FIRE changed my financial life in ways I'm grateful for. It also did a few things to my brain that nobody warned me about. Here is what I wish I'd known on the front end, from someone four years in.
The FIRE community loves its categories. Each one comes with passionate advocates and harsh critics. After four years of reading these debates, here is what I actually think each version means and who it's right for.
Everyone in the FIRE community talks about "the number" — the amount you need to retire. The standard formula is wrong for almost everyone. Here is the version that accounts for what the spreadsheets leave out.
It was the highest-paying offer I had ever received. I turned it down. Two years later I have less money but more of my life back, and I want to be honest about both the math and what I traded.
My husband and I retired at 42 and 44 with $1.1M in investments. Here's what the FIRE blogs don't tell you — the sacrifices, the doubt, and what 'retired' actually looks like.
