Not a Finance Bro, Just a Girl With a Plan to Retire Early

Over the past couple of years, I’ve developed an unexpected obsession: money. Not in a “lie, cheat and steal” kind of way, but in a “retire as early as possible” kind of way.

It all started one afternoon at my desk, deep into an eight-hour workday. A light bulb 💡 came on and I thought, “You know, I don’t want to f$%@ing be here.” That moment sparked my mission to escape the corporate rat race as soon as possible. After some Googling, I found that for the average American, the only path to early retirement requires strategic budgeting, investing, and saving for retirement (😫). Next thing I knew, I was researching 401(k)s, Roth IRA’s, and the elusive concept of employer matches (move over Susie Norman).

Suddenly, I was in over my head. As a mid-to-late-20-something realizing I should’ve started saving years ago, the stress was real. But instead of letting it overwhelm me, I decided to take action. I made a plan. If I wanted to achieve my dream of financial freedom and eventually become a ✨Lady of Leisure✨, I had to get serious about financial literacy.

Before I jump in to the rest of my post, I want to preface this be saying I am not a financial expert by any means. This is just me sharing my tips on how I go about budgeting, saving, and investing my money in the hopes of securing financial stability:

Savings Strategies

1. Automate Your Savings

One of the best decisions I made was setting up a direct deposit to my savings account. Every paycheck, a percentage of my income is automatically deposited into a savings account. The trick here is that you’re putting away savings before your paycheck even hits your primary account(s), this way you don’t even have a chance to miss the money.

Start small, even if it’s just $10 or $50 per paycheck. You’d be amazed how quickly your savings can grow, and over time, you’ll adjust your budget without feeling the pinch.

2. Move Leftover Money to Savings

Each payday, I transfer any remaining money into my savings account:

• I budget monthly and break it into paycheck-to-paycheck spending.
• By the time my next paycheck arrives, any “leftovers” from the previous two weeks go straight into savings.

This method not only helps build savings faster but also keeps me accountable to my budget. No more “catch-up” routines where I overspend and have to recover next paycheck (and the next paycheck, and the next…).

Retirement Planning

1. Maximize Employer Matches

Employer matches are free money, I repeat: 🗣️free money! An employer match is basically where your Employer will match whatever amount of money you contribute to your company 401(k). There’s a limit to how much they’ll match, typically 4-6% of your salary. That’s why it’s important to know how much your company is willing to match so that you can contribute enough to get the full match. Even if you can’t max it out right away, start small and increase contributions over time.

2. Roth really is the way. (And even better if it’s an IRA)

It starts getting a little muddy for me when they start whipping out the acronyms when talking finances, but the Roth IRA was a game-changer for me. It’s an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) where you contribute after-tax dollars, and your money grows tax-free. Here’s the key difference:

• Traditional 401(k): Pre-tax contributions, taxed when withdrawn.
• Roth IRA: Post-tax contributions, grows tax-free.

It’s best practice to have a 401(k) in addition to an IRA. (Personally, I prefer to contribute just enough to my 401(k) to get my employer match, and then put the remainder into an IRA). It’s also possible to convert a traditional 401(k) into a Roth 401(k). It’s worth exploring both options to see what fits your financial goals.

First Steps Into Investing

In reality, I’d probably be fine just continuing to grow my savings and retirement alone—but remember people—I’m trying to retire as early as possible. If I want to have a chance, I’ve got to dip a toe into the finance-bro world!

I started small with the Robinhood app. It was user-friendly and approachable for a beginner like me. But as I gained confidence, I wanted more robust options.

Since I already had my retirement accounts with Fidelity, I decided to open an individual investment account with them also. And I love it. I started small, experimenting with a few hundred dollars and basic stocks. I’m no expert (yet), but I feel more in control of my finances with Fidelity’s tools and insights.

Final Thoughts

These steps might not be enough to retire tomorrow (a girl can dream!), but they’re giving me peace of mind and a sense of control over my future. The journey to financial freedom can feel overwhelming at first, but small, consistent actions truly make a difference.

What financial tips do you swear by? Let me know, drop a comment!