Millionaire Librarian

We just passed the holidays and five months living in Cuenca, Ecuador. About a month ago we moved into a house near the Botanical Garden in a “tranquilo” part of the city called “La Isla.” The area is named “La Isla” because to the west two rivers almost meet but then create an almost island and then finally meet together where they built the botanical garden. It is almost an entirely residential part of the city with only a small restaurant for lunches or “almuerzos,” a gym, and a couple of “tiendas” or small shops.

Having a larger living space has been a welcome change. Previously, we were living in a very popular area called “El Vergel” but in a very small apartment. The house we are now living in is two stories which means we are not on top of each other. It was an unfurnished house which in Ecuador means it does not come with a refrigerator or an oven range. Purchasing those were an experience as well as beds, a desk, a loveseat, and other household goods. I’m glad for the help we received from our friend Javier and that we had a few months of familiarizing ourself with the areas and stores before we made the purchases.

Eleanor has just started her new preschool and she is adapting well to it. Like in Missouri they send pictures of her throughout the day. We also opted in for the package where she goes on field trips. The other day (before we started going) they took the kids horseback riding. I think this month they are working on English and gross motor skills. She should do well in English and has been doing well learning Spanish. She only speaks a few words but understands dozens. Either way the videos we see shows she loves playing with her Ecuadorian “friends” by dancing and singing.

Lauren has missed working and starts a new part-time, remote university job next week. She beat out several other librarians over several interviews to be offered the job. The money will allow us expand some parts of our lifestyle including joining a gym, hiring a weekly cleaning service, and Eleanor attending a private, impressive, German school when the time comes.

Financially, the market has climbed to new heights. Also with Lauren working we can change our portfolio to be more heavily invested in stocks as her income will cover the majority of our expenses and we will no longer need the stability and lower returns of bonds. This is an idea I borrowed from JL Collins where bonds act as a “ballast” when you are drawing from your portfolio and when you are earning an income you maximize investment potential. It is more aggressive than some strategies but over the long term will have the best returns if you can “stay on the path.”