F.I.R.E. stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early – or does it? Sure, the basic premise behind the FIRE movement is pretty simple: Spend less than you earn (or earn more than you spend) and invest the difference. Eventually, you’ll reach Financial Independence, which will enable you to Retire Early. However – and I’ve written about … Read more
No matter where you are on the path to financial independence, there are many lifestyle design options you can use to create a better life for yourself and your family. They allow you to improve your life along the path to FI but are also great alternatives to early retirement once you reach your financial … Read more
Here is the standard FIRE blueprint: Step 1: Work hard, save, invest and … wait.Step 2: Reach FI, retire and sail into the sunset. We all know that’s not what usually happens (bear with me). Almost everyone (as in 99%+) of people who hit FI in their 20s, 30s, 40s and even early 50s will … Read more
One piece of feedback from the recent Money Flamingo reader survey surprised me. Many of you commented that I don’t write enough about our signature “type” of Financial Independence – Flamingo FI. The reason why I don’t write about the math and mechanics behind Flamingo FI that often is that it is a really simple … Read more
In the personal finance community we often talk about risks. The risk of running out of money in retirement; the risk of picking the wrong investment or getting the timing wrong; sequence of return risk; the risk of losing our job during the accumulation phase; leverage risk – you name it. The perceived level of … Read more
One of the most common questions people ask me about mini-retirements and sabbaticals is how much to save. Financial planning is an important part of the mini-retirement preparation process. In this article, I’ll walk you through the three steps you should take to ensure your finances are ready for your time away from work. We’ll … Read more
Have you considered taking a mini-retirement? Whether you feel burnt out and need some time away from your full-time career, want to travel, start a business, or refocus and plan out your future – a mini-retirement or sabbatical might be an ideal break for you. Mr. Flamingo and I have taken several mini-retirements (some of … Read more
Today I’ve got something special for you: An interview with Matt, the Aussie Firebug! This is not another interview about savings rates, the best portfolio allocation or frugality – we talk about semi-retirement, lifestyle design, travel, entrepreneurship and how to make the most of the journey to Financial Independence. Who is Aussie Firebug?I don’t have … Read more
One major focus of this blog is to showcase alternative FIRE strategies that help you claim your time back sooner so you can live your best life. I firmly believe that we don’t have to (and most definitely shouldn’t) wait until we reach our “magic number” before we start enjoying the benefits of the FIRE … Read more
Barista FIRE is an alternative Financial Independence approach. While traditional FIRE is still the main goal for most members of the FIRE movement, alternative methods are becoming more popular. Barista FIRE is particularly popular in the US because of the health insurance benefits this approach offers. Barista FI consists of two phases – the accumulation … Read more