Q: Developing good savings and expense-reducing behavior in both your youth and throughout middle age will greatly improve your chances of achieving true financial independence. Ultimately, the main two ways of achieving financial independence are accumulating enough wealth to live without additional income, or having enough passive income to avoid the need to work full time. Have an idea of what you need to be truly financially independent. The professional approach to determining how near you are to financial independence involves dividing your investable assets by your annual expenses. Granted, these can both be hard figures to reliably determine. Know that you're going to need to accumulate roughly 25 times the amount of money you intend to spend annually to be considered comfortably financially independent going into retirement. Recognize that very, very few households possess 25x their annual expenses! This means that achieving financial independence, for most people, requires having sources of passive income. Understand that achieving financial independence is a long-term process. Speed bumps on the road to financial independence are inevitable. Overcome temporary setbacks by sticking to a responsible financial plan. If you focus on each financial goal you set for yourself, always look for options to increase your income and reduce your expenses, and save strategically, you'll steadily improve your financial stability. A good benchmark to shoot for is saving 10% of your earned income. Literally put aside a dime of every dollar you make. Starting early is especially advantageous, as you can take advantage of compounding interest in several forms of savings accounts. In middle age, people are especially able to save aggressively, as incomes are generally higher and expenses lower. Before you do anything, set aside money in an emergency savings fund. It is important to have a safety net that you can access easily to cover emergency expenses, such as hospital bills or if you lose your job unexpectedly. It is recommended an emergency fund contain enough money to cover at least three months of living expenses. It's never too early or too late to begin saving. If you just started your first job, develop the habit of saving by starting early. If you've always intended to begin saving, but have to yet to make the commitment, begin doing so immediately. Getting used to savings-oriented behavior not only helps you live within your means, it prepares you to deal with unanticipated expenses. A 401(k) is a government-provided savings account affiliated with your job. You agree not to withdraw from your 401(k) until you retire (or pay a penalty for doing so), and contribute a portion of your income to this account. Standard 401(k) plans allow you the option to reduce your taxable income by contributing a portion of income prior to taxes into a savings account that is specifically meant to prepare you for retirement. Further, when you access the money during retirement, you will then pay taxes on it, but will likely fall into a lower income tax bracket. This leaves you with greater income overall, ultimately helping empower you to achieve financial independence. As soon as you are able to do so, direct-deposit part of every paycheck into a 401(k). Increase your payments as you are able to do so, until you reach the maximum amount you are allowed to contribute (which is limited by the IRS). Maximize employer contributions. Many employers will match what you put in, or will set up profit-sharing incentives associated with your contributions to a 401(k). Maximize your own contributions to get the most possible matching funds from your employer. A Roth 401(k) account set up with your employer may allow you to contribute a portion of your income after taxes, and generate additional tax-free income off of interest and investments in the long run. Note that the benefits of a Roth 401(k) accrue over a relatively longer period of time. Further, you will not receive a tax deduction in the short term. (Roth 401(k) plans are slightly different than Roth IRAs, which are addressed in the next step.) If you max out your legal contributions to a 401(k), take advantages of other tax breaks associated with saving for a financially independent retirement by setting up an individual retirement account, or IRA. Open a traditional IRA and contribute a portion of your income before it is taxed. This will lower the amount of taxes you will pay in the short term. Further, when you are taxed on the withdrawal from a traditional IRA, you will likely be in a lower tax bracket and pay less in taxes. Roth IRAs, which are funded by post-tax income, effectively provide tax-free financial growth via interest and investments, but is a better option only if you will not be in a lower income tax bracket during retirement and can afford the tax burden of contributing post-tax income in the short term. Look into other employer-offered tax-advantaged benefits, such as a health savings account (HSA). This is a tax-advantaged medical savings account offered to those with a high-deductible health insurance plan. It is up to you to decide how much to contribute to your HSA account, and these funds can be used on eligible medical expenses, including deductibles and prescriptions. The funds are tax deductible, can grow tax-free, and can be withdrawn tax-free.
A: Recognize the challenge of achieving financial independence. Set specific goals and stick with the plan. Start saving. Start and actively maintain a 401(k). Take advantage of other federal savings opportunities.

Q: If you'd like to have creative control over every part of your house's design, it's possible to design a floor plan with little or no experience. There are various online resources you can use to compose your own blueprints and floor plans. You'll also need to independently research many aspect of home building that your architect or builder would normally take care of, including: Analyzing the shape and slope of the land plot to determine a specific build location. Determining zoning regulations for your build site. If you choose not to design your own floor plans, you'll need to find someone to design your house. An architect will incorporate your own vision or the house and your own design preferences into their final design. Working with an architect should be more like collaboration than like handing over control of your pet project. Architect fees for drawing up floor plans usually reach around $5,000 or $6,000 USD. Use The American Institute of Architects online database to search for architects in your city or zip code: https://architectfinder.aia.org. The architect will make the blueprints and floor plans, but you need to find someone to actually build the house. Collect bids from at least 3 builders. In many scenarios, architects work closely with builders. Your architect may already have one (or more) builders that they can recommend with you. Ask your architect for a builder recommendation. This will save you the trouble of having to find a builder on your own.
A:
Design your own floor plans. Contact a reputable architect. Obtain bids from builders once the blueprints are complete.