Overview of Breaking the Golden Handcuffs with 5 Kids | Sunny Burns | Ep 575
This episode of ChooseFI features Sunny (Sonny) Burns returning after 6+ years (previous appearance: Ep. 139). Sonny explains how he crossed the finish line to financial independence (FI), left a comfortable W‑2 engineering job, and now supports a family-of-seven while homeschooling, traveling, and running multiple cash‑flow businesses (rental real estate, Airbnb, Turo car rentals, YouTube). The conversation mixes concrete financial numbers, practical side‑hustle tactics, homeschooling/parenting money habits, travel & miles hacks, and mindset lessons about what FI can look like.
Guest snapshot & background
- Guest: Sonny Burns (Famvestor)
- Previous ChooseFI appearance: Ep. 139 (about 6 years earlier)
- Former career: Mechanical engineer for the U.S. Department of Defense (13 years)
- Left W‑2 ~8 months before recording (recorded Nov 2025); last salary: $147,000/yr
- Family: 7 people (Sonny, wife, 5 kids — ages approx. 10, 8, 5, 3, and almost 2)
- Homeschooling: wife has homeschool background; family uses co‑ops, forest school, Khan Academy and paper curricula as appropriate
- Online presence: famvestor.com and YouTube channel “Famvestor” (~12k subscribers)
Financial snapshot (numbers Sonny shared)
Net worth & asset breakdown
- Real estate appraised value: ~$3.8M
- Mortgages owed on properties: ~$1.3M
- Net real estate equity: ~ $2.4M
- Roth IRAs (family): ~$355k
- 401(k)s: ~$326k
- Cash: ≈ $100k
- Total net worth cited: roughly $3M
Cash flow / expenses
- Rental holdings: 11 rental “doors” (two 4‑family buildings + one 3‑family)
- Net rental income (after expenses): ≈ $123k/year
- Household annual expenses (all‑in): ≈ $100k/year
- Result: rental cash flow alone covers household expenses with a margin
Other details
- Mortgages mostly ~3.5% or lower; Sonny’s strategy is not to pay them off early unless rates change materially.
- Pension: after 13 years, pension equals 13% of high‑3 salaries (payable at 59½) — a factor considered but not the primary barrier to leaving.
Key topics & takeaways
- FI doesn’t have a single formula: Sonny demonstrates FI via active cash‑flow (rental real estate + side businesses) rather than selling a passive stock portfolio and withdrawing 4% every year. Both approaches are valid — choose what fits your temperament and skills.
- A runway or catalyst matters: Sonny received six months paid leave (full salary + benefits) via his employer situation and used that runway to test and transition to full FI. He also saved that paycheck (~$80k) which helped the decision.
- Rental real estate as control income: Sonny values the predictability and control of rent checks and tenant relationships versus the psychological friction of withdrawing investment capital.
- Scale to “enough”: He follows a small‑and‑mighty approach — not an empire builder. Enough cash flow to cover expenses and the lifestyle was the goal.
- Homeschooling + financial education: They actively teach money: every child has a Roth IRA funded by earnings (YouTube appearances), and they use a “Bank of Dad” model that pays monthly interest (1% in his example) to incentivize saving and teach value of money.
- Travel funded by Airbnb + miles: Sonny runs his primary residence as Airbnbs while traveling, often earning more from short‑term rentals than he spends traveling (“perpetual travel machine”). Using miles/points and timing/flexibility makes international travel with seven people viable.
- Multiple passports can be a practical travel hack: Alternate passports (Japanese/Austrian in Sonny’s case) saved substantial visa fees for travel to Brazil.
Actionable tips & tactical insights
- Bank of Dad (savings incentive): pay earned/held savings interest to kids monthly (e.g., 1%) to encourage saving and teach compound interest.
- Roth IRAs for kids: give kids earned income (even small modeling or chores tied to family content) so they can contribute to Roth IRAs early.
- Use flexibility to win at miles/points: being date‑flexible and open to routing/airlines reduces award ticket costs dramatically — the bigger the family, the more essential flexibility becomes.
- Airbnb your primary home while traveling: test local demand, set family‑friendly rules (no parties), and emphasize accurate listing features (space, bikes, lake, etc.). Sonny’s examples: 10‑day trip cost ~$1.2k while Airbnb netted ~$2.3k; month of August earned ~$5.8k.
- Turo / car rental arbitrage: convert underused vehicles into semi‑passive revenue. Example: bought a $5k car and earned ~$6.4k in year 1 and $5.5k in year 2; system hacks include key lockboxes and small cleaning/ozone solutions for odor issues.
- Track maintenance intentionally: Sonny suggested he should formalize maintenance logs for each unit (record paint sheen, replacements, dates) — good practice for landlords.
- Consider incentives of property managers: property managers typically charge a percentage of gross rent — make sure their incentives align with yours (avoid per‑job markups that reward expensive contractors).
Notable quotes & insights
- “Buy your freedom — buy it however you can.” (Paraphrase of Sonny’s mindset)
- Intellectual framing: “I don’t feel like I’m stealing away from a nest egg when the rent check comes in.” — underscores psychological advantages of cash flow.
- “Perpetual travel machine” — Airbnb primary residence to fund travel.
Lifestyle, travel, and family planning
- Homeschool + co‑ops + forest school: mix of structured academics and outdoor/nature learning; Sonny teaches toastmasters and reading; Khan Academy used for math.
- Travel approach: mix of miles/points, Airbnb income, tent camping and staying with friends/family on long road trips. Example plans: 60‑day U.S. road trip visiting national parks and family; Ironman in Mexico (family attending, flights booked with miles); 3 weeks to Brazil (visa hack via alternate passports).
- Activities & hacks: season passes (e.g., Six Flags) on off‑peak pricing, camping island on Lake George for $28/night, leveraging local amenities (kayaks, bikes, trampoline) to attract Airbnb family bookings.
Risks, tradeoffs & considerations he highlights
- Opportunity cost of leaving a cushy job: pension accrual, benefits and steady salary are real — use honest spreadsheets and test runways before leaving.
- Landlord workload: being a small, hands‑on landlord requires time and can feel like a second job while scaling improvements; having trusted local contractors or a handyman is essential.
- Property management fees: hiring managers (7–8% of gross rent near NYC) can be expensive and the fee structure (percentage of gross) can create misaligned incentives.
- Liquidity: most net worth is in illiquid real estate equity; Sonny keeps some cash and retirement balances as cushions.
Practical resources mentioned
- Famvestor website: famvestor.com (Sonny’s blog/resources)
- YouTube: Famvestor (family featured content that generates earned income)
- Khan Academy for kids’ math
- ChooseFI travel resources / credit card links (host referenced choosefi.com/travel and choosefi.com/cards for travel rewards & card signups)
- Small & Mighty real estate ideas (Chad Carson referenced as a compatible strategy)
Final takeaway
Sonny’s story is a working example of FI built around cash flow and optionality rather than a single “4% portfolio” orthodoxy. He shows how combining rental real estate, small scalable side hustles (Airbnb, Turo), intentional family money education, miles/points, and flexible lifestyle design can create a sustainable FI lifestyle for a big family. The practical tips (Bank of Dad, Roths for kids, Airbnb while traveling, leveraging miles) give listeners concrete, immediately usable ideas.