SKY Eye

Jeremy Schneider retired in 2016 at the age of 36. He sold a website he built that advertised rental property for $2 million, took the cash, and invested it in a brokerage account.

Since he retired before age 59, he wouldn't have had access to any retirement fund he contributed to, such as a 401(k), without paying penalties for early withdrawals. So, having a regular brokerage came in handy when he had to live off of it between 2017 and 2021, until he began selling online personal finance courses.

Ditching a paycheck and living off of what he saved and invested in those years taught him that there are smart ways of making what you already have go further. Throughout the years, he has experimented with various funds to determine that could have had higher returns over time. From this, he learned that investing in one target date fund would have returned $680,000 more than the nine he held. He also discovered that keeping a withdrawal rate below 2% allows his investments to accumulate for life.

Schneider hasn't stayed retired; his passion for learning about personal finance and helping his friends and family with their money goals led him to start a social media page to reach more people. This eventually grew into paid courses and a website that provides flat-fee financial advisors.