You’re already exposed to the property market. I’d invest more in low cost index funds. Not sexy, but solid over long term. Plus you free up property for first time buyers, I know several in Scotland really struggling to get on the ladder at the moment.

I second this, as a Load 75 owner.
I’m guessing OP is in Edinburgh. The Load will smash the Mound nae bother, and glide over setts.
I’d also suggest trying the Tern. Go to Laidback Bikes (or your LBS) and try some out.

Yeah once you’ve opened an account as a UK resident you can keep paying into it (AFAIK). This was my big issue when I moved overseas and started earning enough to save big. Realised too late so just bought premium bonds until I got back, rather than trust dodgy overseas IFAs.

Of course I thank people for doing their job. I don’t thank waiters for not spitting in my food. Surely you can see the difference.

My advice is to just keep ii as you won’t be able to open a new UK platform. Then you can keep paying into the GIA. This is on the assumption that you’re planning to return to the UK at some point - save your money where you are planning to spend it!

If most people break a particular law, then the law should be enforced much more thoroughly. The burden of responsibility sits with the road user capable of doing the most harm. In this case, it’s not the children.
It is incredible what the motor lobby has “achieved” globally to make places hostile to children and vulnerable road user - e.g. jay walking laws in the US.

Why the fuck should pedestrians thank drivers for not breaking the law? This kind of thing does my nut in. It’s not courtesy, it’s bowing down to our motor-lobby overlords. Get in the sea.

You could even get a decent e-bike and still save a fortune.

Are you able to sell the car, and get a bike? That way you can cancel gym membership, but still stay fit and get around.
Cars are a massive drain on finances, and so many trips currently driven (in the UK) can be done by bike.

I’d buy a second hand Renault Zoe for £6-8k cash, then you’d be saving a fortune in fuel costs. That’s the right FIRE option.
Cars are just tools to get from A to B, don’t get suckered into thinking you need a fancy one to impress people, or boost your feelings of self-worth. Get a bicycle for that!

My gross pay is ~£55k. I get child benefit, and would have to repay some of it, but pension contributions drop my adjusted net income below the £50k threshold. It’s a massive tax saving - for every £100 over £50k I would effectively pay £18 in CHB repayments, £41 in income tax, and £2 NIC - 61% “tax”!

Bosch has some public chargers, I’m lucky enough to live near some but most won’t!
Maybe ask a local business/tourism centre near where you plan to tour to install one?

I’m an electric cargo bike FIRE-er, agree the moment about stock but also sourcing parts can be difficult thanks to Brexit.
I use ours instead of a second car. We do nursery drops offs, shopping trips and adventures in it. I love it, so much. Looking at the cold, hard numbers it is expensive, between servicing, insurance etc. “Fuel” is basically free, I calculated around 1p/10km. However, the marginal cost of driving a petrol car isn’t really a barrier for most people so that’s not a compelling argument.
For OP it may not be workable as you’d need a truck to take it to France! E-bike with trailer would be easier to transport.

That’s exactly the issue - the marginal cost of each additional car journey is very low (just fuel, maybe parking). It is lower for my e-bike, but still cheap enough for cars to not be noticeable.
What is required is an ignition charge of £5 each time we start our cars. Then it’s worth it for long trips but not for short ones!

Part of the issue is with car ownership. It is such a big investment that people want to use them as much as possible, otherwise it feels like a waste. We need to scrap the concept of personal car ownership - imagine the resources freed up, and people no longer sinking 20%+ of their income into a vehicle that is used 3-4% of the time. On top of that, people tend to buy cars for those edge cases when they’ll need to transport several kids and half a tonne of luggage, so most cars are way oversized for what they are actually used for (single occupancy commutes etc). Proper car sharing schemes with a range of easy to access vehicles would solve the issue for many. Need to transport a fridge? Hire a van. Single-person commute? Here’s a small city car, or e-bike which you can ride on one of our many cycle lanes, now that streets aren’t filled with parked cars!
Of course, massive hurdles to overcome to get to that point. The car industry has done an amazing job of getting people to tie their self-worth to their cars. We’ll also face massive lobbying opposition from the car lobby.

Part of the issue is with car ownership. It is such a big investment that people want to use them as much as possible, otherwise it feels like a waste. We need to scrap the concept of personal car ownership - imagine the resources freed up, and people no longer sinking 20%+ of their income into a vehicle that is used 3-4% of the time. On top of that, people tend to buy cars for those edge cases when they’ll need to transport several kids and half a tonne of luggage, so most cars are way oversized for what they are actually used for (single occupancy commutes etc). Proper car sharing schemes with a range of easy to access vehicles would solve the issue for many. Need to transport a fridge? Hire a van. Single-person commute? Here’s a small city car, or e-bike which you can ride on one of our many cycle lanes, now that streets aren’t filled with parked cars!
Of course, massive hurdles to overcome to get to that point. The car industry has done an amazing job of getting people to tie their self-worth to their cars. We’ll also face massive lobbying opposition from the car lobby.

I’ve never bought a new car. My next car may be, as I want to go electric, and second hand EVs are pretty much the same price as new. Maybe in a year or two I’ll find some cheaper ex-demo ones.
The dream would be to ditch the car and join a car club and hire for long weekends, but there’s nothing like that round here.

By doing anything you’re way ahead of much of the general population! Incredible to see people suckered into paying £500+/month for a car, and seeing that as normal.

How have you costed in the time, hassle, etc that comes with owning rental properties?

Komoot is great for finding routes, and when you plan them it shows you how much is on roads, bike paths, tracks etc. Can you look at some routes then hire a bike before committing? Or ask local cycle groups if anyone would mind giving you a tour.

I ride a cargo bike in the UK, nice to see others joining the team!

I'd second the pass pixi. I've also used reflective tape which is very effective in car headlights - you could stick it to the frame and box.

I've not done this with my bike. The bike is big, and I always make sure to ride in primary position to put off any close passes. I'm used to cycling through cities so know how to take the lane - just remember you don't have to move over for cars if you don't feel safe (but sounds like you already know this).

The best thing you can do (long-term) is join a local cycle campaigning group and get your elected officials to commit to proper segregated cycle networks.

Just to add to other advice, most important thing for me was getting names/addresses in old pensions updated to match current/what is in Vanguard. If it doesn’t match it can really delay the process.

Shiller/CAPE ratio is really high for S&P500, so in theory equity is expensive, and holding cash sensible if we end up with a correction to average levels. Trouble is trying to work out if/when that correction will happen, so I tend to just shut my eyes (remove all emotion!) and ride it all out.

Yeah all those families of kids killed by bad drivers are super happy. Christ, drivers are entitled.
Anyone that drives 0-60 in 2 seconds, or anywhere close to the max speed of these cars should have the car taken off them and crushed, and be banned from driving. However, until enforcement of road laws actually happens, it’s on car manufacturers to sell safe products. And I don’t mean just safe for the occupants.

Maybe it’s my bad for conflating with the gun issue - they are not the same unless you’ve got a method to slow bullets down. Also I’m speaking from a civilised part of the world that has strict regulations on guns so am not an expert on the issue!
I’m not saying ban cars, I’m saying ban cars that can go 0-60 in 2 seconds from the public realm. There is never any need for that kind of acceleration.