Millennial reached financial independence in three years with two levers

Cody Berman more than quadrupled his income in three years while keeping his spending largely unchanged, and that widening gap is what let him reach financial independence before his 26th birthday. He says many people pursuing FIRE get lost in tax and account nuances, but his approach was straightforward: pull two levers at once—grow income and keep expenses low—and invest the difference.

On the expense side, Berman kept housing costs minimal after college by moving home for seven months, then living with roommates and splitting a room for $450 a month. He later house‑hacked a multi‑family home, shifting housing from an expense to cash flow and swinging his position from paying $450 to netting about $500 monthly.

Between low housing costs and driving a paid‑off truck, he lived comfortably on roughly $2,000 a month from 2019 to 2021 without extreme sacrifice. He paired thrift with hustle, trying more than 30 side businesses over the years—selling digital products, landscaping, tutoring, podcasting, freelancing, and flipping on eBay.

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