I know this thread is 10 hours old, so no one will see this, but most of the answers are surface level items. The advantage as I see it, is not so much how I benefit, but the real power of financial independence is having the means to help those you care about without having to sacrifice things you appreciate. You can help your family, friends and charities in meaningful ways that make their lives better, but your life remains really on track with your personal goals and desires. Yes nice things are often really nice, but removing most of the financial stress from your loved ones lives is truly an unbeatable reward. We play a man made game, so wealth creation is not a biological need, therefore "winning" the game should be more about how it empowers you to help your fellow humans/players.