Financial Independence Starter Kit
Are you investing enough to retire when you want to?
We know it's overwhelming to figure out where to start. The Financial Independence Starter Kit shows you how much you need invested, which account to use, and what to buy, so you can start investing with confidence.
With Anita Kinoshita, M.Ed, CFLP
Sound familiar?
We know it's overwhelming to figure out where to start.
The sticking point is usually one of four things: no clear vision, not knowing your numbers, not knowing what to invest in, or not getting started. The Starter Kit takes them one at a time, in that order. Wherever you are, you can start from there.
…I felt so positive after the class, and I feel like I know so much more than when I started. I'm excited to start actively investing toward my future, rather than saying "I have a 401k, that should be fine, right?" No! I can and will do better! Thanks, Anita.
Your guide
Hi, I'm Anita.
I'm a self-made stock market investor, a former software engineer, and current Certified Financial Literacy Professional and Master of Education. I'm the daughter of Mexican immigrants, from a family of farmers and blue-collar workers. I didn't come from money, and I've never earned a high income.
In 2020 I took a personal finance course because I wanted to buy a home, and accidentally realized I could retire early, and everything changed.
Portfolio value. My goal after leaving the personal finance course was to retire at 50.
I ended up reaching Coast FI (my $150k would be able to grow to $1.6M when I was 65 without investing a dollar more) and I quit my 9–5 and reinvented my career. I got a part-time job in higher education and a Master's Degree in Education.
Now a full-time teacher, for myself. I can coast to $1.5M at 49 or $4.6M at 65. I have options depending on what life throws at me!
Coast FI allowed me to reinvent my career and enjoy my life more without spending more. I postponed homeownership for now, so I can focus on early coast FI.
Money is a tool to build a good life.
As featured in / Business Insider / Bloomberg / CNBC Make It / Good Morning America / Top 100 Money Expert (GoBankingRates 2025)
The plan
A plan you can't help but start, step-by-step.
Your plan starts with you, flows into the lifestyle you want, and only then becomes numbers and accounts. Every section ends with one or more decisions you write down.
Your Vision
Imagine a compelling reason to pursue FI.
- See why a plan built on society's vision for your life rarely gets finished.
- Describe what financial independence could make possible for you.
- Decide to believe your vision belongs in the world, not just inside of you.
Your Target
Define point A and point B.
- Calculate your FI number and Coast FI number.
- See your timeline if you change nothing, and what your dream timeline would take.
- Choose what you can realistically contribute each month.
Your Path
Choose how to get from A to B.
- Learn stocks, bonds, index funds and target-date funds in plain language.
- Compare four levels of investing by cost and effort.
- Choose your approach and your first account.
Your Next Step
Automate your investments.
- Understand why automation is essential to winning in the long-term.
- Pick your brokerage, what to buy, and your start date.
- Follow a step-by-step path to set up your recurring investment.
I loved how now I have some numbers for a plan. Like an actual plan I can start. Before I didn't know where to start.
Try the math
See your numbers in ten seconds.
Move the sliders. It uses the same formulas you'll use in the Starter Kit: FI number is annual spending × 25, and Coast FI number is your FI number ÷ 1.07 to the power of your years.
Illustrative only. Assumes $0 invested today, a 4% safe withdrawal rate (SWR) and 7% annual real return, which is not guaranteed, and is not financial advice. All values can be adjusted inside the Starter Kit. Your FI number is a living number: start with a working one, not a perfect one.
The Coast FI & FI calculator is amazing, the cost of the class is worth that on its own. Anita breaks down investing in a way that is simple and accessible.
What you leave with
Start investing with confidence.
I’ll guide you through these 7 decisions. Not a pile of information: a finished plan, with your own numbers in it.
Plus the interactive workbook and the calculator, and a bonus 1 hr live Zoom Q&A on Wednesday, October 28th at 5:00pm PT.
…I left the workshop feeling encouraged to start implementing the lessons learnt and to remember that my FI journey will be uniquely mine, shaped by my needs, wants, and tailored to the vision of life I want to create.
What past students say
People like you, left feeling positive about their next step.
Before this was a mini-course, it was a workshop.
I follow a couple CoastFI people, but this was my first individualized workshop. Seeing how to actually break down FI and Coast FI numbers was incredibly helpful. It gave me an understanding of what retirement numbers actually look like, how to calculate them, and a bit of a wake up call of where I am (whether good or bad 😅). What gets measured, gets managed.
I loved how now I have some numbers for a plan. Like an actual plan I can start. Before I didn't know where to start.
…I felt so positive after the class, and I feel like I know so much more than when I started. I'm excited to start actively investing toward my future, rather than saying "I have a 401k, that should be fine, right?" No! I can and will do better! Thanks, Anita.
The Coast FI & FI calculator is amazing, the cost of the class is worth that on its own. Anita breaks down investing in a way that is simple and accessible.
…I left the workshop feeling encouraged to start implementing the lessons learnt and to remember that my FI journey will be uniquely mine, shaped by my needs, wants, and tailored to the vision of life I want to create.
Straight from the workshop chat
Start here
Retire when you want to.
It's normal to feel like you're behind. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. I'll show you how, step-by-step.
Everything in the kit
The Financial Independence Starter Kit
Save $347 off the $446 total value.
- Instant access: 4 Guided Sections (Workshop Recording)$199
- Instant access: Calculator$99
- Instant access: Interactive Workbook$49
- Bonus1 hr Live Zoom Q&A: Wednesday, October 28th, 5:00pm PT$99
This kit is for educational purposes only and is not personalized investment, tax, or financial advice. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal, and past performance does not guarantee future results. Examples and projections are illustrative.