This essay is based on a conversation with Matt Laurie, a 55-year-old former Google employee living in Colorado. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
I have always been interested financial freedom And investment.
When I was a kid I asked my grandfather, who was big into investing, about inflation and he bought me a children’s book about it. he founded brokerage account for each Of their grandchildren, this is how my investment journey began.
Google hired me in 2006 and I planned for early retirement During my 18 years there, but I never thought I would actually do this, because I enjoyed my work. Also, during the 2000s, I assumed that retiring early was only for those lucky enough to get rich when their startups were acquired or their companies went public.
It wasn’t until the pandemic, when I developed more interest in investing, that I discovered fire movement.
By 2024, I had saved enough that I would be financially OK if I decided to leave, so in November 2025, at age 55, I resigned and entered early retirement. my grandfather’s investment advice Helped me reach this point.
I think about the long term when investing
My grandfather’s investing philosophy shaped me. He was an admirer of John Bogle, founder of The Vanguard Group, who wanted to make investing more accessible to the general public.
He advised me to choose long-term investment options with low management fees, so that I can keep as much of my money as possible and avoid large fluctuations in the stock market. I want long-term stability rather than wild fluctuations.
I lived in San Francisco during the dot-com bubble of the 2000s, and I often heard stories about people who worked at companies that were worth huge sums of money on paper. My grandfather was always skeptical. He will say, “Anything can happen between what you’re worth and when you actually need the money.” Some of that turned out to be true. When the bubble burst, a lot of people lost money.
Living within my means helped me save
I didn’t really get serious about investing until Google hired me in 2006, where great benefits like 401(k) matching encouraged it, and the high compensation helped me save. By the end of my time there, I was making just under $365,000. Besides, I had google stock Options that, while unstable, were certainly helpful.
I didn’t stick to a strict plan of how much to invest in a month, but tried to take advantage of market opportunities. If there were a recession, I would put a big chunk of money in the S&P 500.
Living within your means was another lesson I learned from my grandfather. They didn’t buy fancy cars or houses. My approach was to budget carefully and not spend on things my family didn’t need, so that I never ran out of money in my account. This meant that if a market opportunity came up, I could invest some of my savings in it.
I had to educate myself about early retirement
During the pandemic, I discovered FIRE and learned about 4% rule – A common strategy involves withdrawing 4% of your portfolio in the first year of retirement and then adjusting that amount for inflation each year.
Lori used the 4% rule when planning for early retirement. Courtesy of Matt Lowry
I already had a good amount of money invested in my brokerage account and 401(k), so retiring early seemed relatively feasible. The 4% rule wasn’t my only guide; I also used online tools and met a financial planner To determine my comeback strategy.
When I turned 55, I felt comfortable retiring. That said, my wife still works, plus I expect I’ll have to rely on Social Security later on, too. I find that my monthly expenses will go down later in life, which can also help cover any unexpected costs beyond my regular budget.
My financial freedom advice is to start early. i wish i had more money roth retirement account Right now, and I’m trying to make sure my kids add money to their account.
I’m hoping my kids will be self-sufficient, but I try to spend less than 4% of my portfolio each year on unknown matters, like someone needing to move back home.
i’m enjoying retirement
Since leaving Google, I’ve been very busy planning more trips with my family. Now that I’m not working, I have more time to invest in details like vacation planning and checking hotel ratings.
Lori now has more time to plan vacations Courtesy of Matt Lowry
For fun, I set myself the challenge of seeing if I could work in data analytics for a sports team, because I love sports. This is an industry I know nothing about, but I’m trying to make contacts. I’d love retirement, but I would definitely say yes to such a dream job.
My grandfather’s advice about investing for the long term and keeping as much invested as possible has helped me reach where I am today.