How self-made millionaire who retired at 35 defines financial security [Video]

Adcock says the moment he felt financially secure came in 2016 at age 35, when he retired from his corporate job with about $900,000. Gains in the market soon pushed that total over $1 million.

Security, he says, didn’t come from the amount of money he saved, but what it afforded him — freedom to live his life the way he wanted without relying on a paycheck. When his wife retired the following year, the couple spent three years traveling the country in a Airstream RV.

“We were certainly living small. We were spending a lot less than we are now,” Adcock says. “That was really the first time where I felt financially secure, meaning we don’t have to work for the rest of our lives.”

To be clear, a higher salary certain helps when it comes to achieving financial security — but it’s not the be all and end …