For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be financially free.
(Aka: rich enough to do whatever I want.)
At first, I thought that meant building a huge software company like Steve Jobs or Elon Musk.
Then I thought it meant growing a massive YouTube channel like MrBeast or MKBHD.
Later, I figured it meant coaching others to manage their money better.
But here’s the truth:
You don’t need to build anything extraordinary to reach financial freedom.
If you’re reading this, you can probably do it in under 10 years—without launching a business, a YouTube channel, or even a side hustle.
It’s as simple as this:
Buy VOO or VTI until your investments equal 25× your annual expenses.
That’s it.
If I’d saved what I spent chasing real estate deals and online courses, I’d be within a year of retirement right now—at 29.
It sounds crazy. Maybe even boring. But the boring stuff works.
Let’s run the math:
Spend $25K a year → Need $625K invested
Spend $30K a year → Need $750K
Spend $100K a year → Need $2.5M
Every extra dollar of lifestyle inflation pushes financial independence further away.
After auditing our spending, my wife and I realized our essentials—mortgage, utilities, phones, cars, insurance, groceries, and gym—total about $32,000 per year.
At our current pace, we’re roughly two years away from having those needs fully covered by investments.
Every year after that adds about $5,000 of optional spending—travel, hobbies, whatever matters most.
I’m not here to tell you to live on rice and beans.
I’m here to tell you to define what “enough” looks like—for you.
Not what society says.
Not what your parents want.
Not what your friends flaunt.
Because for most of us, freedom is a lot closer than we think.
—Jake