Financial freedom sounds simple online: save, invest, hit your FIRE number, retire.

But what if the number itself is the wrong starting point?

In this episode of The Long Game, I sit down with Husslefreewealth / Pankaj Sir to talk about the real math behind financial independence in India — and why random targets like ₹1 Cr, ₹5 Cr, or ₹10 Cr can be misleading if you don’t understand your expenses, real return, asset allocation, inflation, and health costs.

We also discuss his own journey from buying a house under family pressure, paying a huge EMI, making mistakes like ULIPs and home loan prepayment, questioning SIPs, and eventually achieving financial independence at 39.

In this conversation, we cover:

• Why your FIRE number depends on expenses, not social media formulas
•  ...