History of Fire Movement

[Koolau]

Although I had wanted to retire earlier than normal ever since I started working back in the 1980s, it was not until the advent of the internet in the 1990s that I discovered the early retirement "community." First, there was a Retire Early forum on the Motley Fools board that I frequented. Then, when MF wanted to start charging to participate in it, I and others migrated to John Greaney's Early Retirement Home Page (John was an engineer who, I believe, early retired in about 1994). Then Dory36 started this board and I ended up here (and joined after lurking for a few years).

But young people throughout time have often felt that history began the day they were born, so it is not surprising that young writers think this is something new.

I found John Greaney's site around 2002 I think. I then found this site from there. Heh, heh, I used the company computer (I didn't have one at home) to peruse the site until I FIRE'd. THEN I joined here a couple of years later when I finally got a computer of my own.

When I first started lurking here, the company often warned us about misusing the internet. I often wondered if they thought a site on retiring early would have been considered "misusing." In any case, I quickly realized from this site (FIRECalc, etc.) that I was FI. If they fired me, then it was just the nudge I needed. A few years earlier, I created an assignment that I loved and decided to stay on at Megacorp. When Megacorp realized I was enjoying my w*rk, they said I had to do something different. I said "no" and the rest is history.

 

[unclemick]

Dory36 and Greaney AFTER I was layed off in Jan 1993. Gave me the courage to
continue before I ever heard of RE or FIRE.

Net Worth - about 250k yes that's k. 93 to 96 did about 120 k of temp aka jobshopper work - 1 1/2 years.

Heh heh heh - since I'm ancient and cheap these modern numbers make me out of date. Note through a variety of creative maneuvers over the decades - my net worth is still less than this guy but living 'high on the hog' in Kansas city.

 

[Doc0]

I always thought FS was pretty clueless.

 

[DrBrisket]

Cashing in on the American Dream by Paul Terhorst was published in 1988 and was likely the first external influence on my ER tendencies I developed during my undergraduate days. While many of the ideas in this book were specific to the investment climate of the 1980s, some of the concepts lead to numerous hours of discussions with a small group of likeminded folks I knew at the time. I still enjoy searching and finding out what Paul and Vicki are up to these days.

Similarly, I remember finding Billy and Akaisha Kaderli sometime in the 1990s and I recall ordering a CD-ROM from them that had info on their ER ideas and journey.

Lastly, Greaney recently (July 2022) posted one of his quarterly updates on his page where he traced the origin of the term "FIRE" to posts in the MF board in 2000-01.

By August 2000 a poster with the handle "fzabaly" reduced the long form "financially-independent, retired early" to FI/RE. (post #16089)

Then in January 2001 poster "wanderer0692" made a seminal post...

Has anyone else noticed how "FI/RE" looks like the word "fire"? I remember attending church (a long, long time ago) and, during the benediction, the preacher saying, "Take our minds and think through them. Take our eyes and see through them. Take our hearts and set them on fire." I always liked that turn of phrase.

I'm not much for religion, but I do believe in the sanctity of the human spirit. FI/RE is a fire that burns in me. Maybe it consumes me, but I like to think I am that phoenix, rising from the ashes, to fulfill his special mission of realizing his true potential.

So, from now on, I'm gonna drop the slash. A "FIRE" it is. May it be ever thus.
(#29265)