Thanks for the feedback, Clayton Hayes. I intentionally didn’t include Social Security for a number of reasons.

1. A number of readers come from countries that don’t have a social insurance program comparable to Social Security.
2. The article is more about financial independence than retirement. Many who have a goal of achieving financial independence before they are eligible for Social Security.
3. Even considering Social Security, the principles within the article are still true. As lifestyle inflation occurs, Social Security will go less and less far towards covering that lifestyle, so the lifestyle inflation results in being further from financial independence.