I will never forget December 23, 2016 in my life. It was the last day I worked full time.
After accumulating $870,000, my wife and I retired at 33 and 35. Our net worth went up to $1 million after the market helped us.
I didn't grow up rich. We didn't start our own businesses. We didn't inherit a lot of money. At the time, we did not have side hustles. We made strategic financial moves to accumulate wealth.
I escaped the rat race after doing 13 stupid things.
Our strengths allow us to pay the bills, even though our passions tend to be more on the creative side.
Photography is one of the things I do. My strength is in computers. In 2004, I started my career as a software engineer with a starting salary of $55,000 and made over $100,000 by the end of the year. I am not sure if I would have made more money if I followed my passion.
It is possible to combine your hobby with a high paying career. You should build a career around what you do well.
I worked with a lot of rich people. I didn't take notes because I didn't want to be jealous of them.
I worked with Brian when I was a student. He drove a six-year-old Honda Accord when I was younger. He had a cheap watch and didn't wear designer clothes.
Brian was the first person in the office and always volunteered for more responsibility. He was able to earn his wealth by controlling his spending.
If you only hang out with people who like to drink and spend money, you will most likely follow the same spending and drinking habits.
I upgraded my friends' lives. Top performers were associated with me. Extra time was spent with people who were more successful than me. I wanted to build a relationship with them. They rubbed off on me.
I started to make better money decisions and stopped drinking alcohol. I asked for raises and promotions at work just like the high- performers did.
The company match of 4% was free money that my employer contributed on my behalf and I invested in my 401(k) with it.
Health savings accounts are used by some companies to help employees save for medical expenses. It acts like a 401(k) later in life, thanks to the health savings account. Money can be taken out for anything after you turn 65.
If you have a full-time job, you may be able to take advantage of educational and training opportunities. You can use these skills to get promoted in your career.
The easiest way to get a raise is to take a new job and negotiate a better salary.
Each time I switched companies, I received a raise. Many employers give their staff a 3% cost of living raise.
Don't switch companies too frequently. Some employers won't hire candidates who change jobs frequently if you stay in each role for a year. The process of hiring and orienting can cost a lot.
Automatic payroll deductions were used for my retirement accounts. Automated bank transfers were used to contribute money to my account. I was able to save money from my paychecks.
I enroll in auto bill-pay for utilities like electric and water. Late fees, interest payments and other penalties were avoided by me.
You will get hate when you do something significant. A lot of it sometimes.
You will be criticized for spending money in a different way. If you don't like happy hours at your bar, you might lose friends. It is important to ignore hate in order to build wealth.
Your neighbors buying a brand new car, boat or house doesn't mean you have to.
Staying focused on your own goals is how to ignore the Joneses. We talked about our future hopes as we walked our dogs. We kept our goals front and center.
We didn't allow other people's spending habits to affect us.
Sometimes spouses have different ideas about how to spend their money. These differences may cause arguments and other problems in the relationship that keep you from achieving your financial goals.
Open communication with your partner is important for a healthy relationship.
My wife and I were on the same page about what we wanted our future to look like when we talked about our future goals every day.
Money isn't the only thing that matters in life. My health is the most important thing. Good health reduces the chance of unexpected medical expenses and makes you happier.
I was not in tip top shape. I decided to eat better and exercise more frequently. I lost 70 pounds over the course of two years.
Today is my 41st birthday and I continue to weight train. My wife and I built a home gym on our seven acres. We spent the greatest amount of money we have ever spent.
The US has $840 billion in credit card debt. Credit card debt is the worst type of debt due to high interest rates.
I owe a lot of my credit card debt to my father. Credit card debt is not acceptable for a month. Many people find credit cards too easy to use because they don't have a lot of money. It can get out of control in a hurry.
Credit cards are a convenience for me. I pay off my balance every month in order to get the fraud protection and implied warranties that many cards offer. I retired in my 30s because of it.
I would always accept the challenge of figuring it out as I went, even if I didn't know how to do it.
I was called into a meeting with the CEO of the company I was working for. It turned out to be the best career opportunity I've ever had.
They wanted me to be the director of technology information after they fired the entire management team. It seemed daunting to be a low level software developer. I didn't feel prepared for such a big promotion.
I accepted despite my mind telling me not to. I gained the experience I needed to level up my career after asking many questions.
I used to go to the bar with my colleagues. I spent up to $100 per trip for the privilege of drinking. My bar habit took a toll on my wallet.
I decided to stop going to the outings. I used that money to build a $1,000,000 nest egg.
Don't spend your alcohol and latte money on things you don't need. If you spend more money than you should, you will reduce the quality of your future self.
Steve Adcock is a finance expert who writes about finances. Steve retired at the ripe old age of 35. You can follow him on the social networking site.
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