American Jamal Robinson entered the job force with one goal in mind: To retire as soon as possible.
The 40-year-old revealed he set a goal to retire at a certain age when he was still a teenager while speaking with CNBC Make It.
‘In my mind, I always thought it made the most sense to compress that amount of time in my life,’ Robinson explained.
‘So at 17, I set the goal to retire early at 45, which I wound up hitting six years earlier than expected.’
Since retiring, Robinson has been living comfortably in Dubai off his $3.5 million nest egg.
The secrets to success? Saving, investing, and focusing on maintaining financial freedom.
However, it took Robinson time to reach his goal and he earned $5.15 an hour at Taco Bell while working to do so.
Jamal Robinson, 40, revealed saving, investing, and focusing on maintaining financial freedom are his secrets to early retirement
Robinson did not grow up with much money, which he admitted played a role in how he made and saved his earnings.
‘I didn’t feel like I had much support in the world, and I needed to have as much money as possible in the event that if something happened, I’d be able to take care of myself,’ he explained.
It helped him learn the ‘value of money’ at a young age and got his first job as a church janitor when he was 14.
He began working long shifts at Taco Bell when he was 16 while attending school.
Robinson attended Tennessee Tech on a full-ride scholarship and earned computer engineering and mathematics degrees.
Following graduation, the tech expert began working his first full-time job, which paid $41,000 yearly, which, after a steady increase, turned into $225,000.
His pay rose to $400,000, $727,000, and eventually $1million.
While working, he went on to earn nine post-grad business and technology certifications and an MBA.
Robinson worked at multiple companies like Amazon and Microsoft before his retirement
Robinson worked with companies like Amazon, Microsoft, IBM and Intel before his retirement and became a data science professor at UC Berkeley.
However, even when his resume and salary were higher than ever, he never considered himself a big spender.
‘I still, even to this day, view myself as this minimum wage guy making $5.15 an hour,’ Robinson admitted.
‘I would make $1million a year, and I would struggle to spend over $50 on an item.’
Instead of splurging on expensive items, he kept saving his money, knowing it would just bring him closer to retirement.
‘I went from saving 30 percent to 50 percent to 80 percent and up to [nearly] 90 percent,’ Robinson said.
‘And that would excite me more, because I knew that that accelerated my goal to ultimately retire.’
While working as a tech leader specializing in generative AI, he quit once his portfolio reached $3.5million despite making $1.1million a year.
Robinson currently uses a four percent retirement income rule, which helps him earn $185,000 a year
‘A lot of people think that I’m crazy to leave AI at a time where it’s so important,’ Robinson said.
‘For me, it was always important to focus on my goal of retiring so I could focus on myself [and’ make sure that I’m doing things to make the world a better place.’
Following retirement, Robinson began using a four percent retirement income rule, which helps him earn $185,000 a year.
This sum equals about $15,400 a month, but the former tech leader only spends around $9,000 to $12,000 during that time span.
‘If you’re having a disciplined, responsible relationship with [money you’ve earned], then spending it on experiences to make your life easier [or] to impact other people’s lives positively – these aren’t negative things,’ he stated.
Robinson settled nicely in Dubai, which he claimed is not more expensive that living in major US cities he’s been to.
‘If I spend the same amount of money here, I typically get a much better experience. Or if I spend less money, I can get the equivalent experience,’ he said.
Despite his living situation, Robinson revealed that he would not pay taxes in Dubai but would pay the IRS since he is an American living abroad.
Robinson currently lives in Dubai and is enjoying hobbies like DJ-ing and producing music
Robinson is working to rebalance his investment portfolio, which is comprised of several tech stocks.
He also enjoys DJ-ing and is currently writing a book and producing a podcast.
‘I want to focus on myself [and my] spiritual growth,’ he said, adding that he’s focused on the present and not calculating the future.
His work visa will expire in July through his last employer and plans to leave Dubai afterward.
