{"id":7026493,"date":"2026-08-04T08:13:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T08:13:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/business\/finance\/the-other-way-to-reach-financial-independence\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T08:13:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T08:13:15","slug":"the-other-way-to-reach-financial-independence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7026493","title":{"rendered":"The Other Way to Reach Financial Independence"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\"\"Cody Berman was 19 when he learned about financial independence, and 25 when he reached it.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no trust fund here, no lucky exit. Just a brutal train commute, over 30 side hustles, and a gap between what he earned and what he spent that he refused to let shrink.<\/p>\n

I sat down with Cody to unpack the two very different paths to FI, why most people quit scalable side hustles right before they start paying off, and how house hacking became the single biggest lever in his entire journey.<\/p>\n

Listen Here<\/b><\/h2>\n

Apple Podcasts<\/strong><\/a>
Spotify<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n
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  • Two Paths to FI: Nest Egg vs. Cash Flow:<\/strong> The classic route is Nest Egg FI \u2014 save 25 times your expenses and live off a 4% withdrawal rate. The other is Cash Flow FI \u2014 build enough monthly income from real estate, a business, or digital products that you never touch the principal at all. Even people who\u2019ve sold companies for eight or nine figures often find it psychologically harder to draw down a lump sum than to live off steady cash flow.<\/li>\n
  • The Gap Is the Whole Game:<\/strong> Cody\u2019s income went from $96,000 to $198,000 to $403,000 over three years, while he held his expenses flat at $24,000 a year the entire time. Especially early on, the size of that gap between earning and spending matters far more than whether your investments return 8% or 9% \u2014 and a few intensely focused years can do most of the heavy lifting toward FI.<\/li>\n
  • Scalable Side Hustles Pay for Years \u2014 But Only If You Don\u2019t Quit Too Early:<\/strong> Cody\u2019s flagship example is a set of Valentine\u2019s Day printables he built on Etsy back in 2018 that still sell today. Most people quit just a few weeks into a scalable side hustle because the payoff is delayed \u2014 but the model only works if you trust the process long enough to let it compound.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Resources<\/b><\/h2>\n

    Grab the free 10-day guide to figuring out which side hustle is worth building next: https:\/\/affordanything.com\/fiire<\/a>
    Retire by 30<\/em> by Cody Berman:     https:\/\/amzn.to\/4gwGSYm<\/a>
    The Financial Independence Show (Cody\u2019s podcast):     https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/the-financial-independence-show\/id1434155196<\/a>
    The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss:     https:\/\/amzn.to\/4vXfsj6<\/a>
    \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014
    Stay in the loop \u2013     https:\/\/affordanything.com\/newsletter<\/a>
    \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014-
    Join our community \u2013     https:\/\/affordanything.com\/community<\/a><\/p>\n

    Chapters<\/b><\/h2>\n

    Note: Timestamps are approximate and may vary across listening platforms due to dynamically inserted ads.<\/i><\/p>\n

    (00:00) Meet Cody Berman
    (03:27) Two paths to FI
    (05:51) Big piles feel scary
    (07:09) Cody\u2019s FI numbers
    (08:12) Hustling on the train
    (11:58) The side hustle graveyard
    (14:56) Four side hustle types
    (19:47) The rich own assets
    (37:17) Biking Uber Eats in Australia
    (44:20) Skills are future currency
    (45:33) AI makes doers stronger
    (52:36) The gap is everything
    (58:54) Valentine\u2019s printables pay off
    (1:07:54) House hacking slashes costs
    (1:12:45) Life after FI<\/p>\n

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    <\/div>\n