Early Retirement Academy

My whole world was turned upside down when I found out my dream job of all my life, working for a Big 4 Accounting firm, was not giving me the mental and financial fulfillment that I expected. After forcing myself to live in a car to save money for a down payment here in LA, a positive side effect is that I also gained a lot more clarity about what I really want in life. Without all the clutter and distractions in my apartment, I realized that I want to have more than my corporate salary.

Getting paid $59K as an auditor in LA was just not cutting it. I remember scrolling through pages of houses on Redfin… just dreaming and wondering if I’ll ever be able to afford a house. I also remember blaming myself for not “saving enough” even though I was already saving 50% of my paycheck. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t build up my net worth and wealth as quickly as I wanted.

“When people say, the sky’s the limit… it’s more like… my salary was the limit”

My $59K salary set the ceiling to how much I can save and invest. With the structured nature of the finance and accounting industry, it was extremely difficult for me to get a raise or promotion outside of the preplanned corporate ladder. I was already working 80 hour work weeks, bending over backwards just to get a better chance of getting a raise or promotion. I was already losing sleep over work and even got into car accidents because I was so overworked and sleep deprived. Yet, I was still not achieving the financial goals I’ve set for myself.

So I thought to myself - why don’t I create additional income streams?

And that is how the magic happened. I was no longer capped by my salary. I started making enough money to pay my bills, then replace my 9 to 5 income, then buy my first house... soon I was on my way to my first million!

However, I still found it difficult to quit my day job due to my upbringing and limiting beliefs. I kept working at my corporate job and even missed my grandpa's funeral in China. I kept dedicating my life to corporate because I thought... they need me, right? I held on to my corporate job until I was diagnosed with depression, ADHD and anxiety in 2020. My condition got so serious that my psychiatrist told me to take medical leave, and stop working all together. The anxiety got worse. I would get passive aggressive remarks from my coworkers questioning me: are you really that sick? Why are you missing work?

Despite my psychiatrist's warning, I decided to go back to work before full recovery, and was fired just one month after returning to work after my medical leave.

I was devastated, to say the least. I felt so betrayed, like I just got played. Instead of pushing down all my feelings and getting another corporate job, I decided to retire from corporate all together. I can't picture myself working for a company that does not care about my well-being. I can't picture myself slaving away at a job that does not pay me what I'm worth. I can't bear the memory of working so much that I had to miss my family's funeral.

And that is the story of the relaunch of Guilt Free Money. I figured out a way to retire at just 25 years old. I had the choice to retire early, and I want you to have that choice too! I want this to be your opportunity to take your destiny in your own hands. To break free from that traditional retirement age. To retire early. To play. To experience life. To spend time with friends and family. To heal from mental health conditions. So yes, freedom seekers! This is your chance to go after your wildest dreams of financial freedom!