Ever dreamed of retiring at 40? Taking a year off to travel with your kids? Working part-time on your terms—not because you have to but because you want to?
Welcome to the FI/RE movement –Financial Independence, Retire Early (I like to call it RELAX EARLY)—a growing movement of people who are rewriting what life and work can look like.
The first time I heard about the FI/RE movement was when I started nurse practitioner school. My friend and classmate in NP school has been a nurse for over two decades and told me she has a relative who was a financial advisor. She started talking to me about retirement, stocks, investing… and at that time, I was so clueless!
So I took it upon myself to start learning. I bought books, started courses and listening to podcasts about FI/RE.
Ever since then, I have been hooked and have been obsessed w/ investing to achieve FI/RE!
First of all, what is FI/RE?
FI/RE isn’t just about sipping margaritas on the beach (although that’s totally fine too lol). It’s about having options. It’s the freedom to walk away from toxic work environments, spend more time with your family, pursue passion projects, or simply rest without financial anxiety looming over you.
Whenever I talk about retiring early, a lot of people think I mean “Not working ever again”. It’s not. There are so many ways to retire as a nurse.
And no—you don’t need to be a tech millionaire to get there. You can start with a W2 nursing job and a plan.
Real Numbers: What It Takes to Reach FI
Let’s say you want to retire with $1 million.
Using the 4% rule (a popular FI guideline), that $1 million could give you about $40,000/year for life. If you can live on $3,000/month, you’re set.
Here’s what it might take to get there:
| Starting from $0 | Investing $1,500/month | Average 8% return/year | Time to $1M |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age 28 | $1,500/month | 8% | 20 years |
| Age 28 | $2,500/month | 8% | 15 years |
| Age 28 | $3,500/month | 8% | 12 years |
🔥 Want to speed it up even more?
- Side hustle income: An extra $1,000/month invested could shave off years.
- Geoarbitrage: Move to a lower-cost state or country and cut your expenses by 30-50%.
- House hacking: Rent out a room or duplex unit and eliminate your biggest expense—housing.
But I’m a Nurse… Is FI/RE Really Possible for Me?
Yes, especially if you’re a nurse.
I reached my FI/RE back in 2023. Why are nurses very capable of achieving FI/RE?!
Nurses earn stable income, often have the ability to pick up extra shifts or travel contracts, and usually have benefits like 401(k) matches and pensions.
I’ve helped nurses who were paycheck to paycheck finally take control of their money—and start investing. Within just 2–3 years, they went from “I can’t save” to “I just maxed out my Roth IRA!”
Listen to one of my podcast episodes interviewing one of my students, Monique RN in Employ Your Money.
The Mindset Shift
FI/RE isn’t just about numbers. It’s about shifting from a life of burnout and survival mode… to one where your money works for you.
You don’t have to wait until 65 to live your life.
You can build a path to freedom—starting now.
Want to Learn How?
Join my workshop: “FI/RE for Nurses: How to Retire Early Without Quitting Your Job Tomorrow”
You’ll learn:
✅ The exact roadmap to financial independence—even on a nurse’s salary
✅ How to invest with confidence (even if you’re starting late or have debt)
✅ Real-life FI/RE stories from nurses like you
✅ The top 3 mistakes that keep most nurses stuck (and how to avoid them)
You became a nurse to help others.
Now it’s time to build a life that helps you, too.
FI/RE isn’t just for someone else. It’s for you.
And it all starts with one decision: to learn something new that could change your life forever.
