While early retirement may seem like a farfetched idea for most of us, it is a real possibility if you are willing to put your journey to financial independence on high-speed rails.

In general, retirement confidence remains low, with nearly half of all households being at risk of not having enough money. However, for extreme savers with ambitious goals of achieving financial independence by age 40, this country’s general lack of retirement preparedness does not affect their desire to challenge conventional wisdom.

Early retirement is a dream many people would like to achieve. But the reality is that transitioning to an early retirement creates some financial planning challenges. The first challenge is figuring out how much money you will need to have saved once you reach Day 1 of Financial Independence.

How to Retire at 40

16. Don’t spend on a lavish wedding

Of course, you want to get hitched in style, but do you know what the average wedding in Canada costs? Spending too much on a lavish wedding is a sure way of getting into debt and eating into your retirement savings.

Scale down on your wedding now, and at 40, you’ll be able to afford a second honeymoon with your partner: one that can last as long as you want it to because you won’t have work commitments.

15. Consider working after retirement

You’ll find it easier to adjust to retirement if you can keep working. This may sound like missing the point of retiring, but it just means that you scale down on the 9 to 5 and work on your terms instead. Doing one of the best jobs for retirees reduces your stress and still earns an income.

14. Become an entrepreneur

Once you’ve built up a successful business, you can step back, let others do the actual work and live on the profits. You don’t even have to quit your day job to become an entrepreneur. Be creative and bold, and you’ll be surprised at how even the craziest ideas can become a business you can run on the side.

13. Find ways of earning a passive income

A passive income is money you earn without having to do anything. It includes the interest you make on your savings account, the money you earn from a property you rent out and the income you earn on the stock market. There are many ways to make money while you sleep: you need to look for them and be creative.

12. Build up an investment portfolio

According to Time, you should plan to live on 4% of your investment portfolio every year once you’ve retired. Of course, this means that you need an investment portfolio. A good financial advisor will help you make sense of the stock market and where to invest for the best returns.

11. Pay off your debts

Whether student loans or a mortgage, owing money can seriously eat into your retirement savings. Moreover, the longer you take to pay off your debts, the more you’ll pay in interest: money you could have put into a retirement savings plan. So start with reducing your credit card debt, and the rest will follow.

10. Take freebies

It’s surprising how many things in life are free. If you do a bit of research, you’ll find that there is a lot of free money you might be missing out on. Take every freebie you can since this will help you cut down on your spending.

9. Learn how to be happy with less

You don’t need to spend lots of money to be happy. Instead, change your mindset and learn how to find joy in simple things. This way, making sacrifices to save for early retirement won’t feel like sacrifices.

8. Cut down on your spending

If you want to retire early and still live a good life, you’ll have to make sacrifices now. The less you spend, the more you’ll have to put into your retirement savings. Find every way you can to cut down on your spending: from buying cheaper groceries to cutting your car costs.

7. Start saving

The only natural way of retiring at 40 to even be a possibility is to have enough saved up for when you don’t have a regular income anymore. The earlier you start saving, the more you’ll have by when you’re ready to retire.

6. Have a good pension plan

While most pension plans only come into play when you reach pensionable age, a good pension plan will make it easier to retire early. In addition, you won’t have to save as much as you would’ve had to without one. When considering a new job, look at the kind of retirement benefits the company offers.

5. Get a high-paying job

The more money you make during your working years, the easier it will be to retire early with a good nest egg. Work towards landing – and keeping – one of the highest-paying jobs in Canada so you’ll have more to put aside for your post-retirement life.

4. Know how much you need to save

You need to save more than you would have otherwise for early retirement. Remember that you only become eligible for retirement benefits in your sixties. A good retirement income calculator like the Government of Canada will help you crunch the numbers. Don’t forget to factor in taxes! Some handy retirement tax tips will help save your nest egg.

3. Know how much you’ll need

For a stress-free retirement, you’ll need to have enough money to pay for your lifestyle. The general rule of thumb, according to Forbes, is to have 80% of your pre-retirement income if you want to maintain the lifestyle you had while still working.

2. Know what to expect

Early retirement comes with endless possibilities. There are also many things about early retirement that might surprise you. If you know what to expect, you’ll be able to make better decisions about how and when to retire.

1. Know what you want from retirement

There are many great things to do after retirement, and retirement doesn’t mean the same thing to everybody. For some people, it means lying on a beach all day, sipping piña coladas. For others, it means still being able to work, but when, where and how you want to. If you know what you want from retirement, it will be easier to develop a plan to work towards your goal.