FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE DAY

It is possible to increase your monthly income without worrying about having more work, less free time or having to depend on absolutely no one. It doesn't matter if you start getting paid more or less: you just need to take the first step.

Hey there! First post here.

Let me start by saying that English is not my mother tongue, but I decided to challenge myself and blogging in English.

I am 34 years old and live in Brazil. By the end of the year, I will complete what I consider to be my fourth year in which I actively pursue financial independence.

I wanted to share my journey towards financial independence and I chose a symbolic date to start sharing this with you.

BRAZIL'S INDEPENDENCE

Today Brazil celebrates its 199th Independence Day.

On this holiday, while many Brazilians celebrate Brazil's independence from Portugal, some celebrate their financial independence, which basically consists of having enough income to support the rest of your life without having to work or be dependent on others.

There are many ways to achieve financial independence and here I’ll tell you how I have been doing it in Brazil. So far, my plan is perfectly on track and I should be able to reach my independence on my 38th birthday.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

Since 2006, I have been thinking about being financially independent, but my plan has never been the same as it is now.

When I was 20 years old, I started investing in a private pension. It was a banking product and had a terrible return, especially because my bank charged a high percentage of fee (4%). I was not satisfied. I wanted to get a higher return than traditional banking products, so I started taking more risks in the stock market.

It was 2009, when I bought my frirst share, I had just turned 23 years old. I was very excited and it didn't take me long to imagine myself as a trader, but I was very wrong. After some losses, I got discouraged and abandoned the plan three years later, in 2012, selling almost my entire stock portfolio, keeping only the stocks that were at a loss.

Despite having stopped investing, I started making more money than before. My professional career was growing, so I decided to come back with the goal of being financially independent. I returned to the stock market at the end of 2017 much more confident than the first time.

AHA MOMENT

It had been five years since I last accessed my brokerage account. Before accessing, I was sure that I would be the best trader in Brazil, but I changed my mind instantly.

As soon as I opened my account, I was shocked by what I saw. The shares I kept in the account had incredible profitability. I really didn't expect this, because up until that point I was thinking about making money in the stock market by buying a stock and selling it at a higher price after a few days or weeks.

So I realized that the key to investing was not in the short term, but in the long term. That's how I started my journey, but honestly, I wish I had started this path many years ago.

TIMES IS MORE VALUE THAN MONEY

There's a popular Chinese proverb that says:

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”

Basically this means that the sooner you start, the better off you will be. Looking back, I regret that it took me a long time to develop a long-term vision, I think I would have reached my goal by now, especially knowing the power of compound interest.

I can't make up for lost time, but thinking I'm getting closer and closer to my goal is something that motivates me more to keep going and even write about it.

So come on, follow with me to FI!