This California woman, 34, ditched her dream of homeownership to focus on early retirement and built a $500K nest egg

Kinoshita attributes her success to investing 100% of her side hustle income and lowering expenses. But is it the right choice for everyone?“Because I made early retirement my priority, my investment accounts have really grown in a way that I really didn't anticipate,” she said. “As of the time of this recording in November 2025, I have about $265,000 in my 401(k), $60,500 in my Roth IRA, $180,000 in my brokerage accounts, and about $15,600 in my SEP IRA. And despite never having a six-figure salary, I've b ...