This Is How You Could Retire Before 40 Without $1 Million

Find Your Motivation

If you think you want to stop working full-time, one of the important questions to ask yourself before deciding to retire is, “Why?” Billy and Akaisha found their motivation a couple years before they made the leap to early retirement.

After working as a chef for a restaurant that he and Akaisha owned in Santa Cruz, Calif., Billy made a career change. He landed a job with financial firm Dean Witter Reynolds and became a branch manager and vice president of investments. He worked weekdays, while Akaisha worked nights, weekends and holidays running their restaurant. As a result, the couple hardly saw each other. “It was not working,” Akaisha said. “Our relationship went through a real crunch.”

While trying to deal with the stress in their relationship, Billy was hearing stories from clients about how they had taken monthlong European vacations or other exotic trips. “It was a tease for me, but it let me know there were people out there who could do it,” he said.

That’s when the seed was planted. “Billy had this idea,” Akaisha said. “‘Why not see if we can live off the money we have invested and travel the world?’”