Hey Reader,

​

If things stay on track, my husband and I could be financially independent (FI) as soon as summer 2027​
​(meaning: we could cover our living expenses with our investments alone, making work optional).

That still feels wild to write — and I want to be clear about something:

This didn’t happen quickly.​
We’ve been working really hard toward this goal since we took our first investing class back in 2008.
It’s been almost 20 years of showing up, learning, resetting mistakes, and doing the unglamorous, boring stuff consistently.

And even now, getting close to FI doesn’t magically solve everything.
- I still stress about parenting.
- I'm still self-conscious and spiral into “does everyone hate me?” moments.
Life is still… life.
There are still hard parts of life that money can’t fix. FI gives us a bit more breathing room to work through them.

​

The Mindset Shift That Made Financial Freedom Possible

As our income grew, we didn’t continually upgrade our spending.
We invested more instead of inflating our lifestyle.

Our kids go to public school. We haven't bought a vacation home, a boat, or any big luxuries (except for one — which I’ll tell you about in a minute).

Instead, we’ve used the extra margin to buy the two things we value more than lifestyle upgrades:
​(1) financial security and (2) our time.

And the biggest lesson I’ve learned along the way:

Financial freedom can start long before financial independence.

The moment we built our long-term financial plan, everything changed.
We finally had a map for the long race we were running.

It’s like running a marathon with an actual guide instead of guessing the pace.
You stop sprinting out of fear and start moving with purpose and confidence because you know:

• the pace you need
• the milestones that matter
• when you’re safely on track
• and where you have room to enjoy your life now, not “someday”

The moment you build your plan?
You get clarity. Relief. Breathing room.

Our “one big luxury” (and why it was worth it!)

Having a long-term financial plan allowed us to renovate our kitchen — a huge detour (and the one big luxury we bought) that, on paper, might have slowed our FI progress.

But because we had our plan, we built that renovation into our numbers.
And it gave us something far more valuable than having Financial Independence a little sooner:

More time together.

After school, in that shared space, we talk more.
We bump into each other more.
We cook together.
We connect.

It improved the quality of our everyday life — the part no spreadsheet can measure.

Once your basic needs are met, the only thing truly worth buying… is time.

A quick peek behind the scenes

Money Fit Moms has always been a passion project.

This year, it only earned ~$2,700 in profit — and instead of paying myself, I volunteered my time and used that money to give the 40 women who have already built their long-term plans another year of free access to my favorite (but expensive) financial planning software.

I only work with one small group — 10 women at a time, and not very often — because I pour so much energy into the experience to ensure those women successfully build their plan.

My goal isn’t to build an empire.
It’s to help women build long-term financial plans that give them more freedom, more clarity, and more options.

If 2026 is your year to build your financial freedom plan…

I’m only teaching one live info session in 2026 (including one last Q&A—ask me anything!):
​January 8th at 5pm PT | 8pm ET​

You can save your spot here:

Can't wait to see you there and answer your questions! 🥰

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🤓 Your nerdiest financial friend,

Lisa Schader, CPA

Founder ​MoneyFitMoms.com​

Want help getting your finances/investing on track? That's my passion! 🤗