Tag: Financial freedom

Is FIRE even possible when inflation is so insane?

FIRE stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early. I first heard of the term several years ago and was very intrigued by it.

I started reading a bunch of finance books and also watched countless Youtube videos to see how I could implement it into my life.

After all, I don’t want to work until I am 65. I want to get to the point where working is something I choose to do, and not something I have to do.

However, with prices going up 3x in the past fifteen years in Toronto, it feels almost like an impossible dream.

The same meal that used to cost $7 now cost $16 (so around $20+ after tax and tips). But wages have not kept up at all. It is getting more and more unaffordable to eat out. Not to mention, the tipping culture here is insane (15-18% on average on top of 13% tax).

Experts suggest that you should take out 4% of your total portfolio and aim to have enough to survive for 30 years. So, if you have $1,000,000, then you would take out $40k, and basically take out money annually and gradually use it all up during your retirement.

However, that’s based on a 30-year retirement AND assuming your investment is beating the inflation. If inflation far exceeds 4%, then you’d need to take out more than 4% in order to have enough purchasing power to maintain your quality of life.

I can’t even imagine how someone would survive if they had retired in the 1970s when prices have gone up 10-15x since then (or probably more).

In all the books I’ve read, they say 1 million is a good number to aim for. But now, you can’t even buy a house for a million.

In fact, retiring with 3 million might not be enough with how things are going. Continue reading “Is FIRE even possible when inflation is so insane?”

Nine ways to retire early and achieve financial freedom

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could quit your job and not have to worry about paying your bills?

Even if you enjoy what you do, I think it’s fair to say that having the option to quit whenever you want while maintaining the same standard of living would be awesome.

But how?

I have come up with a list of nine ways.

  1. Earn more

There are multiple ways you can earn more money. For instance:

  • Work more hours. If people usually work 40 hours a week, you could try working 60 instead. However, there are only 24 hours in a day. There will be a limit on how much you can trade your time for money.
  • Have a high income skill. To be worth more in the workforce, you need to become a person that is harder to replace. It would be in your best interest to develop skills that make you more valuable. Ex. If you’re the only person that can fix X, then you will be compensated more. But if you were selling popcorn, they can easily hire someone else to do your job. (No offense to those selling popcorn)
  • Side hustle. This could be a business, being a social media influencer, your own personal project, and etc. Basically, it’s something that earns you additional income from your current job.
  1. Lower your costs

You can lower your costs by:

  • Finding a roommate/significant other to split the cost. Having two incomes to pay for expenses make it easier.
  • Moving to somewhere cheaper. If you are able to work online, perhaps you can move to another country where the cost of living is lower and your currency is worth more.
  • Spend less. Buy fewer things, eat less, and go out less.
  1. Use patreon/onlyfans and sell your own merchandise

This is tough. There are A LOT of content creators. Even if people watch you or consume your content, it doesn’t mean they will give you money or buy your merch. In fact, based on my own personal experience, only one in a hundred would donate/give monetary support.

However, this is a very good way to scale. You’re no longer trading time for money. For example, perhaps you spend 2 hours creating content for a tier, but you can have unlimited subscribers for that tier. This means, there is no cap on how much you can earn. Regardless if 100 or 1000 people subscribe to it, you only spent 2 hours.

Note: It is EXTREMELY difficult to get loyal followers who would pay for content. There’s also no guarantee how long they will support you for. Continue reading “Nine ways to retire early and achieve financial freedom”

The Three Ways

Three

Note: You might want to read my previous post before reading this one.

In my opinion, there are 3 ways you can develop a fan base/support group.

1.      They see the value

When people see the value in something, they are willing to invest. To them, it is worth it. That is the reason why some people get cosmetic surgeries, buy LV, spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a Ferrari, purchase a home, or line up overnight to see Robert Pattinson as a sparkling vampire.

However, initially, it is very difficult to get someone to see the value in something they have never experienced or seen before. Most often, it takes a lot of exposure, time, and capital. Some might say it also takes a certain amount of luck. Sometimes, timing can make all the difference.

But once you can get people to see the value in you/your business/idea/services, you are set! It is very unlikely that people will “un-see” the value in something once they believe it.

So, can you create or provide something for people to value?

Continue reading “The Three Ways”

The Secret

Secret

Unless you were born into a wealthy family or you’ve won the lottery, chances are you’ll have to work to earn a living. However, as I mentioned in my previous blog post, working for others is honestly not the best way. Your company/boss decides what you are worth (hourly/salary). They will decide when you’ll get a raise. They will decide when you can go on vacation. Ultimately, they will probably end up deciding when you can purchase your first home.

So you may wonder, what else can I do? Life sucks. 😦

The answer is simple. Work for yourself.

Now, you’re probably thinking, “You got to be kidding me. You want me to start a business? Do you know how much risk that is? Do you know how much you have to invest just to start something? What am I going to sell? It doesn’t even guarantee I’ll succeed. You crazy woman. Why am I even reading your blog?”

Calm down. Keep reading.

The people you see making a lot of money without spending all their time? They have money coming in even when they are not working. That’s it. That’s the secret.

Continue reading “The Secret”

Time and Financial Freedom

freedom

If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?

I definitely would not be here. I would probably be traveling around Asia…perhaps Taiwan or Japan! But sadly, I currently do not have the time and money to do so. =(

I want to be financially free so that I can do whatever I want without worrying about money. But that’s not enough. I also want to have the time to do whatever I want. The question is, how? How can I make enough money and have the time to spend it in whatever ways I like?

Continue reading “Time and Financial Freedom”