Dexter Zhuang

So that just happened. Is there a mass of Threads people moving here now?

This year, I worked remotely from 9 countries.

I'm enormously grateful to live in an age where high-speed internet, video conferencing tools, and remote collaboration platforms exist.

If you value location-independence, then the flexibility afforded by today's technology is amazing.

For our 2025 honeymoon trip, my wife and I just booked a business class flight from CDMX to Tanzania for 220k Air Canada points.

Feels pretty damn good.

Remote-first from day 1 is a totally different animal.

I used to feel most generative in the mornings, but lately my maker time has been shifting towards afternoon.

When do you feel most generative?

Good food for thought going into 2025

let’s go Dave!

So good. What’s the original link?

Jade is looking good!

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My takeaway:

An EOY Financial Review is an illuminating exercise.

The best part is anyone can do it.

Join 7,000 readers getting my downloadable EOY Financial Checklist this Sunday: www.moneyabroad.co/subscribe?u...

𝟱/ 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 👨‍👩‍👧

This has been on the backburner until now. In the near future, I plan to research into US-based life insurance plans that extend to overseas Americans. And close the loop in Q1 2025.

𝟰/ 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘇𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁-𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝘅 𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘀 🏦

I roughly estimated my tax bill and identified overlooked benefits. As part of this, I reviewed things like my US expat tax exclusions, S-Corp payroll, Roth conversions, and tax-deductible account contributions.

𝟯/ 𝗥𝗲𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗼

I reviewed my asset allocation, what assets to top-up (if needed), and if I want to sell any assets for tax loss harvesting purposes.

𝟮/ 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟱𝟮𝟵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀 🔖

My wife and I plan to save more towards our 529 college savings account and starting a family sinking fund. Hence, I calculated targets for how much we'll contribute in 2025.

𝟭/ 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 📊

In the past, I auto-invested and saved 40%+ of my income. Now that I'm self-employed, my investing fluctuates month-on-month. I reviewed whether or not I'm still investing 30%+ of my income.

Here are money moves I’m making before 2025:

Every December, I like to run through a year-end financial checklist.

Here are 5 items I reviewed:

I found this insight quite interesting.

Makes intuitive sense.

Leveraging AI in tasks will change the nature of how we get satisfaction from work.

Are you getting different responses from writing friendlier?

Often you already have the answer inside of you.

The powerful question reveals it you.

🐧 Building a tech portfolio career | Aki Taha INSIDE: What is a Portfolio Career, APAC vs US Careers, Doubling Down vs Diversifying

Want more insights?

Get Aki’s full deep dive in the Money Abroad newsletter: newsletter.moneyabroad.co/p/building-...

In other words:

Expect the world of careers to be uncertain.

Learn to build a portfolio of your own compounding bets.

Whether you're betting on a 9-5, side hustle, or your own business—or a combo of these—be intentional.

My favorite Aki quote:

"The unexamined career is not worth pursuing.”

𝟱/ 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘆, 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗮𝗿

Aki shared some of his top mistakes:

• Not realizing he was in a portfolio career earlier
• Not focusing on compounding skills (like writing) sooner
• Not taking more risks earlier in his career

𝟰/ 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺

If you have a partner, develop "couple-level awareness." Discuss, trade-off, and bet together on career moves, locations, and life decisions.

𝟯/ 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆

🚀 Double down during booms: Your time becomes more valuable.

🌱 Diversify during downturns: Explore new skills when your time is "cheaper."

𝟮/ 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗸𝗲𝘆

Having lived and worked in multiple countries consistently led to great hires in Asia. People who've faced discomfort and were forced adapted to new cultures often thrived at tech companies.

𝟭/ 𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁

Even if you're not openly "creative" or have multiple side hustles, we're all building portfolio careers. Our paths are defined by uncertainty, so learn to navigate and bet wisely.

Starting his career in the US, Aki Taha worked in Silicon Valley before moving to Asia to lead recruiting for world’s top companies.

Now he's running his own company, TalentStories.

Here are his insights:

He hired for Netflix, Uber, and Google.

Born in Nigeria, he has lived and worked in Palestine, Guatemala, China, and Singapore.

A true global citizen.

This was his biggest self-professed mistake:

Don't wait. Act now.

It might not go as planned, but you'll:

• Learn tons
• Have a blast
• Maybe even turn a profit

Trust me, you won't regret it.

Huge shout-out to my co-facilitator Lily and course specialist Thao for helping deliver a compelling student experience.

Can't wait to see far we can take it in 2025.

To those dreaming of building something: