559: How I Retired in My Mid-30s While Working Just 4 Hours a Week

What if you could “retire” early, working only FOUR hours a week? Coast FIRE achiever Diania Merriam did just that! After a decade of hustle in corporate America, Diania found herself financially behind with $30,000 in debt. Dreaming of a life-changing adventure but lacking the funds, she decided to overhaul her finances. Fast forward, and now in her mid-thirties, she’s debt-free, successfully self-employed (or, as she puts it, happily “unemployed”), living life on her terms. So, how did Diania save enough to walk away from her nine-to-five? The answer might surprise you. She didn’t need millions in the bank, and neither do YOU, to embrace early retirement. Diania asks, “Do you have enough to take a risk?” If you do, you could live the Coast FIRE lifestyle, just like her, working minimal hours and maximizing time freedom. Ready to slash your workweek and dive into what you love? Stick around—by following Diania’s example, early retirement could be within your reach, EVEN if you’re just getting started on your FIRE journey! In This Episode We Cover Why you must be financially prepared to quit a soul-sucking job Achieving Coast FIRE without millions in the bank and how to be happy living off of little Why self-employed health insurance isn’t as big of an expense as most people think Burning out before you hit FIRE and why being hyper-fixated on a financial goal could kill your drive How starting your own business can save you a ton on taxes How to “retire” early without replacing your full-time salary And So Much More! Links from the Show BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group Network with Other Investors on The Path to FIRE Through the BiggerPockets Forums Finance Review Guest Onboarding Join BiggerPockets for FREE Mindy on BiggerPockets Scott on BiggerPockets Listen to All Your Favorite BiggerPockets Podcasts in One Place Apply to Be a Guest on The Money Show Podcast Talent Search! Find an Investor-Friendly Agent in Your Area Find Investor-Friendly Lenders BiggerPockets Money Group Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show! Grab Dave’s Newest Book “Start with Strategy” See Mindy at BPCON2024 in Cancun! Coast FI: The Calculated Way to Retire Early WITHOUT Giving Up What You Love 00:00 Intro 01:03 $30K in Debt! 03:22 Quitting Her "Toxic" Job 09:23 What About Health 12:02 How Much She Makes 20:53 You Have ENOUGH Money! 25:24 Connect with Diania! Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/money-559 Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email advertise@biggerpockets.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices