Most people dream about one day “retiring comfortably.” It’s one of those phrases we throw around at barbecues and dinner parties — “I just want to be comfortable” — but when you press a little further, hardly anyone can define what “comfortable” actually means.

Is it $80,000 per year? $120,000? $200,000?

Is it a mortgage-free home and the ability to travel twice a year? Or is it simply the ability to step away from work without financial stress, knowing your bills are covered?

The truth is, until you define your number, “comfort” is just a fuzzy idea floating around in your head. And as Robert Kiyosaki often says, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.”

So today, let’s turn the wish into a plan. Let’s answer the question: How much is enough?

The first step is brutally simple: you need to decide what annual income would give you the life you want.

This is where most people get stuck. They either undershoot (thinking too small) or overshoot (imagining private jets and villas in Tuscany). The key is to start with what you actually want your life to look like — the baseline of freedom.

Break it down into three buckets:

👉 Example: You might say you want $120,000 a year after tax. Enough to cover a solid lifestyle in Australia, with room to enjoy life and not just survive.

That’s your lifestyle income target. That’s the starting point.

Now that you know the income, the next question is: What size asset base do I need to produce this income sustainably?

Here’s where we borrow a classic concept from investing: the safe withdrawal rate. In simple terms, it’s the percentage of your wealth you can draw each year without running out.

A common rule of thumb is 4%.

So if you want $120,000 per year, here’s the math:

$120,000 ÷ 0.04 = $3 million asset base needed

Now, don’t get too caught up on whether 4% is the perfect number. Some say it’s conservative, others say it’s aggressive. What matters is you’ve now linked your lifestyle to a concrete asset number.

And that’s powerful. Because suddenly, the vague “comfortable retirement” has turned into a tangible target: $3 million.

The next step is asking: What does that look like in property terms?

This is where the fun begins. Because unlike shares or bonds, property is tangible. You can touch it, improve it, and structure it in different ways to reach your target.

Let’s play with a few scenarios:

Each approach has trade-offs. Residential tends to be easier to start with and benefits from strong compounding over time. Commercial often yields higher cashflow but requires more capital and carries different risks. A mixed portfolio gives balance.

What matters is that you’re now seeing the target not as an abstract $3 million, but as a portfolio you can actually imagine owning.

Here’s where strategy meets reality: How much time do you have left?

This is where Kiyosaki’s thinking around “fast-tracking” wealth becomes really useful. If you’re young, time is your greatest asset. You can rely on compounding, conservative growth, and consistency. If you’ve got 30 years ahead, you don’t need to swing for the fences — you just need to get on base and let time do the heavy lifting.

But if you’ve started later — say you’re in your 40s or 50s with limited runway before you want freedom — the strategy changes. You may need to increase your risk profile and focus on what I call manufacturing equity.

This means actively creating value, not just waiting for the market to deliver it. Examples include:

Yes, these require more skill, effort, and creativity. But they can accelerate capital creation far beyond what a normal job income or passive “buy and hold” portfolio would achieve.

This is risk calibration in action: the less time you have, the more creative and active you may need to be.

No property strategy is complete without a discussion about debt.

Leverage is what makes property such a powerful wealth vehicle. But it’s also what trips people up when markets shift or interest rates rise.

So as you build your framework, ask yourself:

The biggest risk in property isn’t making the wrong assumption — it’s never testing the assumptions at all. Stress-test your plan: What if rates stay high for 10 years? What if growth is flat for a decade?

By running these scenarios, you stop being surprised by the future. You’re prepared for it.

At this point, you have the building blocks. Now put them together:

That’s your framework. It’s personal, it’s practical, and it gives you a compass to navigate every future decision.

Property is a powerful engine for wealth — but it’s not the only one. A resilient retirement plan usually blends multiple streams of income so you’re not reliant on just one asset class.

Think of these as side engines alongside the main property vehicle. They smooth out volatility, provide liquidity, and give optionality at different stages of your financial journey.

Another often-overlooked pillar is superannuation. For many Australians, it’s the single biggest asset they’ll ever hold — yet most people leave it in the default fund and forget about it.

SMSFs aren’t for everyone — they require compliance, administration, and a certain scale (often $200k+ to make sense). But for families who want flexibility, they can be a powerful diversification and tax-management tool.

Here’s the real power: once you know your number, every property decision shifts from emotional to strategic.

Instead of asking, “Can I afford this property now?” you start asking, “Does this move me closer to my enough number — given the time I have left and the risk I’m willing to take?”

It reframes the game completely. It stops being about chasing the latest hotspot or the shiny off-the-plan project. It becomes about building your personal roadmap to freedom.

I’ll be honest: when I first worked through this exercise myself, it was a big eye-opener and i loved the logic. Its just a formula which then translates into a plan…. and I love a good plan :)

It forced me to stop daydreaming about vague retirement scenarios and start treating property and other investment decisions like chess moves. It’s no longer about the thrill of the next purchase. It’s about building a system that gets me — and my family — to enough. And if i can get more - then its bonus time.

And here’s the kicker: once you define your enough number, you often realise it’s closer than you think.

Maybe you don’t need $10 million. Maybe $3 million gets you there. And maybe with the right mix of growth, equity manufacturing, and compounding, that number is achievable in 10–15 years, not 40.

That realisation alone is liberating.

So, how much is enough for you?

Don’t let the question scare you. Use it to create clarity.

Do that, and you’ll stop drifting and start driving toward a future you’ve defined.

Start as early as you can… your future you will thank you.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing a forecasting tool that helps you run your own numbers and test different scenarios. It’s the same process I use for myself, and it might help you build your roadmap too.

Because retirement isn’t about age. It’s about knowing your enough — and building a plan to reach it.

This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or tax advice. Everyone’s circumstances are different. Before making any financial decisions, seek personalised advice from a licensed financial planner, accountant, or solicitor.