I quit my job to retire at 43 — here are my tips for becoming financially free
A self-proclaimed millionaire quit her $300,000 a year corporate job and 'downsized her lifestyle' to retire at the age of 43 and be 'financially free.'
Pav Lertjitbanjong, 43, worked the corporate grind for 23 years before deciding enough was enough.
In April 2025, her grandmother passed away and Pav realized she was too busy 'chasing success' to be there for her family.
So in May, Pav took the leap to quit her $300,000 a year job, sold her Honda Civic, put her her $1 million home on the market and downsized to Minneapolis, Minnesota — living off between $30,000 to 40,000 a year in a rented a two bedroom apartment that costs her $680 a month.
Pav has been able to fund her retirement using more than $1 million in savings she stashed away while she was in her corporate job and the sale of her $1 million three-bed house in Morris County, New Jersey, gave her a 'cushion' to be financially free.
Pav said she doesn't have any big retirement plans just yet but feels 'liberated' and is hoping to help other professionals take this leap.
Pav, who previously worked in marketing in New York City, said: 'I would say that this process has been a few years in the making.
'I got divorced in March 2020, which made me realize I was my own back-up plan.
'Since then, I have been building up my own security.
'I have been through a few different life steps recently. I sold my home, car, and now I have quit my job.
'It was scary, but at the same time, it was really liberating — I feel free.
'Financial freedom for me is being able to spend time with the people that I love.
'It is not about buying everything I want, but spend my day how I want and spend time with whoever my heart desires.'
Pav had been working for a big tech company in the US when she decided to drastically overhaul her life.
She wanted to retire after her grandmother died and she realized she had spent too long watching her loved ones age through a screen.
Pav said: 'I missed seeing my grandma for the last time as I was too busy working on a PowerPoint presentation.
'That was my wake-up call, I spent 23 years chasing success.
'That moment when my grandma passed away made me realize that I had what people thought was success, but I didn't have peace — I felt empty inside.
'Then it hit me that I had been watching the people I love grow old through FaceTime.'
Pav quit her job in May 2025 and said she felt 'liberated.'
She said retiring was not a spur-of-the-moment thought, but something she had been thinking about since her divorce.
Pav said: 'I have had that moment rehearsed in my head hundreds of times.
'It was not an irrational moment, where I was done with corporate life and quit.
'This was a process of years in the making.'
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A self-proclaimed millionaire quit her $300,000 a year corporate job and 'downsized her lifestyle' to retire at the age of 43 and be 'financially free.'
Pav Lertjitbanjong, 43, worked the corporate grind for 23 years before deciding enough was enough.
In April 2025, her grandmother passed away and Pav realized she was too busy 'chasing success' to be there for her family.
So in May, Pav took the leap to quit her $300,000 a year job, sold her Honda Civic, put her her $1 million home on the market and downsized to Minneapolis, Minnesota — living off between $30,000 to 40,000 a year in a rented a two bedroom apartment that costs her $680 a month.
Pav has been able to fund her retirement using more than $1 million in savings she stashed away while she was in her corporate job and the sale of her $1 million three-bed house in Morris County, New Jersey, gave her a 'cushion' to be financially free.
Pav said she doesn't have any big retirement plans just yet but feels 'liberated' and is hoping to help other professionals take this leap.
Pav, who previously worked in marketing in New York City, said: 'I would say that this process has been a few years in the making.
'I got divorced in March 2020, which made me realize I was my own back-up plan.
'Since then, I have been building up my own security.
'I have been through a few different life steps recently. I sold my home, car, and now I have quit my job.
'It was scary, but at the same time, it was really liberating — I feel free.
'Financial freedom for me is being able to spend time with the people that I love.
'It is not about buying everything I want, but spend my day how I want and spend time with whoever my heart desires.'
Pav had been working for a big tech company in the US when she decided to drastically overhaul her life.
She wanted to retire after her grandmother died and she realized she had spent too long watching her loved ones age through a screen.
Pav said: 'I missed seeing my grandma for the last time as I was too busy working on a PowerPoint presentation.
'That was my wake-up call, I spent 23 years chasing success.
'That moment when my grandma passed away made me realize that I had what people thought was success, but I didn't have peace — I felt empty inside.
'Then it hit me that I had been watching the people I love grow old through FaceTime.'
Pav quit her job in May 2025 and said she felt 'liberated.'
She said retiring was not a spur-of-the-moment thought, but something she had been thinking about since her divorce.
Pav said: 'I have had that moment rehearsed in my head hundreds of times.
'It was not an irrational moment, where I was done with corporate life and quit.
'This was a process of years in the making.'
When it came to deciding to retire, Pav worked out the minimum amount of money she could live off and how she could make an income quickly if needed — opting to go into freelance marketing for extra income.
Pav says she lived off $100,000 a year before retirement and realized she would be able to live off around $30,000 to $40,000 a year as a minimum once she retired.
She said: 'You have to know your freedom number — the minimum amount of money you are willing to live on.
'For me, my old life, my freedom number was like $100,000 plus a year.
'Now, since downsizing my life, I have been able to reduce my expenses to $30,000 to $40,000 a year.
'It is also good to work out how you can get money quickly if needed.
'For me, I would help my neighbors with dog walking, so I would get some emergency income.
'Typically, for people, it could be freelancing or doing review work online.'
Pav believes it is never too late or too early to retire, and too many people wait around for permission before making the jump.
She says people tell her she is too young to retire and insist she is making the wrong decision.
Pav said: 'When you talk about early retirement, especially people of my age, people will tell me I am too early.
'I felt like I was waiting for permission from people to retire early.
'There are voices from the outside telling you it is not a good choice to make.
'You don't need anyone's permission, most people are not lazy who retired — they are exhausted.'
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