When I consider what most troubles the minds of my contemporaries, I observe that financial concerns rank supreme among our anxieties. We labor endlessly, yet many remain yoked to necessity rather than choice—a condition that seems to me both pitiable and worthy of remedy. What we call "financial freedom" is not, as some might imagine, mere abundance of wealth, but rather a state wherein one's resources sufficiently sustain one's existence without the constant pressure of financial anxiety. It is a condition I have long contemplated, having observed its presence in some and its conspicuous absence in many.