The Knowledge Blog

Posts on finance, investing, business practices, and other oddball topics for freelancers. Grab your favorite beverage and get stuck in.

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Main, Retirement (work less) Planning Chris Albert Main, Retirement (work less) Planning Chris Albert

Freelance or Self-Employed? Stop Working Full-Time Earlier: How Much Do You Need?

Forget the outdated retirement stereotype of working until you drop, then shuffling off with a gold watch. As a solopreneur or freelancer, you can design something better: working less while your investments pick up the slack. The question is: how big does that investment portfolio need to be?

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Chris Albert, the founder and main author of Freelancer Finance. A man taking a selfie outdoors, wearing a blue T-shirt with a donkey silhouette and the word 'WISE,' a black cap, and sunglasses on his head, with a blurred stone wall background.

My name is Chris Albert. I’m a 52-year-old freelance Director of Photography and studio owner who built a seven-figure portfolio from zero—no inheritance, no financial background, just consistent saving and sensible investing over 30 years.

Financial institutions consider me a ‘high net-worth individual’. At Schwab, as a $1 million+ account holder, I qualify as a Schwab Private Client Services customer, and, under SEC rules, I am considered an Accredited Investor.

Why the website? I built this site because I couldn't find one place that explained what and how freelancers like us should set up retirement accounts (the Solo 401(k), Backdoor Roth IRA, and HSA) and what investments to put in them—without the sales pitch, fees, or the overly-complicated Wall Street products.

We are going to get rich slow. In later years, live more, work less.