Money is running a great piece this month called "Declare financial independence". As I consider this my ultimate goal I'd like to comment on these articles and how I have embraced some of these philosophies.

The articles isolate their interpretation of "Three paths to the dream of self-employment": you can focus on accumulating enough wealth to retire young and work or not, as you choose, embrace independence when you are laid off from a current job (i.e. don't look for a new one), or do as I have done and run your own business while you're still employed.

In any of the cases you have to of course worry about the risk/return involved. Any financial planner will tell you it always comes down to risk and return. Our object is to get the best return we can while maintaining a level of risk that is acceptable to the client. Same thing applies here. Some people just aren't cut out to deal with the stress of trying to go it alone. That's why really thinking about what you're doing first and all of the consequences is hugely important. Consult a professional to make sure you know the financial impact because it will trickle to other parts of your life quickly. I recommend a team of a CPA and a CFP. If you can find one professional who does both that's even better.mortgage calculator