I talk a lot about moving out of your country and living abroad, both full time and part time. At the same time, I realize that perhaps 90% of my readership, if not more, is likely to never actually move out of their country. Moving out of your country, regardless of its tremendous benefits, is a difficult and complicated process. Moving out of your country under a five flags model is even more complicated.
I don’t want anyone to feel like if you don’t ever move out of your country that you’re screwed, or that you aren’t Alpha 2.0, or whatever. It’s certainly true that, at least in my opinion, moving out of the Western world at some point in the next decade or two is the most secure way to live financially, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only way to find any level of security or freedom.
I’ve always thought of this in terms of four distinct levels. You should choose a level that you think would work best for your life, set it as a goal, and do it. If your life is at any of the four levels, you are far beyond the typical Westerner in terms of both freedom and security.
Level One – Alpha Male 2.0
This is the man who uses the techniques in my main book and designs an Alpha Male 2.0 lifestyle without actually moving out of his country. He’s detached from the system as much as humanly possible, as I describe here and here. He has 2-4 small, location independent businesses that are diversified and allow him to make money from anywhere in the world. He’s got zero (or near zero) debt, low lifestyle expenses, pays very little money in taxes (legally), doesn’t work long hours, makes at least $75,000 a year or more, and is both financially and sexually free.
He doesn’t actually move out of his country. Instead, due to his very flexible schedule and location independent income, he travels internationally whenever he feels like it, for a few days to two weeks at a time, always returning home. Because he lives the Alpha 2.0 lifestyle, he could move anywhere he wants, and has that ability if the need arises. However, he more or less likes where he lives, even if it’s in the slowly collapsing West, and stays there. He has no intention on ever moving abroad unless something very unexpected happens.
Because of his detached financial condition, he’s protected from most ill effects from any major recession or collapse, even though he still lives in the US, Canada, Europe, etc.
Level Two – Heavy Traveling Alpha Male 2.0
The level two guy is just the same as the level one guy, except that his time spent and his outlook is much more international. Instead of short trips abroad every once and a while, he’s gone for many weeks or even months at a time, several times a year.
He doesn’t just relax or play around when he travels either. While he’s abroad, he makes business contacts and learns the financial and cultural logistics of other countries, and adds these to his notes, goals, and plans. Sometimes he travels alone, sometimes he travels with a woman (and/or his kids if he has any).
He still lives in his home country, but he has a fully developed escape plan ready to execute if he ever needs it. He’s also planning on moving out of his country at some point in the future, either part time or full time.
(Level two is the level where I’m currently living.)
Level Three – Living Abroad
At level three, a man actually moves out of his country and spends at least 6 months a year (if not all 12 months) away from the country where he was living previously. He is either a perpetual traveler/digital nomad, with no set “home,” or he has a place abroad that he considers his home base where he spends most of the year. If he has an OLTR wife, she accompanies him on most of his travels, otherwise he travels alone and focuses on women (usually FB’s or low-end MLTR’s) residing in his international locations.
He still maintains his original country’s passport, investments, and in some cases, business entities, but he still maintains the Alpha 2.0 business and financial structure and lifestyle.
Level Four – Five Flags
A man at level four lives abroad just like the man at level three. However, at level four, he has fully diversified his entire legal and financial life under the five flags model I first described here for maximum security, maximum mobility, maximum freedom from stupid and/or socialist and/or authoritarian governments, and minimum taxes (sometimes even paying zero percent, legally).
He has at least two passports, though his home base is not in either of these countries. His business entities are in a third country (with low or zero business taxes), his investments are all over the place in still more countries (diversified and not taxed or barely taxed), and he purchases items in yet other countries with no sales or VAT taxes. No matter what happens, he’s covered, while making lots of money on very low taxes in a fully mobile lifestyle.
All four of the above levels, one through four, are acceptable. You could consider the typical business owner at “level zero” and the typical guy (with a corporate job, typical debt and investments, typical marriage) at “level negative one.” So any of the four levels listed above put you beyond the typical person, even if you don’t live abroad.
You should choose one of the above levels as a goal and stick with it. I achieved level one about seven years ago, very quickly moved to level two, and now I’m working on level four, which I plan to finish up by 2025, if not sooner. (I’ll skip level three; you’re allowed to skip levels if you want.)
But that’s me; you may decide that level one or two is plenty for you, and that’s fine. Of course if that’s not enough for you, by all means hit level three or four. Just realize that three is complicated and four is very complicated, and not hitting these levels doesn’t make you any “less” Alpha 2.0. Most Alpha 2.0’s are never going to bother with level three, and only a very few are going to take the time and effort necessary for level four. It all depends on what you want. As long as you’re Alpha 2.0, you’re good to go.
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If live in your new country 10-12 months out of the year, it works just fine.
If you are gone for 6 months at a time, yeah, that a problem and it’s something you’ll have to manage.
Some will, some will not. I have indeed lost out some FB’s or MLTR’s when I was out of the country for 30 days or longer, but not all of them. And 94% came back, as usual, so there was no real “loss.”
If you were living that kind of travel lifestyle where you were gone for 3-6 months at a time, you’d have to determine the average percentage of women who stayed (50% or whatever). If that wasn’t enough for you, you’d have to do a single blitz for new women every time you shifted locations.
I’ve alleviated that problem by doing two things:
1. Spent the last 10 years building up a huge roster of current and ex FB’s and MLTR’s who can return to me easily and with very little effort.
2. Got a long-term, soon to be live-in OLTR who will travel with me, easing my access to sex even if I travel. (I realize many younger men are not going to do this though.) Other women are still required but are now a lower priority.
Good piece Caleb-for now I’m planning on hanging on Level 1 since I enjoy where I live. I’m still working on some “Alpha 2.0” stuff as well when it comes to finances so I’d like to get that down first anyway. I applaud you for a thoughtful process of making a move abroad instead of the typical “I’m moving to Canada” shit you hear after every presidential election. Not one of these folks has ever moved and I’ve heard it after each election cycle starting back with Bush Jr. getting elected the first time.
Thanks for the post Caleb. If you happened to be an Australian Citizen and living in Australia, do you still think level 4 would be the best option? What I’m asking is that, as an Australian, do you think Australia is going to be as screwed as the USA in the coming years?
I’ve got everything for level 1 except location independent income. My work, as freelance and independent as it is, still depends on me being where I live. Since I no longer want to be where I live and probably don’t want to continue doing the profession I’m good at I have a bit of a problem.
Would really like to move to S. America and am working on that plan (Spanish language proficiency is getting pretty good; almost at the point where I’d feel OK doing my consulting work in Spanish) but getting established in S. America either means continuing in the industry I no longer feel passionate about or starting over from scratch.
Ideas? I’m thinking the best plan is just to suck it up and continue in my industry as a consultant, but I’d really love a different solution. Also, not sure how long I will be valuable in my field if I don’t have the same desire for it that I used to.
Yep. These people are idiots and liars.
https://calebjonesblog.com/moving-out-of-the-country-youre-not-going-to-do-it-just-because-of-an-election-so-shut-up/
Yes. Five flags is superior to any standard living situation, regardless of what country you live in, particularity a socialist(ish) country like Australia.
No. Australia’s (and New Zealand’s) lack of extreme debt (as compared to other Western nations) and it’s proximity to Asia (specifically China) will protect it from a lot of the damage the West will suffer. It will still get hurt, but not nearly as badly. That’s one of the many reasons I may be moving to New Zealand (but I won’t have a passport there or have assets there; five flags, baby!).
Read my book, Chapter 20; I have an entire list of location independent business ideas.
Start a location independent business on the side ASAP, and build it up while you’re working at your day job. Get it to the point where you can finally quit your day job and be free.
I enjoy CJ’s posts about the living abroad stuff. Sometime in 2018, I intend to do a bunch of travelling, and I need to see if it is better than being here in the states. I’m pretty sure it is. I need to keep reading his book, with each passing day I’m seeing more and more that the old school “work a job your whole life, get gold watch, live off of retirement savings” thing is not the way to succeed anymore. My mom will be 65 in October and will have to rely on retirement. There is no way I’m doing that.
“I need to see if it is better than being here in the states. I’m pretty sure it is. ”
As our society gets worse and worse the contrast between us and other countries that are worse off than us becomes less and less. This opens up a lot of possibilities, as you no longer have to contend with the quality of life barrier to moving–if it’s going to be just about equally shitty then why not? And in many cases it’s actually going to be better.
“Start a location independent business on the side ASAP, and build it up while you’re working at your day job. Get it to the point where you can finally quit your day job and be free.”
Thanks for the feedback! I have your book, need to review that section.
How does the thing with women work for the Level 3 guy? I mean not seeing a woman for months, is she going to bother with you in the future? You break many rules if you are the level 3 type(i.e seeing a woman infrequently, very rare communication etc.)
Let’s say you are in an X country for 6 months and you have 2 FBs and one MLTR there. Then you leave go to Z country for a year and acquire a FB and an MLTR there. Then you return to X country and instead of focusing on new women you go straight to the ones you knew(in case they are free). Are they going to bother with you? This is similar to women’s LSNFTE, not soft nexting. I don’t really see how this works, unless you get new women everytime you move to countries and return ratio of women would be minimal. That’s a lot of pain in the ass.
If you live in your new country full time, it’s fine. If you’re regularly gone for 2-6 months, yeah, that’s a problem that you’ll have to manage.
Some will, some will not. I indeed have lost women when I was gone for longer than 30 days, but not all of them. Even the ones I lost eventually came back, so nothing was “lost.”
If you’re living that kind of lifestyle, you’ll have to determine the average amount of women who stay (50% or whatever). If that isn’t enough for you, you’ll have to do a single blitz for new women every time you shift locations.
I have alleviated that problem by doing two things:
1. Spent the last 10 years building up a giant roster of current and ex FB’s and MLTR’s who can return to me easily and with very little effort.
2. Got a long-term and soon to be live-in OLTR who will travel with me, easing my access to sex when I shift locations. Other women are still required but not as important.