Most people have it wrong. While salary increases are necessary, they are not sufficient. You need to save and invest aggressively. I'm not talking saving 10%. I'm talking 30%, 40%, maybe even more, if you want to achieve financial independence in under 15 to 20 years.

The first few years, maybe the first decade, are tough. After that, it becomes self sustaining: you eventually make more in gains (unrealized, ideally) than you do working.