Calculate your freedom number and build a dual engine to reach it

Freedom has a price, and it’s not mystical. It’s the cost of your chosen life, covered by engines you control. One engine throws off monthly cash so you can live. The other grows capital so you can step away without drama when you’re ready. When you separate them, you stop confusing survival with wealth.

Start by writing the lifestyle you actually want. Don’t pretend your rent is less or your groceries cost half. Add taxes and an “oh no” buffer. That monthly total is your cash‑flow target. Multiply by twelve, then divide by a conservative 5% yield. That lump sum is your capital target—the amount that, when invested prudently, can fund your life without grinding.

Now choose a business model that can hit the cash number in 12–24 months. Productized services and subscriptions are common because they are easier to forecast and scale. Open a separate brokerage account for the capital engine and set an automatic monthly transfer from profits, like any other bill. The first transfer might be tiny. The habit matters more than the size.

Behaviorally, this reduces ambiguity and ego. You’re not “kind of doing well,” you’re measuring two concrete dials: cash flow and capital. Systems thinking helps too: the cash engine funds the capital engine, and the capital engine eventually funds your life. The day that second engine spins on its own, your calendar feels very different.

List your real monthly costs with taxes and a cushion, then write down two numbers: the monthly cash‑flow target and the capital target at a 5% yield. Pick a business model that can hit the cash number within 12–24 months and open a separate brokerage account for the capital engine. Automate a monthly transfer from profits, even if it’s $50 to start, and track both dials on one page. Make the list and write the two numbers tonight.