mirror, and leaves me with one last line:
Nomad: “Treat your future like rent. Pay it first. Everything else is optional.”
Plenty of people scour Reddit for moonshot stocks or chase yet another side hustle. But this Chiang Mai nomad’s so‑called “secret” is purposely dull—an unbreakable percentage on autopilot and a refusal to inflate lifestyle just because Stripe notifications look bigger.
Maybe 60 % sounds crazy where you live. Start with 10 %. Ratchet up each time life gets cheaper or income grows. Ten years from now you might be the one sipping iced Thai coffee under a banyan tree, laptop shut by lunchtime, smiling because your bank account quietly bought your freedom before anyone even knew your name.
