This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Matt Lowrie, 55, a former Google employee who lives in Colorado. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
I’ve always been interested in financial independence and investing.
When I was a kid I asked my grandad, who was big into investing, about inflation and he bought me a children’s book about it. He set up brokerage accounts for each of his grandchildren, which is how my investing journey started.
Google hired me in 2006, and I planned for early retirement during my 18 years there, but I never thought I’d actually do it, because I enjoyed my work. Plus, during the 2000s, I assumed that retiring early was only for the lucky few who struck it rich when their startups were acquired or their companies went public.
It wasn’t until the pandemic, when I developed a greater interest in investing, that I came across the FIRE movement.
By 2024, I’d saved up enough to feel I’d be financially OK if I did decide to leave, so in November 2025, at age 55, I resigned and entered early retirement. My grandfather’s investing advice helped me make it to this point.
I thought long-term when investing
My grandfather’s investing philosophy shaped mine. He was an admirer of John Bogle, the founder of The Vanguard Group, who wanted to make investing more accessible to the general public.
He advised me to opt for long-term investment options with low management fees, so I could keep as much of my money as possible and avoid big fluctuations in the stock market. I’d rather have long-term consistency than wild swings.
I lived in San Francisco during the dot-com bubble of the 2000s, and I’d often hear stories about people who worked at companies that were worth big amounts on paper. My grandfather was always skeptical. He’d say, “Anything can happen between being worth that and when you actually need the money.” Some of that came true. When the bubble burst, a lot of people lost money.
Living within my means helped me save up
I didn’t really get serious about investing until Google hired me in 2006, where great benefits like 401(k) matching encouraged it, and the high compensation helped me to save. Toward the end of my time there, I was making just under $365,000. Plus, I had Google stock options, which were definitely helpful even though they can be volatile.
I didn’t stick to a strict plan for how much to invest a month, but tried to take advantage of market opportunities. If there was a downturn, I’d put a chunk of money into the S&P 500.
Living within your means was another lesson I learned from my grandfather. He didn’t buy fancy cars or houses. My approach was to budget carefully and not spend on things my family didn’t need, so that I never ran out of money in my account. That meant that if a market opportunity came along, I could allocate some of my savings toward that.
I had to educate myself on early retirement
During the pandemic, I discovered FIRE and learned about the 4% rule — a common strategy that involves withdrawing 4% of your portfolio in the first year of retirement and then adjusting that amount for inflation each year.
I already had a fair amount invested in my brokerage account and 401(k), so retiring early felt relatively achievable. The 4% rule wasn’t my only guide; I also used online tools and met with a financial planner to determine my withdrawal strategy.
By the time I was 55, I felt comfortable retiring. That said, my wife still works, plus I’ll hopefully have Social Security to rely on later, too. I imagine my monthly expenses will drop later in life, which can also help cover any unexpected costs beyond my regular budget.
My financial independence advice is to start early. I wish I had more money in my Roth retirement account right now, and I’m trying to make sure my kids add money to theirs.
I’m hoping my kids will be self-sufficient, but I do try and spend less than 4% of my portfolio every year in case of unknowns, like someone needing to move back home.
I’m enjoying retirement
Since leaving Google, I’ve been very busy with my family and with organizing trips. Now that I’m not working, I have more time to invest in vacation-planning details, like checking hotel ratings.
For fun, I’ve set myself the challenge of seeing if I can pivot into data analytics for a sports team, because I love sports. It’s an industry I don’t know anything about, but I’m trying to make contacts. I like retirement, but I’d definitely say yes to a dream job like that.
My grandfather’s advice about investing for the long term and keeping as much of your investments as possible has helped me get where I am today.
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