At only 29 years old, Martin Boulanger is retired. To achieve this, he saved and built up a heritage in order to free himself from wage labor and be an annuitant before his 30th birthday. This way of life is developed by members of the “FIRE” movement in France, we read in the columns of Nouvel Obs.
But Martin didn’t get there by twiddling his thumbs. He worked in start-ups, investment banks… almost 80 hours a week, and without really having weekends or holidays. Sacrifices that pay off, since he is now retired.
But how does he proceed? Martin devotes his time to managing the assets he has built, developing social enterprises and advising other people who want to do like him and progress in their “FIRE”. But what is a “FIRE”? It is in fact the abbreviation of “Financial independence, retire early”. In other words, “Financial independence, early retirement”. In France, between 30,000 and 40,000 are part of this movement. It is made up of rather young profiles, who do not want to wait years before being able to enjoy life.
With his position in investment banking which brought him 3,500 euros per month, Martin was able to save and set aside 2,000 euros per month. With the income of his partner, the couple managed to put between 2,500 and 3,000 euros aside per month! To get things moving quickly, Martin turned to real estate. First a small apartment that he rented out, then another, and yet another…
“People will always need housing”
After a year and a half, Martin resigned and found himself an annuitant! And he doesn’t seem to be afraid of the future. “Of course it may collapse, but people will still need housing. And then, today, I am diversifying my investment portfolio by reorienting myself towards other sectors, such as by taking stakes in companies or by creating other structures”, explains Martin.
To get there, Martin does not feel deprived. “I’ve always been fairly contained in my expenses, even though I had a comfortable salary. There was no sacrifice since I have always lived like that, I am in a standard apartment, I hardly ever go to a restaurant, I very rarely go on vacation,” explains the young man.
But what are the advantages of being retired at 29? For him, it is especially at the level of social life. Employed, he had almost no free time. Now he can accept invitations to parties from his friends, meet up with his family for the weekends… everything he didn’t have time to do as an employee. “It was truly transcendent. Early in school, then in business school and following work, I was always in constraints, with a constrained schedule, obligations at such a place, at such a time. The first weeks following my resignation were a bit dizzying,” admits Martin. But what is certain is that now he has been able to find what he lacked: a balance.
