Optimal Finance Daily · Saturday, September 5, 2026
To achieve early retirement, ESI stresses the importance of earning a substantial income, suggesting career development and establishing side businesses as key methods. He estimates that career development alone can increase lifetime income by a million dollars or more.
“It begins with earning a decent amount of money. Retiring early can be done at all income levels, but the more you earn, the more you can sock away, and the more you'll have to fund the retirement you want.”
“I developed my career. This was by far the lion's share of the income I made through the years, and the reason I write so much about making the most of your career.”
“I developed side businesses. In the 90s, I had a freelance writing business and later on, a blog, though I donated the profits from it for years.”