Why I'm Walking Away from the Default Retirement Plan

I'm targeting a £2.4m net worth by age 44 — and I'm already over halfway there. This is why I'm walking away from the default "work till 68" retirement plan, and share the real numbers behind my FIRE journey. In this first video I introduce Pound the Path: my personal, no-BS documentation of working toward financial independence in the UK while raising two young kids. I cover why I'm doing this (my dad worked into his late 60s and passed away in his mid-70s — that stuck with me), how childcare and family priorities shape our spending, and the actual maths behind the £2.4m number: the 4% rule, adjusting £66k of desired income for inflation to 2032, and why the remaining gap is just our house equity. I'm not a financial advisor — just someone sharing what I'm actually doing with my own money, mistakes included. What's in this video: - Why I'm rejecting the "retire at 68" default - Balancing FIRE with two kids, childcare costs, and stealth wealth - The maths behind my £2.4m FI number (4% rule, inflation-adjusted) - Why I moved from stock-picking to index funds - What's coming next on the channel Next week: What FIRE actually means, and the only 3 numbers that matter — a good follow-up if this is your first time hearing the term. Got a FI number of your own? Drop it in the comments — or tell me if this is the first time you've thought about one. Not financial advice — just one person's approach, shared for transparency. #FIRE #FinancialIndependence #PersonalFinance #UKFinance #RetireEarly

Added 25 Jul 2026