Gwen Merz Finds Her Stride in Her Pursuit of Financial Independence

When it comes to the Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE) movement, there are many opinions about which route to take to achieve FIRE. For some, it is a traditional 9-5 coupled with side hustles to increase their income. Many prominent people in the FIRE community have been able to gain enough income from their side hustles to leave their regular jobs behind.

Gwen Merz started pursuing FIRE soon after graduating college and her savings reached a point where she could quit her regular job and work for herself as she achieved her FIRE goals. She talks with Chris Browning about her choice to return to a conventional job after almost a year outside the workforce. She also shares how her path to FI is one of self-discovery and pursuing opportunities that are fulfilling.

- What factors drew her towards the Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE) community
- Why being a full-time freelancer was not the ideal situation for her
- What are some lessons she learned for the nine months she was self-employed
- Her experience jumping back into the workforce

Gwen Merz's goal is to help guide her fellow millennials along similar paths to financial freedom.  Gwen has been on the path to Financial Independence for about 8 years.  She decided to focus more on the ‘excel at W2’ path to FIRE over the ‘hustle every minute’ path.  Her cat is incredibly adorable. You can find her swimming, biking, quilting, and playing games of all kinds.  

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