We landed in Saigon last Saturday and have been feeling SO grateful. 🙏

It’s not lost on us what a blessing it is to spend two months each year in Saigon with Angie’s parents and another two months in NYC with Tyler’s parents.

Financial sustainability and location flexibility have unlocked the freedom to make choices that help us love and live better. 🥰

Angie and her sister have been working hard to retire their dad early (Jan 31, 2025 is his last working day! 🥳) and are committed to supporting their parents in retirement.

Being here fills us with joy seeing Angie’s parents enter this new chapter. 🥹 So grateful to still have the opportunity to contribute to their well-deserved rest and happiness. ♥️

We were also surprised to find that returning to these places each year actually deepens our friendships. 🥹

Constant travel seemed like it would make staying connected hard right? But just showing up consistently makes ALL the difference. ✨

So we’re endlessly grateful for the financial freedom journey and nomadic-ish lifestyle we’ve been intentionally building from day one.

It’s given us a life rich with community, family, and friends—a life we deeply cherish. ♥️

OK back to our stroll to Freedom! 😉

In this letter, as we wrap up the year, we’ll share how we’re setting ourselves up to cross the finish line on our 2024 financial goals! 🚀

Our Year-End Financial Wrap-Up 💰

🧮 Start Fresh with Our Budget

Budgeting is the GOAT 🐐 of our wealth building. It gives us a full picture of our cash flow so we can make sane and sound financial decisions.

Our go-to app? YNAB. Its “give every dollar a job” method is just 🤌.

It reeeally keeps us staying proactive, not reactive (hello Mint my old friend 🎶).

But let’s be real—getting the hang of YNAB wasn’t instant. 🫠 Angie went through three months of "WTF is happening?!" moments, followed by a full year of trial and error.

If you’re new to YNAB and have a thousand questions, you're not alone. Stick with it—it’s worth it.  💫

This year, Angie held off switching things up mid-year and mustered all her willpower to patiently wait until December to hit the magical “Make a Fresh Start” button.

And now, we’re kicking off 2025 with a fine-tuned budget (armed with SO MANY hard-earned lessons)—ready to make our money work harder for us, not the other way around! 💪🎉

Pro tip: Start in December so you can roll December income into January’s budget.

🤑 Max Out Tax-Advantaged Accounts

Our top two expenses to ALWAYS tackle first: mortgages and taxes. So we make it a priority to seize every tax-efficient opportunity—no stone left unturned! 😤

Our lineup: 401(k), Solo 401(k), IRAs, HSA and the Mega-backdoor Roth 401(k).

We haven’t hopped on the backdoor Roth train yet—it’s been a constant back-and-forth on the tax pros and cons. But no rush—we’re planning to tackle it in 2025. ✌️

We focus on maxing out early, even though the deadline is April 15, 2025, because “time in the market beats timing the market.” 💎

Here’s our contribution order

🏝️ Plan Next Year’s Travel with Credit Card Points

In 2024, we took ~30 flights ✈️—most paid with points. 🥹

We do enough globe-trotting to know less on flights means more to splurge on food and experiences. 🤭

👉 Curious about how we manage our card game? Let us know, and we’ll share more details! 👀

📈 Track Net Worth (Because It’s Fun)

Tracking our net worth is a year-round habit, but the year-end update always feels extra satisfying. 🥰

Watching progress is SO motivating. It eases the hustle mindset, reminding us we’re on track, and lets us focus on more meaningful things. ✨

Oh recently, we adjusted our net worth to exclude real estate equity 🏘️—showing a more realistic number for how much we could take out if we went 100% F.I.R.E.

And that’s a wrap on our year-end review!

✅ Fresh budget
✅ Maxed-out accounts
✅ Free travel
✅ Net worth tracking fun

We’d love to hear how you’re closing out your 2024 financial year—share your tips and lessons with us! 🫶

Here’s to a financially sound and freedom-filled 2025! 🗽♥️

Hope it's helpful for your journey to Freedom 🙏

Love you to freedom and back, 🫰

Angie & Tyler

Things We are Loving Right Now ❤️‍🔥

💻 Productivity

• Arc Browser: Angie has been a fan since 2022—it's so well-designed. Tabs in Arc are much more intuitive, and she finds herself constantly using them daily, unlike in Google Chrome where they often feel like decorative pieces. Plus, the Split view is the MVP for boosting productivity. ❤️‍🔥
• Inbox when Ready for Gmail: Ever open your inbox for one email and get instantly distracted? 🥴 This Google extension hides your inbox by default, letting you write new emails or search your archives distraction-free.