How I Quit My Job And Left NYC With $300,000

Diania Merriam, 35, had $30,000 in student loan and credit card debt in 2015. Then, Merriam's life took a turn: She discovered the FIRE — or Financial Independence, Retire Early — movement, "a refreshing punch in the face," that spurred her to clean up her debt, cut her expenses and begin saving. She was 33 when she quit her corporate job with $300,000 in savings. After spending time with a friend in Ohio, Merriam left New York City and moved to Cincinnati where she started her early retirement.

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How I Quit My Job And Left NYC With $300,000

[RockyMountainGardener]

You can say that she isn’t fully retired but 3000 USD a month for an average of 1.5 hours of work a day is pretty darn good!

[NHJDT]

22 years ago, my husband and I made a decision to live off one income and save/invest the other. Once we had three children we couldn't do it but for awhile but stuck to this game plan. At 34 we paid off our cars. By the following year the house. We have another $1million and now we are able to just travel while working. We wanted the freedom to retire but I'm partially working and he works full-time.

[swicheroo]

I paid off 25K in credit card debt. I got that debt after I traveled around the world for a few years when I needed to sort things out after a sibling's suicide. The debt came upon my return to the States and being unemployed for an entire year. Got a job in my hyper specialized field. It took a little over a year to clear that debt. It helped that I had moved to a small town for my job. The rent for a 4 bedroom house was 700 bucks. There was really nothing to buy. And not too many restaurants to go to. Beer at a bar was 5 bucks. And since there was no peer pressure to go and do fancy things, I didn't feel too much bummer-ness in the whole experience.

[Allinmyworld]

I love this! No parental help, no selling her house, she really saved and made a journey of work and her FI journey

[AAAA-nvcf]

I’m happy for her but when you’re making 6 figures, no kids and your NY apartment was cheap even fir NYC standards it wouldn’t be that hard to partially retire. Her issue was she was partying too much by spending 2-3k a month.

[suvari]

I mean, if you are paying only 600$ for mortgage and generating 3000$ (assuming post-tax) income per month, you are in a good shape even without having 300k on the retirement. But of course it helps to achieve “FI”.

Also, most people don’t want to be forced to work. But, people want to work, too. So, it is great to be saving for the worst.

[JujuGurgel]

I love hearing these stories! people finding true freedom and taking ownership over their lives, money and happiness. Great music to my ears.

[sofonomics]

Diania, I love Optimal Finance Daily! Those podcasts changed the way I managed my money in 2019, not to mention they are super short and informative. Happy for you!

[DebtToDollars]

Moral of the story: tackle your debt, live below your means, and save! Anyone can do it with financial discipline 👍

[blank.]

I'm Australian and I love this channel 😁👍. Makes me want to do well and better myself.

[thegazetteyt]

I love how she back loads the most important part of her story, "I had a six figure salary."

[jasminecontreras]

I’m so glad I stopped drinking at 23 I’m gonna do my best to keep my body fit and eat healthy for the rest of my twenties and beyond so I don’t ruin my brain or get flabby. I want my 30s to be a reflection of how I treated my body in my 20s and this was good motivation to do things the right away in my 20s instead of seeing it as a “who cares I wanna party while I’m young and be an independent woman who doesn’t need no man” phase

[roeintro]

Lol, I started listening to Optimal Finance Daily back when it first started. This is full circle for me

[FIRE_DrNinjaTurtle]

I love your Optimal Finance Daily podcast

[alexcipriani]

how is your 401k guarantees your retirement that’s dependent on the market overall … how would you know if you haven’t retired yet

[anoukc]

She was spending $2000-$3000/month in her 20's just to going out and party...This is a huge amount of money she wasted!

[vjvj]

This channel lets me know one day I will leave poverty and live the life I want to live. It won't be a stroll in the park though...

[datingamedicalstudent]

I don't see how she saved enough for retirement. 300k ish of investments in your 30's does not seem to be enough to stretch you into your 80s even with her low rate of spend. She hasn't discussed how she obtains medical benefits with her low salary. Additionally, that nest egg she has with 4-5% annualized return only equates to 1.2 million or so at 65. It is really not enough when you factor in other expenses between now and 65. She will need to earn much more as she goes - I wouldn't count that as FIRE. If she had 2 million dollar nest egg then yea - I would say that is FIRE.

[bee]

1800/month for a 1 bedroom in Brooklyn now is a steal 😭

[lilibethvilella]

Enjoyed this so much. Trying to retire in 5 years. Have always been told I have a radio voice when I’ve been on radio. How do you find podcast reading gigs? Hi from miami 🙋🏻‍♀️