I SAVED $250K BY 30!

How i saved $250k by 30

UPDATE ON MY FINANCIAL FREEDOM JOURNEY

By ME THE MILLENNIAL

Well, we made it! 2021, lockdown still in full swing and I’ve just hit $250k  (as of September this figure is now $315k, I keep my net worth updated here) in savings. 

From sitting down and reflecting over the last few days, I came to the conclusion it was important to, in a way recognize this moment and enjoy it. 

So in my own little way, writing a blog post is one way to recognize this achievement.

Actually hitting that amount was a little underwhelming, which is strange given just a few years ago I would have thought ‘WOW, 250K…that is a crazy amount of money, I could never save that much’. 

…And now I’ve done it, I don’t feel all that accomplished, I guess that’s human nature and there is always a new goal to chase, or milestone to hit. 

But regardless, I’m patting myself on the back on achieving this and having a nice cold beer to celebrate. 

One big step towards my goal of financial freedom by age 35, and what I mean by financial freedom is the ability to quit my Corporate job and live on passive income from my savings and investments.

(Update I finally did it!, Check out finally quit my 200k Strategy Consulting job!)

What number do I need to hit to achieve financial freedom? 

Well this differs for everyone depending on personal circumstances (family, location, expenses etc.) but for me personally I’ve set a target of $1.5 million by age 35. 

Going off the 4% rule – I could live off the dividends from my investments which would equate to $60k per year ($1.5M * 4%), and most importantly without ever touching the principal amount.

“I could live off the dividends from my investments which would equate to 60k per year”

So how did I save 250k by age 30?

Well, it was difficult to start as I didn’t have a clue what I was doing.

Reality hit hard coming out of university, in debt like so many others out there. Personal finance at its most basic was not something there was a module offered on. 

Paying insanely high rent for a studio apartment, starting a career in Big 4 consulting and studying at night to be a chartered accountant. All together while maintaining an active social life for a 20 something year old was never going to get me there. 

I made every mistake!

Now 8 years later, a chartered accountant and working in Strategy consulting (not anymore… wooohooo) with a global leader in North America. I have set a new goal of achieving financial freedom by age 35 and finally getting out of the corporate rate race.

Join me on this journey and subscribe to my newsletter to stay in the loop and become a Millennial Money Master. I will share useful tips and advice that you can put into practice and take back control!

I found the following areas some of the most influential in getting me to where I am now and hopefully you will take something of use from my journey so far. 

Not an exhaustive list by any means, but start simple and there is no reason you can’t experience the same or greater growth.

1. Be consistent 

As the great Aristotle said – “We are what we consistently do. Excellence is therefore not an act, but a habit”. I made it a habit of contributing monthly to my investments (brokerage and pension accounts). 

Without fail every month I consistently invest into the markets, whether it be through Stocks, ETF’s, REIT’s or Bonds – I followed the approach of dollar cost averaging every month into the market. 

Block out the constant media cries of an upcoming stock market crash and just be consistent, if the market crashes look it as an opportunity to buy in at a cheaper rate and not a time to sell everything!

 Learn to cope with losing money (on paper) in the stock market!

2. Keep an eye on cash out the door 

I downloaded my expenses into an excel tracker, and kept track of what I spent every month. I focused on the big ticket items; such as rent, mobile plans, food, wifi.

I got onto my landlord and negotiated 300 dollars off my monthly rent due to the market value decrease resulting from the pandemic. I focused on cooking my meals at home, along with renegotiating my mobile and internet provider plans.

These simple changes allowed me to save an additional $500 per month, all of which I added to the monthly contributions for my investment portfolio.

3. Upskill on personal finance 

Probably the most important area, I found the more I learned about personal finance and investing the more focused and motivated I became to achieving my goal. I followed some of the leaders in this area and people I personally follow and respect. The Financial Samurai being number one, I read blog posts and listen to his podcasts weekly.
 
I check in on entertaining and credible Youtuber’s in this space such as Meet Kevin or Graham Stephan, there have been so many useful tricks and advice on investing and saving I have picked up over the years. 
 
Investing in a monthly subscription to the Financial Times paid off multiple times over. Get into the habit of reading this or other relevant respected publications, trust me when you have skin in the game in the form of your own hard earned money, the articles in here become a whole lot more interesting. Stay up to speed on whats going on in the market and whats ultimately impacting your investment portfolio.
 
Being aware and knowledgeable is key to staying consistent and resisting the panicking sell when the first sign of trouble appears. Knowledge is power, as cheesy as that sounds – its true!
 
 

I hope you find some of these areas helpful in your own journey to whatever your goal is. For me that is having the ability to quit my corporate job in Strategy Consulting and spend my time how and where I want.

Follow along on my journey, I keep my net worth updated here.

Leave a comment or contact me if you would like to get in touch and update me on your progress towards your goals.

Have a lovely week everyone! 🙂

Catch you soon,

MeTheMillennial

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