Financial Freedom:Guide to Retiring Early in HK

If you are tired of the 9 to 5 work grind, this article is great for you as you will learn ways to set yourself on the path to financial freedom through investment.
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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

So, when can you retire? You can work this out by an online FIRE calculator. If you are determined enough, you will realize that it is not impossible to retire early!
Step 1

Enter some basic information including your age, annual income, your annual expenses and your current net worth.
Step 2

Enter your asset allocation in percentage. Assets refers to stocks, bonds and cash.
Step 3

Enter the expected returns for each category.
Step 4

Press Calculate to work out the result.

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 1Situation 2
Monthly ExpensesSituation 1$20,000Situation 2 $10,000
Yearly Expenses Situation 1$240,000Situation 2 $120,000
Retirement Savings Required Situation 1$6,000,000Situation 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
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One-Year 0 Commission for A Shares Market
MoneySmart Exclusive
One-Year 0 Commission for A Shares Market

Tiger Brokers

Min. Commission Fee US Stocks
US$0.99/order
Commission Fee HK Stocks
HK$0
Account Opening Min. Funding
HK$10,000

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Valid until 31 Oct 2026
Min. Commission Fee US Stocks
US$0.99
Commission Fee HK Stocks
HK$0
Account Opening Min. Funding
HK$10,000
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U.S. stocks 5x24 hours trading services in HK
MoneySmart Exclusive
U.S. stocks 5x24 hours trading services in HK

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%

[🎁 Welcome Gift: AirPods 5 or HK$2,200 Cash] From Oct 21 to Oct 31, during the campaign period, download the Futu NiuNiu App. Before making a deposit and completing account opening, first enter the redemption code [MSFUTU], then complete the requirements below to take home the bonus rewards.


Open account during campaign period, maintain HK$80,000+ deposit for 60 days
⬆️ Cash HK$2,200* / HK$2,200 Apple Store gift card / PARKnSHOP supermarket e-voucher / HKTVmall e-voucher


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‼️ The HK$2,200 and HK$1,100 cash rewards are made up of Futu cash vouchers (redeemed within the Futu NiuNiu App) and SmartPoints (redeemed and issued by MoneySmart), respectively.
‼️ Open the “More Details” section below to see other gifts, including Bowers & Wilkins headphones and Philips RO water dispensers. There are also student offers with shorter retention requirements and the same rewards.

Valid until 31 Oct 2026
MoneySmart Exclusive
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Webull Securities Account

Commission Fee US Stocks
US$0
Commission Fee HK Stocks
HK$0
US stocks minimum trade
US$1

【HK$100,000 Welcome Reward】From 21 - 31 Oct, within 30 days of opening an account via MoneySmart, deposit HK$10,000 or HK$80,000 and above, and maintain the assets for another 30 days from day 31 onwards (including the first and last days), you can enjoy the following rewards:



1️⃣ Deposit HK$80,000 to HK$199,999:
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Receive 1% of deposit amount in equivalent Webull Cash Voucher# (maximum cap HK$100,000) and MoneySmart HK$400 Cash*

‼️ # Deposits of HK$200,000 or HK$500,000 and above will automatically receive rewards issued by Webull. You will NOT simultaneously enjoy MoneySmart's HK$10,000 or HK$80,000 deposit rewards.
‼️ MoneySmart rewards 1️⃣ and 2️⃣ cannot be stacked.
‼️ For more MoneySmart exclusive rewards, official Webull rewards and campaign details, please refer to【More Details】below.

Valid until 31 Oct 2026

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 AccountCommission Fees (US Stock)US$0.99Commission Fees (HK Stock)HK$0Features
  • Create account: online registration and activate account with e-signature
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  • No commissions fees on trades
  • Fractional share trading
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Stock Trading Platform Webull Securities AccountCommission Fees (US Stock)US$0Commission Fees (HK Stock)HK$0Features
  • Provide access to Hong Kong Stocks, A shares, ETF, derivatives listed on the SEHK, Hong Kong IPO and Odd Lot. US stocks will be coming soon.
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Stock Trading Platform Saxo MarketsCommission Fees (US Stock)US$3Commission Fees (HK Stock)HK$18Features
  • Offer access to over 40,000 markets at industry-leading prices across stocks, ETFs, bonds, commodities, options, futures, funds, managed portfolios, FX and CFDs
  • Access 19,000+ stocks across core and emerging markets on 37 exchanges worldwide - HK, US, CN, UK, EU and JP

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.

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