Jess: John, I need you to come to the office this weekend and work on the new deal with our client.
John: But Jess, I have plans this weekend. I intend to spend it with my family. I haven’t taken a single vacation the entire year.
Jess: I’m sorry John. The company wants you to work on the new deal. And given the situation around, you wouldn’t want to displease the management.
John: You know what?!! F*%# you and the management. I quit!! Am not your or the company’s slave. I have my own life and will live it my way.
How many of you would like to have this kind of power? The Freedom to stop doing things you don’t like and leave whenever you want to, the freedom to focus on what’s important in your life? We all want our life to mean something. We want to add life to our years. But most of us get stuck in a job which we don’t like. We do it coz we need the Money to sustain ourselves, our family and maintain our lifestyle. And in the process, we bury our dreams and aspirations. Money can buy many things, the most valuable of them being Freedom. Freedom to take a break and travel, freedom to spend more time with our family, freedom to pursue our dreams. In short, freedom to do whatever we want.
Having “Screw you money” brings this freedom. So, what exactly is “Screw you money (SYM)” a.k.a “FU Money”? Well, SYM is defined as “any amount of money allowing infinite perpetuation of wealth necessary to maintain a desired lifestyle without needing employment or assistance from anyone.” With it generating passive income, it should last all of the remaining years of your life, while accounting for your lifestyle, taxes, and inflation.
So why is having “Screw You Money” good?
It is good because it gives you the power to live your life on your terms. Having several years of living expenses saved and acting as a source of passive income, you are free to allocate your time to the things you consider important. Having “Screw You Money” allows you to have full control over your life. You can choose to work in a cube if you desire and quit whenever you like without having to worry about how you’ll survive without a job. You can pack your things and go travel the world. You can start focusing on your own venture. Basically, being free of the shackles will enable you to choose whatever that makes you happy.
Sounds great eh?!!! So how to get “Screw you money”?
If you are not into the saving and investing habit, you need to get into the habit as soon as possible. Otherwise achieving the power of independence will always be a distant dream of yours. Being disciplined is the first step. If you already are into the savings habit, then you would want to increase your savings and also make it work for you to generate passive income.
So the steps will be in the following order:
- Pay off your debt and never get into debt again.
This is the first and foremost step. Only after you have done this you can focus on building the Fund. This is the necessary step to achieve freedom.
- Start saving by living below your means if you aren’t already.
Living above your means turns you into a slave. It makes you work for money instead of making the money work for you. Thus, it is crucial that you start living below your means. This way, you can start saving the surplus and build your fund.
Start putting your money to work for you. With you and your money both working, the fund will be built quickly.
- Expand your sources of income.
Create multiple sources of income. Invest all this money to further generate assets while you live on your primary source.
Having a screw you fund allows you to work on your own terms. You can do the work you love. With the fund generating income for you, you may even retire early. Do keep in mind that everyone being different will have different requirements. Consequently, the fund size will be different for everyone, determined by age, lifestyle, and many other factors. You need to find what fund size will work out for you and start building it as soon as possible. After all, we all want to be free.
The history of free men is never really written by chance but by choice; their choice! – Dwight D. Eisenhower
