Unlock Your Life: What “Financial Independence is About Choices” Really Means
Have you ever heard someone say, “I wish I could just quit my job and travel the world,” or “I just want enough money so I don’t have to worry about bills”? These wishes get to the heart of a really important idea called Financial Independence (FI). A smart saying captures this idea perfectly: “Financial independence is not about riches; it’s about choices.”
This quote, which comes from an unknown source, is incredibly powerful because it shifts our focus. It tells us that the goal of managing money isn’t just to have a giant pile of cash (riches), but rather to gain the freedom to decide how you spend your time (choices).
Explaining Financial Independence to a Sixth Grader
Imagine you have an allowance. If you spend every single penny the second you get it on candy, toys, or video game skins, you have no choices later on. If your friend invites you to the movies on Friday, you have to say no because your money is gone. You are dependent on getting your next allowance to do anything.
Now, imagine you decide to save most of your allowance. You still buy a little bit of candy—because life should have some fun now—but you save the rest. When your friend asks you to go to the movies, you can say, “Yes! I have enough saved!” You made a choice.
Financial Independence is like that, but for grown-ups and for life. Instead of an allowance, grown-ups earn a salary. Instead of spending it all right away, they save and invest some of that money. The goal is to save up enough so that the money they’ve saved can start making more money for them—like planting seeds that grow into money trees!
When those money trees are big enough to pay for all the things you need (like food, a place to live, and maybe a little fun) without you having to go to a traditional job every single day, that’s financial independence. You aren’t rich like a movie star, but you have the choice to work because you want to, not because you have to just to survive.
The Difference Between Riches and Freedom
Riches often mean having things like super expensive cars, huge mansions, or closets full of designer clothes. That’s one way to use money. But the quote says FI isn’t about that.
Choice Example 1: Time Freedom
The biggest choice FI gives you is Time Freedom. Think about your favorite hobby—maybe it’s drawing comics, playing a sport, or volunteering at an animal shelter. If you have FI, you could spend Tuesday afternoons doing that, instead of being stuck in an office or a job you dislike just to pay rent. You choose how to spend your most precious resource: your time.
To help you start learning about managing money early, a good foundational book can make a huge difference in understanding basic concepts.
Amazon Affiliate Product 1: The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness by Dave Ramsey. (This book focuses on getting out of debt and building a strong financial foundation, which is the first step toward making better choices.)
Choice Example 2: Health and Well-being
When you are worried about money, it can make you feel stressed, sad, or even physically sick. If you are financially independent, you have the choice to leave a job that is making you unhappy or unhealthy. You can choose to eat healthier food, spend more time exercising, or see a doctor without panicking about the bill. Your choice is to prioritize your health over a stressful paycheck.
How Do You Get to the Choice Stage?
Moving from having no financial choices to having many choices takes planning. It’s not magic; it’s about making small, smart choices now so you can have big choices later.
- Spend Less Than You Earn: This is the golden rule. If you make $10, you must spend $9 or less. That extra $1 is what you use to build your future choices.
- Avoid “Bad Debt”: Bad debt is owing money for things that don’t increase in value, like buying too many trendy gadgets on credit cards. That debt forces you to work for someone else just to pay the interest!
- Make Your Money Work: This means saving and investing. Even small amounts, saved consistently over many years, can turn into that “money tree” we talked about.
If you are just starting out and want a simple, visual way to track your progress and stay motivated, a good physical planner can help you establish those early good habits.
Amazon Affiliate Product 2: The 5-Year Journal: A Guided Journal to Help You Set Goals, Track Progress, and Reflect on Your Life Journey. (Using a journal helps solidify the commitment to making better choices daily.)
The Myth of “Needing to Be Rich”
Many people think they need to win the lottery or inherit a fortune to be financially independent. That’s the “riches” trap. The quote debunks this. You don’t need to be a millionaire to have freedom.
If you can cover your basic needs (housing, food, utilities) with your investments, you are financially independent, even if your “income” is only $30,000 a year! Someone who is a millionaire but must spend $100,000 a year to maintain their lifestyle is actually less independent than the person with $30,000 who needs only $20,000 to live. The person who needs less has more choices.
Applying the Lesson Today
This quote is a great lesson for everyone, even you in 6th grade! It teaches you that setting goals and controlling your spending now gives you power over your future.
- Do you choose to save your birthday money, or spend it all immediately? (That’s a small choice now for a bigger choice later.)
- Do you choose to learn a skill that could earn you more money later, or just play video games all day? (That’s a choice about your future earning power.)
To make the concept of saving and investing feel more tangible, especially for young people looking to automate their good habits, a subscription box focused on financial literacy can be a fun introduction.
Amazon Affiliate Product 3: A Subscription Box Service Focused on Financial Literacy for Kids/Teens (Look for a highly-rated box that delivers age-appropriate money games or activities monthly).
Financial Independence isn’t about flashing cash; it’s about building a life where your decisions—big and small—are driven by what truly makes you happy, not by the need to pay the next bill. It’s about choosing your own adventure.
Affiliate Disclosure:
I am an affiliate for the products recommended above. This means that if you click on the Amazon links provided and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products that I believe can genuinely help you on your journey toward understanding and achieving financial independence.
