Im frightened for my future, but all I want to be is successful and to have freedom. 

Hi Mike,Self-directed retirement accounts give you the freedom to invest in the things that you know and understand best - not what your advisor at Edward Jones thinks is best.

FREEDOM.

I won't ignore the fact that there are some compelling arguments for leveraging myself a bit, and I certainly wouldn't mind building a real estate "empire" that would someday free me from the umbilical cord of my current career (as much as I enjoy my regular job, I also value financial freedom).  

When in doubt, fewer rules and more freedom is better.

The sense of freedom is priceless.

I can't wait to hear more about your journey and just remember your financial freedom is just around the corner!!

Certainly it's a recipe to achieve long-term financial comfort and to ensure that your nest egg continues to grow, but saving isn't going to help you generate shorter-term financial freedom or wealth.If I have a choice between giving up drinking Starbucks coffee everyday (okay, I don't really like Starbucks, but let's go with it as an example) and figuring out a way I can earn an extra $1000 per year to cover my Starbucks purchases, I'll go for the latter.The reason being, I'd never waste time striving for an extra $1000 per year -- instead, I'll strive for an extra $50,000 or $100,000 per year.

Who knows if i'll ever smell the roses, until then i'm chasing my freedom number

I'd say capital is the main driver as to how many people buy, and second to that is really their goals--are they shooting for financial freedom, or are they just wanting some additional supplemental income?