My name is Stephanie. My journey to Financial Independence wasn’t a long one- only 8.5 years post-graduation and it wasn’t a traditional route. At the wise age of 17, I told my parents I’d stay in Florida for college, but I was studying abroad, and I did just that with a semester in Sweden studying and traveling. I went to university and became an Industrial Engineer. After graduation, I joined a rotational program with an engineering company and spent 2 years moving around the US. Wondering what came next in my life, I was a natural saver and already was saving 50% of my income and was searching for what came next because the next milestone I saw in my life was retiring in my 60s, eventually my roommate at the time informed me of the Mr. Money Moustache blog and I was hooked. Meanwhile, I accepted a position that took me to Brazil to be an expat, it allowed me to save 100% of my base income while the company paid my main living expenses. It rapidly progressed my journey to FI. I ended up leaving corporate America in September 2021 to reset early and determine what life after FI looks like. I’m glad you’ve come along for this journey of a transition and self-discovery.
