I found this interesting in the article that was linked to from Joubess’ article. You do have financial obligations that require monthly payments. However, I think paying JUST for gas/maintenance for a vehicle is a h*ll of a lot smarter than getting a lease on something that only goes down in price. Don’t forget, a lease also requires one to keep regular maintenance on a vehicle, and typically even excessive tire wear (in-laws got caught on this one).
You can plan on leasing for the rest of your life as long as you have enough saved to offset the payments.

Financial freedom is simply having enough saved/invested to offset your living expenses and possibly your wants.