In this article, the co-founder of The Woke Salaryman explains why he feels that everyone should start pursuing financial independence as soon as they can. Many people are skeptical of the F.I.R.E (Financially Independent, Retire Early) movement. They have every reason to be. There are doubts whether the popularised 4% rule is enough to use as a rule of thumb for retirement income. Others think that retiring early will eventually lead to mental decline. COVID-19 has brought the viability of the concept into question. Those are valid concerns. But today we’re only going to leave out retirement and instead build a case for just achieving financial independence early in life. So we’ll just say it as it is: Ideally, you should work towards financial independence as early as possible. And your 20s, where most Singaporeans begin their working life, is the best time to start. Here’s why....