Another FIRE article

[dtbach]

This one is written fairly well. Has some interesting comments.


https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/...ving-technique-that-promises-retirement-at-40

 

[haha]

This one is written fairly well. Has some interesting comments.


https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/...ving-technique-that-promises-retirement-at-40

I read a few of his articles, and overall I think they are miles ahead of what one usually reads on the FIRE topic. Smart guy, and not afraid to speak in ways that may at times step on a few toes. Thanks for posting this.

There is so little left today that hadn't become part of a sacred zone by the vote of "social media". SM, likely the biggest block to making sense in today's world.

Ha

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Oh, man!!! I *really* was looking forward to a decent article on FIRE that just wasn't a cut/paste from a bunch of blogs, but then I see it's from "Vice" which is one of the worst offenders of click bait, so I can't bring myself to read it.

 

[REWahoo]

Oh, man!!! I *really* was looking forward to a decent article on FIRE that just wasn't a cut/paste from a bunch of blogs, but then I see it's from "Vice" which is one of the worst offenders of click bait, so I can't bring myself to read it.

I made the mistake of clicking on it and was so turned off by the biased, inaccurate subtitle that I didn't go beyond it:

The FIRE—"financial independence, retire early"—movement is all about hoarding enough cash before investing it and living off the dividends.

 

[stepford]

Am I the only one who gets weirded out by all these articles talking about the "FIRE Movement" like it's some sort of new age cult. I've known about and practiced living below my means as a road to financial independence for 30+ years and only first heard the acronym FIRE a decade or so ago on ER.org - and only started hearing about the "FIRE Movement" in these strange mainstream media articles in the last couple of years.

I wish they'd stop.

 

[marko]

Am I the only one who gets weirded out by all these articles about the "FIRE Movement" like it's some sort of new age cult. .

So, you don't know about the secret handshake we have here and all that other stuff?

 

[JoeWras]

He has one thing right: drinking and pub crawls are expensive. Seems like that is a big thing for him and his idea of fun.

I would suggest he invite the mates over to his flat and enjoy a few Tesco bought beers instead of constantly pub crawling.

 

[Pellice]

It's interesting how few connections there are between FIRE and the hippies of yore. It would make a nice narrative to be able to draw some lines from rebels of the 60s trying to escape the clutches of "the machine," and adherents of the FIRE movement. The timeline works, but I don't see it in the actual reality. I was just a little too young (and much too timid) to be a hippie, but I can't see any connection between my immediate seniors and the movement either.

 

[Dawg52]

I Tested the Saving Technique That Promises Retirement at 40


Last paragraph....
Beyond the issues with the maths behind FIRE, to me it just doesn't seem worth it to offset the present in such a drastic way, to reduce life to a series of dispassionate financial decisions, for a shot at something that might never come. "If I just drop dead of a heart attack in six months time, that would be a bummer because I've deferred my spending for the future," says Whiter. "What if I never get to experience that?"

Who said FIRE means retiring at 40? For most it means retiring sometime before 65. You can still enjoy life along the way and retire early.

 

[Rianne]

I like this one much better. It has real pictures and everything. Gen Z, I always wondered about them and their spending habits.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/d3kd7q/we-asked-gen-z-about-their-spending-habits


It reminds me of my niece and her new husband (both 21 years old) who are blowing all their wedding dough to go to Budapest and Prague. And they are planning an African trip in a year. But they shop at Aldi. Experience is everything. They do have college degrees and will be on parents HI until they're not.

 

[Pellice]

I like this one much better. It has real pictures and everything. Gen Z, I always wondered about them and their spending habits.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/d3kd7q/we-asked-gen-z-about-their-spending-habits


It reminds me of my niece and her new husband( 21 years old) who are blowing all their wedding dough to go to Budapest and Prague. And they are planning an African trip in a year. But they shop at Aldi. Experience is everything.

Interesting article. I am currently dining on homemade split pea soup with a ham hock, something I learned to make as a very poor graduate student. (Recipe originally taken from a chapter title, "More Dimes than Dollars," and I have it memorized.

All those skincare products! And there's not much difference between the expensive and the cheap. Something I think has evolved as an "essential" expenditure, at least for the ladies: professional manicures. I never had one in my life. A bottle of nail polish costs a couple of dollars and a package of 30 emory boards, even less. But my younger relatives now class that as an essential. My niece says, "it's only about $80 every six weeks." Others go once a week for a $30 manicure. Aieee! Don't even want to spend time, let alone money, at these places.

 

[Koogie]

Am I the only one who gets weirded out by all these articles talking about the "FIRE Movement" like it's some sort of new age cult.

When I see Fire "Movement" for some reason my mind automagically substitutes "Bowel" Movement

I would say that most of the articles written about FIRE are more accurately comparable to the second kind of movement.....

 

[daylatedollarshort]

It's interesting how few connections there are between FIRE and the hippies of yore. It would make a nice narrative to be able to draw some lines from rebels of the 60s trying to escape the clutches of "the machine," and adherents of the FIRE movement. The timeline works, but I don't see it in the actual reality. I was just a little too young (and much too timid) to be a hippie, but I can't see any connection between my immediate seniors and the movement either.

We're a bit like that, minus the bell bottoms and tie dye T-shirts. Most of my cookbooks are from the 60s and 70s and bought used at thrift shops, with lots of "Diet for a Small Planet" kinds of recipes. Today they could double as diet for helping to reduce global warming. With an interest in self sufficiency and sustainable living, for us there seems to be a big overlap between what is good for the planet and what is good for our finances, which has helped with FIRE.

 

[Maenad]

I made the mistake of clicking on it and was so turned off by the biased, inaccurate subtitle that I didn't go beyond it

Yeah, the subtitle kinda gave it away. Yet another article where someone who doesn't want to cut spending does it in such a way that's self-sabotaging in order to grind that axe.

 

[CardsFan]

When I see Fire "Movement" for some reason my mind automagically substitutes "Bowel" Movement

I would say that most of the articles written about FIRE are more accurately comparable to the second kind of movement.....

I had the Exact same thought. Of course, I am over 60, so we tend to think about them more

 

[CardsFan]

Am I the only one who gets weirded out by all these articles talking about the "FIRE Movement" like it's some sort of new age cult. I've known about and practiced living below my means as a road to financial independence for 30+ years and only first heard the acronym FIRE a decade or so ago on ER.org - and only started hearing about the "FIRE Movement" in these strange mainstream media articles in the last couple of years.

I wish they'd stop.

+1000

I guess LBYM doesn't have quite the cachet, but it is what most here have done. Saving 50%, per the article, sounds extreme and unneeded. It's kind of like a fad diet "lose 30 lbs in 1 month".

 

[Dtail]

I saved every year since age 21, but never heard of FIRE or LBYM terminologies until reading this forum.

 

[marko]

I had the Exact same thought. Of course, I am over 60, so we tend to think about them more

...and sometimes they sure do burn like fire!

 

[jazz4cash]

Oh man. I feel like I’ve fallen into an issue of The Onion. I don’t know what’s going on here but I’ll just say it’s great that so many people think FIRE is a precise result that is impossible or not worthwhile. Makes it better for the rest of us.

 

[ckelly78z]

For the last 35 years of working, as a rule, I have packed my lunch when others are going out, I have driven $3000 cars until they fall apart, we have eaten alot of rice, and pasta, and (bad for you) box mix meals. I have burned firewood exclusively for the last 25 years, and raised our own chickens/eggs.

I didn't do any of this to be part of a "movement", I did it to be able to keep my head above water, and through some smart financial decisions, I am well ahead of most people I work with who call me "lucky".

 

[GravitySucks]

So, you don't know about the secret handshake we have here and all that other stuff?

Wait till he gets to the Blood Sacrifice level.

 

[scrabbler1]

When I see Fire "Movement" for some reason my mind automagically substitutes "Bowel" Movement

I would say that most of the articles written about FIRE are more accurately comparable to the second kind of movement.....

LOL I agree with both statements.

Doing a #2 won't ever be the same again...…..

 

[jkern]

Who said FIRE means retiring at 40? For most it means retiring sometime before 65. You can still enjoy life along the way and retire early.[/QUOTE]

+1

For me it was about being efficient and not wasteful with money so I could save, invest and build wealth over time. It wasn't about totally shutting down spending to save enough by a specific date. If you are accumulating wealth your day will come.

 

[haha]

What would truly shock me would be an article about which I couldn't guess the comments that our members would make.

 

[REWahoo]

What would truly shock me would be an article about which I couldn't guess the comments that our members would make.

I knew you were going to say that!