THE BUY TO LET EXPERT

David Cox, blogger at (iretiredyoung.net)

I’m 49 and I retired two years ago. I was an accountant, starting as a clerk – the lowest position – but eventually becoming a finance director. So I was on a high wage by the end, and living in Dubai came with tax benefits.

I became financially independent by accident, really. I’m got great at being frugal, I think you need to live for the now. But I’ve always been a worrier, and always wanted to make sure my family were secure and safe. If we had spare money, we always put it towards paying off the mortgage, and eventually we were in a position to invest in buy to let properties.

At first, we had two properties in addition to our family home. Both were mortgaged and it felt risky, but we worked hard to pay their mortgages off. Today, we have 10, all mortgagefree. Roughly two thirds of our net worth is invested in property, one third in low cost index funds.

As the kids moved out, we also downsized from a five-bedroom house to a two-bedroom apartment and now we’re moving to a place in France that’s smaller still. When I stopped working, I also looked much more closely at my spending, to make sure I was only spending money on things I really value.

I’m enjoying my retirement, but who knows whether I might decide to work again in the future. For me, the most important part of financial independence isn’t retirement, it’s the freedom and the choices it brings.