Retiring at 29: How to Grow Wealth and Reach F.I.R.E with Cody Yeh: An EOFire Classic from 2022

Could someone really be "retired" at 29 and still feel alive?

What if retirement didn't mean an endless beach day but a life deliberately designed for meaning, growth, and low stress? Cody Ye's path flips the cliché of passive retirement on its head. He treats financial independence as a toolbox—real estate to build net worth, stock options to create cashflow, and active businesses to feed purpose. The result felt less like an escape and more like a conscious redesign of what work and freedom can be.

Design life before spreadsheet

Here's what stood out: Cody schedules life first and business second. He and his partner pick travel dates and then build work around those anchors. That struck me as refreshingly practical—too many people chase income and hope lifestyle follows. Cody does the opposite. He uses calendar placeholders to create pressure points, then engineers his business models to meet those constraints. The payoff is a life where time matters more than arbitrary wealth totals.

Small wins that compound

The math doesn't read like fantasy. Early properties bought for $526,000 and $460,000 have appreciated into seven-figure assets. Cody then funnels proceeds into stock-option strategies that average one to four percent per month. Those disciplined returns replaced his six-figure salary. Honestly, the speed felt surprising: with disciplined leverage and reinvestment, what feels like modest monthly gains can quickly outpace ordinary saving.

Why "highest return on time, lowest return on stress" matters

That phrase kept echoing. Cody prioritizes projects that buy him time back and reduce psychological drag. He left day trading that consumed his evenings because the stress and health cost outweighed returns. Now his students often spend 30 minutes per day—sometimes 30 minutes per week—on trading strategies that produce outsized hourly returns. I felt a jolt reading that: productivity isn't about squeezing more hours, it's about swapping low-value hours for high-value frameworks.

Work that scales and life that lasts

The plan is layered. Real estate builds net worth through leverage. Stock options provide liquid cashflow. Active businesses amplify influence and income. When you string those threads together, each asset class plays a role: one for legacy, one for cashflow, one for leverage of time. That interlocking strategy is what accelerated Cody from overtime engineer to financial independence.

How the first step really happens

The most surprising part? Cody's origin story sounds stubbornly ordinary. He worked overtime as an engineer, clocking massive hours for extra pay, and lived frugally—renting a room for $600 a month while studying real estate in the evenings. Those sacrifices financed his first down payments. It’s a blunt truth: ambition without frugality stretches timelines; discipline accelerates them.

From overtime to option income

Cody described taking capital from sold properties and refinances into a trading account. The option income—averaging one to four percent monthly—became the engine to replace his salary. That pivot from illiquid appreciation to recurring cashflow is what turns net worth into usable freedom. I kept thinking about how many people own assets that don't pay them, and how small shifts could transform that reality.

Coaching, community, and the speed of progress

He made a bold recommendation: hire a coach. Cody credits a repeatable, guided mentorship for accelerating his learning curve. That resonated with me because coaching isn't just shortcut knowledge; it enforces accountability and forces risk-aware action. For high-income earners who lack time, Cody suggests partnering with specialists or done-for-you teams so money works while life gets lived.

The human element: purpose keeps people going

One line kept pulling at me: Cody tried relaxing on a beach for three days and felt irritated. For people with drive, idleness can feel empty. So retirement that removes meaning becomes a trap. Instead, Cody uses freedom to scale impact—teaching others, building masterclasses, and participating in community. That's a version of retirement aimed at contribution, not disappearance.

Practical takeaways

• Plan life first: Put travel and family time on the calendar before you design business.
• Mix assets: Use real estate for leverage, options for cashflow, and business for scale.
• Prioritize time ROI: Choose strategies that maximize hourly worth and minimize stress.
• Invest in mentorship: A good coach compounds learning and reduces costly mistakes.

What I left thinking about was less about exact numbers and more about mindset. Financial independence isn't a single destination; it's an ongoing practice of choosing how time, money, and purpose align. That felt less like an endpoint and more like a lifelong design question.

Reflecting on his path, I'm reminded that any plan worth having begins with a single deliberate step—and the courage to design life around what matters most.