From $50k in Debt to Mortgage-Free Millionaire: How Coast FIRE Led to a 3-Day Workweek

Owning your time is a goal we all share, and today’s conversation is about giving you concrete steps you can take to reclaim some of that time.

Andy Hill went from $50,000 in debt to mortgage-free multi-millionaire and now works a three-day work week.

His new book is Own Your Time: 10 Financial Steps to Put Your Family First and Escape the Corporate Grind.

From MarriageKidsandMoney.com, Andy Hill shares how he built financial independence through Coast FIRE, side hustle income, and intentional life design.

Tune in to Episode 720 of the Side Hustle Show to learn:

How Coast FIRE works in real life
The exact financial sequence Andy used to go mortgage-free and reduce pressure before leaving corporate work
How evergreen side-hustle income helped support a flexible 3-day workweek lifestyle

Table of Contents show

Round 1: Own Your Time

What Is Coast FIRE?

Traditional FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) means saving and investing enough money so you can live off a 4-5% withdrawal rate from your portfolio without ever working again. The problem? That takes a massive amount of savings.

Coast FIRE meets the traditional FIRE idea halfway. The concept is simple: save and invest aggressively early on until you reach a point where you can stop contributing and let compound growth do the rest.

Andy and his wife saved and invested around $500,000 by age 40. If they leave that money untouched for the next two decades, based on historical market growth (accounting for inflation and investment fees), it could grow to around $2 million by age 60.

This is where the Rule of 72 comes in handy. At a 7% annual return, your money doubles roughly every 10 years. So $500,000 becomes $1 million in 10 years, then $2 million in 20 years.

With retirement handled, Andy and his wife could take their foot off the gas. They didn’t need to max out their 401(k) or Roth IRA anymore. That box was checked. This opened the door to working part-time, building a side business they loved, and spending more time with their kids.

How Andy Hit Coast FIRE and Stepped Away from Corporate Life

Andy’s side hustle started as a hobby. He wanted an outlet outside of work that made him feel good. It wasn’t about the money at first, but once he figured out he could earn from it, the passion started to build.

His corporate job required traveling on nights and weekends. With young kids at home, he felt like he was missing their lives. The side hustle became his transition plan.

Three Key Steps Before Leaving Corporate

Validation – Andy made sure he could actually make money from his side hustle before quitting. He didn’t just have an idea. People were paying him. That proof of concept mattered.
F-U Money – Andy and his wife saved around $100,000 in liquid cash (more than 12 months of expenses). This gave them the confidence to walk away knowing they had a cushion if things didn’t go as planned.
Coast FIRE Status – Having already hit their Coast FIRE number meant retirement was handled. They weren’t gambling with their future. They just needed to earn enough to cover current living expenses.

Building the Marriage Kids and Money Business

Andy’s business model evolved over time. Early on, he focused on:

brand partnerships
YouTube ad revenue
financial coaching
podcast sponsorships

Recently, he’s been pivoting toward more YouTube content (where his channel is closing in on 50,000 subscribers), affiliate partnerships, and using his Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC) certification to expand his coaching services.

One example of his YouTube income: he creates video reviews for products and services. Some reviews perform extremely well, contributing to $5,000–$7,000 per month in affiliate income.

These are brand deals where companies pay him to create honest, in-depth reviews for his audience.

Andy also mentioned working with Denis Trufin, who helps connect creators with brands for sponsorship opportunities.

Why Paying Off the Mortgage Early Changed Everything

Hitting Coast FIRE first was critical, but paying off their mortgage early gave Andy and his wife the confidence to take bigger risks.

With no mortgage payment, their monthly expenses dropped significantly. This meant they didn’t need to earn as much from the business to maintain their lifestyle. Lower fixed costs meant more freedom.

The sequence mattered:

Hit Coast FIRE (retirement savings locked in and growing)
Pay off the mortgage (monthly expenses dropped)
Build F-U money (cash reserves for safety)
Then transition to part-time work (less financial pressure, more flexibility).

Staying Systematic

The three-day work week only works if you have systems in place. Andy batches his content creation, automates where possible, and protects his non-work days fiercely.

He’s not rigid about it. If his kids need him less as they get older, maybe he’ll work more. If he wants to scale the business, maybe he’ll add another half-day. But the flexibility itself is the goal.

Round 2: Donate a Business Idea

If Andy were starting a side hustle from scratch today, he’d focus on studio transformation services for content creators and remote workers.

The concept: help people design inspirational home office spaces optimized for video calls, podcasting, or content creation. Based on Andy’s own $1,000 setup, similar transformations could range from $500 to $2,000+.

You could use AI tools to mock up designs, source affordable furniture and lighting, and even offer installation or setup services.

As more people work from home and create content online, there’s growing demand for professional-looking spaces without the high-end interior designer price tag.

We looked at Kevin Shen’s Dream Studio service as an example.

Round 3: The Triple Threat

A Marketing Tactic That’s Working Right Now

Andy’s current focus is creating evergreen SEO-based video content on YouTube. These are videos that answer specific questions people are searching for (like “What is Coast FIRE?” or “How to pay off your mortgage early”).

The beauty of this approach is that videos continue driving traffic and revenue long after they’re published. It’s the opposite of trending content that spikes and dies. Evergreen content builds momentum over time.

Pro Tip: A tool like TubeBuddy can help with keyword research.

A Tool Andy’s Loving Right Now

Andy recommended Riverside.fm for remote podcast recording.

What he loves about it: they’re consistently adding new features like automatic transcripts and tools to create short-form video clips from long episodes.

This saves him hours of editing time and makes repurposing content across platforms much easier.

Andy’s Favorite Read From the Last Year

Outlive by Peter Attia – This book is about taking care of your health for the long term, not just living longer but living better.

A few big shifts Andy made after reading it:

Less running, more strength training – Andy was a runner for years but stopped lifting weights after high school. He started lifting again about a year ago and noticed he sleeps much better after a good strength training session.
Stopping alcohol – Andy noticed that if he drank late at night, he’d wake up at 1 or 2 a.m. wide awake and couldn’t fall back asleep for hours. His day would be ruined. Cutting out alcohol helped him sleep through the night consistently.

A few other takeaways from Outlive:

You’re probably not getting enough protein.
If you want to pick up your grandkid in 30 years, you need to be able to do the equivalent of a 60-pound kettlebell squat today (given average rates of muscle decay).
Consider getting a DEXA scan to get a baseline on body fat, lean mass, and bone density, then retest in six months to track progress.
The book’s main message is shifting from reactive healthcare (waiting until something breaks) to proactive health optimization (building strength and resilience now so you can thrive later).

What’s Next for Andy?

Andy’s goal for this year is simple: live the three-day work week, four-day weekend lifestyle.

He’s still experimenting. Maybe he’ll add another half-day of work here or there as the business grows. Maybe his kids will need him less as they get older, and he’ll scale back even more.

The point is flexibility. This doesn’t have to be rigid. If three days works now, great. If it needs to change later, that’s fine too. The ability to choose is what matters.

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