26-year-old Jane Tsang hopes to retire within the next 10 years.Supplied
Good morning. Have you heard of the FIRE movement? It stands for financial independence, retire early. Basically, it’s all about saving enough money so that you can retire decades earlier than most. Sound appealing? Let’s take a peek at someone on that journey.
Burnt out from FIRE
Jane Tsang hopes to retire within the next 10 years. She’s 26.
The Markham, Ont., woman is going all in to meet her goal: two full-time jobs and saving 75 per cent of her income. By day, she’s an e-mail marketing manager making about $80,000. By night, she works at a call centre for $19 an hour plus commission. Both roles are remote, but together they add up to roughly 70 hours a week and $120,000 a year.
She chose this path after internships early in her career left her frustrated with corporate life. “I became very hyper fixated on constantly saving and saving every penny and trying to just reach early retirement as soon as I could,” she said.
To sustain this lifestyle, Tsang has made trade-offs. She lives at home with her parents, barely eats out, and often hauls her computer to social events to get work done. “The biggest contrast I noticed between me and my friends is they work and they can go and do whatever they want, whereas I always have work or I have a side hustle or something to think about,” she said.
Tsang says her health has taken a hit, too – some nights she sleeps only four or five hours – though she’s trying to prioritize rest more.
Her story went viral when she started posting about her two-job grind on social media. People online, and offline, have very strong reactions. “Pretty much nobody likes it,” she said.
She acknowledges that she could try to get a higher-paying job, so that she doesn’t have to juggle two, but she doesn’t want to be in a work environment that doesn’t offer her flexibility and makes her climb the corporate ladder, she said.
“The payoff isn’t worth it,” she said. “We’re waking up doing all the stuff that we don’t want to do and then we can’t even afford a house, we can’t afford property, we can’t afford a family, we can’t afford basic expenses or any of the benefits that generations before got. So, it just felt very unfair to me.”
Tsang plans to stop working when she decides to have kids, though she expects she’ll always have some side hustle.
For now, she says she often feels lonely in the pursuit of financial freedom – something many early retirees experience. Some FIRE movement followers are trying to combat that by finding a community at retreats tailored to people chasing the same goal. Read my story here about one of those summer camps.
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U.S. stocks have crushed it over the past 15 years – $10,000 in 2011 would be $93,000 by 2025. Most gains come from just seven companies – the Magnificent 7 – now 35 per cent of the S&P 500.
Yes, but: History shows such concentration rarely ends well, Fred Vettese, a former chief actuary at Morneau Shepell, writes. Retirees should diversify and limit Magnificent 7 exposure, consider U.S. small caps, or add international stocks.
The Retirement Receipt Open this photo in gallery:
Roger Jackson (right) and his son Andrew (left) in Florence, Italy in May, 2024.Supplied
This 65-year-old geologist turned retirement into adventure, travel and family time
The situation: Roger Jackson had a four-decade career as a geologist. After leaving full-time work, he originally planned to do part-time consulting for five years. But he ended up retiring after just two years in April 2024 at age 63 to spend more time travelling with his family.
The numbers: Jackson converted a defined-benefit pension into a defined-contribution plan in 2011, investing mainly in U.S. equities. He reviews his portfolio periodically with a retirement specialist but manages it himself. He’s delaying Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security benefits until 70.
Life in retirement: Jackson spends his time travelling the world with his son, visiting Ireland, Morocco, China and more. At home in Sudbury, he swims, goes to the gym, and stays active in geology and mining circles. Retirement, he says, is about control and living life on his own terms.
His advice: “Explore the world. Don’t just dream about what’s out there, go and experience firsthand the prehistoric, historic and cultural sites.”
Best of the Rest
📉 Lower rates sound like a win, but don’t get too excited, Rob Carrick writes. The Bank of Canada cut its overnight rate this week. Borrowing could get a little cheaper for a bit, but that could push up home prices, boost stock market froth, and even stoke inflation. For most Canadians already feeling the pinch, a rate cut could even make things worse.
🏡 Can $1-million buy you more than just a starter home north of Toronto? For Joni Cheung and Ryan Berard, it did. The couple traded their 565-square-foot condo for a 2,000-square-foot end-unit townhouse in East Gwillimbury, giving them space for home offices, hobbies, and hosting friends. The price nudged slightly above their $1-million budget, but with a condo sale in hand and careful planning, they secured a home that feels like it could last a lifetime.
💤 Sleep changes as we age, but it doesn’t have to get worse. By your 40s, sleep can become shorter, lighter, and more fragmented, and by your 60s, deep sleep may be scarce. Experts say working with your natural body clock, keeping a regular schedule, napping wisely, treating insomnia properly, and addressing sleep apnea can help protect both your rest and your brain health.
Try This
💰 After you max out your child’s RESP, focus on TFSAs. Save more for your kid by using a parent’s TFSA or a nonregistered account earmarked for the child. You can also set up a formal, or informal, trust to create a barrier so the money stays earmarked for your children’s future.