- Elena Kodama intends to leave her software engineering position to embrace a Coast FIRE lifestyle.
- Coast FIRE enables individuals to engage in part-time employment and achieve financial autonomy via smart saving strategies.
- Kodama’s resale venture along with her YouTube channel helps bring in earnings to back up her retirement strategy.
This essay, compiled from an interview with Elena Kodama—a 31-year-old software engineer based in Cambridge, Massachusetts—has been condensed and clarified for brevity.
In 2017, I began my professional journey as an independent contractor.
software engineer
.
Recently, at the age of 31, I made up my mind to leave my high-paying position as a software engineer in order to chase after something else.
Coast FIRE
style of living and dedicate additional quality time to my family. I am married and have two kids.
Intense saving during my youth will make this possible.
With a Coast FIRE strategy, I no longer have to be employed full-time.
Coast FIRE
It’s a blend of achieving financial independence alongside adopting a strategic approach for saving towards retirement. This concept revolves around scaling back, moving away from demanding jobs, and embracing life according to your own rules. Using this technique, you can maintain employment but only work part-time doing something you’re passionate about.
I initially came across this information during my time at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. It’s crucial to grasp the basics of personal finance as soon as possible and begin saving money so you can take advantage of compound interest, particularly when you have ample time ahead.
As soon as I began my job, I
I’ve reached the contribution limit for my Roth IRA.
And with my 401(k), I managed to save around $100,000 in just four years. Over the course of my twenties, I set aside and put into investments roughly $150,000 altogether.
Using the force of compound interest at a modest 5% yearly increase, I would just need to invest approximately $12,000 each year for the coming three decades to amass more than $1.5 million in my retirement savings, allowing me to completely retire during my sixties.
A part-time job will assist me in achieving my annual savings target.
In 2023, taking my initial 18-week maternity leave, I began a
reselling side hustle
, buying items during sales and then reselling them for a profit on Amazon. Identifying the best product to sell involves a great deal of experimentation and testing.
Initially, I visited various shops to discover lucrative items. Following several weeks of thorough market analysis, I found out that investing in a particular shoe brand could yield up to 50% return on investment. With this knowledge, I narrowed my focus onto specific product categories and brands.
Next, I would buy sneakers online during discounts and then sell them on Amazon at full price. I utilize an application that gives me information like estimated product sales figures and the count of competing sellers.
I had the good fortune of receiving ample support for my newborn from various family members, such as a stay-at-home spouse, parents, and in-laws, who took turns watching the baby. This enabled me to dedicate sufficient time to excel at this newfound venture.
I grew the business to exceed $200,000 in revenue inside one year, achieving a net profit of $14,000.
My enterprise has now grown to include YouTube.
In 2024, I uploaded my reselling journey onto YouTube, which quickly became popular, amassing more than 2 million views along with 50,000 new subscribers. As a result, I enrolled in the YouTube Partner Program and now produce between one and four videos each month, earning approximately $500 per month from this venture.
YouTube AdSense
.
In addition to my resale venture, this provides sufficient funds to meet daily costs of living and put aside $12,000 yearly for my pension savings. As a businessman, I typically pull in anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000 each month.
My spouse’s regular work schedule provides our family with health coverage and pays for the mortgage. With an annual earnings in the lower six-figure range and a satisfaction with their role, they have no plans of retiring prematurely. I handle the payments for expenses such as electricity and food.
I intend to leave the field of engineering permanently this coming summer.
I have been serving as a software engineer at Tulip Interfaces for nearly four years and plan to step down once my maternity leave concludes to pursue more independence and flexibility. While I enjoy my role, I am not keen on being employed by a corporation. My aspiration is to be self-employed so I can set my own schedule.
I’m
during my second parental leave
and concentrated on producing content along with starting new side businesses while dedicating more quality time to my family.
Retiring early will grant liberty.
To me, retirement signifies the liberty to pursue whatever activities catch my interest. I have no intention of staying idle at home once I retire. Engaging in startups, acquiring new skills, and imparting my wisdom are what I enjoy doing.
I am concentrating on evaluating various enterprises, like an AI automation firm, and starting new e-commerce ventures. My primary business at present centers around producing content for YouTube.
In the end, my dream is to journey across the globe with my loved ones.
Would you like to share your experience of retiring early? Reach out to this editor.
lhaas@career
.
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