A married couple residing in Las Vegas, Nevada, managed to retire at the age of 29, with a total annual salary of $88 thousand.

Joe and Ali Olson, parents of three children under the age of five, have not won the lottery as many of their neighbors believe. But in reality, the process was more complicated.

They said in an interview with CNBC that the key to success is perseverance and a little time.

“We worked for 8 years. During those years, we did everything we could to increase our income. We did private lessons, we taught on weekends and in the summer,” explains Joe.

To reduce our expenses, we lived in a small apartment of 400 square feet. We had a used car that I owned while I was in school and we kept it all this time,” adds Ali.

Now at the age of 35 and 34, the couple married while in college. Both began their careers as teachers in 2008, shortly after the housing crisis rocked the area.

Joe and Ali explained that they maintained the frugal lifestyle they had when they were students. They saved almost 80% of their salary. With these savings, they bought housing for rent.

We did not deprive ourselves of anything. We were not sad. “We loved the simpler things like a picnic in the park or watching a movie at home,” says Joe.

In 2020, the couple owned 19 homes located across the United States. Both left their jobs when their investments fully paid off their $88,000 joint annual salary.