Hi,
Awesome!
I'll actually be in Groningen tomorrow (I currently teach at the University). We can get free coffee at the university and then go for a stroll at some point if you are available? I teach from 9-12.
My path to FI is a bit different in that my family takes an intergenerational approach to saving and investing. My grandparents financially supported the grandkids so my parents could save, and they also all made regular gifts to investment accounts for us. So I've basically had a steadily growing investment portfolio since I was 0 years old. But we didn't get spoiled because our whole family strives to live simply, let their wealth grow, and then use that freedom to pursue what they love. I remember my grandparents sitting me down when I was quite young and explaining that they could live in a big house and buy fancy cars but that they didn't so that they could use their wealth to help others and make sure that each new generation of our family was free.
Anyway, though my parents are by no means materialistic, they ended up being a bit less focused on frugality, as my father is a pretty successful lawyer. But I saw when I was young that it would be way better to live frugally and so that I could be free. So I set about simplifying my lifestyle and maximizing my investments. One way I've did that is by living quite frugally in Europe for that last 10 years, biking everywhere and not owning a car, while my investments are all located in the tax favorable US. I only recently found the MMM blog and realized, after doing some math, that with a few small lifestyle adjustments I could go ahead and retire.
I think my family's case is quite interesting because it shows a way of making FI reachable within a family without giving your kids a bad case of trust fund baby syndrome. The basic idea is that if, as a family, you only respect working hard for important things, living simply and in a financially savy way, then even if you help your kids and grandkids build up a portfolio, they can still end living with badassity.
All best,
Ben