It’s Time to Retire FIRE (and to Split It Up)
I’m making a big claim today, but for good reason: It’s time to retire the FIRE movement (and to split up those pursuing more control over their time). Read on to find out why.
How the Personal Finance Sphere Upholds Systemic Racism
It’s deeply uncomfortable for a lot of us, white Americans especially, to talk about race. But if we care about helping people with their finances, or about not upholding systemic racism built into our system, we have no choice but to talk about it. Here is the tough but necessary work we must do.
Recession, Coronavirus and the Future of FIRE
We’re in an unprecedented moment in history, with people staying home, businesses closed, stock markets going for a wild ride, and most of all, fear for our lives as the coronavirus pandemic worsens. What does all of this mean for the FIRE movement? What does it mean for you? Read on.
What Reactions to the FIRE Movement Tell Us About Our Messed Up Relationship With Work
What is “work” anyway? It’s a question that plenty of folks will expend a great deal of oxygen on, and which we won’t answer here today. But we will talk about why it’s problematic when people decide to impose a particular definition of work on others, and what that tells us about our collective messed up relationship with work.
Don’t Immediately Dismiss Early Retirement Naysayers
The FIRE movement has recently faced one of its biggest bits of criticism ever, from one of the country’s most famous financial experts (yes, that’d be Suze Orman), and the responses have been interesting. While plenty of folks have already responded to her critiques point by point, this is a good moment to remind ourselves why it’s so important not to write off any naysayers immediately, and instead to really listen to what they have to say.
The False, Persistent Myth About FIRE and Tech Bros
It happened again recently: another high-profile media piece described the financial independence/retire early (FIRE) movement as one made up primarily of 30-something men in tech. This is a story some people love to tell, but it’s just that: a story. Let’s examine the myth, talk about why it’s harmful and kill it once and for all.
How to Blog Anonymously Like a Secret Agent
If you’re interested in blogging anonymously and making sure you don’t get found out — or if you’re just curious how it’s done! — today’s post is a full compendium of the technical and content directives you’ve want to follow, from someone who successfully stayed anonymous for years en route to early retirement.
Thoughts On Early Retirement and Post-FIRE Life From the Non-Blogging Partner // Q&A With Mark, Part 1
Today we’ve got a special treat! For the first time ever, Mark is here on the blog to share his thoughts on a whole range of questions we’ve gotten, from his thoughts on life as an early retiree to topics on which he has a different perspective from mine.
The Social Good of Quitting Your Job
I get that there are plenty of folks who see early retirement as a selfish, lazy act that will ultimately make us drains on society. But those folks are ignoring the social good that each of us can do simply by quitting our jobs, as well as the incredible potential that early retirement offers each of us to do so much more.
Using Gamification to Boost Your Progress to Financial Independence
We’re diving deep into the geekiness today, friends! We’re talking gaming (the video game kind, not gambling) and all the lessons we can apply from gaming to level up our finances on the epic quest to FIRE. Plus a giveaway of Kristin Wong’s new book Get Money, which is all about gamification!
Retirement Needs a Rebrand
My old career involved rebranding organizations, and that was one of my favorite parts of the job. Now, every time I hear someone debate what retirement is or isn’t, I think, “There is no one common understanding of retirement, so it’s definitely ripe for a rebrand.” Well, let’s do it. Let’s rebrand retirement. Come weigh in on what you want the new brand to reflect.
What FIRE Bloggers Owe Readers // A Blogging Manifesto
I love our financial independence/early retirement blog community like crazy, but there are some things we can all be doing to serve readers better. Some of them are simple, and some aren’t. But we owe it to our readers to be more transparent and to be more in touch with what our readers are up against.
The Benefits of Building a Frugal (Real Life) Community
While the online financial independence community is fantastic for inspiration and support, having a real life circle of friends who are like-minded on money comes with enormous benefits. Let’s talk about what those benefits are, and how you can build or strengthen a frugal friend group in real life.
A Love Letter to the Atypical, Unfrugal Early Retirees
Contrary to popular lore, there are lots of early retirees and aspirants who are like us — NOT naturally frugal, and not naturally the most disciplined about money. But does that mean we can’t achieve financial independence and thrive in early retirement? Hell no it doesn’t! Today, a love letter to the atypical ones among us.
The Power of Community, at #FinCon17 — and Everywhere Else
We’re just back from FinCon17, and here’s a full report on how it all went. (Spoiler: We loved every second.) And, for those who aren’t bloggers or just aren’t interested in FinCon, let’s talk all about how we can create community outside of big, formal events — because I think it’s actually easy to do!
Hiya! (Again) // It’s Reveal Time!
It’s time, you guys! For nearly three years, and 300 posts, I’ve written as “Ms. ONL,” and referred to my partner in crime as “Mr. ONL.” We’ve obscured where we live, what we do for work, and a bunch of other identifying details. But that all ends now! Come meet the real humans behind Our Next Life.
A Reminder That What We’re All Doing Is Still Unfathomable to Most People
So many of us, upon learning about early retirement, dive in headfirst, and discover this community full of people working toward the same goal. And along the way, we adjust our baseline based on the people we meet here, and we might even forget that we are the outliers, not the normal ones. Recently, we were reminded just how not normal this goal is, and that’s made us all the more grateful.
Financial Independence, Fight Club and the Mindless Consumer Zombie Narrative
I know you’ve heard this one before: the narrative of “working a job you hate to buy things you don’t need to impress people you don’t like.” It’s what I’ve come to call the Fight Club narrative, a distinct strand of the FI movement that posits consumerism as public enemy number 1. And while it’s a compelling narrative, here’s my case for why it’s harmful, and what we should be talking about instead.
What If Everyone Wanted to Retire Early? A Thought Exercise on Market Valuations
Index investing, early retirement and financial independence in their most commonly discussed forms all rely on one simple principle: They only work if most people don’t do them. (Don’t believe me on indexing? Read on for plenty of evidence.) Let’s dig into this idea, specifically the thought exercise on what a universal aspiration for early retirement would mean for market valuations, and talk about what would make early retirement more accessible to more people.
The Final Early Retirement To Do List // What Are We Forgetting?
We’re getting into the home stretch! With only about three months left to work — forever! — we’re feeling good about all that we’ve checked off our to do list. But we also wonder, what are we forgetting? And that’s where you come in. We’d love your help to tell us what else belongs on our final pre-retirement to do list. Come chime in!
How to Use Your FI Freedom to Agitate for Others at Work
Those of us on the FI path who are still working have an incredible freedom that most of the working world doesn’t enjoy: the freedom to push for the change in our companies or industries that others might get penalized for pushing for. Better pay, more empowering conditions, parity, diversity, you name it. If we get labeled difficult or squeaky wheels, it doesn’t matter, because we’re on our way out. Here’s how — and why! — to use that power, both for the greater good and for your own legacy.
The Survey Results Are In! All About Our Next Life (and FIRE Blog) Readers
A few weeks back, we asked you guys to complete a reader survey — and now we’re back with those results! Best of all, there are definitely some big picture conclusions that apply to all FI bloggers. Whether you blog or not, come check out what we learned about you guys. (Bonus: more charts and pictures than ever before!)
Is It a Win or Fail to Die With Money? “You Can’t Take It With You” Vs. Leaving a Legacy
Lately we’ve been mulling over a question: Is it a win or a fail to die with money leftover? Of course we can’t know how long we have, but if we could, would we prefer to spend our assets down before we die, or to be able to leave a big legacy behind? There’s a lot behind this question, and today we dig into all of it!
Are Some People Predisposed to Embrace the FI Mindset?
Today we’re exploring a single question — Are some people predisposed to embrace the FI mindset? — through some personal stories, including a spending confession so out there I almost couldn’t hit publish. But most of all, we want to hear from you guys on this one — what do you think all FIers have in common, and can anyone become an FIer? Come weigh in!
What Is “Work”? // Creating Our Own Definitions and More for the Retirement Police
I just can’t help it. I feel compelled to keep poking the bear that is the retirement police, those folks who feel the need to tell us if we are or aren’t “retired,” according to whatever their definition happens to be. Today that means talking through the evolution of our personal definition of retirement, encouraging you to create your own, and taking a deeper look at what actually constitutes “work.” Come join the discussion!
When Friends or Family Don’t Support Your Early Retirement Dreams
We’ve been lucky in many ways, but one of those ways is that we’ve been almost completely supported in our early retirement plans by our friends and family (at least the ones who know!). But we know that many aspiring early retirees aren’t so lucky, and today we hear from lots of them about how they handle that lack of support!
A Thought Experiment for the Retirement Police // Where’s the Line on Retirement?
Monday’s post spurred so much great discussion around what constitutes “retirement,” so I thought we could take it a step further, and do some exercises around what actually constitutes retirement, and what that’s based on. There’s no right or wrong answer, so come weigh in!
Don’t Listen to Us // Blogs Don’t Tell the Full FI Story
An interesting thing happens with a lot of financial independence bloggers. As your audience grows, you suddenly have this incredibly opportunity not only to reach more readers, but to earn more from the blog. Which is wonderful! Except when it means you’re only telling part of the story. Here’s why this matters, and what we should all keep in mind as we read FI blogs.
Our Full Financial Plan and Philosophy // + the Mad Fientist Podcast
Today I’m on the Mad Fientist podcast! To celebrate the occasion, we’ve got a monster post with the full rundown on every aspect of our financial plan and financial philosophy, so new readers can get a better sense of us, and long-time followers can see everything all in one place.
How Blogging Has Sped Our Progress to Financial Independence
Blogging is a hugely time-consuming endeavor, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something. But we wouldn’t trade this blog or the time it takes to write it because of how much it has done for us. Today, a closer look at how blogging has sped our progress to financial independence and early retirement.
Not Fostering Comparison // Are We the Joneses?
Today we’re reflecting on comparison — when it can be good, when it crosses the line, and if it’s even possible to know when you’ve crossed that line. We work hard to share our story in a positive way that encourages others, but lately we’ve been wondering if some of what we share inadvertently creates an arbitrary standard that begs comparison.
What They Don’t Tell You About Retiring Early // Lessons From Jim Wang
We love bringing you guys lessons from people who’ve actually crossed the Rubicon and retired early. Today we’re sharing lessons from Jim Wang of WalletHacks.com. Jim retired at age 30 after selling his massively successful blog, Bargaineering. But what he learned after retiring early wasn’t what he expected.
Creating Your Community // #FinCon16 Recap
I’ve just returned from FinCon16, my first time at the financial bloggers conference, and I’m completely brimming with excitement about it all. My vision for this blog is a lot more clear, but most of all, I was continually floored by the warmth, openness and generosity of the entire community there. It all got me thinking about communities we create, and how we can all connect — and I don’t just mean bloggers!
