** me --> crawls back into small corner from whence I emerged and rethinks definition of financial success **
the definition of financial success is whatever you want it to be! If it's $100k pa net, then that's what it is. you're the one that has to be happy with it.
to be honest, our goal is one that we've just plucked out of the air with no rhyme or reason to it....at the end of the day it's just a number and something that we aspire to. It is a work in progress, and it keeps changing as our underlying position changes.
the most important aim of our goal is to have unencumbered underlying assets and passive income being generated from those assets. Anything on top because of our ventures is just a bonus.
$100k pa might be your goal now, but I won't be surprised if you don't retire when you reach that goal, you'll move your goal upwards and keep on keeping on. Why? Because you can.
BTW - I read an interesting quote in the BRW recently that went: "money doesn't buy you happiness, it only alleviates your misery"....