Instead of saving up all your money to retire early, consider putting it toward changing your current life situation, a personal finance expert said.
Glen James, host of the “money money money” podcast and author of several personal finance books, told Simran Kaur on a recent episode of the ‘Friends That Invest’ podcast that for people saving to achieve the goal of the Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) movement, they should be asking themselves if they enjoy Mondays — and by extension their job.
“If you don’t, it might not be able to be changed right now, but let’s put a plan in place to see if we can change,” he said.
For someone who’s in their 20s, say, James said, who doesn’t like their work, living situation, or relationship, he would encourage them to put that money into savings instead of an investing account to be able to restudy or afford to leave a relationship.
“Once you are content and you don’t hate life, the money will sort itself out,” he said.
“Most people need a little thing in our life called purpose,” James said, adding, “Why slug out your guts,” building the capital in your early career when you could be changing your situation so “you don’t hate your life.”
Kaur said that the closer she is to retiring early, the more she realizes how much she enjoys working. For James, aiming for FIRE is justifiable if you enjoy your work and earn a high enough income to save, but many people don’t.
He advised finding a job that you love instead, and if you’re saving to start your own business, consider just giving it a shot now.
