The Shockingly Simple Math Behind Early Retirement (Mr. Money Mustache)

This blog post cracked my 25 year old mind right open in 2012. I do not live a miserly life, but once I understood that our savings rate (into investments!) directly tied to when we could retire (and learned about the 4% withdrawal rate), my life was forever changed. My husband and I prioritized what mattered to us (walkable community, having kids, travel) and what didn't (big houses, new cars, private school, etc.), and 14 years later, while we aren't in a place (or desire) to retire, we have a lot more optionality and peace than we would have otherwise. Maybe we don't both retire early, but one of us could go part time, have runway to pursue a passion project, step away to take care of a loved one, etc.

I know everything feels impossible in this inflationary environment, but you do have a lot of control! (I know MMM gets flack for being extreme, but it's all in how you interpret the message!). Read this blog post, read JL Collin's short book Simple Path to Wealth, be ruthless in what you prioritize, live a good ass life.

I could put a million asterisks on this - and like, the market could crash tomorrow, ai could eat all our jobs (or us), etc. but it's a great framework for knowing what's enough for you, and being happy with it because you actively chose it, and investing the difference.