For nearly three years, he’s been living comfortably off of his investments in Madison, Wisconsin. Achieving such a high savings rate didn’t require that he follow a strict budget. In fact, «budgets don’t work,» the self-made millionaire and early retiree writes on his blog. He compares budgeting to dieting: «How many people do you know that are always going on new diets, trying this and that, and never succeeding? Doing what actually works can require a mindset shift, he says. Reining, now 39, has been tracking his income, spending and investments in a spreadsheet since He’s also been graphing what he calls his «cross-over point»: when monthly investment income crosses above monthly expenses. Turning your financial goals into something visual such as a graph is crucial, says Reining, because «it drives home the point that you can, in fact, retire early. He tells CNBC Make It: «Once you start tracking this stuff and seeing it mo...