How I Retired Early At 37 With $1.2 Million In California

If you ask Francis the best way to retire early, his answer is simple: don't.

For years, the now 42-year-old went to great lengths to achieve FIRE, which stands for "financial independence, retire early." But in reality, a lifetime without work isn't actually what most people want, he says. It's a lesson he himself discovered after retiring at age 37 in 2017.

"I think pursuing FIRE is probably the wrong idea," says Francis. "I don't think most people want to retire early. I think what most people want is a sabbatical of sorts. They're disgruntled with their careers and they want to take a really, really long time off. Maybe a year or two."

That same disgruntlement led him to leave his job as an electrical engineer where he earned a $120,000 base salary plus $30,000 to $60,000 in equity and bonuses. But Francis describes life without a job as getting "really boring." In his case, he decided to lean into his YouTube hobby full time, and now earns money making videos for his 350,000 followers on his channel @BeatTheBush.

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How I Retired Early At 37 With $1.2 Million In California

[TheJackCain-]

I paid up all my mortgages in 2yrs while working with a Financial Adviser. I’m 50 and my husband 54 we are both retired with over $3 million in net worth and no debts. We got to realize that the secret to financial freedom is making better investments.

[cloudyblaze]

Most people don’t realise it, but the secret to retiring comfortably is finding a way to make returns while your money works for you. My dad, as I remember, started saving for retirement quite late, but I know he was making more than 10k returns from his investment monthly and it was completely passive.

[SophiaChristian-soof]

Beautiful journey, one that folks really need to watch. I’m 50, retired a while at 45. I have 35% of my capital investments in an IRA, 25% in index funds, and the balance spread across other investment accounts, in cumulative of over $ 5M. I receive income from my rental properties too. Zero debt and all is going accordingly.

[RossiPopa]

Most Americans find it hard to retire comfortably amid economy downtrend. Some have close to nothing going into retirement, my question is, will you pay off mortgage as a near-retiree, or spread money for cashflow, to afford lifestyle after retirement?

[Raymondjohn]

Am 58 retiring next year but the thought of retirement gives me weakness. My apologies to everyone who have retired and filing social security during this time after putting in all those years of work just to lose everything to a problem you never imagined to happen. It’s so difficult for people who are retired and have no savings or loved ones to fall back on.

[PatrickLloyd-]

Becoming a millionaire through a Roth IRA or a 401(k) involves different strategies for maximizing profits. A Roth IRA offers tax-free withdrawals in retirement, which can be advantageous if you expect to be in a higher tax bracket later in life. On the other hand, a 401(k) provides tax-deferred growth and potential employer contributions, boosting your savings. The optimal choice depends on factors like your current and future tax situation, employer match, and investment options. Consulting a financial advisor can help tailor a strategy that aligns with your financial goals and circumstances.

[kortyEdna]

Retirees who struggle to meet their basic needs are the ones who could not accumulate enough money during their active years to meet their needs. Retirement choices determine a lot of things. My parents both spent same number of years in the civil service, but my mom was investing through a wealth manager, and my dad through the 401k. My mom retired with about 4.2 million, but my dad retired with roughly 1.8 million.

[kenjammin]

this man didn't retire; he's a professional YouTuber

[winstonwawrzyniak]

Technically, He didn't retire. You left your old job for something better. Given the severity of the inflation and how worse it is predicted to get, retiring early might backfire. Real question will be; How to retire early and still maintain cash flow while doing minimal work, just as you did.

[stephenpotter]

It's pretty much what "The Millionaire Fast Lane" by MJ DeMarco teaches. It's hard to build great wealth from conventional advice.I had only $78k to my name at 42 when I first woke up to this reality. I chose the stock market as a medium of growth, got an excellent financial advisor. It's been almost six years now, and I'm a couple thousands shy of a million.

[danieljamal]

Well that would be impossible to do considering I'm in my late 50s and I'm more interested in investments that could set me up for retirement in my 60s, my goal is at least $2million.

[MLW]

Good for him BUT can we please see less of YouTubers being featured? How do people who do not have the luck to have a successful YouTube channel can make it? We need more of these…! PLEASE

[PeteCorp]

The dude's net worth is basically just his house at 1.8M$. And that was due to appreciation, not saving. He should have saved much more working as an engineer for 10 years.

[vikneshvaran]

Nice video. But he technically didn't retire from work early. He just quite his corporate job to start his own business (youtube). Everyone can potentially do this if they have their own business that brings in good income. What will be amazing to see is an average Joe who worked a normal corporate job and truly retired early via FIRE.

[Melorto]

The man did not retire early. He just changed career tracks. I'm glad we he's doing something he enjoys more. But let's not throw around the phrase for everyone that just gets a better job

[billybrannon]

I feel sad that even though I am investing, I don't have the brain power to dig through how each company is doing, is this a good time to buy stocks or not, my reserve of $450K is laying waste to inflation and I don't know what to do at this point tbh, I need solid data on market trajectory

[laina-brown]

I'm glad to hear that he is a little less frugal than he used to be. It's hard to watch when people figure out how to make a ton of money, and then they don't know how to enjoy it at all. It sometimes seems like a waste.

[huhhuhhuh]

“How’s it going everybody this is beatthebush”

Good to see the one and only OG, Francis being featured. 🥳

[leobrownell]

I'm a very concentrated investor but sometimes there is value in adding a small new position. It isn't for diversification. Focusing on something new provides a productive distraction from overthinking what you already own. It allows you and your portfolio to breathe a little bit..

[rinogo]

Am I the only one who doesn’t think this qualifies as “retired”?