Financially stable is different than financially secure. Financially stable is being able to pay all your bills, having no consumer debt, and having an emergency fund while saving for retirement. Your net worth should be increasing, albeit often slowly, over time. You can weather a loss of income for a bit, but you'll need to find a new job fairly quickly. i.e. things are "stable." You can be financially stable living with your parents or you can be financially stable in a $3M home.
Financially secure is where you should be later in life. If you got laid off in your 50s tomorrow, could you make ends meet for the rest of your life (barring nursing home care, which almost no one can really afford) - and you get to downsize considerably if you need to or work part time - but you could do it without your "career job." You aren't financially secure if you are living with your parents (what if they die?)
Financially independent is like financially secure, except you are in the position where you choose whether you are working or not working as opposed to "I could do it if I had to, but it would involve some major sacrifices I don't want to make." Again, that's really going to depend on you - people planning a "retire early" lifestyle are often willing to do without- and yet achieve financial independence even if they don't own a car and live in a cheap one bedroom apartment. While someone living in that $3M house with a $2.75M mortgage and little in the way of savings is a LONG way from financially independent or secure (they might be financially stable, if they have an emergency fund, are saving for retirement, and make all their payments without incurring more debt.)
You move in and out of these categories, but you should be progressing as you age. An illness or divorce can set you back.
Financially secure is where you should be later in life. If you got laid off in your 50s tomorrow, could you make ends meet for the rest of your life (barring nursing home care, which almost no one can really afford) - and you get to downsize considerably if you need to or work part time - but you could do it without your "career job." You aren't financially secure if you are living with your parents (what if they die?)
Financially independent is like financially secure, except you are in the position where you choose whether you are working or not working as opposed to "I could do it if I had to, but it would involve some major sacrifices I don't want to make." Again, that's really going to depend on you - people planning a "retire early" lifestyle are often willing to do without- and yet achieve financial independence even if they don't own a car and live in a cheap one bedroom apartment. While someone living in that $3M house with a $2.75M mortgage and little in the way of savings is a LONG way from financially independent or secure (they might be financially stable, if they have an emergency fund, are saving for retirement, and make all their payments without incurring more debt.)
You move in and out of these categories, but you should be progressing as you age. An illness or divorce can set you back.