In the USA the surest and safest way to do this is to follow the American Dream... ie: buy a house. Specifically, buy a multi-family in a constantly in-demand area / big city. The devil is in the details on the economics of all this... how much you put down vs how much you borrow, etc.. etc... But within 30 years (assuming you get a 30-year mortgage) you will certainly be financially independent. The key is to manage this wisely and ensure you are in a location where you can get near 0% vacancy. Why am I so sure this will work? Because the US economy is designed for this... it's designed to massively leverage yourself up against the collateral of the home. The tax code is designed to basically writeoff your expenses - and even more so if it is your primary residence.