BiggerPockets Money Podcast · Wednesday, September 16, 2026
Mindy Jensen shared a personal anecdote about her own FI journey, where her initial calculation of $1 million was insufficient because she underestimated future spending needs. Her husband's computer programming salary of $130,000 a decade ago and their subsequent need to accumulate $2 million highlights the risk of setting FI goals based on current, rather than projected, spending.
“And my husband was like, um, I don't know. So he worked for another year. And then another year. And then he went part-time. And then he did not retire until we had $2 million in net worth.”
“And I think in hindsight, that $1 million goal was a little bit silly. So I am certainly not spending $36,000 a year right now. And it has gone up considerably.”
“So I think it's great that you are planning to give yourself a raise. That's a hefty raise. But also, how old are you again for our listeners who aren't familiar? I'm 25 years old. So you are over the course of approximately 40 years, you're going to give yourself some room to grow.”