Personal Finance Investing Business

Financial Freedom: A Proven Path to All the Money You Will Ever Need (Summary)

by Grant Sabatier

In 2010, at age 24, Grant Sabatier was unemployed, living with his parents, and had just $2.26 in his bank account. Just five years later, he was a millionaire. The secret wasn't a lottery win or a lucky stock pick; it was a radical re-evaluation of the relationship between time, money, and work, realizing that every extra dollar invested today could buy back days, weeks, or even years of his life in the future.

Time Is More Valuable Than Money

The goal of financial independence isn't just to retire at 65; it's to buy back your time as quickly as possible. Every financial decision should be filtered through the lens of how much freedom it gives you, not just how much it costs.

Instead of thinking 'this coffee costs $5,' Sabatier reframes it as 'this coffee costs me 15 minutes of freedom.' He calculates that by investing aggressively, every $100 you save doesn't just grow—it buys a tangible piece of your future life back from the necessity of working.

Maximize Income, Don't Just Minimize Spending

While frugality is important, your ability to save is ultimately capped. The fastest path to financial freedom is to dramatically increase your income through side hustles, negotiation, and entrepreneurship.

Sabatier didn't just cut costs; he launched a digital marketing consulting firm on the side. One of his first projects was building a website for a law firm for $500. He reinvested that money, honed his skills, and eventually scaled that side hustle to a business that earned him over $300,000 in a single year.

Your "Number" Isn't One Giant Leap

The idea of saving millions can be paralyzing. Sabatier breaks financial freedom into seven distinct, achievable levels, from simple self-sufficiency to abundant wealth, making the journey feel manageable and motivating.

Instead of aiming for a distant $1.25 million (the traditional 'number' for retirement), the first goal is 'Level 2: Financial Self-Sufficiency'—having enough cash saved to cover six months of living expenses. Achieving this smaller, concrete goal builds momentum and confidence for the larger journey ahead.

Hack Your 9-to-5 for Maximum Gain

Your full-time job shouldn't just be a source of income; it should be a launchpad. Maximize its potential by negotiating raises, taking advantage of all benefits (like 401(k) matches), and acquiring skills that you can use for your own ventures.

Sabatier recommends treating job-hunting as a continuous activity, even when employed. By always knowing your market value and being open to new opportunities, he was able to more than double his salary in just a few years by strategically switching jobs, which massively accelerated his investment timeline.

Go deeper into these insights in the full book:
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