We reached FI. Then came the question: now what? Our answer—retire early, sell everything, and long-term travel with three kids. Here’s what it really took to quit work and go all-in on travel.

We hit FI—but that was just the start. Here’s how we actually manage our money now: 4% rule, tax hacks, and a plan that lets us sleep at night.

Reaching Financial Independence isn’t a straight shot—it’s a long, winding ride. For us, it took eight years. Here’s how we tracked our savings and net worth to stay on course while still enjoying life with three little kids.

Our savings rate was the single biggest driver of Financial Independence (FI). So we focused on what we could control: increasing income, optimizing expenses, and reducing taxes. Here’s how we hit a 50% savings rate—without hating life.

Our investing strategy wasn’t complicated—just early, consistent, and simple. By sticking with low-cost index funds and dollar-cost averaging, compounding did the heavy lifting. See how we grew our portfolio to $1M+ while raising three kids.

We finally put a number to freedom: $3M. That’s how much we needed invested to retire early and travel with our kids. See how we calculated our FI number—and why yours might be lower than you think.

When we started our Financial Independence journey, we had no clear picture of what we were spending, saving, or worth on paper. Once we began tracking our income, expenses, savings rate, and net worth—it changed everything. With a baseline in place, early retirement shifted from a distant dream to something within reach. See how we set up our tracking systems and why it was a big step toward retiring early with kids.

Finding our 'why' to retire early was our first step. Without a solid 'why', we wouldn't have been able to survive the journey.

The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins is a goldmine on how to build wealth; no fluff, no scams—just practical, real advice.

The FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement has become increasingly popular in personal finance. Centered around aggressive saving, smart investing, and mindful spending, FIRE offers a path to financial freedom and the possibility of retiring decades earlier than traditional retirement plans.