3550: [Part 2] How I Measure Progress Toward Financial Independence by Craig Stephens of Retire Before Dad

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3550: Craig Stephens breaks down a practical way to measure financial independence by focusing on annual spending, invested assets, and sustainable income streams rather than misleading net worth figures. By adjusting expenses with passive income and tracking progress visually, he reveals a clearer, more motivating path toward early retirement. This approach helps you see exactly how close you are, and where you can accelerate the journey. Read along with the original article(s) here: Quotes to ponder: "Best practice is to use invested assets to measure progress toward financial independence instead of net worth." "Start tracking anyways. You’ll be amazed with the amount of progress you can make in a year or two." "I prefer to keep taxable passive income assets and retirement savings separate because I do not want to draw down the principal of my sustainable income streams." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can listen to 3550: [Part 2] How I Measure Progress Toward Financial Independence by Craig Stephens of Retire Before Dad online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

3550: [Part 2] How I Measure Progress Toward Financial Independence by Craig Stephens of Retire Before Dad is an episode from Optimal Finance Daily by Justin Malik.

This episode is 13:03 long.

This episode was published on May 6, 2026.

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