My Dubai Salary: ‘I aim to retire by 55 or sooner by investing in index funds’

Jay Adrian Tolentino, a 38-year-old Filipino financial coach in the UAE, aspires to retire by the age of 55 or younger. He aims to achieve this financial goal by consistently investing in low-cost globally diversified index funds.

However, he does not intend to stop working and wants to earn enough passive income to cover his family’s expenses.

Mr Tolentino lives in Discovery Gardens in Dubai with his wife and son. He also supports his parents in the Philippines.

He holds a bachelor's degree in nursing but moved into the financial services industry in 2018. He is a registered financial planner and has been living in the UAE for 10 years.

What was your first job and how much did you earn?

My first job was as a call centre agent in the Philippines, where I earned 6,000 pesos ($100) monthly. I stayed in the call centre industry for seven years and by the time I left the Philippines I was earning 30,000 pesos per month. When I moved to the UAE in 2015, my first role was as a call centre agent for Sharaf DG, earning Dh3,700 ($1,007) per month.

Tell us about your current role

I run Free Before Sixty Coaching, as a financial coach for expats who want to retire early. Most of my clients are Filipinos earning good money based across the world. They've already achieved some success but their finances are scattered assets here, investments there, no clear plan tyin