A YOLO stock trade and a frugal lifestyle: One millennial's unorthodox — and risky — path to being done with retirement saving by 35

In January, 35-year-old Corey Forsythe stopped making automatic monthly contributions to his retirement account.
After eight years of saving and investing, he said he hit $1.125 million across his investments in index funds, stocks, and a 401(k) retirement account. By his calculation, it was enough to fund $120,000 a year in retirement starting at age 60.
Forsythe, a pharmacist, has reached Coast FIRE, a subcategory of the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement, meaning that he's saved enough for retirement and can now let his investments grow on their own while he focuses solely on covering his other expenses.
" Coast FIRE always reminded me of when, in pharmacy school, I would try as hard as I could at the beginning of the semester so that by the time the final exam came around, I only needed to get above a 20% or 30% on the test," Forsythe said. "That's how I view Coast FIRE, try really hard and invest as much as possible so that later on you can coast and enjoy your life while you're still young enough to."
At the beginning of his Coast FIRE journey, Forsythe aimed to invest $500,000 of his earned income relatively early in his career, which he broke down into a 70/20/10 split. He would allocate 70% of that $500,000 to a mutual fund tracking the broader stock market, 20% of it to an individual stock pick, and keep the remaining 10% in a cash emergency fund.
After reaching his $1.125 million Coast FIRE goal in January, Forsythe has been putting his extra money into a savings account to build up his cash reserves. His total holdings across accounts have grown to surpass $2 million, documents viewed by Business Insider showed.
A YOLO stock bet
While Forsythe certainly followed conventional Coast FIRE tactics such as living frugally and investing regularly, a key part of his success can be attributed to a single so-called YOLO bet — defined as an aggressive, high-risk strategy where an investor dedicates a large chunk of their portfolio to a single trade.
Forsythe made his YOLO bet on AST SpaceMobile (ASTS), which he first came across on the Reddit forum r/WallStreetBets in 2022.
The stock has a niche following on Reddit and X, dubbed the " SpaceMob", which Forsythe has been monitoring along with company news and earnings reports over the last few years.
Combining insights from the online community and his own research, Forythe said he built the confidence to buy 35,000 shares of the stock at $2.88 apiece in 2024. It amounted to a roughly $100,000 wager on ASTS at a time when sentiment was overwhelmingly bearish.
The stock is now trading around $39, bringing Forsythe's ASTS holding to more than $1.2 million — and he says he hasn't sold any yet. He acknowledges the investment was a massive risk — and that other people shouldn't treat his good fortune as a replicable model — but it did work out well for him.
Balancing student loan repayments and investing
student-loan debt right away.
"I have a lot of friends who are still trying to pay off their loans as fast as possible, even going as far as still living at home," Forsythe told BI. "After paying them off, their net worth was zero."
To Forsythe, it didn't make sense to forgo stock-market returns to pay off his loans faster, particularly when early investing years are key to harnessing the power of compounding.
Forsythe's strategy has been to pay off the minimum required balance while still prioritizing investing in the stock market. He's enrolled in the Pay As You Earn repayment plan, which requires him to pay 10% of his discretionary income monthly, which comes out to around $950. After 20 years of qualifying payments, his remaining student loans will be forgiven.
Frugal living
Coast FIRE wasn't just the product of a risky, well-timed stock bet. Forsythe lived extremely frugally after graduating from pharmacy school.
"I kept living like a college student," Forsythe said. "Keeping fixed costs under control is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated FIRE tools."
Being a single person with a six-figure pharmacist income definitely made budgeting more straightforward for Forsythe. His monthly budget hovered around $3,000. Other than student loan repayments, Forsythe's biggest monthly expense was his $750 mortgage payment; he had snagged a 625-square-foot condo during the pandemic and locked in a low mortgage rate.
Forsythe credits his low housing costs as one of the biggest factors that allowed him to invest aggressively in his brokerage account tracking the stock market. During his high-saving years, he invested between $42,000 to $50,000 annually.
"All of the money that I'm earning now, I can just put away, use for travel, go to concerts. I've started to live life a lot more instead of being frugal my whole life," Forsythe said. "It's allowed me to have less stress at work because all I need to do is cover my living expenses."

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33 Industry Secrets People Need To Know

Reddit user u/Eastern-Violinist-46 posed the question, "What's a dirty, little secret that you know only because you work in the industry?" People from a variety of industries came forward to share some behind-the-scenes info, and their anecdotes were super informative. Here's what people shared: "I own a sign shop, and I can tell you with 100% certainty that almost all businesses fail within the first year. If you think you are going to open a restaurant or a boutique, you are about to lose a bunch of money. Also, no matter what business you want to start, go talk to your local sign guy and ask how many businesses have been in that location and failed. Trust me, we know which locations are cursed." "I used to work for a major talent agency in Hollywood, and a lot of the Academy voters never watched the screeners and let their assistants vote on their behalf." "I'm in insurance. If you call to request an estimate for a claim, they will count it as a $0 claim on your file when they deem the damage not enough to repair. That means when another company pulls your information, it will not only impact your future rates, but might make you ineligible for future policies. Don't ever call insurance for an estimate first. Get a third party inspector to tell you whether you should file with insurance." "Always wash your new clothing before you wear it, even if it looks fresh and new. It's been thrown on the floor, moved around a dusty warehouse, tried on by a sweaty post-gym person, and probably sat in a stinky, humid shipping container for two months. Plus, you want to wash off all the starching/finishing products which make it look so 'new.'" "People cleaning their underwear in kettles is a huge problem in hotels. We find so many forgotten underpants in the kettles, and I can't even assume how many we didn't catch. Don't use them. If you want a nicer room in a hotel, book with Dr. or Prof. before your name. That makes you way more likely to be bumped up. When you're traveling privately, take a card from any hotel testing company with you and give it to the reception when you arrive to enter as the 'address for your bill.' Staff will be extra nice to you." "Engagement ring business here! Oh, so many. Most natural diamonds have been in, like, two or three rings before they end up in yours. Rings are made with more fragile designs than they used to be, because after you get tired of it breaking/needing repairs all the time, you will buy a new ring, thus giving us more $$$. This is also why the trends nowadays lean toward dainty and minimalistic with a massive stone, because it's a ticking time bomb. This is also why a lot of jewelry stores won't stop you from getting stones that are too soft for daily wear (looking at you, opal). The largest diamond distributor is Walmart. Diamonds that jewelry suppliers discard for being 'ugly' end up on James Allen and Brilliant Earth." "Leaving online shopping items in your cart while logged in will likely put you into an automated discount offer stream! So, if you intend to buy anyway, leave it in your cart for a few days and see if you get a marketing email with a discount code." "How dirty the fruits you put in drinks are. I quit getting oranges in my Blue Moons because I figured that orange drove up from Florida, got to North Dakota, was never washed, got cut up, and was put in my drink. Grosses me out." "There isn't a 'larger than normal call volume.' We just don't have enough staff. Also, your call is not important to us. We actually want you to go away." "I used to work in radio, and we totally didn't take caller number 10. We maybe counted one through six, and then sorted through the callers until we found an excited sounding voice that fit the target demographic." "Before I would go on stage as a male dancer, we would inject our penises with solution and/or take Viagra because we were supposed to be, at minimum, half hard all night. We were not allowed to be fully flaccid unless we were dressed. Same goes in amateur porn. Because of this, it's very hard to feel pleasure and finish from basic sex, and it takes a lot to get it up for women, even if you want to." "Casino boss here. If a shooting or death happens at a casino (all the time), it's almost never reported or shown in the news because local newspapers work together with casinos to avoid hurting the tourism in their city. You'll only hear whispers about it from coworkers, and that's it." Blurred Image of Gaming machines in a Casino. "Military-grade is a misnomer for high quality. While companies may sell high quality goods, deeming it military-grade would actually mean it's the cheapest, crappiest material that saves money right now and doesn't worry about 5–10 years from now because a new budget will be passed and the government will continue to be terrible with money." "I worked in grocery stores for about 40 years. Notice how most ice cream brands have lids that aren't sealed? When you're working stock, whenever a container falls on the floor, sometimes the lids fly off. Most workers just put the lids back on and put it on the shelf. It happens all the time. Always, always buy the handful of brands that actually seal the lids on, or you're just asking to get sick." "Maybe not a 'dirty' secret, but I work in the VFX industry and was shocked when I first learned how much 'beauty' work is done on actresses. All those famous middle-aged (and older) women that have aged so well? Yeah, we've gone in and removed their wrinkles, crow's feet, saggy neck, etc. Removing acne and acne scars from young performers was also a common occurrence. No wonder women and girls struggle so much with body image." "Your loved one looks at peace in their casket, but what you don't know is they have plastic eye caps under their eyelids that are (sometimes, not always) glued shut. There are either wires or sutures holding their mouth together and usually some cotton and a bit of wax on the inside to form that subtle smile. There might be a styrofoam block under their back to make the positioning look more natural and comfortable. There might be styrofoam blocks under the padding to help hold their arms in position. Depending on the case, they're probably wrapped in plastic garments underneath the clothing provided. There is a LOT of smoke and mirrors in preparation of a decedent." "I am working at a sports club with way over 2,000 members, and I can tell you, you might sign some paper about data security and how we handle data, but believe me, your data will go places you don't want it to go." "There are TONS of buildings out there that don't meet code, even new construction. Inspectors either don't care, don't know the code, or don't even bother to inspect in the first place. On the plus side, building code is extremely over-conservative, so if you get 'close,' it's probably safe. Maybe. Most of the time. Except when it's not. And then everyone gets sued." "I work in the medical field. This isn't really about my field exactly but an adjacent field: health insurance. There is a guy reviewing our notes looking for reasons to deny a claim. The guy reviewing generally has no clinical knowledge whatsoever, but they are looking for certain keywords so they can stamp the 'denial' on the claim. For this reason, I will omit certain things on the clinical notes if it isn't directly applicable to what I am treating because I know from experience that they will use that word as in indication that the proposed treatment is 'inappropriate' and therefore denied." "I've worked in two commercial rest homes: memory care and assisted living. They cut every corner known to man. The kitchens are pretty much guaranteed to be eligible for immediate jeopardy, meaning that if they fail a random inspection, they will be shut down that same day. The monthly food budget was less than what salary workers got paid. Food would show up rotten right off the trucks, and we were still instructed to pick out the 'bad stuff' and feed the rest to the residents. The rent is so predatory to families and residents. It was upwards of $2,500–$3,000 for a single-person room every month WITHOUT utilities. The residents pay $50 a meal for it to come cold and mushy in a styrofoam box." Nurse holding hands with patient in empathy, trust and support of help, advice and healthcare consulting. Kindness, counseling and medical therapy with doctor for hope, consultation and depression "Video editor here. We often leave obvious mistakes in early versions of the cuts so that the client will note them, making them feel smart and involved, likely leading to them not making extraneous notes elsewhere. People in non-creative positions (the majority of committee clients) absolutely love feeling like they've contributed in clever and meaningful ways to a creative project when we, the trained creatives, know better. It can save a very solid edit from the people who want to make notes for the sake of making notes." "I worked at a company with a third party 24-hour call center. They literally had times with no one working, and if you called, the automated system would just pick up and say, 'Someone would be with you shortly.' It would just repeat until someone actually clocked in and answered the phone." "This is kind of a lame one, but I work as a shirt printer. I've found that if you're an adult small, you're better off buying a youth large or youth XL, especially on T-shirts. They're a little wider, and XLs fit better than smalls. My sister learned this trick. She's 5'0" and actually saved a decent amount of money buying youth vs. adult." "When items are listed on sale at the grocery store, the sale price will be listed on a bib part of the tag while the 'regular' price is listed on the sticky part attached to the shelf. The 'regular price' is hiked up, sometimes by several dollars, to make it look like you're getting a better sale than you actually are, when in fact, the sale might actually not be that great of a deal at all. The sale price might even be almost as much as the price was before the sale. Pay attention to items at regular price when they are not on sale, and make sure that you're not getting swindled." "Enterprise Rent-A-Car buys their cars straight from the manufacturers at a price lower than dealerships get. After they rent them for a year, they sell them to the public at a price higher than they originally paid." "Beyond the visibly captured footage, pretty much everything you see in wildlife documentaries is faked. I've spent the past few years working in post, handling the raw footage. Those lizards falling from the trees? There's a dude dropping them to get the shot. That rare snow leopard they tracked across its natural habitat? It's actually three or four similar-looking ones. That mother elephant protecting her baby? It's a male elephant with the tusks and penis VFX'd out. The sound is whatever the foley artist could find that worked. The audience expects certain sounds, and some animals don't sound like you've been tricked into believing. That's just the tip of the iceberg." "I work in large scale construction. Large developers effectively borrow on the credit of all of the smaller players who are their subcontractors. You have billion-dollar companies asking smaller companies to pay for them with a promise to pay later. The larger the developer, the slower the process is to get paid. If a project goes bust, it's these small guys that get hit because all of the developers have LLCs that are project specific. No assets to speak of." "So many of your favorite actors and actresses are wearing expensive ($8,000–$20,000+) hairpieces and wigs. I know because I put them on." "I work in a call center for a large cellular company and have a dirty, little secret that consists of just two words. Ready? Be nice. That's all it takes. There's no need to threaten anyone, be aggressive, or take your anger out on us. We're real people just like you, not just a voice on the other end of the line. When you're rude, belligerent, or threatening toward us, that makes us want to do less for you. And, we will. We'll do as little as possible and maybe make you jump through extra hoops for being a pain. But, if you're nice, patient, and treat us like human beings, we'll bend over backwards to do what we can for you. We didn't cause the situation you're in. While it's reasonable to be upset about something, it's completely unreasonable to take it out on someone else. Talk to us. Tell us what's going on. Give us a chance to help, and we will." "Luxury hotels document EVERYTHING. The really ritzy places will make note on every single phone call/interaction you have. It's great for remembering special occasions and creating a really memorable stay, but it also means we know exactly how you're a pain in the butt. Irritate us enough and we'll be oddly busy and sold out for every night you're looking to book in the future." "Digital porn artist of 20+ years here. This isn't so much a 'dirty, little secret' as it is something I think people should really know about: Hollywood and 'society' may have ridiculous body standards for people, but most everyday people's actual interests/tastes are MUCH more broad and inclusive than that. Whatever your body is like, there are millions of people who would find you sexy. Whatever kink you have, you're not the only one. As long as your personality isn't garbage and you've got the patience to sort through the incompatibles, you can absolutely find a partner who would be into you. I'd put money on it." "I work in journalism. It's not uncommon for publishers and other top-tier managers to hold stories out of fear the reporting will anger advertisers. It's also not uncommon for reporters to fight like hell to preserve the integrity of a story." And: "I worked in factory floor automation, and oftentimes, the generic products sold at supermarkets are just the brand-name product in different packaging. I worked at a massive bread bakery of a well-known national brand, and the bread was all the same. When they finished a lot of their brand-name bread, they paused the packaging line and loaded on a new wheel of bags and kept bagging bread from the same batch in whatever store brand was up next. I saw the same thing at an orange juice packaging plant. There was only one set of production lines, and they turned out a dozen different brands of OJ. It all came from the same oranges and from the same lines. It just got packaged in different cartons." What are some other industry secrets more people need to know? Tell us in the comments!

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Is Net Worth More Important Than A High Salary? Some Say Yes, Others Argue A High Salary With Low Net Worth Is 'Much Easier To Fix'

When a Reddit user recently posted a rant claiming that net worth is more important than salary, it sparked a heated debate. The post criticized people who flaunt six-figure incomes but have little to show for it. The author questioned the value of a high paycheck if it all disappears to debt and lifestyle costs. 'Who cares what you make if you are still broke,' they wrote. The poster argued that plenty of six-figure earners live paycheck to paycheck and flex their income despite being buried in debt. 'I would rather make 50k a year and have 250k NW, than 150k a year and be in debt,' they wrote, adding, 'Having high NW displays financial discipline and competence.' Don't Miss: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — Peter Thiel turned $1,700 into $5 billion—now accredited investors are eyeing this software company with similar breakout potential. Learn how you can Some people agreed, pointing out that income is only one part of the story. 'I worked with a guy who made over 100k,' one commenter wrote. 'Refused to save anything, not even 401(k). He bought anything and everything he wanted. He's still doing it.' Others pushed back, saying a high salary gives you more options and flexibility. 'Give me the high salary and low net worth. Much easier to fix,' one person said. Another argued, 'That 150k [salary] can erase debt and build a 250k NW a hell of a lot faster than the 50k / 250k one can increase.' A more detailed reply laid out how someone earning $150,000 could contribute aggressively to retirement, get employer matches, and outpace someone with a smaller income within a few years. 'You could waste ALL of your 126.5K minus taxes and end up with a quarter mill in 5 years,' the commenter explained. Trending: Maximize saving for your retirement and cut down on taxes: . Despite disagreements, one consistent theme emerged: discipline matters more than raw numbers. 'If you have an uncontrollable spending problem, it doesn't matter how much you make,' a user wrote. 'You can make 1 million a year and if you still spend 1.2 million you're an idiot.' Another summed it up this way: 'Net worth isn't always a sign of discipline but your post is well taken. If I made a million dollars per year for one year it doesn't make you rich.' Several pointed out that net worth often includes illiquid assets like homes, which can inflate the numbers without improving someone's day-to-day finances. 'You can't access your 401(k) without paying a penalty... unless your net worth is mostly comprised of cash in a mattress, a low salary and high net worth won't increase your buying power,' one user the end, some people argued that the best position is to have both: a strong income and disciplined saving habits. Consistent contributions to your retirement—while increasing the percentage over time— and positive cash flow are even more important, as those will build your net worth over time. A high income can fuel savings and investment, while net worth provides security when income slows down. Building both and understanding how they support each other is what creates lasting financial stability. Read Next: Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? APPLE (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article Is Net Worth More Important Than A High Salary? Some Say Yes, Others Argue A High Salary With Low Net Worth Is 'Much Easier To Fix' originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

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'I Don't Need Millions—Just $300K' People Motivated To Retire Early Share The Smallest Amount Of Money They Consider 'Life-Changing'

In the world of FIRE—that's short for financial independence, retire early—there's a lot of talk about hitting the $1 million mark. Some aim for more, especially with inflation, rising home costs, and uncertain market returns. But one Reddit user posed a simple question that cut through the big goals and got people thinking smaller: "What is the smallest amount of money that would be life changing?" They followed it up with a scenario many can relate to: "If you were gifted x amount, how would it change your life? To get you closer to a FIRE lifestyle. For example, I often think, if I 'just had an extra $300k' I could pay off my house and change to part time work." Don't Miss: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — Peter Thiel turned $1,700 into $5 billion—now accredited investors are eyeing this software company with similar breakout potential. Learn how you can That number—$300,000—struck a chord. It wasn't just a wild estimate. It was practical, down-to-earth, and repeated over and over. One user wrote: "$300k would be the number for life changing for me and my family." They explained exactly why: "That would mean the last little bit of school debt goes away, selling our current home and moving out of town a ways to a property with at least an acre of land. It means college savings for kids, a little bit of padding to retirement, and two newer used vehicles that aren't 10+ years old." They added, "I could do all that, probably with a few bucks left over." Another put it bluntly: "I don't need millions, just $300k." Trending: Maximize saving for your retirement and cut down on taxes: . Others went slightly higher. One user said, "$300-400k is probably what it would take for me to seriously reconsider any of my current plans." One response pegged the minimum closer to $400,000. "Anything less would be great but not life changing." That amount, they said, would allow both partners in the household to semi-retire permanently. There were some who shot higher. One said they'd need at least $1 million post-tax to feel a real shift in their life. Someone else responded that $500,000 would still mean five more years of work, and only $1 million would bring their timeline closer to two. A few were stuck in a limbo of liquid assets and fear. One user said they had $120,000 nearly liquid but were still too scared to buy a home. Another said, "$60,000 would be enough for me to make a down payment on a house, which feels like the next big step in life." But they also admitted, "I have 100k saved in the stock market, and I'm just so attached to it at this point."The answers were scattered across the map—from $100 for a babysitter and a nice dinner out to $3 million for a stress-free early retirement with part-time work on the side. But $300,000 kept coming up. Not as a dream number, but as a number that felt real enough to change everything—without making anyone rich. As one person summed it up: "10k would just be debt. $100 would be a babysitter and a nice dinner out for my wife and I." So maybe the real benchmark for FIRE isn't just hitting a fat portfolio number. Maybe it's about figuring out what would let you breathe, slow down, or finally move out of a rental and onto your own land. And for a surprising number of people chasing early retirement, that number isn't seven figures—it's $300,000. Read Next: Image: Shutterstock UNLOCKED: 5 NEW TRADES EVERY WEEK. Click now to get top trade ideas daily, plus unlimited access to cutting-edge tools and strategies to gain an edge in the markets. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? APPLE (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article 'I Don't Need Millions—Just $300K' People Motivated To Retire Early Share The Smallest Amount Of Money They Consider 'Life-Changing' originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.