KYN: Know Your Number
The Power of Enough in a World Obsessed with More
Domino Effects of a Choice – Lessons from a Siberian Farm
“Select one, get many free” is not a new idea. It wasn’t born in a south Delhi clothing store, though you see it there often. But it played out beautifully over decades on a quiet farm in Siberia.
In one of the longest and most fascinating experiments in biology, Russian geneticist Lyudmila Trut started working under the guidance of Dmitry Belyaev in the late 1950s. Their aim? To breed silver foxes for one trait: tameness—friendliness toward humans.
After just a few generations of selective breeding, something remarkable happened. The foxes didn’t just become friendlier, they started wagging tails, seeking human attention, and forming emotional bonds with their handlers. They also developed domesticated dog-like features—floppy ears, curly tails, spotted coats, and shorter snouts.
The experiment helped answer important questions about how domestication of animals started and why most domesticated animals shared characteristics such as babyish faces, curly tails and floppy ears. But these were not the traits the foxes were selected for generation after generation. They simply came along for the ride.
You select for one trait (tameness), and many desirable traits show up for free.
What if personal finance worked the same way?
Know Your Number – But Which One?
What if there was one number that, if we focused on it, gave us clarity, calm, and long-term control over our lives?
Well, it depends on what we desire and are selecting for.
In the corporate world, salary is a big deal. In all my years as a corporate employee, I never knew two fairly acquainted colleagues who didn’t know each other’s packages, at least roughly, despite all the official swearing to confidentiality. So, salary is a popular number, and it matters. Salary helps us gauge our worth in the market, demand fair pay and enjoy some bragging rights – think big vacations or lavish weddings. Then there are assets that offer similar bragging rights: a bigger car than the neighbor’s, the most beautiful house in the block, a premium wardrobe or expensive jewelry. You want to be seen not just as smart, but as the smartest.
But does focusing on salary or these assets simplify your finances?
If you’re chasing the above, you are selecting for richness or status. By their very definition, these numbers are always relative to similar metrics of other people. They are big to begin with and grow fast as societies gain affluence at large. The finish line keeps moving, leaving you stressed, restless, and forever comparing and targeting “more”. That doesn’t sound like simplicity of finances or peace of mind.
Now, imagine your goals are different. You want time with family, flexibility to do the work you care about, space to unplug and breathe, and a calm, secure future. In this case, you’re chasing freedom, not applause. You are still aiming for a large number - but one that’s absolute, not relative. One that might feel big today but will likely feel smaller in the future as others continue to chase more.
Whatever the dictionary definition, wealth, in personal finance parlance, is defined as the number of years you can live without active income. If this number equals or exceeds your remaining lifespan, congratulations—you’re financially free. So, the number that simplifies your life in this case is the financial freedom number.
This number is:
Absolute, not relative to others. Hence, the control stays with you.
Easier to calculate and plan for – since it doesn’t move much (at least in real terms)
Emotionally liberating, not anxiety-inducing
Does this sound like a simplification of finances? Perhaps yes.
Freedom Begins Before We Hit the Goal
Once you start thinking about your freedom number, something amazing begins.
Just as selecting for tameness in the fox experiment led to unexpected bonuses, shifting your mindset toward freedom sparks a series of powerful second-order benefits—even before you achieve the goal.
You Become Conscious of Your Lifestyle: Your freedom number depends directly on your level of expenses. This means the simpler and more intentional your choices, the sooner you reach it.
You don’t need to reduce your lifestyle to poverty levels. But being mindful of what you truly value cuts through the noise. It also explains why many high earners feel poor—they’re caught in the craving cycle.
“It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.” — Seneca.
You Unlock a Double Booster: If you can live on less, your target number drops. At the same time, your ability to save and invest rises. The result?
You move toward your goal much faster from both sides. That’s why some people reach their number far sooner than expected. It almost feels magical—until you realise it’s just thoughtful math and consistent effort.
You Become Calmer and More Resilient: As your number becomes clearer, your mental load lightens. You stop chasing raises or promotions at any cost. You start picking roles and environments that align with your values.
A toxic job offer with a 30% salary hike? Easy to say no.
A low raise due to a slow year? No stress—you’re still on track.
Clarity builds emotional resilience, even when things around you are uncertain.
You Choose the Right Tools: As you calculate your number, you naturally start evaluating what kinds of assets help you get there effectively—and keep you there.
Should I go for a commercial property with 6% rental yield and 4% appreciation? Or a balanced equity-debt portfolio with a 3% withdrawal rate? What about residential property with a 2.5% yield but 6% growth?
Each route leads to a different number and timeline—and a different plan. But now, you're making thoughtful, informed choices.
That's clarity.
You Avoid Costly Mistakes: Most people don’t change their investment avenues after they retire. So, if you've spent two decades putting your money only in fixed deposits or endowment plans, you may find your corpus falls short when you finally step back.
If your investments merely keep up with inflation, your required corpus balloons. And since you’ll likely invest more in the instruments you trust, your pace slows down — a double whammy, the opposite of the double booster exemplified above.
The shortfall is unlikely to happen if you try working out your freedom number, which would have taken you to understanding the entire money value chain, rather than just sticking to only non-volatile assets. It would have also given you the ability to cut out noise on the other end of the spectrum, like chasing crypto and derivatives trading fads just because a friend got lucky.
That’s clarity enhanced.
You See the Big Picture and Build a Plan: There are countless other ripple effects of focusing on the freedom number. Of course, reaching something substantial—especially from modest beginnings—takes effort.
But when you understand the moving parts and how they fit together, that effort reduces. That’s why a concrete, documented plan adds efficiency, direction, and realism to numerous aspects in addition to the ones discussed above.
Awareness of your goal and a plan to reach it usually go hand in hand.
When Money Becomes a Drug
Some people reach great wealth without planning or without ever thinking about their freedom number. But they rarely feel free.
Why? Because their internal number was always “more.”
And if you noted above, you can plan for “enough”, but you can never plan for “more”. A million today, ten tomorrow, then a hundred. The target keeps shifting.
Even if such a person becomes a billionaire, they might be enslaved to the whims of politicians and shareholders.
They don’t feel free—they feel high. Money becomes a drug.
And their kids? Often disconnected, unaware of what the world struggles with, and sometimes entitled to the point of being dangerous.
Money was passed down—but not values. Especially the value of knowing what enough looks like.
When this continues across generations, it not only destroys empathy but also the immense possibility that each free-thinking individual has to make this world a better place.
I've seen this in corporate circles, business families and old-money families—wealthy, but directionless. Busy chasing “more” while missing the damage being done at home and beyond.
So, your freedom number is also the point beyond which money risks becoming a drug or a burden – for you and generations after you. And KYN is a substantial part of the antidote.
Closing Thought: Enough is Empowering
So, whether you’re struggling financially or already wealthy, conscious awareness of one number matters most: your freedom number.
In my experience, this number brings clarity, calm, and confidence. It picks you up when needed, and grounds you when needed even more.
Perpetually chasing “more” only leads to the endless plunder of Mother Earth and of the immense potential of generations of human beings.
But knowing “enough”? That’s where true wealth begins. So, congratulations if you are already KYN compliant! 😊