My escape from the 9-5 (a 5 step plan)
Sep 19, 2025Read time - 5 minutes / Disclosure
Leaving 9-5 life means:
- More time with family.
- More time with friends.
- Less time feeling stressed.
Unfortunately, working full time for 40 years is considered normal.
The Road Less Traveled
Most people think keeping a job long term means:
- Not losing income.
- Not losing benefits.
- Not losing a pension.
Hell, I thought this too for a long time.
But as time wore on.
I noticed things were changing.
3 of my co-workers were laid off.
Each person had been with the company for 15+ years.
And each year more companies seem to be doing similar things.
Putting profits ahead of employees.
Sherwin Williams suspended their 401(k) match program, yet they've also spent ~$1 BILLION on stock buybacks so far in 2025.
— The Money Cruncher, CPA (@money_cruncher) September 14, 2025
There should be no corporate loyalty. Companies are not your family.
Make your money and move on.
After 15 years of 9-5 life.
I couldn't see myself doing it for another 25 years.
This nagging feeling was bouncing around in the back of my mind.
This feeling that..
I was wasting my life.
Pleasing the boss.
Pleasing the company.
Trying to do my best work.
But I didn't really feel like I was getting ahead.
And I secretly wanted to leave the 9-5 and do my own thing.
But I felt stuck...and a bit hopeless.
Then one day, I read a book called "Your Money or Your Life" and it really hit home.
A key theme was..
Are you making a living?
Or are you making a life?
A short time after, using what I'd learned in my banking job I created:
The "Freedom" Cheat Sheet
It was my 5 step plan to leave the 9-5 as quickly as possible.
I worked the plan hard and focused on investing.
It eventually helped me leave my banking job in 2020.
Here's the 5 things I focused on to invest as much as possible (hope it's helpful).
Let's dive in:
1. The Income Plan
Goal: Make more money.
Three ways to make more money include:
1. Job hopping.
2. Getting promoted.
3. Growing current income.
Job hopping means doing your same job at a different company but for better pay.
Getting promoted means working closely with your boss to move up the ladder quickly.
Growing current income means focusing on growing your bonuses or commissions (if you get these and have control over them).
Growing my commission was the main focus with my banking job.
3 Ways To Make More Money
Changing employers, getting a promotion, or growing bonus/commission income can grow your monthly income by hundreds or thousands of dollars every month.
2. The Savings Plan
Goal: Save more money.
Three ways to save more money include:
1. Food
2. Housing
3. Transportation
These 3 areas can be big ways to save money.
Instead of eating out everyday, I started getting my food delivered each week. There's many options these days. Many grocery stores deliver too using their online app.
Instead of sharing my housing costs with 1 person, I rented out a 2nd unused room. An unused garage or an unused parking spot can be helpful too.
Instead of getting a different car every 3-5 years, I decided to start keeping my car long term. Insurance can be cheaper too when a car doesn't have a loan.
3 Ways To Save
Changes to food, housing, or transportation spending can save hundreds or thousands of dollars every month.
3. The Debt Plan
Goal: Get rid of debt asap.
Making more money and saving more money helps get rid of debt faster.
Two ways to pay debt off quickly include:
1. The debt snowball.
2. The debt avalanche.
The debt snowball means:
Making a list of all your debts.
Sorting the list from smallest to largest debt.
Focusing on paying off your smallest debt first.
The debt avalanche means:
Making a list of all your debts.
Sorting the list from highest to lowest interest rate.
Focusing on paying off your highest interest rate debt first.
I'm a fan of starting with the debt snowball first.
Paying off a few smaller debts to get some wins.
Then switching to the debt avalanche and paying off high interest rate debt next.
I used these tools to payoff:
- A car loan.
- Credit cards.
- A personal loan.
2 Ways To Payoff Debt
The debt snowball and debt avalanche are helpful ways to pay off debt faster.
4. The Investment Plan
Goal: Invest more money.
With more income, more savings, and less monthly debt.
Investing every month becomes easier.
The two investments I focused most on were:
- Stocks
- Real estate
With stocks I bought an S&P500 fund like VOO inside my retirement account and outside my retirement account (used a brokerage account).
With real estate I've always been a fan of house hacking which means: Getting a loan to buy a home (without using much of your own money). Living there for a year or so. Then renting the home out and doing it all over again.
It's the least expensive way I know to get property when you don't have a bunch of money up front (I sure didn't).
My Wealth Building Plan
The stock market and real estate are the 2 most common ways people invest.
5. The After 9-5 Plan
Goal: Make money on your own.
Life hack:
— JOHN HENRY (@thejohn_henry_) September 12, 2025
Investing more in the 20s & 30s to
escape 9-5 life early and create
your ideal life.
After working the first 4 steps.
And building up an investment portfolio.
Deciding when to quit can be tough.
I debated this a lot.
A big part of my investments were in real estate.
I settled on having 2 years of my salary in savings and left my stock investments alone.
And figured I could always go back to my 9-5 if needed (knowing that gave me the courage to quit).
The first two years I worked part time for myself as a loan broker.
The past few years I've been working on this little online business (Millennial Wealth).
Using your existing skills from a 9-5 can be a great way to make money part time after leaving 9-5 life.
The Bottom Line
None of these 5 things are easy to do.
But they're possible.
Finding the motivation to do them can be hard.
- Making more money.
- Saving more money.
- Paying off debt.
...are boring as hell topics for most people.
The best way I found to stay motivated was to think about:
- The things you're gonna do.
- The places you're gonna see.
- The freedom you're gonna have.
...after leaving the 9-5.
Those thoughts can be an amazing source of untapped motivation.
TL;DR
1. The Income Plan.
2. The Savings Plan.
3. The Debt Plan.
4. The Investment Plan.
5. The After 9-5 Plan.
That's all for today.
See you next Saturday.
