Financial freedom is almost everyone’s dream, isn’t it?

“Living life the way you want” This phrase is probably something many people bring out from time to time to encourage themselves, right?

You say you want to “retire” at 40, but you can’t resist the temptations this world brings you. You say you want to “retire” at 40, but you forget that one day you might lose your job and your income. You say you want to “retire” at 40, but you haven’t managed your finances properly, haven’t made your money beat inflation. You say you want to “retire” at 40, but you lost most of your savings due to greed. You say you want to “retire” at 40, not that you can’t, but are you willing to work for it?

FIRE – Financial Independence, Retire Early

The so-called early retirement doesn’t mean lying at home doing nothing, but rather being able to choose to do the work you love, not worrying about whether it makes money, what’s most important is that you’re happy.

FIRE advocates working hard to earn money first, lowering material desires, and living a minimalist life to quickly accumulate enough funds for your “retirement life.”

Key points = low consumption, high savings, allocating 50-75% of your income to savings and investments. Assuming monthly expenses are $3000, then having $900K saved up will cover fixed living expenses, and the annual interest will put you in a state of financial freedom. ($36,000/year x 25)

FIRE isn’t reserved for the wealthy, both income and expenses are important, and it’s not about living a “beggar’s” life, it’s about understanding you don’t need too much, it’s not about saying you must retire, but that you can choose selective retirement.

It advocates a way of life, what kind of life do you want to live?

Everyone has their own vision of life, but due to financial constraints, they’re unable to live as they’d like, desperately spinning in a rat race. But suddenly looking back, they realize that in this lifetime, apart from working hard, there doesn’t seem to be much worth cherishing.

Because you know what you want, you’ll optimize your consumption views, knowing what’s worth spending on and what’s not. Some things I delay enjoying, I can’t have now, but I’ll get them later.

What you can’t buy at 20, you can have at 30, it’s not too late. But I don’t want to be 40 worrying about what to do if I lose my job tomorrow. I definitely don’t want to be 50, when something happens, I can’t even afford medical expenses.

Although some people won’t understand, and might even think, “Is it worth it?” Yet in the end, envy will show in their eyes. Your luxury today, you’ll have to pay for later. Your enjoyment today, you’ll have to repay twofold in the future. Some might not comprehend, and might even consider it unnecessary, but ultimately, envy will show in their eyes. Your luxury today, you’ll have to repay later. Your enjoyment today, you’ll have to repay twofold in the future. Some might not understand, and might even consider it unnecessary, but in the end, envy will show in their eyes. What you wanted today is what you’ll have to pay for tomorrow. What you’re enjoying today is what you’ll have to repay twofold in the future. Flowers don’t bloom all year round, people don’t have their prime all the time; especially in this kind of environment, it’s so easy to get “lost.”

Please believe in the path you choose, because during your persistence, many skeptical eyes will come your way, yet once you truly achieve it, you’ll find many people seeking advice from you. Regardless of whether you choose now or in the future, as long as you’re true to your inner self, nothing else matters.

Some people YOLO to see the world, others work hard for a decade to exchange for a lifetime, two different lives, both yours to choose.

Life is fleeting, what we’re pursuing is simply a life without financial pressure, where we can still live the life we want, choose the job we want, the people we love, not settling, not letting ourselves down, not compromising.