# Declare Your Financial Independence!

An episode of [Motley Fool Hidden Gems Investing](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/306106212), 4 Jul 2026, 22 min.

Audio: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/tracking.swap.fm/track/YfZO4tERxneauNcW9Fgn/mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/ARML4660289697.mp3

It’s the first Saturday of the month, which means it’s time for the next installment of our 2026 Financial Planning Challenge. Since it’s July 4th, we thought it fitting that this month we focus on financial independence – in other words, retirement. How do you know if your retirement plan is on track? And how will you know when you’re financially ready to bid adieu to the working world? Fools Robert Brokamp and Stephanie Marini discuss how to find the answers to those questions, including: -Common rules of thumb like the 50-30-20 rule and ye olde 4% rule (and why it should be 5%) -Age-based retirement savings benchmarks from financial-services firms -Free and premium calculators we use and recommend -Getting a professional second opinion from an experienced financial planner who charges by the hour or project (and where to find such a planner) Host: Robert Brokamp, CFP®, EA Guest: Stephanie Marini, CFP®, CRPC® Engineer: Bart Shannon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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