Interviewer: Thank you for agreeing to meet with us and answer our questions. Firstly, why did you want to meet here, in these beautiful surroundings, and not in your house?

Retiree: Well, since I am outdoors most of the time now, I thought it would be more natural.

I: OK, so let’s get some basic facts about you: you are 45, married with two kids and… you are retired! How is that possible?

R: Well, it’s just a case of careful planning and a bit of luck, really. When I graduated from my university, I knew that I didn’t want to take part in the rat race just to have money. My goal was to achieve financial stability long before reaching the retirement age.

I: So, how did you manage to do it?

R: I prepared a plan of my expenses, divided into categories, and I kept to it rigorously in order to pay off all my student loans first. I managed to do it within two years. Then I met my wife and got married. Luckily, she accepted my lifestyle and agreed to live frugally like me. We economised on everything, cut our spending where possible and as a result, after fifteen years, l was able to retire from my engineering job.

I: Ok, 15 years of not spending much, but surely it can’t be the whole secret, can it?

R: No, you’re right, it isn’t all I did. Apart from my accumulated savings, I also invested some money in stocks and shares on the stock exchange and luckily it turned out to be a really profitable move. Now, we can do more travelling and when boys go off to college, we might even join the grey nomads community!

I: Do you teach your children how to manage money?

R: Oh yeah, it came naturally when they were little. They have always had their pocket money and we let them spend it however they wanted. But sometimes they wanted to buy a toy and it was, say, $3, and they only had $2, so we’d say: “If you wait a bit, you will be able to buy it, and if you wait a little longer, then you can even buy that big toy you liked so much!” And they learned to wait, so now it’s like we have kids with a default saving gen!

I: That’s great! What advice would you give to all the people who want to follow your example?

R: I’d say be realistic and know what you want. For example, if you like your job and feel fulfilled doing it, what’s the use of retiring earlier? But if you are serious about it, have a sensible plan and be prepared for years of sacrifice. You know: eating out regularly or going abroad on holiday is off‑limits!

I: Thank you very much!

R: My pleasure!