What are some realiable ways to become financially independent?

Get adopted by Bill and Melinda Gates.

@OneBadApple Lol , but that would be inheritance.

Not while they are both still alive, it wouldn’t. I’m guessing that your weekly allowance would be maybe a million dollars….

OK, how about this. You start a rock band in Liverpool, England, write and sing a lot of really great songs, and grow your hair longer than everyone else does. Then…....wait, wait…...hang on…..

My wife says that’s already been done….

Sorry…...never mind….

Auto mechanic, electrician, or plumber. Can’t outsource that and it pays well. We just payed a plumber a 100 bucks a hour to come on short notice. Pretty much anything that breaks with frequency that can’t be done over the phone.

Get rid of all but one of your credit cards. Use that one just enough that it doesn’t get cancelled.
Don’t replace your old car until you have the money to pay for a new one outright. Take sack lunches to work, a loaf of bread and a package of lunchmeat costs less than one meal at McDonald’s but lasts all week.

Drive the speed limit instead of 5mph over. You will be surprised how much fuel savings you get.

@johnpowell I do tech support for my mom when her computer stops working.

Start being mindful about what you spend. Make investing some of your money each week a priority.

Get to understand tax laws and tax breaks. Save for mid term, long term and short term goals. Live below your means. When I say save, look for investments that fit into the tax break scenario. Generate income from several sources and create a ‘peanut machine’ concept, something that makes money while you sleep.

Consider stock trading, but only with money you have spare.

Check interest on all banks on shorter terms saving they vary. Also never get into credit card situations, other wise your savings become useless since the interest on debt wipes out anything you have saved.. Some credit cards offer good rates if you save on them.

Watch all the small things that debit your account. All the small things drain away your income like a tap dripping.

Find something small that generates recurring income. Whether it be a physical job or by way of the internet. This should be aside from your job. Small steady recurring income builds and could even lead to you retiring early.

Understand the difference between wealth and income. Avoid debt. Live modestly. Spend less than your income. Save for both the long-term and short-term.

When you have at least 6 months of living expenses in an accessible account, you’ll be in a good position. When (not if, but when) you have large, unexpected costs—the car needs a major repair, or a tree falls through your house’s roof—you’ll have the means to pay, and the expenses won’t keep you from sleeping at night. Also, if you lose your job—something that’s often not fair or deserved—you’ll have some resources to carry you through.

If you are in the US, you can get a home loan through the Gubernment to purchase large apartment buildings with just 3% down, as long as you live there. Buy an apartment building, charge the other tenants for the mortgage, and work another job. Once you have a cushion, buy more real estate.

Real estate.

First and nearly always: pay down and stay out of debt. Don’t take on debt unless it’s “productive”. That is, a debt for a home that will grow in value is wise, and a debt to grow a business is even wiser, but a debt for a car loan (while unavoidable, perhaps, sometimes) is not.

I think it’s important for people these days to start weaning themselves from the idea of “financial independence” because at some point our financial system will collapse. It’s all but certain to happen, the only question is “when?” and “how badly and for how long?” I’m not talking Great Depression collapse or even “Great Recession” collapse (as of 2008 and since, for many people), but worse: Zimbabwe, Weimar Republic (Germany during the 1930s, for example) when “currency” becomes essentially worthless. At those times in history it doesn’t matter how much “money” you have.

We need to be able to barter a skill, trade, goods (including food) or whatever else we can produce or acquire to trade for the other things that we can’t or don’t want to produce.

I’ve been in India all this week seeing how “the other 90%” live, and it’s not at all pretty. It’s downright scary. Consider what you could do if money didn’t even exist in our society. Consider what you would do if you were dropped into your environment with no funds, no friends, no family and had to live the rest of your life in that environment and make a go of it. I’m not talking “weekend warrior” stuff here, or “what would I do to get out of the woods?” but “how can I live the rest of my life – from right now – starting from scratch?” Think along those lines and be ready.

Beyond that, I would still recommend doing the necessary things to plan for a financial future: learn about investing in stocks, real estate and even commodities (but don’t try speculating without a lot of cash that you can afford to risk and still sleep at night); start retirement accounts (401k plans if your employer offers one, an IRA if they don’t – and even if they do, and you can afford to put money into that, too); stay out of debt (it’s worth repeating!); but always consider “what if the money goes away? what then?” The collapse may not occur for decades, but it may come out of the blue next week.

It’s when people get smug about “well, I’m all set for life now!” that unexpected disaster occurs.