Everyone asks how much money it takes to retire early. Almost nobody asks what you plan to do with the time.

I left in May 2024 at 43 with a spreadsheet that ran to age 100 and a to-do list I had put off for decades. Two years later, here is the honest accounting of what I did with the time I bought back: I wrote two books, earned the WMCP designation, taught financial literacy as a volunteer, fostered dogs, and launched this podcast. Almost none of it paid. That is the point.

In this special off-schedule episode I walk through what actually got built, why a financial plan has to become a life plan, and the milestone I am proudest of. Killswitch, my debut science-fiction novel, released September 1, 2026. It took 604 days and 137,500 words. I also get into why a book about artificial intelligence belongs on a financial independence show, and why my son editing it and designing the cover was the return I never budgeted for.

Regular Tuesday programming continues as scheduled.

Get Killswitch:

📕 Hardcover, $29.99 — https://amzn.to/4qVrgRy

📗 Paperback, $17.99 — https://amzn.to/4qQqjK9

📱 Kindle, $4.99 — https://amzn.to/4iIBGS9

🔗 All formats — https://escapetheclock.com/books/killswitch/

Free on Kindle Unlimited. Borrowing it costs nothing, it counts, and it supports the book. If you read it and it holds up, an honest review does more for a debut than anything else I could ask for.

Chapters:

• 00:00 - What Early Retirement Bought Me
• 01:41 - Teaching Money and Fostering Dogs
• 04:19 - The Goal That Was Never the Podcast
• 06:23 - AI Today Is a Very Good Magic Trick
• 08:15 - Building What We Cannot Turn Off
• 10:28 - Inside the Premise of Killswitch
• 12:02 - The Choice With No Good Answer
• 14:38 - Why This Book Needed Early Retirement

Escape The Clock Resources:

📖 The Book — https://escapetheclock.com/book

⬇️ The Planner — https://escapetheclock.com/toolkit

🎙️ The Podcast — https://escapetheclock.com/podcast

🤝 1:1 Help — https://escapetheclock.com/schedule

✉️ Free Monthly Insights — https://escapetheclock.com/subscribe

Episode References & Resources:

ℹ️ Killswitch 5-star review — Literary Titan (2026) https://literarytitan.com/2026/08/27/killswitch/

ℹ️ 604 Days: What I Did With the Time I Bought Back — Escape The Clock Insights (2026) https://escapetheclock.com/insights13

ℹ️ Financial literacy volunteering in Washington — Financial Beginnings https://finbegwa.org

ℹ️ Foster-based dog rescue, Redmond WA — Motley Zoo https://www.motleyzooanimalrescue.org

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