When Grant Sabatier, the author of *Financial Freedom*, found himself broke, jobless, and living with his parents, he made a bold decision: never again would money control his life. Within five years, he had achieved complete financial independence by the age of 30. And no, not by winning the lottery, but by radically rethinking everything he believed he knew about money.

Sabatier’s journey challenges the most damaging myth out there: that money is complicated and scarce. He never studied finance or business, yet managed to “retire” decades ahead of schedule. His message is simple: money isn’t just for surviving—it’s for buying your freedom.

Sabatier developed “Seven Levels of Financial Freedom,” which serves as a personal and practical guide to escaping the 9-to-5 grind. From figuring out “your number” (how much money you actually need for your version of freedom) to radically shifting how you think about money, Sabatier’s plan kills the traditional path of working for 40+ years in hopes of a decent retirement. That approach is broken.

Instead of cutting back on lattes, he teaches readers how to make more money with less time: through smart side hustles, hacking your job, and investing early and often. His strategy is designed not just to build wealth, but to maximize time, the most valuable and limited resource of all.

Sabatier believes that budgeting often reinforces a mindset of scarcity. Rather than obsessing over expenses, he suggests focusing on your savings rate and expanding your income. You don’t need to sacrifice what you love; you need a better system.

And it works. By setting small goals (doubling his money from $1K to $2K, then $4K, and so on), Sabatier kept his momentum and motivation high. He emphasizes that the hardest dollars to save are your first thousand—but it gets easier with time and consistency.

The reward ultimately is your peace of mind. “Over time, my anxiety started to disappear, which, based on what I’ve heard from others who’ve reached financial independence, is common,” he writes. Money became a tool, not a trap. He now spends his time traveling, writing, and doing meaningful work—because he wants to, not because he has to.