I’m a firm believer in pushing for the changes that I want to see. I recently posted the following on my personal Facebook page:
I want to raise awareness among my social circles of a movement going on in America. It’s called FIRE – Financially Independent, Retiring Early. It’s still a small movement, but ever growing.
What does it mean? It means saving at a high rate during your working years so that you don’t have to work as many years — instead you buy back your time. It typically implies retiring before age 40, but even before age 50 certainly qualifies as early retirement. With that extra time, you can pursue your life’s passions and engage in what truly bring you joy (instead of trading your life energy for $).
Most within my social circle are in their mid 30s. If you’re not already on a path to retire before you turn 50, then you still have plenty of time to change course if you so desire and that desire is powerful enough to change habits.
I encourage you to make your children aware of the FIRE movement. This provides your children the opportunity to have their working years and child raising years only slightly overlap — or not overlap at all. How cool is that?
Help me make this message spread like a wildFIRE. This message needs to go viral given how much it can improve the quality of lives for our future generations (simply by being aware of the choices involved). I absolutely need your help in making this happen — thank you for sharing the message.
I want to be:
- A motivator / influencer encouraging you to save more and take a Do-It-Yourself approach to investing.
- A general leading an army of FIRE individuals who bring about cultural change in America.
- A voice of reason screaming out against the uber-consumer currents so pervasive in society.
“Some say the world will end in fire. Some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire, I hold with those who favor fire.” – Robert Frost
I definitely agree that too many people think that they need to work until they are in their 60s before retiring when if they altered the way that they spend they could reach FIRE much sooner. I am actively trying to reach FIRE as quickly as possible and hope to be there in the next couple of years 🙂
Hi Mustard Seed Money,
It’s my passion and vision to really to significantly raise awareness around this message — particularly with those in the age range of 15 to 22. Once I FIRE later this year, I’ll be seeking out many opportunities to speak in person at high schools and universities. Would you like to join me in my cause?