A major milestone in my FIRE journey was reached! Adopting strategic moves with investments and handling my finances appropriately, I can announce that I was able to retire at 50! It’s been a long term goal of mine to be able to walk away from my 9 to 5 job, gain back my time, and be able to do what I truly enjoy. Every article I write in this blog are techniques I used to help me reach this goal. This was truly a family supported effort and now that I’ve retired at 50, what’s next? 

Most, if not all, of my techniques have been documented in my Archive page. I’ve learned and adopted many techniques over the years, learned new habits, and changed old habits that supported my financial independence goal.  

How did I know when I reached my goal? I didn’t have a FIRE number. I calculated what my expenses are and estimates how much income I would be generating after I leave my job. If my income is larger than my expenses, my thought is that I’m in good shape. This income would come in the form of interest, dividends, rental income, stock growth, and side hustles.   

Now that I reached my financial independence goal, I have to look at things differently and evaluate conditions through other lens. Do I continue keeping assets in growth stocks or move towards conservative assets? Will I be able to survive a down turn in the market? Can I make risky investments? What if my expenses start to increase and surpass my income?  

What’s next for me? One of the things I mentioned above is that I get to gain back my time which will give me opportunities to explore things that I was not able to previously. I want to spend more time with my family, be able to say “yes” to giving rides, attend events, and enjoy all this without having to think about work the next day. Sunday was spent preparing for the week which really doesn’t account as a rest day and built more anxiety thinking of having to work the next day.  

Keep in mind that becoming financial independent is not an overnight thing. Living off a W-2 salary and trying to become financially independent takes work, discipline, and time. I hope to be an example that it can work and being able to be retired at 50 is an achievable goal. As I embark on my new journey, I anticipate to explore new opportunities as well as face new challenges. If you are interested in following my journey, email subscribe here to get alerts of latest posts or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.