Join Early Retirement Today
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Early Retirement Extreme book
Old 09-30-2010, 10:10 PM   #1
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Onward's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,934
Early Retirement Extreme book

Jacob Fisker, an "extreme" early FIREee whose blog many people here follow, has just published his first book. I haven't read it, but he is an insightful guy, and it may well be worthwhile.



It's available from the publisher here:

https://www.createspace.com/3457832

It should be on Amazon within a couple of weeks.

Quote:
Early Retirement Extreme provides a robust strategy that makes it possible to stop working for money in just a short number of years. It provides a paradigm shift in economic perspective from consuming to producing. Your value to society is not how much you earn or how much you buy. It is what you create and produce for yourself and for others.
__________________
And if I claim to be a wise man, it surely means that I don't know.
Onward is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 10-02-2010, 08:40 PM   #2
Recycles dryer sheets
Tigger's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 388
I've ordered it today!

Can't wait to get my hands on it.

It has appeared on Amazon faster than expected.
Tigger is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-02-2010, 08:47 PM   #3
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Onward's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,934
Looks interesting. The table of contents is here.
__________________
And if I claim to be a wise man, it surely means that I don't know.
Onward is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-03-2010, 05:54 AM   #4
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Pittsburgh, PA suburbs
Posts: 1,796
Thanks for the heads up that the book is available on Amazon. I plan to order it, read it and then donate it to my public library. I have read the author's blog a couple of times and find it appealing as it reiterates what I really do already know....that it is possible to live well on slender means if one uses one's resources wisely. In my case I am not planning to adopt some kind of extremely frugal lifestyle. I am trying to reorient my thinking to be more aware of exactly what value I gain from my spending and how it impacts my long range plans.
WhoDaresWins is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-03-2010, 09:48 PM   #5
Dryer sheet wannabe
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 10
Wouldn't paying $19.95 plus shipping for this book go completely against the principles conveyed by the author?
Frost is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-03-2010, 11:55 PM   #6
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 281
He is a good writer in a crowded field. I don't think he really needs to pinch pennies at all though. His blog ranks in the top 50,000 web sites according to Alexa, so if he is monetizing it right he should be making 50 - 100K+ or so a year pretty easy just from blog advertising.
TooFrugal is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2010, 04:09 AM   #7
Recycles dryer sheets
Tigger's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 388
Quote:
Originally Posted by Frost View Post
Wouldn't paying $19.95 plus shipping for this book go completely against the principles conveyed by the author?
For me, buying the book is a way to thank the author for years of publishing outstanding and hard to find information on his website. The book contains even more. Jacob's ideas have made planning my early retirement much easier.

If I'm blown away by the book, I'm probably going to donate afterwards or buy copies for friends.

If I'm disappointed by the book I can always sell it and recoup most of my investment. This is one of the reasons why I'd prefer the paper version to the Kindle version.

You could of course always try to obtain it through a public library.
Tigger is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2010, 06:30 AM   #8
Moderator Emeritus
W2R's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 47,474
I am pretty sure that I will buy the Kindle version, which I as I recall will be $9.95. I do not have a problem with spending $10 for entertainment once in a while. Besides, I will probably learn enough from the book to save many times that amount. I enjoy reading Jacob's blog. Even though I don't follow his extreme LBYM, it is fascinating, expands my horizons, and gives me some great ideas.
__________________
Already we are boldly launched upon the deep; but soon we shall be lost in its unshored, harbourless immensities. - - H. Melville, 1851.

Happily retired since 2009, at age 61. Best years of my life by far!
W2R is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2010, 08:52 AM   #9
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
dex's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 5,105
Quote:
Originally Posted by W2R View Post
I am pretty sure that I will buy the Kindle version, which I as I recall will be $9.95. I do not have a problem with spending $10 for entertainment once in a while. Besides, I will probably learn enough from the book to save many times that amount. I enjoy reading Jacob's blog. Even though I don't follow his extreme LBYM, it is fascinating, expands my horizons, and gives me some great ideas.
Would you buy my book? "Dex's Guide To Middle Of The Road Early Retirement - Or you don't have to wear a loin cloth or have millions of dollars to retire early."

I see this blogging similar to books Vs magazines. With books you get all the info you need in one place. With blogs/mags it gets strung out. Books - concepts and principles; blogs - example upon example.

That is why I would not be a good blogger. My posts would be 'here's the concept, now get out of here and on with your life'.
__________________
Sometimes death is not as tragic as not knowing how to live. This man knew how to live--and how to make others glad they were living. - Jack Benny at Nat King Cole's funeral
dex is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2010, 09:01 AM   #10
Moderator Emeritus
Nords's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oahu
Posts: 26,856
Quote:
Originally Posted by TooFrugal View Post
He is a good writer in a crowded field. I don't think he really needs to pinch pennies at all though. His blog ranks in the top 50,000 web sites according to Alexa, so if he is monetizing it right he should be making 50 - 100K+ or so a year pretty easy just from blog advertising.
And exactly how, from your extensive research on his site, do you think he's monetizing it?

To put it another way, if he's making $50K/year from a website then why the heck bother writing a book?

$50K/year on 50,000 websites works out to $2.5B/year. I wonder how much of that can be documented by advertiser's expenditures, not just by blogger's stated incomes.
__________________
*

Co-author (with my daughter) of “Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence.”
Author of the book written on E-R.org: "The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement."

I don't spend much time here— please send a PM.
Nords is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2010, 09:45 AM   #11
Recycles dryer sheets
Tigger's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 388
Quote:
Originally Posted by dex View Post
That is why I would not be a good blogger. My posts would be 'here's the concept, now get out of here and on with your life'.
And then your readership would comment and poke holes in your concept, which would lead to new posts and an improved concept.
Tigger is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2010, 10:08 AM   #12
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Houston
Posts: 2,155
Quote:
Originally Posted by dex View Post
That is why I would not be a good blogger.
Can't decide whether this is an under or over statement. True, nevertheless.
Sam is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2010, 10:08 AM   #13
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 17,205
I quickly read a bit of his blog.... and think he is a nutcase... let's live without heat or AC just because I want to see if I can... or to save money... not the life I am interested in pursuing...

Now, my wife and I get into arguments on how we spend money... I don't care for the cable bill, the symphony tickets, the sciene museums visits that cost $100 etc. etc.... but they are important to HER...
Texas Proud is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2010, 10:08 AM   #14
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
haha's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Hooverville
Posts: 22,983
Quote:
Originally Posted by dex View Post
Would you buy my book? "Dex's Guide To Middle Of The Road Early Retirement - Or you don't have to wear a loin cloth or have millions of dollars to retire early."
Few would buy anything billed as middle of the road. I can never figure out what there is about frugality that needs explanation anyway. You see stuff you would like to have. You do without. It's really a lot like sexual moderation. There's a lot you might like to have, but you figure overall long term you are better off doing without most of it. Also dieting. There are a million diet books, but no one who lives in America could possibly be in the dark about how to lose weight. Move around more and don't eat a lot of stuff that your great-grandmother would have frowned at. Prep time 1 minute; execution sometimes painful, same as the other two subjects above.


Ha
__________________
"As a general rule, the more dangerous or inappropriate a conversation, the more interesting it is."-Scott Adams
haha is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2010, 10:08 AM   #15
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 281
Quote:
And exactly how, from your extensive research on his site, do you think he's monetizing it?
He has sponsored ads on the blog plus he solicits donations. I have a small blog in the same field, though with a lot less traffic and that site makes a nice side income on under 20K page views a month. From his Alexa rating he is getting 1,000,000 page views a month in the financial field which is pretty lucrative. So he should be getting a pretty penny form those ads. The pictures on the forums are actually ads, too.

Quote:
$50K/year on 50,000 websites works out to $2.5B/year. I wonder how much of that can be documented by advertiser's expenditures, not just by blogger's stated incomes.
Check out Online Advertising Expenditure Forecast, 2009-2010 | ClickZ. "Online advertising, which includes display, search, video, and other categories, is expected to tally $25.4 billion in spending this year and $26.1 billion in 2010."

Not all web sites can make high rates so not every site in the top 50K is going to get the same rates. A joke web site would probably make 1/20th, if that, per impression as a financial site. It depends on the topic.

Quote:
To put it another way, if he's making $50K/year from a website then why the heck bother writing a book?
Maybe as an additional revenue stream? If he can live so cheap and doesn't need any more money then why write a book at all? Best selling books can make millions for their authors and allow them to reach people other than simply a blogging audience. With a book you can get on TV and radio, maybe even Oprah. Look at how many books the original 4 hour work week guy has sold.

He is a good writer and he has some interesting ideas, but I think he is too smart not to be making a ton of money off his site and now his book.

Plus I do question some of his claims. I have only just skimmed his sites but it seems he he hangs out in Berkeley but lives in an RV and doesn't have a car? Is that right? I don't know where you would park an RV around Berkeley. It is in the SF metro area. To park an RV I would think you'd have to live farther out of town where land is cheaper but then you would not have easy access to mass transit to get to places like the Berkeley marina.
TooFrugal is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2010, 10:12 AM   #16
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Houston
Posts: 2,155
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nords View Post
And exactly how, from your extensive research on his site, do you think he's monetizing it?

To put it another way, if he's making $50K/year from a website then why the heck bother writing a book?
My question is more mundane: Why is he living on less than 15K/year?
Sam is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2010, 10:16 AM   #17
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Onward's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,934
Quote:
Originally Posted by TooFrugal View Post
I don't know where you would park an RV around Berkeley.
People's Park?
__________________
And if I claim to be a wise man, it surely means that I don't know.
Onward is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2010, 10:32 AM   #18
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
haha's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Hooverville
Posts: 22,983
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam View Post
My question is more mundane: Why is he living on less than 15K/year?
Four possibilities 1) He is lying. 2) He needs something to help launch his book. 3) He is mentally unbalanced. 4) All of the above.

Ha
__________________
"As a general rule, the more dangerous or inappropriate a conversation, the more interesting it is."-Scott Adams
haha is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2010, 10:43 AM   #19
Moderator Emeritus
Bestwifeever's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 17,773
Not to negate his book or philosophy, but I believe his blog points out that he and his spouse (who I believe his blog says is working--and I appreciate this kind of honesty in this kind of blog) split all their expenses 50/50, so if he lives on $15K a year, it would be matched by hers.

But I think a blog that makes money requires a lot of w*rk so I'm not sure he's retired--he's at most ESR imho.
__________________
“Would you like an adventure now, or would you like to have your tea first?” J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
Bestwifeever is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2010, 10:57 AM   #20
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 281
Quote:
But I think a blog that makes money requires a lot of w*rk so I'm not sure he's retired--he's at most ESR imho.
He obviously spends a lot of time on his blog and has written about how much time he has spent on his book so that isn't really being retired.

Does he mention any place on his blog what his blogging income is? If not then that is a pretty key omission.

Overall I don think it is a really interesting blog, but I don't think the guy is completely forthcoming about his income and I doubt he really practices everything preaches. The SF Bay area is one of the most expensive areas in the country to live in so if his focus is to really live as cheaply as possible that location choice seems at odds with his extreme frugal living ideas.
TooFrugal is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Extreme saving followed by extreme ER Sam Other topics 32 10-07-2010 08:38 AM
Good Early Retirement book? rai-zero Young Dreamers 15 02-13-2008 05:08 PM
Taking and Early Retirement Questionnaire for ESRBob's new book? ESRBob Other topics 28 02-25-2007 07:39 PM
"Book" report: The Adventurer's Guide to Early Retirement, 2nd edition Nords Life after FIRE 16 10-13-2006 10:27 AM
Book report: "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Early Retirement" Nords Other topics 0 06-21-2006 01:49 PM

» Quick Links

 
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 07:03 AM.
 
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.