Throughout my childhood, I was told the best way to achieve a successful and happy existence would be to pursue the things I was most passionate about. You know, "Do what you love to do and you'll never work a day in your life..." This sounded like an excellent plan to me, and so I grew up with the perfect career in mind. I'd be a world traveling, basketball playing, bodybuilding, movie and book critic, millionaire! I'd use my millions for good of course. Creating organizations to improve the lives of those in need. Doing my part to take care of our planet by volunteering and donating to environmental causes. You get the idea. I also planned to enjoy some of the luxuries and freedoms my riches would provide; a nice house, sleek sports car, and plenty of time relaxing on the beach was in my future. It was decided, I was destined for a great life of pursuing my passions! 

As we all know, life doesn't always turn out quite like we picture it as kids. I never became a bodybuilder or a pro ball player. I'm no movie or book critic, and though I have been to a few countries outside of the USA, I haven't achieved the status of "world traveler" just yet. I have, however, come to understand what it takes to become financially free.

It happened rather abruptly. I had always joked with my family and friends about retiring before 30 but I never truly had any idea how I would do so. Then I turned 30. I realized I had fallen into the habitual grind of life. I had subconsciously accepted the fact that I would continue to be a rat in the race until a reasonably ripe old age. Following this, I would retire to live my last decade or two as a wise old grandpa, spreading my wisdom to the naive youth. As great as all that sounded, I decided that that life wasn't for me. I grew determined to figure out some alternative. Soon after, I happened upon a link titled, “The Shockingly Simple Math Behind Early Retirement”. Intrigued, I clicked it and was taken to a blog post on an odd looking website. The post was written by a guy who called himself "Mr. Money Mustache". It was short and to the point and filled with the information I had dreamed about. I quickly digested the post and moved on to more. I literally spent hours reading, scouring the internet for everything I could find about retiring early. I had found my passion.

Now, a few years later, my wife and I are well on our way to financial freedom. We plan to finish out our careers and join the slowly swelling ranks of young retirees within the next few years. We started this website in order to interact with others who share our passions, learn from those who have already achieved their goals, and to share all of the things we have learned, so far, with the world. This is my story.

-Mr. GGD

As one of four daughters, I was always taught, "Never depend on anybody; make sure you have your own money." This was drilled into my head as a child, my parents were protective and wanted to make sure their girls were independent. At a young age, I collected my coins and stored them in the various piggy banks around my room. They varied in size and appearance, ranging from a t-rex to a stegosaurus and even to the proverbial "pig". At the age of twelve, after convincing my parents to take me to a real bank, I was able to open my very first official bank account. I was ecstatic! At this point, I knew I would be a great saver.

In addition to saving coins, I've also always felt very strongly about saving the environment. Spending part of my childhood on the island of O'ahu, we'd go on field trips to the tide pools, trek through the valleys to appreciate the flora and fauna, and of course, I had my subscription to Kids Discover magazine, where I would read articles on the wonders of planet earth. I was in love with nature and wanted to do what I could to protect her.

These habits shaped me into the woman I am today, financially conscious and passionate about the environment. After Mr. GGD and I got married, we continued to develop our financial perspectives. It took me several months of adjustment, as I wanted to maintain my "independence" and intertwining finances was just plain scary to me. Further, Mr. GGD was much less risk-averse than me. He wanted to dabble in stocks and other investments, while I wanted to FDIC insure all of our hard earned money. A high-yield savings account was good enough for me.

It took Mr. GGD several Excel simulations and PowerPoint presentations to convince me to increase my retirement account contributions and move money from savings accounts over to investment accounts. These saving and investment changes and decisions have taken negotiation, communication, compromise, and evolution as we tested the financial waters and navigated the investment terrain. Together, we have developed a financial plan that will help us achieve financial freedom in the very near future.

With financial freedom right on the horizon, I feel I need to live in my "purpose". In all the jobs that I've held and places that I've lived, I always felt it was my duty to find a way to positively impact the planet. Whether it was labeling recycling bins at a friend's party and policing where the cans and bottles were discarded, ensuring that my work area had recycling receptacles, or hosting Go Green programs at work, the environment has always been my true calling. This is my story.

- Ms. GGD