Financial Freedom:Guide to Retiring Early in HK
What is financial freedom/financial independence?
Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) is a movement of devotees committed to a lifestyle involving extreme savings (saving up to 80% of monthly salary) and investment that aims to allow them to quit their day jobs or retire from work altogether.
So, when can you retire? Some people suggest that when your savings reach approximately 25 times your yearly expenses, then you may quit your jobs or and retire. This is calculated based on FIRE devotees making small withdrawals from their savings, typically around 4% of the balance yearly, to keep pace with the inflation.
Financial independence retire early calculator
4% rule: What is it?
The 4% rule is a common rule of thumb when it comes to how much you can withdraw from your money in investments in your first year of retirement. As its name suggests, you should be able to comfortably live off 4% of your money in investment during the first year of retirement and then adjust for inflation each subsequent year. If you follow this, you shouldn’t be outliving your money during a 30-year retirement.
See below an example of the 4% rule:
| Situation 1 | Situation 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Expenses | Situation 1$20,000 | Situation 2 $10,000 |
| Yearly Expenses | Situation 1$240,000 | Situation 2 $120,000 |
| Retirement Savings Required | Situation 1$6,000,000 | Situation 2 $3,000,000 |
Best Online Brokerage in Hong Kong 2024
- Min. Commission Fee US Stocks
- US$0.0035
- Min. Commission Fee HK Stocks
- 0.015%
- Account Opening Min. Funding
- HK$10,000
Tiger Brokers
- Min. Commission Fee US Stocks
- US$0.99/order
- Commission Fee HK Stocks
- HK$0
- Account Opening Min. Funding
- HK$10,000
[15-Day Limited Time: Deposit HK$10,000, No Holding Period, Get HK$988 Welcome Bonus]
From September 10–24, 2026, Apply via MoneySmart's link with code " MONEYSMART " and deposit HK$10,000+ to qualify for:
MoneySmart Rewards: Cash HK$600* / Apple Store Gift Card/ HK$800 ParknShop e-Vouchers/ HKTVmall e-Voucher
AND
Tiger Brokers Reward: HK$188 SpaceX Fractional Share Voucher#
· Meet Tiger Brokers' deposit/holding/trading requirements for up to HK$2,588 additional rewards
· See [More Details] for full terms and conditions
- Min. Commission Fee US Stocks
- US$0.99
- Commission Fee HK Stocks
- HK$0
- Account Opening Min. Funding
- HK$10,000
Futu Securities Account
- Min. Commission Fee US Stocks
- US$0.99
- Commission Fee HK Stocks
- HK$0
- Futu Cash Plus average return over the past 12 months
- 3.6%
[6-Day Only] Download Futu app during : From 12:00 noon Sep 9 to Sep 14, enter code【MSFUTU】before opening account to qualify:
- Deposit HK$80,000+ in account opening month (Hold 60 days)
⬆️ Cash HK$2,000* / ⬆️ HK$2,200 Apple Store Gift Card / HK$2,200 ParknShop e-Vouchers - Deposit HK$10,000+ in account opening month (Hold 60 days)
⬆️ Cash HK$1,000* / ⬆️ HK$1,100 Apple Store Gift Card / HK$1,100 ParknShop e-Vouchers
· September Special: Deposit HK$400,000+ (Hold 270 days) → get both MoneySmart rewards & extra HK$2,000 cash from Futu
· Limited-Time Offers: Discounted PS5 / Apple MacBook with qualifying deposit
· See【More Details】below for reward details: Bowers & Wilkins headphones, Philips water purifier, and more. Student offer available with shorter holding period for same rewards.
【📱Phone First, Work Later! HK$100K+ Worth of Prizes Up for Grabs🔥】
From 11 September 2026 (12:00 noon) to 11 October 2026 (11:59 pm), successfully apply for any designated product via MoneySmart and meet the eligibility requirements, you can participate in the "Phone First, Work Later" mini game on the campaign page ⏩ Top 100 Eligible Participants with the highest scores will win prizes worth over HK$100,000 in total, including iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro Max, Apple Watch Ultra 4, and more! Visit the campaign page for details. T&Cs apply.
Webull Securities Account
- Commission Fee US Stocks
- US$0
- Commission Fee HK Stocks
- HK$0
- US stocks minimum trade
- US$1
【HK$2,200 Cash Welcome Offer 💰】From Sep 8 - 14, open an account via the designated MoneySmart link
1️⃣ Deposit HK$80,000–HK$499,999 within 30 days, then maintain for another 30 days. Choose one
🔥 HK$2,200 cash* / Apple Store e-gift card/ DREAME Air Slimmest Upright Vacuum (Value HK$2,999)
🧭 Limited-time offer with a HK$80,000 deposit
- Redeem at a discounted price of HK$2,000 - SONY PlayStation 5 Digital Edition 825GB (Slim Version) (Value: HK$4.257)
2️⃣ Deposit HK$10,000 – HK$79,999 within 30 days, then maintain for another 30 days. Choose one
🔥 HK$700 cash* / Apple Store e-gift card / 🆕 Dyson HushJet™ Mini Cool fan (Value: HK$890)
🧭 Limited-time offer with a HK$10,000 deposit
- Redeem at a discounted price of HK$1,500 - Sony WF-1000XM6 earphones (Value HK$3,699)
⭐️【 Webull Official Reward #】 : Deposit HK$500,000+ for a Webull cash coupon worth 1% of your deposit (max HK$100,000)
· 1️⃣ & 2️⃣ rewards cannot be combined.
· Deposit ≥HK$500,000 → auto 1% Webull cash coupon; NOT combinable with MoneySmart's HK$10,000/ HK$80,000 reward.
· See【Reward Details】below for full promotion details and gift list.
【📱Phone First, Work Later! HK$100K+ Worth of Prizes Up for Grabs🔥】
From 11 September 2026 (12:00 noon) to 11 October 2026 (11:59 pm), successfully apply for any designated product via MoneySmart and meet the eligibility requirements, you can participate in the "Phone First, Work Later" mini game on the campaign page ⏩ Top 100 Eligible Participants with the highest scores will win prizes worth over HK$100,000 in total, including iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro Max, Apple Watch Ultra 4, and more! Visit the campaign page for details. T&Cs apply.
Best Online Brokers and Trading platform in HK
| Stock Trading Platform | Commission Fees (US Stock) | Commission Fees (HK Stock) | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock Trading Platform Valuable Capital Brokerage Account | Commission Fees (US Stock)US$0.99 | Commission Fees (HK Stock)HK$0 | Features
|
| Stock Trading Platform SoFi Hong Kong Brokerage Account | Commission Fees (US Stock)US$0 | Commission Fees (HK Stock)HK$0 | Features
|
| Stock Trading Platform Webull Securities Account | Commission Fees (US Stock)US$0 | Commission Fees (HK Stock)HK$0 | Features
|
| Stock Trading Platform Saxo Markets | Commission Fees (US Stock)US$3 | Commission Fees (HK Stock)HK$18 | Features
|
FAQ
How can I achieve financial independence？
- You can achieve financial freedom/financial independence through saving and building passive income. You can work out when you can retire using an online FIRE calculator. If you are determined, it’s not impossible to set yourself on the path to FIRE.