Last week I had to attend probably the most pointless work meeting of this year to date, except this one I had to travel across the country and attend in person.

Following a recent promotion, I’m now at a career crossroads. Has financial independence already allowed me to opt out of the rat race?

Last month, I finally hit what I’ve been eyeing as a huge milestone in my path to FIRE. How am I doing compared to the plan I laid out two years ago?

It may seem obvious that the more that you save, the earlier you can retire, but the first time I saw just how early I could retire by saving a third or more of my income, I was completely blown away.

In some ways I feel like this experience has given me a small taste of the daily freedom I imagine comes along with early retirement.

Financial independence in a nutshell is a pretty simple concept. I believe that I can retire by age 40 with one million dollars, and it will cover my expenses for the rest of my life.