There's levels to adulting and someone lost the instruction book, but we got you! This week Rich and I talk about the steps we followed in pursuit of financial independence. You'll hear how even simple changes in your day-to-day routine can lead to huge financial wins in the year-to-year. Plus, hear a quick four-step way to estimate your your own financial independence number. Like always, we keeps it fun, informative and simple. On this episode we cover: What we've learned and applied that allowed us to Level Up on our own personal financial game Three steps you can apply immediately to jump-start your own journey towards financial independence The order you should apply when budgeting, managing your debt (school loans versus credit cards), and retirement planning Boss Level: The Big Payback - estimate when your early investments in time and work will start to return multiple or residual income streams References Mentioned in this Show Get Your Free Credit Report: AnnualCreditReport.com CreditKarma.com Credit Card Calculators by BankRate JPMorgan Chase: An Extra $10 a Month Could Save You 11 Years Worth of Debt Payments PB87: Your Money Mindset Matters ft. J.D. Roth PB73: Mastering Financial Independence and Student Loans with Robert Farrington Announcements Marcus joins Financial Independence hosts, Gwen @fierymillennial and J @millennialboss on the Fire Drill Podcast to discuss Putting the Personal in Personal Finance. Check it out! Thank You for the Support Exclusively for our email subscribers, we created a free guide: The 15 Minute Paychecks & Balances Money Plan: Your Guide to Financial Freedom. This tool includes “15-minute” plans for creating a budget, starting your debt freedom plan, and finding your FIRE number. Sign-up to get your guide today and see why just 15-minutes can change the next 15 years of your life. We’ve partnered with NerdWallet for all your personal finance needs at PaychecksAndBalances.com/Tools Looking for more free career development and debt freedom tips? Join our email list at PaychecksandBalances.com/email for exclusive content including show updates, digital giveaways, and more. We don’t spam. We just keeps it real. Yes, keeps. Check out our PATREON page! We’re raising funds to grow the show so we can create more great content that helps you get ahead professionally and financially. Read Marcus’ book series, Debt Free Or Die Trying, to learn more about how he paid off $30,000 in debt by age 30; and how to create a debt free plan you’ll actually follow. LIKE us on Facebook.com/PaychecksandBalances or follow us on Twitter @PayBalances @IamRichJones @THEMarcusGarret and on Instagram.