financial independence

Financial Independence

by John J. Vento  · 31 Mar 2013  · 368pp  · 145,841 words

material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: Vento, John. Financial independence (getting to point X): an advisor’s guide to comprehensive wealth management / John Vento. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 978-1-118-46021-4 (

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Momma and Poppa, I love you, miss you, and think about you every single day! ffirs.indd vii 26/02/13 11:17 AM “Financial Independence” To achieve financial independence, one must know the difference between invested assets, personal use assets, and liabilities, as well as the difference between needs and wants. Wealthy people

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to everyone at John Wiley & Sons for giving me this opportunity to expand financial literacy throughout the country by sharing the knowledge necessary to achieve financial independence. Special thanks to Laura Walsh, xvii flast.indd xvii 26/02/13 2:48 PM xviii Acknowledgments Senior Editor, Digital Business Development, at John

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I provide hundreds of tax facts and strategies that will help you accelerate your wealth accumulation and dramatically increase your chances of reaching point X, financial independence. Take a Financial Planning Checkup Before we begin to discuss hard figures, you should evaluate your financial situation by completing the Comprehensive Wealth Management Questionnaire

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will provide you with the necessary tools to pursue your financial goals. In short, I will guide you toward reaching your own personal point X, financial independence. Using financial planning strategies––the 10 key issues to comprehensive wealth management––and many real-life (though anonymous) client stories––I show how to navigate

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will not only minimize your biggest expense, you will maximize the money you can put into your pocket (or your investment portfolio), helping you reach financial independence. Thus, this book is a complete resource for anyone concerned with building wealth and financial security in today’s no-guarantee financial environment. Authoritative, comprehensive

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budget for these special situations, and earmark these funds for that special purpose. Nevertheless, you should never sacrifice your primary long-term goal of achieving financial independence in order to meet these other shorter-term desires. Easier Said Than Done Granted, a world of difference exists between knowing what to do and

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so your personal tax burden does not deplete your income unnecessarily, and your wealth accumulates quickly and safely. Tax laws are incredibly complicated, and there Financial Independence ( Getting to Point X ) : An Advisor’s Guide to Comprehensive W ealth Management © 2013 John Vento.. Published 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. John

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competence to prepare tax returns. These services are best for people with straightforward, simple returns. c02.indd 17 26/02/13 10:58 AM 18 Financial Independence (Getting to Point X ) EAs are required to pass an extensive examination on various topics of taxation and must also meet minimum continuing education requirements

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Also, like many people, they are subsidizing their overspending by increasing their credit-card debt. If they continue on this path, they may never achieve financial independence. They clearly need to make changes in their cash flow so that they can increase their invested assets (pay yourself first), turn their discretionary cash

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and believe their probability of defaulting on their loans does not exist. Once again, you cannot move forward effectively and efficiently on the road to financial independence until you clean up the liabilities section of your Statement of Financial position—in other words, your debts. Minimizing your liabilities and reducing your costs

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young couple are normally dramatically different than for an older couple in their retirement years. For example, a young couple may need health insurance to Financial Independence ( Getting to Point X ) : An Advisor’s Guide to Comprehensive W ealth Management © 2013 John Vento.. Published 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. John

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and rehab expenses, disability income, and lump-sum payments for death and certain severe injuries. c05.indd 107 26/02/13 11:09 AM 108 Financial Independence (Getting to Point X ) The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act On March 23, 2010, President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable

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adequate long-term care insurance policy is probably the easiest way you can accomplish this. c05.indd 113 26/02/13 11:09 AM 114 Financial Independence (Getting to Point X ) There are numerous other planning options available that fall under the umbrella of Medicaid planning, which include Medicaid trusts, retaining

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needs and make sure you are sufficiently covered. Protecting your property by implementing the proper risk management strategies is critical to achieving and maintaining your financial independence. The type and extent of insurance you need will change throughout your lifetime, as will the types of assets and the extent of wealth you

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and Phelps; if you are evaluating an insurance company through AM Best, look for a rating of “A–” or better. Throughout your journey to financial independence, you never know what unexpected property risk issues may arise. Being prepared for the unexpected is precisely what insuring and protecting your property is all

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mind of knowing you and your property will be protected. Being unprepared for the unexpected can rob you and your family of your pursuit to financial independence. $ TAXFACTS AND STRATEGIES1 FOR PROTECTING YOUR PROPERTY • Generally, the cost of personal homeowner’s, automobile, boat, and umbrella liability insurance are not tax-deductible.

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part of their lives. There is no more satisfying feeling than helping clients and their children achieve their financial goals and live out their dreams. Financial Independence ( Getting to Point X ) : An Advisor’s Guide to Comprehensive W ealth Management © 2013 John Vento.. Published 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. John

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there is a less-costly college-selection alternative. Planning and paying for your child’s education is one of the keys to achieving and maintaining financial independence. Strategies for Saving Money for College Education Here are four of the most commonly used strategies for saving money for a college education: 1.

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account before he even graduates from college. This would give your child an amazing start and advantage to achieving and reaching his or her own financial independence. I always encourage children and their parents to start saving for retirement as soon as possible. Government Grants and Loans When you consider the multitude

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plans. Once you have a good understanding of the various qualified retirement plan options available, you will be in a much better position to achieve financial independence. These retirement plans are by far the most tax-efficient weapons available to you in your pursuit to accumulating wealth. The fact that the

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some of these guarantees are exactly what makes variable annuities so valuable to many individuals. c08.indd 211 26/02/13 2:51 PM 212 Financial Independence (Getting to Point X ) Some financial analysts believe that retirees may get more financial security by combining insurance products and mutual funds.4 Most people

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to their variable annuity. This will bring their total savings to $25,000 starting this year, which is more than they need to achieve financial independence in retirement.5 $ TAX FACTS AND STRATEGIES6 FOR PLANNING FOR RETIREMENT Here are several tax strategies that will help you reach your retirement planning goals

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certain circumstances revenue bonds can be subject to federal, state, or local alternative minimum tax. c09.indd 229 26/02/13 2:51 PM 230 Financial Independence (Getting to Point X ) Exhibit 9.2 Municipal versus Corporate Bonds In State Municipal Bonds Rate Corporate Bond Equivalent Rate at Marginal Federal, Local

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these fees may include shareholder transaction costs, investment advisory fees, and marketing and distribution expenses. c09.indd 231 26/02/13 2:51 PM 232 Financial Independence (Getting to Point X ) When you invest in a mutual fund, you are pooling your money together with many other investors under the common

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important to understand that asset allocation and diversification do not guarantee against loss. They are simply strategies that may help smooth the ride to your financial independence, point X. It is fundamental to find a mixture of asset classes with the highest potential return within your risk profile. Exhibit 9.4

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they are actually implementing the dollar-cost averaging investment strategy. As I have mentioned repeatedly throughout this book, there is no better way to achieving financial independence than by doing it in a tax-efficient manner. Combining these investment strategies with a systematic savings plan that includes paying yourself first is the

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taxes are perhaps the two biggest drains on your investment returns. Taking these factors into consideration is very important in your journey to achieving financial independence. The technical definition of inflation is the rise in consumer prices over time. It is vital to your savings that your investment returns keep pace

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have worked hard, lived within your means, followed the guidance provided in this book, and reached your very own point X, financial independence. Congratulations! Your whole life, you dreamed of becoming financially independent for the benefit of yourself and your family; now it is time to turn your attention to preserving your estate so

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while you are alive. • Potentially eliminate capital gains tax. • Potentially eliminate or reduce estate taxes. c10.indd 273 26/02/13 2:47 PM 274 Financial Independence (Getting to Point X ) These types of trust include the following: • • • • Charitable lead annuity trust (CLAT). Charitable lead unitrust (CLUT). Charitable remainder unitrust (CRUT).

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financial planner who can analyze your financial status and assist you in setting up and implementing a financial program to achieve your ultimate goal of financial independence. Developing a close relationship is critical to your overall success because your advisor should understand you and have a clear picture of your financial goals

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and other relevant credentials. A good place to start would be visiting their websites, and then the licensing board website for whatever credentials they hold. Financial Independence ( Getting to Point X ) : An Advisor’s Guide to Comprehensive W ealth Management © 2013 John Vento.. Published 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. John

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) to be required to be subject to this higher standard. When evaluating who you should rely on to guide you through your life journey of financial independence, selecting the proper trusted advisor is critically important. When evaluating your choices of advisors, you should ask to what standard they are being held.

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of risk associated with investments that offer the potential for higher rates of return. You should consult with your representative before making any investment decision. Financial Independence ( Getting to Point X ) : An Advisor’s Guide to Comprehensive W ealth Management © 2013 John Vento.. Published 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. John

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more per day. Your family finances should be discussed and shared with your entire family so that a cooperative commitment to financial responsibility and ultimately financial independence can be achieved. Go to www.finance.yahoo.com/calculator, scroll down to “Saving & Spending,” and click on “How much should I save to

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by the bank or any bank affiliate May lose value Comprehensive Wealth Management, Ltd. is not a registered broker/dealer or independent investment advisory firm. Financial Independence ( Getting to Point X ) : An Advisor’s Guide to Comprehensive W ealth Management © 2013 John Vento.. Published 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. John

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, 145 Business loans, 98 Business ownership, 60 Cadillac plans, 111 Calculators, on line auto loan calculator, 81 college cost calculators, 185 college funding calculator, 161 Financial Independence ( Getting to Point X ) : An Advisor’s Guide to Comprehensive W ealth Management © 2013 John Vento.. Published 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. John

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124 Financial goal establishment action plan for financial position, 65 financial goals, 59–61 point X, 58–59 trusted advisers, 61–65 wealth, 57–61 Financial independence, 35 Financial net worth, 29 Financial position determination about, 23 asset identification, 29 cash flow sense, 35–50 case study, 24–29 cash inflows,

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162 Variable life insurance, 126 Viatical settlement company, 131 Waiting period, 117 Wants vs. needs, 5, 185 Wealth. See also Debt; Debt management; Point X (financial independence) defined, 57 inflation and taxes, 245 insurance choice, 127, 133 lifestyle, 57–58, 65 pay yourself first (practice), 35 qualified retirement plans, 200 tax planning

Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship With Money and Achieving Financial Independence: Revised and Updated for the 21st Century

by Vicki Robin, Joe Dominguez and Monique Tilford  · 31 Aug 1992  · 426pp  · 115,150 words

phenomenon that changed the lives of millions and made voluntary simplicity the fastest-growing movement in America. My friendship with Vicki and her ideas of financial independence and conscious consumption changed my life, liberated me from the money chase, and unleashed my courage and creativity. As the fragility of our casino

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Everyone does.” —John de Graaf, coauthor of Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic “For well over a decade, this book has been the blueprint for achieving financial independence. You can always recognize those of us who followed its advice: We’re the folks with smiles on our faces and time on our hands

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is presented here in Your Money or Your Life. His teaching also lives on through his audio course, Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence (Sounds True). From 1969 on, he was a full-time volunteer and donated all proceeds from his teaching to transformational projects. Monique Tilford has

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’S NOTE Portions of this work first appeared in Joe Dominguez’s audio tape course and workbook entitled Transforming Your Relationship With Money and Achieving Financial Independence. “Purpose in Life” test LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING IN PUBLICATION DATA Robin, Vicki. Your money or your life : 9 steps to transforming your relationship

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with money and achieving financial independence / Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez.—Rev. ed. / rev. and updated with Monique Tilford and Vicki Robin p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN :

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these questions, this book is for you. INTRODUCTION Welcome to Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence, now updated and revised for the twenty-first century. New readers will benefit from this practical and transformational approach to earning and spending money. Returning

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lead people out of debt and into rapid savings. As the title of Joe Dominguez’s original seminar (“Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence”) suggests, there are two outcomes from doing this program: transformation and independence. Everyone who reads and heeds this book will indeed transform her relationship

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transform your relationship with money. You will go from FI thinking to FI living. FI thinking will lead naturally to Financial Intelligence, Financial Integrity and Financial Independence. Financial Intelligence Financial Intelligence is being able to step back from your assumptions and your emotions about money and observe them objectively. Does money really

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of your financial life in alignment with your values. If you follow the program presented in this book, it will lead inexorably to Financial Integrity. Financial Independence Financial Independence is the by-product of diligently following all the steps of the program outlined in this book. It is defined as having an income sufficient

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this book you will also discover that Financial Independence encompasses a lot more than having a secure income. It is also independence from crippling financial beliefs, from crippling debt and from a crippling inability

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to manage modern “conveniences.” Financial Independence is anything that frees you from a dependence on money to handle your life. What Is an “FIer”? “FIer” is our shorthand for a person

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who embodies FI thinking, who is gaining Financial Intelligence, learning Financial Integrity and moving naturally toward Financial Independence. Anyone who applies FI thinking to his or her life through following the steps of this program, we call an FIer. HOW THIS BOOK CAME

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steps and saw that they worked, they enthusiastically spread the word. And Joe began giving evening seminars called “Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence.” The demand increased, and the course became a daylong seminar with capacity crowds. In less than two years these seminars had been held in over

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distributed to other nonprofit organizations working for a better world. By 1991 over 30,000 people had taken “Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence.” The course had reached every state in the United States, every province of Canada and twenty foreign countries, and it had attracted the attention of

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this book and diligently applying the nine steps will transform your relationship with money and lead you to FI—Financial Intelligence, Financial Integrity and even Financial Independence. In this book you will also read the stories of individuals—from cooks to counselors, mathophobes to managers, trainers to truck drivers—whose lives

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world. Our global community requires that individuals reexamine and realign their thinking and their choices about their personal financial lives. Those participants who have achieved Financial Independence have discovered the fulfillment that comes from contributing their time, talent and love to the welfare of our planet and its inhabitants. It is the

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money, in the realm of personal responsibility, where we find our first definition of true Financial Independence. Our definition of Financial Independence cuts through the Gordian knot of not knowing what rich is. Financial Independence has nothing to do with rich. Financial Independence is the experience of having enough—and then some. Enough, you will remember, is found

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Judgment (blaming ourselves and others) is labeling things in terms of good and bad. On the road to transforming your relationship with money and achieving Financial Independence, you will find that judgment and blame do not serve. Discernment, on the other hand, is an essential skill. Discernment is sorting out the true

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of your unexamined and unrewarding spending patterns—painlessly. Integrity and Synergy This step helps you align values and behavior by adjusting one or the other. Financial Independence is built on Financial Integrity, and Financial Integrity is built on alignment of vision and values with action. As shocking as it may be to

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time. It’s like transforming a photo album into a moving picture: the Monthly Tabulations are like snapshots of particular moments in your journey toward Financial Independence, but the graph will make vivid your movement toward the goal, your progress over time. Your graph will be a “moving picture” in more

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has a name, one that has fallen into disuse in recent years. It’s called savings (see Figure 5-3). Savings are another form of Financial Independence. Financial Independence Is Money in the Bank How much are you saving now? What would your life be like if you had money to cover a year

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pursuing sales and, while her body got better, her personal financial picture got worse. She was glad that she and Ivy U. had started the Financial Independence support group of twenty people committed to working with the FI program. Their monthly meetings were islands of support and sanity where the cacophony of

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constant struggle with your finances will be released for making other, bigger dreams come true. With Step 8 the possibility of complete Financial Independence opens up. Naturally we will all be financially independent sometime between now and the day we die. (When they say “you can’t take it with you,” that doesn’t

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Americans do, awareness that you’re working for only a finite period will provide continued motivation to see your life as bigger than your job. FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE: HAVING ENOUGH—AND THEN SOME At the Crossover Point, where the income from your invested capital surpasses your monthly expenses, your basic life necessities and

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you might find yourself doing the same things, only differently. The irony of her post-FI work is not lost on Diane G. Since achieving Financial Independence she frequently finds herself sitting at a computer terminal doing programming. But now it’s completely different. Using skills that are as natural to her

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FI thinking is—whether or not you follow this particular program. Through some restructuring of their finances, Ted and Martha P. were able to achieve Financial Independence fairly soon after doing the FI program. While they both knew that they wanted their lives to serve some purpose higher than just getting by

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for a job. . . . AND THE ONES YOU LOVE Time with people—both family and friends—becomes a priority for many people who reach Financial Independence. Marcia M. achieved Financial Independence right after coordinating her second highly successful medical conference. Her expenses have remained around $950 a month—and she hasn’t scrimped on anything

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she’s really wanted to have or do. Marcia’s path to Financial Independence clarified many aspects of her life. After achieving Financial Independence, she had time to bring this clarity to her relationships with her family and heal the wounds of the past—

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what to do with their post-FI lives. We met Jason and Nedra Y. in Chapter 2 at the beginning of their journey. They achieved Financial Independence by building and managing a successful housecleaning business, and entered into an exciting career as volunteers. For the first few post-Crossover months they visited

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investment philosophy might be, type “risk tolerance” in your browser and take one of the many free tests available on the Web. THREE PILLARS OF FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE: CAPITAL, CUSHION AND CACHE The basic FI investment program has three elements: Capital: The sum that is invested, ultimately producing at least as much income

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makes your money go as far as possible. FI2 is Financial Integrity, aligning your earning and spending with your values and true fulfillment. FI3 is Financial Independence, which here is used to mean having enough income from investments to meet your needs now and in the future. Claire wrote: When we

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An increasing number of FIers are getting on the “socially responsible investing” SRI bandwagon because such investment vehicles allow them to merge their quest for financial independence with their humanitarian or environmental values. SRI has grown as a field from 55 socially screened mutual funds with $12 billion in assets in 2005

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4 you ask the question, “How might this expenditure change if I didn’t have to work for a living?” Most people who choose full Financial Independence find that their expenses go down significantly when they leave paid employment. No more commuting expenses, no more dress-for-success expenses, no more

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, or if that expenditure was not in full alignment with your values and purpose or if you could see expenses in that category diminishing after Financial Independence. + Mark a plus sign (or an up arrow) if you believe that upping this expenditure would increase fulfillment, would demonstrate greater personal alignment or

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would increase after Financial Independence. 0 Mark a 0 if that category is just fine on all counts. HOW:◆With total honesty. WHY:◆This is the core of the program

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“instinctive,” automatic lowering of expenses in those categories you labeled with a minus. ◆This Wall Chart will become the picture of your progress toward full Financial Independence, and you will use it for the rest of the program. It will provide inspiration, stimulus, support and gentle chiding. Step 6: Valuing Your

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to your actual monthly expenses. ◆You will have enough. ◆Your options are now wide open. ◆Celebrate! Step 9: Managing Your Finances The final step to financial independence: become knowledgeable and sophisticated about long-term income-producing investments so that you can manage your finances for a steady income sufficient to your needs

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with clear thinking and increased consciousness. Think for yourself. ◆Set up your financial plan using the three pillars:Capital: The income-producing core of your Financial Independence. Cushion: Enough ready cash, earning bank interest, to cover six months of expenses. Cache: The surplus of funds resulting from your continued practice of

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family money attitudes fear of inflation and recession as market driving force of not having enough Federal Reserve financial beliefs. See beliefs financial consultants (planners) financial independence (FI) achieving at crossover point being wealthy and as by-product of life celebrating choice as essence of definitions of FI thinking getting out of

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cache stop trying to impress other people substitution take care of what you have transportation costs vacations wearing it out savings as expense category and financial independence rates and salary chart vs. capital vs. consuming Schumacher, E. F. Schwartz, Bob security, money as Seid, Alan Seven Laws of Money, The (Phillips)

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investment income to awareness from hanging recording income and expenses Wall Street (movie) Wall Street Journal, The, bond information Wampler, Dave wealth, not equal to financial independence What Color Is Your Parachute? (Bolles) what-if worries What Wall Street Doesn’t Want You to Know (Swedroe) Wikipedia Wood, Vincent Woodman, Josef work

Playing With FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early): How Far Would You Go for Financial Freedom?

by Scott Rieckens and Mr. Money Mustache  · 1 Jan 2019

FIRE movement. And he does it with deeply personal, honest, and captivating stories that keep the pages turning. If you’re at all interested in financial independence, retiring early, or just putting happiness ahead of money, you will enjoy this book.” — Chad Carson, creator of the blog Coach Carson and author of

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goals sooner.” — Brandon Ganch, Mad Fientist “What if you could change your life 180 degrees, break free of the paycheck-to-paycheck grind, and pursue financial independence? Scott and Taylor Rieckens chronicle their incredible turnaround in Playing with FIRE, and their brilliantly simple advice is applicable to anyone: Spend less than you

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space in your life to pursue true happiness and lifelong relationships.” — Brad Barrett and Jonathan Mendonsa, cohosts of the ChooseFI podcast “To the uninitiated, pursuing financial independence seems exotic, impossible, and/or daunting. But in fact, it is simple and has roots deep in the American psyche. If you wonder what this

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. Text design by Tona Pearce Myers and Rodrigo Calderon Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Rieckens, Scott, date, author. Title: Playing with fire (financial independence retire early) : how far would you go for financial freedom? / Scott Rieckens. Description: Novato, California : New World Library, [2019] | Includes index. Identifiers: LCCN 2018047667 (print

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the Heck Is an Index Fund? 105 Chapter 9: Getting Schooled in FIRE 123 FIRE Story: Sylvia ■ Seattle, WA How Hurricane Katrina Made Me Pursue Financial Independence 132 Chapter 10: Family and Frugality 135 Chapter 11: Dream House or Dream Life? 155 FIRE Story: Hannah ■ Denver, CO How a Fire Pushed Our

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sure didn’t stop us from trying. Then, at age thirty-three, I was introduced to a fascinating phenomenon known as FIRE, which stands for “financial independence retire early.” FIRE is a growing community of people of all types and income levels committed to lives of aggressive savings and low-cost investments

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term “retire early” in the movement’s name, I’ve found the people in the FIRE community often reject the word retire and its implications; financial independence is about having the freedom and flexibility to pursue your true calling, whether or not it makes any money. FIRE isn’t about drinking cocktails

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about Mr. Money Mustache and all the other amazing people who were talking about FIRE. In fact, as I googled articles about early retirement and financial independence, I realized there were thousands of other people doing this. I read about a couple who retired in their thirties with three THE MILLION-DOLLAR

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do with it. Today, years later, they are both FIRE advocates, but clearly, convincing your spouse can be a real obstacle on the road to financial independence, and it needs to be done thoughtfully and respectfully. The truth of our situation was that I couldn’t pursue FIRE without Taylor. Not only

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Think a little bit differently.” Taylor responded to the idea that FIRE is not inherently about being extreme. It’s simply about trying to pursue financial independence. The speed at which you get there and the choices you make along the way are up to you. Once she felt more encouraged that

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force you to retire once you reach your savings goals. Taylor and I both plan on working (in some form or another) once we reach financial independence, and even a small income should be enough to support us if the stock market dips. Social Security is yet another cushion. Most people pursuing

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a podcast called ChooseFI. During the first episode I listened to, the hosts, Brad Barrett and Jonathan Mendonsa, described how every person’s path to financial independence is different. It doesn’t make my way better or your way worse; it’s just whatever works for you. They said they were trying

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our long-term happiness ahead of short-term enjoyment. The hard part is staying the course. 67 FIRE Vehicle Guide Like most purchases in the financial independence community, there is a FIRE-approved method to buying a car, a triedand-true process that combines self-reflection, cash, and data. This doesn’t

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buy and eventually, when Jovie was born later that year, we simply rented a bigger, three-bedroom place. However, now that we were striving for financial independence, we reconsidered homeownership. After all, if we were going to spend $3,000 a month to live, why throw away that money on a rental

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and smaller Midwest towns. It made sense: Career opportunity was one of the biggest benefits of living in a larger city, and once someone reached financial independence, they wouldn’t need that benefit. Plus, the prevalence of remote work opportunities means it’s never been easier to earn a big-city salary

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making my own documentary in 2014, Inventing to Nowhere. All of a sudden, a light went on for me. After I hung up, I googled “financial independence documentary” and found a thread on Reddit titled “Documentaries relevant to FIRE.” But the only films mentioned were Minimalism and a short film called Slomo

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really surprised me. I knew Mr. Money Mustache had reached more than twenty-three million people. And there are nearly 400,000 people on the Financial Independence subreddit as of this writing. This was clearly a growing movement, so why was there no feature film that captured its message? I immediately started

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at Taylor’s parents’ home. October to December — Live rent-free in Iowa at Scott’s parents’ home. October — Go to Ecuador for Chautauqua (a financial independence retreat). Mid-December — Go back to Seattle for Christmas with Taylor’s parents. January 2018 — Rent for a month in Boise, ID. February — Rent for

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KALEN & KYLE The realization that I don’t have to work until the age of sixtyfive has been life-changing. I see the pursuit of financial independence as a vehicle to get in touch with the important things, bringing clarity to an often overwhelming and confusing world. For me the idea of

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this discourage us. Once we started saving and investing we realized how rich we were — it’s all relative to your lifestyle. Those interested in financial independence shouldn’t let their salary deter them from saving as much as they can. The Best Part The biggest positive has been the consciousness shift

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achieve FIRE and change our lives on our own. We needed help from people who were in the process of reaching or had already reached financial independence. This was about emotional support as much as practical advice. Although we wanted to find a balance with our non-FIRE friends, we had

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that distill his advice on investing and personal finance, which are also available in his book, The Simple Path to Wealth: Your Road Map to Financial Independence and a Rich, Free Life. JL’s writing style is very approachable and fun, and he makes investing easy to understand; his work is also

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a striking difference between those who were driven by FIRE and those who were not: The former were on the path to (or had found) financial independence, and frugality was their superpower. They weren’t afraid to take risks because they were hedging their bets with high savings rates and realistic money

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missing the chance to earn us money in the stock market. 131 sylvia<FS> FIRE STORY SYLVIA ■ SEATTLE, WA How Hurricane Katrina Made Me Pursue Financial Independence By the Numbers Pre-FI career: Trial lawyer Current age: 38 Age at FI: 32 Current annual spending: $20,000 PLAYING WITH FIRE What FIRE

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would we have to give up? And even if we could do it now, what about five years from now? What about when we reached financial independence? Is this what our “retirement” was going to look like, a life without restaurant dinners, Christmas gift-giving, or trips to foreign countries? I

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of low expenses was gone. In fact, I’d reached the moment I’d always wondered about when other people described how they had achieved financial independence through FIRE. Did they ever get depressed always picking the frugal option? Didn’t they ever just want to throw budgets to the wind and

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walked me through the numbers (for a summary of this, see “What Actually Happens If the Stock Market Crashes,” page 41). The upshot is that “financial independence” is entirely self-defined. How much you need to save, and for how long, depends on how much you spend, the rate of inflation, the

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hundreds of other factors. The specific numbers aside, Brandon emphasized that patience and flexibility are vital ingredients in a sound FIRE plan. Focusing on reaching financial independence by a predetermined date and obsessing about market returns and every expenditure can be detrimental. If you follow the core FIRE principles — spend less than

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pursuing their passions. In reality, a person’s pre-FIRE and post-FIRE lives can end up blending together seamlessly. The specific date you reach financial independence is either a blurry moving target or simply a checkmark on a calendar. “Set a course and go live your life,” Brandon advised. “But what

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of time thinking about the why of financial independence. Recently, J. D. helped me create a personal mission statement. This exercise is powerful for anyone, regardless of financial situation, but it’s especially powerful

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kids, the cat, the dog, the daily grind of working hard in a high-costof-living area. We started listening to podcasts about minimalism and financial independence with the hope of teaching In a Nutshell DENVER, CO ■ FIRE STORY: HANNAH ourselves how to live a life closer to our values. Our

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in their RV, working odd jobs for extra money. “We are trying to find the balance between having fun now and still working toward full financial independence,” Adrienne explained. Across the fire, Taylor was trading stories about her years working at Microsoft with a woman who was currently working at Amazon. The

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woman said that her desire for financial independence wasn’t about not working — she loved working — but she wanted to build her own business without putting her family at financial risk. I was

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cold (like climbing Mount Everest in shorts) by using breathing techniques to control his nervous system and immune system. How was this 173 connected to financial independence? “It’s about taking control of your health,” one attendee mused. Another made the connection more directly: “Mustachianism is about optimizing happiness, and that’s

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had barely had a minute alone since we arrived. This exemplified one of the changes we had been experiencing since we started this journey to financial independence. We were more willing to question activities or decisions that we would have blindly agreed to before. Did we really want to hike a mountain

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expenses 120,000 annual savings 22,000 monthly expenses 10,000 monthly savings 1,833 If we had changed nothing, we wouldn’t have reached financial independence until I was seventy-two years old and Taylor was seventy-one. Jovie would have been forty-two, probably with kids of her own.

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on something that is more meaningful, whether it’s creating a musical album or learning a foreign language or homeschooling your children. People who reach financial independence do all kinds of very innovative projects. I think that when you can engage in that type of innovation and creativity without having to worry

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29, 2018, https://tim.blog/2017/02/13/mr-money-mustache. Page 78, there are nearly 400,000 people on the Financial Independence subreddit: “Initial Financial Independence Survey Results Are Here!,” Reddit (r/financial independence), accessed August 29, 2018, https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence. Page 85, Amazingly enough, they mentioned the documentary project: Jonathan Mendonsa

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Anything (blog), 109, 182 alcohol, 12–13, 144, 150, 183 Alexa rankings, 26 Amazon.com, 18, 20 American dream, 12 Aristotle, 2 Barrett, Brad: on financial independence paths, 38–39, 43; at FinCon, 124; on FIRE benefits, 181; on FIRE popularity, 183; on money manager fees, 114; Playing with FIRE documentary and

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for, 93, 94; holiday gifts and, 142–44, 150, 152–53; housing, 126, 188–89; “sunk cost fallacy” and, 62–63 expenses: “Big Three,” 50; financial independence and, 149; “fun,” 50; keeping less than earnings, 126–29; “lifestyle creep” and, 9; medical, 45–46; retirement calculator using, 39–41; tracking, 51–55

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, 56, 57–58 Dog Fancy (magazine), 156 dollar cost averaging (DCA), 128 Dominguez, Joe, 99 down payments, 81, 127 203 PLAYING WITH FIRE 204 FIRE (financial independence retire early) (continued ) residence location and, 77; Robin’s advice for, 99; Seven Steps to, 187–89; spousal discussions about, 34; spread of, 183; Taylor

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, FOX, Taylor Guitars, WIRED, and others. Scott’s latest endeavor, Playing with FIRE, explores the growing community of frugal-minded folks choosing a path to financial independence and early retirement. He and his family reside in Bend, Oregon. ABOUT THE AUTHOR playingwithfire.co 209 NEW WORLD LIBRARY is dedicated to publishing books

Meet the Frugalwoods: Achieving Financial Independence Through Simple Living

by Elizabeth Willard Thames  · 6 Mar 2018  · 179pp  · 59,704 words

6: Our Watershed Coffee Shop Conversation: A Dream Is Hatched 7: Our First Month of Extreme Frugality 8: Less Makeup, More Confidence 9: What Is Financial Independence Anyway? 10: Turns Out, Frugality Is About More Than Money. Much More. 11: Fighting Back Against the Baby-Industrial Complex 12: That One Time We

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conceive a baby and attempting to chart a path out of our frenzied nine-to-five grind in urban Cambridge, Massachusetts. We wanted to achieve financial independence, quit the cubicle jobs that made us so unhappy, and create a simpler life of purpose in a rural setting. This is the story of

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used our time in order to achieve deep fulfillment and lasting contentment. I’ve heard people say things along the lines of “anyone can achieve financial independence” and “people are poor because they don’t work hard enough” and “my success stems entirely from my own efforts” and I disagree with all

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. I’m not a missed paycheck away from bankruptcy. I choose to be frugal and I choose to live a lifestyle that has granted me financial independence. But it’s no more due to my own aptitude than the fact that I can read and write. Sure, I had to work hard

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had parents and teachers helping me out at every turn. I wish I could say that if everyone followed my advice, they too could reach financial independence, but that’s simply not the case. There are too many layers of institutional privilege enabling my story for it to be replicable for everyone

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done all manner of fancy spreadsheet calculations on how much money we could save and invest each month, and thus how quickly we could reach financial independence, but now it was time to see if his predictions were right. Our watershed coffee shop conversation was on March 29, 2014, and so the

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life. I came to understand that, in the end, the only person who truly cares how you live your life is you. 9 What Is Financial Independence Anyway? It’d been over a year since Nate and I made the decision to abandon our conventional lives, and we were smack in the

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was simply a matter of depositing money into our accounts every month and waiting for the totals to reach the number that would equal our financial independence. The phrase “financial independence” is a bit problematic in its vagueness, and there are many different interpretations of what exactly it entails. I view

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financial independence as the point at which you no longer have to earn money in order to live. In other words, your assets are such that you

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home repair/change in employment/family situation as an example of why you need an emergency fund. If you’re just starting out on your financial independence journey, one of the very first steps is to build up an emergency fund of cash. There’s no substitute for this, and there’s

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and I have, your portfolio might be quite different, which is totally fine. There’s no one right way to achieve financial stability and, eventually, financial independence. Here is a step-by-step plan that can serve as your guide for getting started: Determine your goals. What do you want out of

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or side hustle. There are a number of different formulas that people use to determine how much money they’ll need in order to reach financial independence, but at the most basic level, it’s a question of how much money you need to live on every year. In light of that

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, there are actually only three variables in the financial independence equation: income, expenses, and time. The less you spend, the more you save, the faster you save it, and the less money you need overall

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. Considered in this context, frugality is a compounding proposition and one of the fastest ways to reach financial independence. A high salary alone is meaningless if you don’t save any of it. The more distance you can put between your earnings and your

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there are other factors that also must be considered, such as your personal tolerance for risk, dependents, and health care, a very basic definition of financial independence is as follows: when a sustainable level of withdrawals from your assets is more than your ongoing expenses. Well that all sounds as good as

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a box of cupcakes. But the crucial third variable in achieving financial independence—time—became a sharp thorn stuck inside my left sock as we rounded our first year of goal pursuit. I need to be active, proactive

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the bathroom. Since keeping this Cambridge home as a rental property after we made our move to the woods was a key aspect of our financial independence plan, we decided to tackle cosmetic renovations in order to boost the home’s appeal (and hopefully, the rental price). First up were the kitchen

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; but we’d saved at such a high rate that we’d walked our way right out of the culture of more and right into financial independence. Nearly anyone with a decent job could do what we’ve done, yet very few do. Why? Because it takes short-term sacrifice, long-term

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for nonprofit/mission-based organizations, we made good money. And the more you earn, the more you can save and the quicker you can reach financial independence. That’s not to say that it can’t be done on lower salaries or with fewer built-in privileges, merely that the road was

The Simple Path to Wealth: Your Road Map to Financial Independence and a Rich, Free Life

by J L Collins  · 17 Jun 2016  · 194pp  · 59,336 words

it. And to the readers of www.jlcollinsnh.com whose questions and comments over the years helped me more fully understand what those aspiring to financial independence want and need to know. Disclaimer The ideas, concepts and everything else in this book are simply my opinion based on what has worked for

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not in the lab lighting things on fire or blowing them up, Kelly, her husband, and their cat Apollo write about their own journey to financial independence at www.frugalparadise.com. Rich Carey is a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force so, of course, I told him he didn’t

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peace negotiations. He is fluent in Chinese and also speaks Japanese. More importantly, for my purposes, he is a native English speaker. His avocation is financial independence and his approach has allowed him to pay off his D.C. townhouse and student loans in six years. He also has purchased several rental

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norm, it was especially important to me that the facts be correct. So I used three fact checkers. Two of the very smartest writers on financial independence out there today are the Mad Fientist of www.madfientist.com (a financial blog that includes the occasional travel post) who is still trying to

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Adeney, a.k.a Mr. Money Mustache (www.mrmoneymustache.com), graciously agreed to write the foreword. Pete is a major force in the world of financial independence and has been a longtime supporter of my blog and investing approach. He is also the first person I asked to be a speaker at

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me, it is better to be closer to the monk. Chapter III My story: It has never been about retirement For me, the pursuit of financial independence has never been about retirement. I like working and I’ve enjoyed my career. It’s been about having options. It’s been about being

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able to do exactly what she wants with her life and time. She’s after 10 million, far more than it takes to reach simple financial independence. At least for me. It helps to have a bit of the monk inside. The other thing I quickly figured out is that

…

financial independence is at least as much about being able to live modestly as it is about cash, as our opening parable describes. Unlike in the novel,

…

intended), better. So we have no cattle, gold, annuities, royalties and the like. When I quit work in 2011 and we fully settled into our financial independence, we still had a couple of leftover investments from earlier times. These represented the last remnants of the many investing mistakes I’ve made over

…

. I had no one to tell me stock picking was a sucker’s game or that swinging for the fences isn’t needed to reach financial independence. That last point alone would have saved me the $50,000 of my money Mariah International (a gold mining penny stock) burned through while failing

…

. In fact, most will see it as their ticket into the “good life.” But let’s be clear. This book is about guiding you towards financial independence. It is about buying your financial freedom. It is about helping you become wealthy and putting you in control of your financial destiny. Look around

…

lifestyle and made diverting the excess cash to your debt your path, you will have also created exactly the platform required to begin building your financial independence. Once the debt is gone, you need only shift the money to investments. Where once you had the satisfaction of watching your debt diminish, you

…

or that are far more expensive than prudent. Shamefully, this overspending is often encouraged by real estate agents and mortgage brokers. If your goal is financial independence, it is also to hold as little debt as possible. This means you’ll seek the least house to meet your needs rather than the

…

time, so it helps to start young. Of course, a million dollars is a very arbitrary goal. Perhaps the better question is: Can everybody achieve financial independence? On blogs like www.earlyretirementextreme.com and www.mrmoneymustache.com, you’ll find countless stories of people with modest incomes who by way of frugal

…

year-end bonus. Somewhat stunningly, listening to him list his expenses, he was right. He was burning through more than $175,000 every three months. Financial independence was a distant dream for him. Money is a very relative thing. Right now I have roughly $100 in my wallet. For some (very wealthy

…

go broke while low-income earners get there—than what you value. Money can buy many things, none of which is more important than your financial independence. Here’s the simple formula: Spend less than you earn—invest the surplus—avoid debt As we discussed in the introduction, do only this and

…

in money. But if your lifestyle matches or exceeds your income, you forfeit your hopes of financial independence. Let’s consider an example. Suppose you make $25,000 per year and you decide you want to be financially independent. Using some of the lifestyle tips from the blogs above, you’d want to organize

…

are working and have earned income to save and invest. For this stage I favor 100% stocks and VTSAX is the fund I prefer. If financial independence is your goal, your savings rate in these years should be high. As you invest that money each month it serves to smooth out the

…

, because it tends to encourage saving greater dollar amounts, it is more in keeping with the ethic of this book. For anyone serious about achieving financial independence, taking full advantage of all your tax-deferred opportunities is a must. And doing so starts to get you into a respectable saving rate. But

…

income taxes on them begin to rise. Do this for the next ten years or so and you’ll be well on your way to financial independence. Save more than 50% and you’ll get there sooner. Save less and it will take a bit longer. If you get lucky with the

…

start) two things will happen: Your career will be hitting its strongest surge and you will be closing in on financial independence. Once 4% of your assets can cover your expenses, consider yourself financially independent. Put another way, financial independence = 25x your annual expenses. That is, if you are living on $20,000 you have reached

…

financial independence with $500,000 invested. If, like our friend Mike Tyson used to, you are living on $400,000 a month/$4

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you are done working, diversify into bonds. The more bonds you add, the smoother the ride but the lower the growth. Once you’ve reached financial independence and are able to live on 4% of your holdings, should you so choose, now is the time: To begin expanding your lifestyle. Just be

…

a billionaire as we discussed in Chapter 32. To have children, if you plan to. You are still plenty young enough, financially secure and with financial independence you can arrange your affairs in such a fashion as to give them the time they deserve. To consider buying a house, if you are

…

and study developing and managing my own. For those who don’t want to do this, I’d recommend this book. If your goal is financial independence, you’re going to need strategies that are optimal for your skills, talents, and temperament. Those in The Simple Path to Wealth will serve you

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interesting. He makes complicated subjects simple and easy to understand. The Simple Path to Wealth is the first book I recommend to people curious about financial independence.” Mike Moyer Mike and Lauren on YouTube www.mikeandlauren.com “There are loads of books on investing. This is the one to get. It is

The Simple Path to Wealth (Revised & Expanded 2025 Edition): Your Road Map to Financial Independence and a Rich, Free Life

by JL Collins  · 191pp  · 66,998 words

and study developing and managing my own. For those who don’t want to do this, I’d recommend this book. If your goal is financial independence, you’re going to need strategies that are optimal for your skills, talents, and temperament. Those in The Simple Path to Wealth will serve you

…

interesting. He makes complicated subjects simple and easy to understand. The Simple Path to Wealth is the first book I recommend to people curious about financial independence.” —Mike Moyer, Mike and Lauren TV (YouTube) “There are loads of books on investing. This is the one to get. It is smart, thorough, and

…

Before It Was Fashionable: A Cautionary Tale Pathfinders: Extraordinary Stories of People like You on the Quest for Financial Independence—and How to Join Them The Simple Path to Wealth Your Road Map to Financial Independence and a Rich, Free Life JL Collins First Draft, an imprint of Authors Equity 1123 Broadway, Suite 1008

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inspired me to write it. And to my readers, whose questions and comments over the years helped me more fully understand what those aspiring to financial independence want and need to know. Start Here The ideas, concepts, and everything else in this book are my opinions based on what has worked for

…

may be helpful to know more about where I’m coming from. My Story: It Has Never Been About Retirement For me, the pursuit of financial independence has never been about retirement. I like working, and I’ve enjoyed my career. It’s been about having options. It’s been about being

…

able to do exactly what she wants with her life and time. She’s after ten million—far more than it takes to reach simple financial independence. At least for me. It helps to have a bit of the monk inside. The other thing I quickly figured out is that

…

financial independence is at least as much about being able to live modestly as it is about cash, as our opening parable describes. Unlike in the novel,

…

intended), better. So we have no cattle, gold, annuities, crypto, or the like. When I quit work in 2011 and we fully settled into our financial independence, we still had a couple of leftover investments from earlier times. These represented the last remnants of the many investing mistakes I’ve made over

…

. I had no one to tell me stock picking was a sucker’s game or that swinging for the fences isn’t needed to reach financial independence. That last point alone would have saved me the $50,000 of my money Mariah International (a gold-mining penny stock) burned through while failing

…

showed how deeply she has come to understand and embrace The Path. Indeed, now in her early thirties, she is closing in on her own financial independence. Even so, she still likes to tease me, saying, “You know, Dad, if I had listened to you when I was young, there would be

…

. In fact, most will see it as their ticket into the “good life.” But let’s be clear. This book is about guiding you toward financial independence. It is about buying your financial freedom. It is about helping you become wealthy and putting you in control of your financial destiny. Look around

…

lifestyle and made diverting the excess cash to your debt your path, you will have also created exactly the platform required to begin building your financial independence. With the debt gone, you need only shift the money to investments. Where once you had the satisfaction of watching your debt diminish, you’ll

…

or that are far more expensive than prudent. Shamefully, this overspending is often encouraged by real estate agents and mortgage brokers. If your goal is financial independence, it is also to hold as little debt as possible. This means you’ll seek the least house to meet your needs rather than the

…

time, so it helps to start young. Of course, a million dollars is a very arbitrary goal. Perhaps the better question is, Can everybody achieve financial independence? On blogs like Early Retirement Extreme and Mr. Money Mustache, you’ll find countless stories of people with modest incomes who by way of frugal

…

stunningly, listening to him list his expenses, he was right. He was burning through more than $175,000 ($359,810 in 2024) every three months. Financial independence was a distant dream for him. Money is a very relative thing. Right now, I have roughly $200 in my wallet. For some (very wealthy

…

go broke, while low-income earners get there—than what you value. Money can buy many things, none of which is more important than your financial independence. Here’s the simple formula: Spend less than you earn—Invest the surplus—Avoid debt. As we already discussed, do only this and you’ll

…

in money. But if your lifestyle matches or exceeds your income, you forfeit your hopes of financial independence. Let’s consider an example. Suppose you make $50,000 per year and you decide you want to be financially independent. Using some of the lifestyle tips from the blogs mentioned earlier, you’d want to

…

are working and have earned income to save and invest. For this stage, I favor 100% stocks, and VTSAX is the fund I prefer. If financial independence is your goal, your savings rate in these years should be high. As you invest that money each month, it serves to smooth out the

…

because it tends to encourage saving greater dollar amounts, it is more in keeping with the ethic of this book. For anyone serious about achieving financial independence, taking full advantage of all your tax-deferred opportunities is a must. And doing so starts to get you into a respectable savings rate. But

…

income taxes on them begin to rise. • Do this for the next ten years or so and you’ll be well on your way to financial independence. • Save more than 50% and you’ll get there sooner. Save less and it will take a bit longer. • If you get lucky with the

…

things will happen: Your career will be hitting its strongest surge, and you will be closing in on financial independence. • Once 4% of your assets can cover your expenses, consider yourself financially independent. • Put another way, financial independence = twenty-five times your annual expenses. • That is, if you are living on $60,000, you have reached

…

financial independence with $1,500,000 invested. • If, like our friend Mike Tyson used to, you are living on $400,000

…

you are done working, diversify into bonds. The more bonds you add, the smoother the ride but the lower the growth. Once you’ve reached financial independence and are able to live on 4% of your holdings, should you so choose, now is the time: • To begin expanding your lifestyle. Just be

…

billionaire, as we discussed in Chapter 32. • To have children, if you plan to. You are still plenty young enough and financially secure, and with financial independence, you can arrange your affairs in such a fashion as to give them the time they deserve. • To consider buying a house, if you are

…

here’s another, better way to think about it: No matter when you start, if you follow the principles in this book, the journey to financial independence will take about ten to fifteen years, depending largely on your savings rate. So you can be older and still have plenty of runway to

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, you might not get one. But you won’t come up with a handful of mud either.” How do I know when I’ve achieved financial independence? The math is simple, a balance between the level of your Assets and the level of your Spending: A × 4% = S. For example, if you

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again. But they love their jobs and wake up every day and, as Warren Buffett says he does, tap dance their way to work. Reaching financial independence doesn’t mean you have to quit a job you love. But suppose you have a soul-crushing job, need $50,000 a year, but

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, this wardrobe, this vacation, this . . . well, the list is endless. The more must-haves in your life, the less likely you are to reach financial independence. Indeed, unless financial independence is your number-one must-have, this path will be longer, more difficult, and maybe not for you. Resources Unless noted, the online addresses

…

was especially important to me to get the facts right. So I used three fact-checkers. This included two of the very smartest writers on financial independence out there today: the Mad Fientist, a blogger who is still trying to preserve some of his privacy, and Jeremy Jacobson of the Go Curry

…

nonfinancial types. Pete Adeney, a.k.a. Mr. Money Mustache, graciously agreed to write the foreword. Pete is a major force in the world of financial independence and has been a longtime supporter of my blog and investing approach. That was reason enough to ask him; the fact that he readily agreed

Extreme Early Retirement: An Introduction and Guide to Financial Independence (Retirement Books)

by Clayton Geoffreys  · 16 May 2015  · 44pp  · 13,346 words

Extreme Early Retirement: An Introduction and Guide to Financial Independence Copyright © 2015 by Clayton Geoffreys All rights reserved. Neither this book nor any portion thereof may be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without

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/About the Author Foreword A lot of times people believe they need to work until they are well into their 60s in order to achieve financial independence and to retire safely. In today’s day and age, the old model towards retirement is antiquated. Early extreme retirement is now more possible than

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of your retirement portfolio, you can sustain your current lifestyle while accounting for inflation). Hopefully from reading Extreme Early Retirement: An Introduction and Guide to Financial Independence, I can provide you with a basic understanding of how many people today are retiring earlier and enjoying life on their terms due to their

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of different towns and sharing them with people beginning to explore their retirement options. If you enjoyed Extreme Early Retirement: An Introduction and Guide to Financial Independence, please leave a review! Also, you can read more of my general works on Best Places to Retire in Florida, Best Places to Retire on

Blank Space: A Cultural History of the Twenty-First Century

by W. David Marx  · 18 Nov 2025  · 642pp  · 142,332 words

believed that hard work was crucial to “getting ahead in life”—and yet they also resented that fact. Many sought refuge in the FIRE movement: “financial independence, retire early.” Early adopters were “stoic ultraminimalists” who embraced delayed gratification, subsisting on beans today to fund globetrotting tomorrow. Over time, the most popular strain

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, “ ‘The 4-Hour Workweek.’ ” GO TO NOTE REFERENCE IN TEXT Seventy-three percent: Stokes, “U.S. and European Millennials.” GO TO NOTE REFERENCE IN TEXT “financial independence, retire early”: Amy X. Wang, “Your Neighbors Are Retiring in Their 30s. Why Can’t You?,” New York Times Magazine, May 7, 2024, https://www

The Impossible City: A Hong Kong Memoir

by Karen Cheung  · 15 Feb 2022  · 297pp  · 96,945 words

, an antidepressant. The bill is HK$2,000 every two weeks. My boyfriend has old family money; I’m still a student trying to become financially independent from my father. This will just be for a couple of weeks—I won’t have to keep seeing this doctor, I think. I do

MONEY Master the Game: 7 Simple Steps to Financial Freedom

by Tony Robbins  · 18 Nov 2014  · 825pp  · 228,141 words

money tax free, and you don’t have to be rich or famous to take advantage of it. It could literally help you achieve your financial independence 25% to 50% faster, depending upon your tax bracket. No person is free who is not master of himself. —EPICTETUS But plan or no plan

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automatically. See www.tonyrobbins.com/masterthegame.) But first let’s look at those five financial dreams. When I say the words “financial security,” “financial vitality,” “financial independence,” “financial freedom,” and “absolute financial freedom,” do those sound like the exact same thing to you? Do they bring up emotions that feel different in

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achieved, let’s look at: DREAM 2: FINANCIAL VITALITY What do I mean by vitality? This goal is a mile marker on your path to Financial Independence and Freedom. You’re not all the way there yet, but it’s the place where you can be secure and also have some extras

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Again, just type in these figures, and all of this math will be done for you on the app. DREAM 3: FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE Pop the champagne, because when you’ve reached Financial Independence, you no longer have to work to have the same lifestyle you have today! The annual interest earned on the return

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? Financial Independence means that money is now your slave—you are not the slave to money. Money works for you; you don’t work for it. If

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than they earn! If you made $100,000 and you spent $100,000 that year (including paying your taxes) just to maintain your lifestyle, your financial independence is $100,000. If you spend less than you earn, congratulations! Unfortunately, you are the exception, not the rule. So if it costs you only

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$80,000 to live, on a $100,000 salary, then $80,000 a year is what you need to be independent. So what’s your Financial Independence number? Go to the app or write it here now: $_______. Remember, clarity is power. When your brain knows a real number, your conscious mind will

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that financial security would be within reach—20 × $137,400 = $2,748,000—a number far less than the $20 million he’d projected. For Financial Independence, they figured they needed $350,000 a year to maintain their lifestyle at the current level, because they had a second home and a lot

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financing the boat and condo, along with his contribution, for Financial Freedom they would have to add $165,000 a year to their number for Financial Independence. In other words, they would need $515,000 a year (× 20), or $10.2 million in their money machine. But remember, this number represents an

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$530 per month 3. Family ski condo mortgage costing $800,000 at 4.5% = monthly payment of $4,880 per month 4. Monthly income for Financial Independence $29,167 per month 5. Total monthly income number for Freedom $42,910 per month 6. Now multiply that by 12, and you’ll have

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. Luxury item #1 per month ____ $____ per month 2. Luxury item #2 per month ____ $____ per month 3. Donation per month ____ $____ per month 4. Monthly income for Financial Independence (Whatever number you calculated annually divided by 12) $____ per month 5. Total monthly income number for Financial Freedom $____ per month 6. Now multiply that by

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exercise. You might achieve financial security without working, and then by working part-time at something you enjoy, you could be financially independent. Or it’s possible you could achieve Financial Independence through your investment income and part-time work, allowing yourself to experience the luxuries of Financial Freedom with that income. So go

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for you, and you stick to it. That’s success, plain and simple. If you’re scrambling, constantly competing with others’ views of success or financial independence and trying to achieve an elusive goal, you’re going to fall behind and become frustrated. If you’re chasing someone else’s goal, you

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may sound like a long time, but he’ll still be only 53 years old. And just seven years later, at 60, Marco could reach Financial Independence—a full five years before he’d ever dreamed of retiring, with more annual income than he ever imagined! Marco went from worrying about never

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paying off his student loans to looking at a future of real financial independence. Even better, within five years, by age 65, with all of his growth and the boost of Social Security added, Marco would actually experience his

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Vitality or Independence is popping up far too quickly. “There’s no way I can get there that fast,” they think. “I can’t achieve Financial Independence in five, seven, or eight years. That’s crazy!” In their minds, they’ve got a good 20 or 30 years of hard work and

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who needed $100,000 a year to be financially secure—a large number by many people’s standards, but not by her own. To achieve Financial Independence, she’d need $175,000 to maintain her current lifestyle without working. Katherine assumed it was going to take more than 20 years to get

…

of compounding. When Angela first calculated the amount of income she’d need for Financial Security, her number came to $34,000 a year. For Financial Independence, she’d need $50,000. At first glance, her numbers excited her. They didn’t have seven zeros, and they were numbers she could get

…

get to Financial Security by sixty-two, let’s take a look at Financial Independence. I’m going to figure out a way to become financially independent, not in my seventies or eighties but in my sixties!” And her number to reach Financial Independence? It was $50,000—only $16,000 more a year in income

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you can save, or how many years you’ve got to do it, you can take advantage of the unparalleled power of compounding. Financial security, financial independence—whatever your goals, you will get there a whole lot faster when you put your money to work for you. It’s not about lifestyle

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to find and to reinvest. Now let’s turn the page and uncover the fastest way I know to speed up your plan and achieve financial independence faster. Let’s learn to earn more. MINDFUL SAVINGS Here’s a quick-and-easy six-step exercise to get you thinking more aggressively—more

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turn, has removed uncertainty among insurance and investors. By taking taxes out of the equation, the time it takes to reach your critical mass and financial independence will be massively accelerated. No longer do you have to worry about how much of your money will actually be yours to spend after the

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is different: he’s betting on the direction of the energy futures and derivatives markets. And while this book is devoted to helping you achieve financial independence, Boone says our dependence on foreign oil is the single greatest threat not only to national security but also to our economic well-being. Always

…

creating an extraordinary quality of life—life on your terms. Until now we’ve zeroed in on how to master the game of money and financial independence because money can have a significant effect on everything from our psychology, to our health, to our intimate relationships. But it’s important to remember

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, 257–58 Dream Bucket, 207, 340–47 exact, realization of, 199, 212–15 figuring the price of, 224 financial freedom, 211, 217, 220–22, 292 financial independence, 211, 217, 218–20, 292 financial security, 211, 212–17, 292 financial vitality, 211, 217–18 levels of, 203 lifestyle, 209–10 magic of, 206

…

, 206 financial freedom, 5–6, 30, 70, 83, 211, 217, 220–22, 249, 263, 292, 364, 600 absolute financial freedom, 211, 223–25, 257–58 financial independence, 211, 217, 218–20, 292 financial meltdown (2008–2009), 15, 16–17, 18, 47, 71, 88, 98, 175, 264, 298, 299, 309, 313–14, 330

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The Wealth Dragon Way: The Why, the When and the How to Become Infinitely Wealthy

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Money Moments: Simple Steps to Financial Well-Being

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Mean Mothers: Overcoming the Legacy of Hurt

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Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth

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A Culture of Growth: The Origins of the Modern Economy

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The Fourth Age: Smart Robots, Conscious Computers, and the Future of Humanity

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Shadow Work: The Unpaid, Unseen Jobs That Fill Your Day

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Fully Automated Luxury Communism

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A Book for Her

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Hedgehogging

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Living Well on the Spectrum

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Please Don't Sit on My Bed in Your Outside Clothes: Essays

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The Ape That Understood the Universe: How the Mind and Culture Evolve

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The Blood of Heroes: The 13-Day Struggle for the Alamo--And the Sacrifice That Forged a Nation

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Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism

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Just Keep Buying: Proven Ways to Save Money and Build Your Wealth

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Dark Mirror: Edward Snowden and the Surveillance State

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The Money Tree: A Story About Finding the Fortune in Your Own Backyard

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Scarred: The True Story of How I Escaped NXIVM, the Cult That Bound My Life

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How to Be Idle

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The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory

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Deep Utopia: Life and Meaning in a Solved World

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My Father's Brain: Life in the Shadow of Alzheimer's

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Moral Ambition: Stop Wasting Your Talent and Start Making a Difference

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IRL: Finding Realness, Meaning, and Belonging in Our Digital Lives

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The Narcissist You Know

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Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on the Decision Not to Have Kids

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How to Fail: Everything I’ve Ever Learned From Things Going Wrong

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The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement

by David Brooks  · 8 Mar 2011  · 487pp  · 151,810 words

Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth

by Margaret Atwood  · 15 Mar 2007

Lifestyle Entrepreneur: Live Your Dreams, Ignite Your Passions and Run Your Business From Anywhere in the World

by Jesse Krieger  · 2 Jun 2014  · 189pp  · 52,741 words

Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging

by Sebastian Junger  · 23 May 2016  · 109pp  · 33,946 words

Getting Past Your Past: Take Control of Your Life With Self-Help Techniques From EMDR Therapy

by Francine Shapiro  · 26 Mar 2013  · 358pp  · 112,735 words

The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Sixth Annual Collection

by Gardner Dozois  · 23 Jun 2009  · 1,263pp  · 371,402 words

Decoding the World: A Roadmap for the Questioner

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Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China

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The Routes of Man: How Roads Are Changing the World and the Way We Live Today

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Laziness Does Not Exist

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The Search for Life on Mars

by Elizabeth Howell  · 14 Apr 2020  · 530pp  · 145,220 words

Mexico - Mexico City

by Rough Guides  · 267pp  · 74,238 words

The Problem With Work: Feminism, Marxism, Antiwork Politics, and Postwork Imaginaries

by Kathi Weeks  · 8 Sep 2011  · 350pp  · 110,764 words

Who Are We—And Should It Matter in the 21st Century?

by Gary Younge  · 27 Jun 2011  · 298pp  · 89,287 words

The Perfect House: A Journey With Renaissance Master Andrea Palladio

by Witold Rybczynski  · 2 Sep 2002  · 317pp  · 76,169 words

Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut

by Mike Mullane  · 24 Jan 2006  · 506pp  · 167,034 words

The Automatic Millionaire, Expanded and Updated: A Powerful One-Step Plan to Live and Finish Rich

by David Bach  · 27 Dec 2016  · 201pp  · 62,593 words

Victorian Internet

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Sweden

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Shantaram: A Novel

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The Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update

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The Partly Cloudy Patriot

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100 Things We've Lost to the Internet

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The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession

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Uprooting: From the Caribbean to the Countryside - Finding Home in an English Country Garden

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Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout

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Masters of Scale: Surprising Truths From the World's Most Successful Entrepreneurs

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Stop Saving Start Investing: Ten Simple Rules for Effectively Investing in Funds

by Jonathan Hobbs  · 5 Apr 2017  · 94pp  · 18,728 words

The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers

by Ben Horowitz  · 4 Mar 2014  · 270pp  · 79,068 words

What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful

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The Latte Factor: Why You Don't Have to Be Rich to Live Rich

by David Bach and John David Mann  · 6 May 2019  · 146pp  · 34,934 words

Happy Inside: How to Harness the Power of Home for Health and Happiness

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Exit Strategy

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If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All

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The Making of Karateka: Journals 1982-1985

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Please Report Your Bug Here: A Novel

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Buy Then Build: How Acquisition Entrepreneurs Outsmart the Startup Game

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Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us, From Missiles to the Moon to Mars

by Nathalia Holt  · 4 Apr 2016  · 288pp  · 92,175 words

The Future Won't Be Long

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Liar's Poker

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Irrationally Yours: On Missing Socks, Pickup Lines, and Other Existential Puzzles

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Die With Zero: Getting All You Can From Your Money and Your Life

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A Second Chance

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Flash Count Diary: Menopause and the Vindication of Natural Life

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Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life

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The Hunt for Red October

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Not My Father's Son: A Memoir

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Are Trams Socialist?: Why Britain Has No Transport Policy

by Christian Wolmar  · 19 May 2016  · 79pp  · 24,875 words

Ready Player One

by Ernest Cline  · 15 Feb 2011  · 458pp  · 137,960 words

The Lie of the Land

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The Linguist: A Personal Guide to Language Learning

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Ask Me About My Uterus: A Quest to Make Doctors Believe in Women's Pain

by Abby Norman  · 6 Mar 2018  · 323pp  · 107,963 words

Notes to Self

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Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

by James Clear  · 15 Oct 2018  · 301pp  · 78,638 words

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: 50th Anniversary Edition

by Ken Kesey  · 19 Jan 2012  · 349pp  · 113,575 words

The Heartfulness Way: Heart-Based Meditations for Spiritual Transformation

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The Six-Figure Second Income: How to Start and Grow a Successful Online Business Without Quitting Your Day Job

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Dishwasher: One Man's Quest to Wash Dishes in All Fifty States (P.S.)

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