Code To Financial Independence
@codetofire.bsky.social
🤓 Posting the lessons from 10 years in FAANG for free
🇺🇸 US focused personal finance education
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Chasing financial freedom and PNW adventures—unfiltered & real.
🇺🇸 US focused personal finance education
⬇️ Follow and join newsletter for free updates!
Chasing financial freedom and PNW adventures—unfiltered & real.
A $20 shirt worn twice came to $10 a wear. A $100 shirt worn 100 times came to $1 a wear. Price ranks the tag; cost per use ranks what you get out of it. It is a check, not a license for any price. Not financial advice.
September 20, 2026 at 4:13 PM
A $20 shirt worn twice came to $10 a wear. A $100 shirt worn 100 times came to $1 a wear. Price ranks the tag; cost per use ranks what you get out of it. It is a check, not a license for any price. Not financial advice.
$1 million, by starting age: at 60 it takes $12,920 a month, at 50 $2,413, at 40 $754, at 30 $234, at 20 $96. Same target in every row; only the years of contributions change. Rests on an assumed rate of return. Not financial advice.
September 20, 2026 at 12:11 AM
$1 million, by starting age: at 60 it takes $12,920 a month, at 50 $2,413, at 40 $754, at 30 $234, at 20 $96. Same target in every row; only the years of contributions change. Rests on an assumed rate of return. Not financial advice.
One returning tech worker, two US sales. A gain of around $70,000 on stock drew zero India tax. A $300,000 house gain, sold later, drew close to 30%, almost a crore. Timing was the only difference named. The window: RNOR. Not financial advice.
September 19, 2026 at 4:17 PM
One returning tech worker, two US sales. A gain of around $70,000 on stock drew zero India tax. A $300,000 house gain, sold later, drew close to 30%, almost a crore. Timing was the only difference named. The window: RNOR. Not financial advice.
What net worth puts you in the top 1% for your age in the US? About $650,000 at 18 to 24, $2.1 million at 25 to 29, $2.6 million at 30 to 34, $4.7 million at 35 to 39, $7.8 million at 40 to 44 and $13.2 million at 50 to 54. Not financial advice.
September 19, 2026 at 12:21 AM
What net worth puts you in the top 1% for your age in the US? About $650,000 at 18 to 24, $2.1 million at 25 to 29, $2.6 million at 30 to 34, $4.7 million at 35 to 39, $7.8 million at 40 to 44 and $13.2 million at 50 to 54. Not financial advice.
$300 a month on alcohol is the millennial average. Spend $50, invest the other $250 in a low fee index fund, and 40 years projects to $1,460,555. The average isn't your budget, and the $250 only counts if it stays invested. Not financial advice.
September 18, 2026 at 4:13 PM
$300 a month on alcohol is the millennial average. Spend $50, invest the other $250 in a low fee index fund, and 40 years projects to $1,460,555. The average isn't your budget, and the $250 only counts if it stays invested. Not financial advice.
$1,000 at 8% earns $80, whether it's in 1 account or split across 3. Compounding works across the whole portfolio. The S&P 500's 10-year average returns ranged from 18.6% to -3.2%, and 99.6% of MLM participants lost money. Not financial advice.
September 18, 2026 at 12:10 AM
$1,000 at 8% earns $80, whether it's in 1 account or split across 3. Compounding works across the whole portfolio. The S&P 500's 10-year average returns ranged from 18.6% to -3.2%, and 99.6% of MLM participants lost money. Not financial advice.
S&P 500: 468 male CEOs, 32 female CEOs. Over a 10-year window, the female-led group returned 384% vs 261% for the male-led group, and still led when only the female-CEO years were counted. It's evidence on leadership, not a stock pick. Not financial advice.
September 17, 2026 at 4:10 PM
S&P 500: 468 male CEOs, 32 female CEOs. Over a 10-year window, the female-led group returned 384% vs 261% for the male-led group, and still led when only the female-CEO years were counted. It's evidence on leadership, not a stock pick. Not financial advice.
A teenager's custodial Roth IRA held around $12,000, earned through work on reels and street interviews. The projection: around $2 million by 59 and a half at a 10% return, not adjusted for inflation. The stated goal was time in the market. Not financial advice.
September 17, 2026 at 12:10 AM
A teenager's custodial Roth IRA held around $12,000, earned through work on reels and street interviews. The projection: around $2 million by 59 and a half at a 10% return, not adjusted for inflation. The stated goal was time in the market. Not financial advice.
Boots theory: $100 boots replaced every year run to a total 5-year cost of $500. $250 boots bought every 5 years cost $250. Choosing on price alone can mean buying the same thing again and again. Not financial advice.
September 16, 2026 at 4:10 PM
Boots theory: $100 boots replaced every year run to a total 5-year cost of $500. $250 boots bought every 5 years cost $250. Choosing on price alone can mean buying the same thing again and again. Not financial advice.
The same $500k home, 20% down: $1,612 a month at the January 2021 average mortgage rate, $2,445 at the January 2026 rate. A 50% higher payment from the rate alone. Plus the rules of 72, 25x and 3x, worked through. Not financial advice.
September 16, 2026 at 12:10 AM
The same $500k home, 20% down: $1,612 a month at the January 2021 average mortgage rate, $2,445 at the January 2026 rate. A 50% higher payment from the rate alone. Plus the rules of 72, 25x and 3x, worked through. Not financial advice.
A home bought at $300K and sold at $380K looks like an $80K gain. Subtract $68,580 interest, $22,800 realtor fees, $21,600 property tax and $20,000 maintenance, and it's a $52,980 loss. Not financial advice.
September 15, 2026 at 4:10 PM
A home bought at $300K and sold at $380K looks like an $80K gain. Subtract $68,580 interest, $22,800 realtor fees, $21,600 property tax and $20,000 maintenance, and it's a $52,980 loss. Not financial advice.
7 levels of financial freedom. Retiring requires level 6: living off your assets indefinitely. Level 7 usually requires working way longer. Roughly 20% of take-home income needs to be invested to retire in a standard 40-year career. Not financial advice.
September 15, 2026 at 12:10 AM
7 levels of financial freedom. Retiring requires level 6: living off your assets indefinitely. Level 7 usually requires working way longer. Roughly 20% of take-home income needs to be invested to retire in a standard 40-year career. Not financial advice.
Dogecoin was created in 2013 as a joke. During the GameStop frenzy, hype pumped it anyway. A buy that depends on guessing the next price move is a bet, not an investment. If you place one, keep the stake very low. Not financial advice.
September 14, 2026 at 4:10 PM
Dogecoin was created in 2013 as a joke. During the GameStop frenzy, hype pumped it anyway. A buy that depends on guessing the next price move is a bet, not an investment. If you place one, keep the stake very low. Not financial advice.
An HSA bill can be paid out of pocket instead: keep the receipt, leave the account invested and compounding tax-free, reimburse yourself years or decades later. The example used a $1,000 bill and a 20-year wait. Requires affording it and keeping receipts. Not financial advice.
September 14, 2026 at 12:10 AM
An HSA bill can be paid out of pocket instead: keep the receipt, leave the account invested and compounding tax-free, reimburse yourself years or decades later. The example used a $1,000 bill and a 20-year wait. Requires affording it and keeping receipts. Not financial advice.
Your withdrawal rate sets your retirement target. For $90,000 per year: $3.00M at 3.0%, $2.25M at 4.0%, $1.80M at 5.0%, $1.50M at 6.0%. Lower rates need more saved upfront; higher rates carry more sequence of returns risk. Not financial advice.
September 13, 2026 at 4:10 PM
Your withdrawal rate sets your retirement target. For $90,000 per year: $3.00M at 3.0%, $2.25M at 4.0%, $1.80M at 5.0%, $1.50M at 6.0%. Lower rates need more saved upfront; higher rates carry more sequence of returns risk. Not financial advice.
A top-1%-by-age chart ran $9,000 at 14-17 up to $12,000,000 at 55+. No definition, no population, no date. And 24-29 is listed twice - once at $80,000, once at $12,000,000. Illustration, not a benchmark. Not financial advice.
September 13, 2026 at 12:10 AM
A top-1%-by-age chart ran $9,000 at 14-17 up to $12,000,000 at 55+. No definition, no population, no date. And 24-29 is listed twice - once at $80,000, once at $12,000,000. Illustration, not a benchmark. Not financial advice.
Visible wealth is usually a record of spending. The durable version looks duller: reliable car, paid-off home, no audience. Live below your means, invest early and often. A raise only helps if spending does not rise with it. Not financial advice.
September 12, 2026 at 4:10 PM
Visible wealth is usually a record of spending. The durable version looks duller: reliable car, paid-off home, no audience. Live below your means, invest early and often. A raise only helps if spending does not rise with it. Not financial advice.
Your withdrawal rate sets your retirement number. For $90K a year: 3.0% needs $3.00M, 4.0% needs $2.25M, 5.0% needs $1.80M, 6.0% needs $1.50M. Lower rates mean more saving upfront. Higher rates bring more sequence of returns risk. Not financial advice.
September 12, 2026 at 12:10 AM
Your withdrawal rate sets your retirement number. For $90K a year: 3.0% needs $3.00M, 4.0% needs $2.25M, 5.0% needs $1.80M, 6.0% needs $1.50M. Lower rates mean more saving upfront. Higher rates bring more sequence of returns risk. Not financial advice.
Same $68,000 salary for 40 years. 7% saved at 2%: $364,124. 30% invested at an assumed 10%: $9,435,592. Yearly spending money differed far less: $63,240 vs $47,600. Taxes and inflation ignored. Not financial advice.
September 11, 2026 at 4:10 PM
Same $68,000 salary for 40 years. 7% saved at 2%: $364,124. 30% invested at an assumed 10%: $9,435,592. Yearly spending money differed far less: $63,240 vs $47,600. Taxes and inflation ignored. Not financial advice.
Rule of 72: divide 72 by the annual return to get about how many years money takes to double. At 10% a year, about 7 years. At 18% a year, 4 years. The rule counts in years, not months. Not financial advice.
September 11, 2026 at 12:10 AM
Rule of 72: divide 72 by the annual return to get about how many years money takes to double. At 10% a year, about 7 years. At 18% a year, 4 years. The rule counts in years, not months. Not financial advice.
One burger, three ways to pay: $3.68 cooked at home, $15.44 at the restaurant, $21.99 delivered. The delivery bill carried a higher menu price, tax, a $4.99 fees line and a tip. Same food. The premium is the thing to weigh. Not financial advice.
September 10, 2026 at 4:10 PM
One burger, three ways to pay: $3.68 cooked at home, $15.44 at the restaurant, $21.99 delivered. The delivery bill carried a higher menu price, tax, a $4.99 fees line and a tip. Same food. The premium is the thing to weigh. Not financial advice.
Median white family net worth was $171,000 against $17,150 for the median black family in a Federal Reserve survey from 2016. Median earnings ran 71% higher on 2018 Census data. Median inheritance lift: $104,407 against $4,205. Each gap feeds the next. Not financial advice.
September 10, 2026 at 12:10 AM
Median white family net worth was $171,000 against $17,150 for the median black family in a Federal Reserve survey from 2016. Median earnings ran 71% higher on 2018 Census data. Median inheritance lift: $104,407 against $4,205. Each gap feeds the next. Not financial advice.
Same $1M gross salary, different take-home by jurisdiction. Compiled 2026-05-03: about $640,000 in the United States, $1,000,000 in Dubai and Monaco, $790,000 in Singapore, $575,000 in Canada, $553,000 in the UK, $495,000 in Portugal. Not financial advice.
September 9, 2026 at 12:10 AM
Same $1M gross salary, different take-home by jurisdiction. Compiled 2026-05-03: about $640,000 in the United States, $1,000,000 in Dubai and Monaco, $790,000 in Singapore, $575,000 in Canada, $553,000 in the UK, $495,000 in Portugal. Not financial advice.
$5 a week from birth to age 60: $15,600 contributed, over $1,000,000 at the end, on an assumed 10.52% annual return. For scale, median retiree net worth is less than $500k. Not financial advice.
September 8, 2026 at 12:10 AM
$5 a week from birth to age 60: $15,600 contributed, over $1,000,000 at the end, on an assumed 10.52% annual return. For scale, median retiree net worth is less than $500k. Not financial advice.
One version costs $80 every year, with 2% inflation on the price. The durable one costs $250 once. Invest the freed-up $80 in index funds every year at an assumed 10% return, and the example ends at $126,169 after 50 years. Not financial advice.
September 7, 2026 at 4:10 PM
One version costs $80 every year, with 2% inflation on the price. The durable one costs $250 once. Invest the freed-up $80 in index funds every year at an assumed 10% return, and the example ends at $126,169 after 50 years. Not financial advice.