Today, in 10 minutes or less, you’ll learn:

• ⌛️ Why waiting for complete financial independence might be holding you back

• ⛵️ Real-life stories of a sailing enthusiast, farm couple, and self-employed mom who made their dreams a reality before reaching their “freedom number”

• 🧠 Creative ways to afford your ideal lifestyle sooner than you think

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🖊️ Achieving Life Dreams Before Financial Independence

This is going to get me some hate, but:

You do not need to completely achieve financial freedom to chase your life dreams.

On June 23, I published The Secret Formula to Fulfilling Your Dreams.

I featured 3 high-achievers who left their 6-figure jobs to pursue various goals:

• An Amazonian going to pastry school

• A McKinsey consultant self-publishing a book

• A Microsoft software engineer sailing the world with family

They pulled the trigger on the unconventional path.

And they did it without achieving financial independence.

Did I really just say that while writing a money newsletter?

Yes. Here’s what I believe:

In personal finance, money is a tool.

Numbers are important, but also don’t delay your life goals until you achieve your so-called “freedom number.”

In this newsletter, I share 3 case studies of people who spent money to fulfill unconventional life goals before achieving financial independence.

Case Study #1: 35-year-old sailing enthusiast lives on a houseboat for $1,450/month

Kate Fincham loved the water.

She learned to sail as a kid, spent 10 months studying aboard on a ship in high school, and worked as a stewardess on a yacht for 2.5 years after university.

When she moved to Toronto in 2013, she had given up this on-water lifestyle for her on-land career.

With average Toronto homes selling for $700,000, she was renting.

Until everything changed during Covid lockdown.

In 2020, she stumbled upon houseboats for sale that were only a 30 minute commute from downtown.

She visited a 625-square-foot houseboat and loved it.

She decided to pull the trigger.

How did she execute this?

She bought the houseboat for $248,159 (342,500 Canadian dollars) using a combination of her savings and $25,000 from a family member.

She moved aboard in November 2020.

She pays around $1,450 monthly expenses for her houseboat:

• Mooring fee: $732 (covers her allotted space on the dock, water, access to electricity and septic pump out, parking, and mail)

• Insurance: $223

• Electricity: $76

• Internet: $57

• Loan repayment: $362

She’s also spent about $2,200 in renovations since she’s moved in.

Given she had no experience on houseboats, this move was not easy.

Especially since she moved in right when a frigid Canadian winter hit.

But she made it work.

Living aboard for the foreseeable future

Fast forward 3 years, she worked remotely as a content marketing specialist from her houseboat.

She spends her summers going for sunrise kayaks and picnics at the beach after work.

In the winter, she enjoys the fireplace with her two cats, and explores the park and cross-country skis.

If she needs to go into the city, she’s only a short train ride away.

Despite leaving behind the conveniences of city life, the trade off has been worth it.

She considers buying the houseboat as the best decision she’s ever made.

Case Study #2: Farm couple in New Orleans buys an abandoned property in rural Japan for $9,292