“Anybody can achieve early retirement, not everybody will”
In today’s episode, we will speak to my friend Chris Mamula from Can I Retire Yet?.
Chris is a physical therapist who retired at the young age of 41 (!). Yes, that is indeed about 25 years before the traditional age for retirement but contrary to popular belief, this does not mean he lived a life of deprivation in order to save and invest aggressively.
Chris will share his unconventional journey to this early retirement, the excellent financial decisions he made along the way but as well, the serious mistakes (so you can avoid them). This conversation is to meant to show you one way of achieving financial independence, it may not be your ideal path but it is important to show that it is possible 😀!
Listen here:
…or listen on Apple Podcasts
This episode is for you if you are curious about financial independence/early retirement and want to know what it takes to achieve it.
Key Takeaways:
- It is normal to be skeptical but early retirement is possible if you have a regular job.
- You do not have to come from money.
- Go against the grain and make unconventional choices: Live on one salary, save the other one for example.
- Buy less house than you can afford. Define what you want to spend.
- Transportation – crappy cars, keep them no car payment.
- Focus on getting your big expenses right early and you can worry less about little things.
- Investing: Control your costs.
- Be a valuist:
- You do not need to be ultimately frugal purchase the things that bring you value and forget the rest.
- Anybody can achieve early retirement, not everybody will. It takes a certain mindset and willingness
- We are normal people it is possible, if this guy can do it why can’t I do it?
- How to retire early?
- 1st step: Be honest with yourself and see where your money is going, track your expenses.
- 2nd step: Figure out how much do you need to retire. It is not as simple as 80% of your income, think about what you want your lifestyle to be.
- The big question: What do you want to retire to?
Who is Chris?
Chris Mamula used principles of traditional retirement planning, combined with creative lifestyle design, to retire from a career as a physical therapist at age 41. After poor experiences with the financial industry early in his professional life, he educated himself on investing and tax planning. Now he draws on his experience to write about wealth building, DIY investing, financial planning, early retirement, and lifestyle design at Can I Retire Yet? Chris has been featured on MarketWatch, Morningstar, U.S. News & World Report, and Business Insider. He is also the primary author of the book Choose FI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence.
RESOURCES
- Website: Can I retire Yet
- Book: Choose FI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence
- Twitter: @caniretire_yet
- Contact page
- Book recommendation:
- Best purchase under 100 dollars: Ski lessons for your kids, so that they learn and enjoy!
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