Fluffy as it sounds, I think this is right. Ultimately we often was to preserve optionality rather than "financial freedom". I.e. I want to be able to choose no

Fluffy as it sounds, I think this is right. Ultimately we often was to preserve optionality rather than "financial freedom". I.e. I want to be able to choose not to work by the time I'm 40 and/or I want to be able to choose what to work on. Financial independence is over-kill if this is your objective. There are simpler paths.