The Path to Financial Independence: Yaron's Journey to Early Retirement

At 25, Yaron decided to seek happiness rather than career advancement and did not want to spend his entire life working. To achieve his goal, he immediately set in motion towards the first step and looked for the best way to achieve financial independence in the shortest possible time. As reported by Business Insider, it was a matter of priorities from the start, and his was a life in which he could be free from the worries and stress derived from money and work so that he could dedicate himself to what brings him joy, without having to suffer, save, and scrape together for years. The man, originally from Berlin, started his project while he was working to obtain a doctorate in advanced and computational mathematics. Specifically, during an internship in New York, he came into contact with a Wall Street investment consultant who would soon become his mentor and who would show him the right path to achieve his dream - and retirement - at 36. Yaron's journey began with some readings. His mentor, in fact, recommended texts that were considered absolutely necessary to achieve his goal: "The 4-Hour Workweek" by Tim Ferriss and "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell. The two books allowed him to reflect on the connection between money and happiness: "This guy is right: maybe in 40 years I won't want to be the kind of person who bases his entire life on his career," he thought. Thus, in the following 10 years, Yaron worked in large companies, including Google and Meta, traveling from Tel Aviv to Zurich, all the way to California. However, the goal remained clear in his mind and he started with small investments. Then, as soon as he got his first job, he began to set aside a few hundred euros every month and gradually increased the contributions made. Four years after choosing to achieve financial independence, Yaron planned his retirement plan: about 5,000 euros a month for a comfortable and stable life. At first, the man spent about two-thirds of his salary to live, then he switched to 50%, setting aside all the various and possible bonuses. With 10,000 euros secure in his account, the rest was invested in the stock market. Yaron states that the success of his project was due to his mentality and approach, a constant evaluation of what brought him happiness coupled with the need to avoid unnecessary expenses. Before every purchase, he asked himself: "Is there something that would satisfy me just as much but for a third of the price?". Then, Yaron gives an example regarding his passion for green tea: "Even if I bought luxury tea, which costs about 50 euros for every 50 grams, at the end of the month I would save compared to going to Starbucks every day to buy coffee. Yet, I would maintain something much more exclusive in my life, which gives me joy." He admits, however, that he was partly assisted by luck, especially regarding investments: he was one of the first to have bet on Tesla. Thus, at 36, 10 years after setting his plan in motion, Yaron Goldstein retired and is now ready to enjoy the life he has long dreamed and planned: "No one can convince you that success means working for a large company, staying there for 40 years, and making a career."