Okay, that's nitpicking. Make that 26k invested then. Also, you can reduce the taxes by diverting into an IRA. Also, after the first year, you can begin to add investment income on top of your regular income. This investment income will increase by about $1000 each year.
But 2-3% of my assets. I wouldn't get too hung up on the details. I didn't earn 40k every year. Some years were less. And some were more (see FAQ). I didn't live in New York.
Everybody can run their own spreasheets for their personal income and tax situation presuming an expense level of 6k/year. Figure an investment return of 3%+inflation (so 6% or so total). See what you get.
For some reason I initially assumed $300,000 plus was your retirement target. I am now assuming $175,000 in savings is what you define as "financially independent" That makes sense given your $7,000 per year expenses. ($7,000 divided by 0.04).
1) Starting from zero (because where else would we start for this analysis?)
2) We save $26,000 per year (2,166.7 per month).
3) Assume 6% return.
4) It takes about 5 to 6 years to get to $175,000.
Makes sense, a retirement fund that covers 7,000 per year in living expenses (i.e. about $175,000), takes only about 5 years of saving $26,000 per year (and conservative investing).
