7 Powerful Reasons Our Family Pursues Financial Independence

Financial independence isn’t just a dream—it’s a decision. As a family living in Germany, a country known for its strong social safety net, we’ve chosen this path not because we have to—but because we want to.

In this post, I’ll share the 7 reasons why our European family pursues financial independence—whether it’s the desire to choose how we spend our most precious resource: our lifetime, the freedom to work on something meaningful (paid or unpaid), or the wish to truly cherish life with our children while they’re still young.

Ultimately, we want to achieve financial independence and early semi-retirement—also known as Semi FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early)—because we believe this choice is ours to make. And it should be yours too.

Having that choice is at the very heart of the financial independence journey. But let me be honest: it’s not easy. Still, all the hard work behind it serves a purpose—one day, YOU get to choose.

Having The Choice: When Work Becomes Optional

Have you ever dreamed of starting a family—only to end up spending most of your time apart? That’s the reality for many of us, simply because we need to earn an income. Don’t get me wrong: I love working, contributing to society, and growing in my career. Maybe you do too.

But the truth is, we never know what the future holds. I want to have the financial flexibility to pivot in my career if I choose to—not because I have to, but because I can. I’ve never liked feeling limited. I want to make the best choices for myself and my family from a place of financial strength, not scarcity. And my husband Marc feels the same.

That might just be the biggest reason why we pursue financial independence as a European family. Isn’t it powerful to choose where you direct your most precious resource—your lifetime? Isn’t it a gift when the work you do is entirely by choice, helping you discover its deeper purpose? To create something meaningful. To give back. To serve others in a way only you can. And really—why would you ever want to give that up?

If you want to further explore that topic, I recommend reading the book Work Optional: Retire Early the Non-Penny-Pinching Way.

Cherishing Life: Planning For 30–40 Years Of Financial Freedom

In Germany, retirement starts at 67 for my generation—but there’s already talk of raising it to 69. But no one’s getting any younger in their 70s or 80s. Even if I dream of climbing mountains or traveling the world, the reality is: I might not be able to. I’ve seen too many retirees face major health issues just as retirement begins. After a lifetime of work, they realize they can’t enjoy it. To me, that’s really sad.

That’s what financial independence is really about: the power to buy back your time and live life on your terms. Imagine what it would feel like to gain not just 10+ years, but 30 or 40 years of financial freedom and retirement. To truly cherish life with your kids, be present every day, and shape your family’s schedule around what matters most. To decide not just if you work, but when, how, and why.

Financial independence isn’t about quitting work or escaping life. Financial independence is about building a life you don’t want to retire from—one where you do work that fulfills you, whether or not you’re paid for it. That’s the kind of early retirement we’re aiming for.

On top of that, we’re fully aware that the state pension in Germany covers less than 50% of your current income. Yet most experts recommend planning to live on about 80% of your pre-retirement income. That leaves a retirement gap of over 30%—a serious issue if you’re relying only on the system. Do you know how big your retirement gap is? And where that money will come from when you retire?

To find out, try the Retirement Gap Calculator. It makes the math simple—and more importantly, it makes the problem real. The earlier you tackle your gap, the less you’ll need to contribute.

Gaining True Financial Security

Financial security is a core promise of social welfare states like Germany—where the system is designed to support you during life’s most difficult moments: unemployment, illness, maternity leave, or retirement.

But when you pursue financial independence, you choose to take that responsibility into your own hands. You stop relying on the system—or anyone else—for your future financial security. Everything the state provides becomes a bonus—not your plan.

To achieve that, you focus on earning more, saving more, and investing for passive income. You want to build up enough income-generating assets that can eventually replace your income. The goal is simple: earning enough passive income to support yourself and your family—even if you stop working entirely.

For us, that journey is already well underway. Together, my husband and I have built a stock market portfolio worth over 120.000 Euro—and it’s growing steadily. Over the next decades, it will help close our retirement gap. That gives me true peace of mind. I finally feel financially grounded.

If you’re also thinking about creating financial security on your own, I highly recommend the book Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence. Written by the pioneers of the FIRE movement (Financial Independence, Retire Early). It’s a powerful and practical guide that has transformed the lives of thousands—including mine.

Finding Clarity About Our Family’s Life Direction

Pursuing financial independence gave me something unexpected: clarity. I’m no longer working just to make a living—I work for my own financial freedom. And that’s unlike anything else.

I feel like I’m finally in the driver’s seat of my own future. Have you ever taken—or turned down—a job just because of the money? I have. But what if money was no longer the issue? You could chase the passion you nearly forgot you had. You could give your old dream a second chance.

Most of us bury those dreams as adulthood takes over—I did too. But when I started the financial independence journey, I gained clarity about the kind of work I want to do in early semi-retirement. Whether it pays or not doesn’t matter anymore.

I tell my oldest daughter that work is an important part of life. Because when we work out of choice—not necessity—we grow, we learn, and we help others. What kind of work would you choose if money weren’t the reason?

Building Generational Wealth And A Legacy

What does it really mean to build generational wealth? First, let’s define “wealth.”

Wealth means owning enough income-producing assets to live without working. It’s different from being rich. Rich people can afford luxury cars or designer clothes—but those are depreciating assets. They lose value and don’t pay you. So if you’re rich, you’re still trading time for money. But if you’re wealthy, your capital works for you and pays your bills—and that’s exactly what we aim for.

Generational wealth is what happens when that capital gets passed from one generation to the next. That means not consuming your assets, but preserving and growing them—whether in stocks, real estate, businesses, gold, or material goods like art.

In many ways, building generational wealth is a byproduct of pursuing financial independence. If your kids learn smart financial habits from you, they might do the same—and that cycle becomes your legacy.

With that power comes responsibility. I want to teach my kids to build wealth before they spend—before they buy a fancy car, upgrade their home, or take frequent holidays. Not because those things are bad—they’re not. But because financial freedom comes first. Once that’s in place, go ahead—buy the fancy car (like our very not-fancy but pricey VW bus we aim for), renovate the bathroom (yes, ours truly needs it), and travel the world. Just do it from a place of financial strength.

Questioning The Status Quo

I’ll be honest: after deciding to pursue financial independence, my husband and I struggled. We started questioning everything—how we eat, spend, celebrate, and unwind. Clothing, vacations, gifts—it all came under review. For the first time, we asked: Is this really the life we want to live as a family? More often than not, the answer was no. And that surprised us.

Questioning the status quo is tough—but it’s the first and often hardest step toward financial independence. Because this journey isn’t just about money—it’s about self-discovery and redefining how you want to live. It’s uncomfortable. But in the end, you’ll likely change things for the better—and for good.

Changing Habits For The Better

We changed everything to pursue our goal of financial independence and build an early-retired lifestyle for our family. And every change led to something better—our habits around food, how we travel, how we manage our home, and especially how we handle money.

But just because the changes were positive didn’t mean they were easy. What made the difference was that we were intentional. We broke free from routines and limiting beliefs that no longer served us.

Are your routines still serving you?

Financial independence gives our family the freedom to choose how we want to live. It’s not just about semi retiring early—it’s about living intentionally. These 7 reasons guide us—and maybe they’ll inspire you to reflect, dream, and begin your own journey toward a freer, more meaningful life.

When you walk away today with at least one new idea to improve your financial independence journey I’d love to show you some more in the next posts. For that you can subscribe to our Newsletter below in the green footer.

Now, I’d love to hear from you: Why are you pursuing financial independence? Let me know in the comments below!