Long story short: I immigrated to the U.S. with very little and had to rebuild my life from scratch. Since English is my second language, I went back to school at 31 and graduated at 36. I’ve since started my career and now earn around $100k a year, saving about 15–20%.

At the same time, as an immigrant, I’m supporting more than just myself there are others who rely on me for basic needs. Because of that, traditional FIRE feels out of reach, so I’ve been exploring other paths. One option I’m seriously considering is taking the roughly $200k I’ve saved over the past seven years and using it to start a business—whether that’s building something from scratch, buying a franchise, or flipping houses.

I understand the risks involved, but in my mind, it feels like a choice between taking that chance or staying stuck financially long-term.

Thanks for reading and welcome your thoughts