FIRE movement – real people, real interviews

For those who don’t know this acronym but yet still found this post. FIRE is Financial Independence, Retire Early.

Yes, that’s right. You can retire when you are 30 and live your dream life of sitting on a beach in the Caribbean, being server Pina Coladas all day and just getting fatter and fatter. For 15 years before a heart attack gets you.

Are you hooked? I hope you are because I did some exciting interviews with prime members of the FIRE club.

“I just couldn’t stand the 9 to 5 jobs anymore, you know. I felt like I’ve been working forever, being stuck in a hamster wheel. I’ve read about the FIRE movement and it exactly what I needed. The last two years I’ve spent travelling the world and it is EYE OPENING! My view on life has changed completely. I just don’t understand why everyone doesn’t do that.“… “I don’t think it’s difficult to achieve that, all I did was saved some money for years, got a block of flats to collect rent from my parents after finishing my studies. I’ve tried to work in their property management company but I couldn’t stand it, so I quit at 27 to travel the world. I think that was my calling.” said Cynthia (29)

“I’ve had so many people telling me that just life is over after 40. It’s nonsense. When you are 40 your life just starts. People just don’t know how to enjoy life. For example, I am 43 now and thought to myself. I want to learn how to surf properly. So I’ve decided to buy a condo in Miami Beach and pay for a personal trainer. It’s been a year but I’m already picking it up. I think I will add paragliding next year. See, it is not hard to enjoy your life. People just don’t want to do it.” said John (43) who has spent the last 20 years working as chief executive in startups in Silicon Valley.

When I talk to Dylan (33) I couldn’t stop the tears. The difficulty he had to go through was heartbreaking. Here is his story.

“When I was 20 I got a rejection message from Oxford University. I didn’t get through the entry exams. I was living in Manhattan with my parents and I wanted to getaway. In the end, I had to settle for Harward…” Dylan started. “I studied investment and portfolio management there. I wasn’t the best student, but I had a great time. I met a friend who just got a massive inheritance and was sharing his thought about FIRE.” “And THAT really inspired me”

“I’ve met a girl when I was in a fraternity. I’ve heard she was from a wealthy family. Long story short, we are married and have a kid. Oh, you want to hear more about my retirement? No problem.” 

“So we started to date when I was 22… Did I mentioned her dad is a funder of one of the biggest hedge funds in the US?” Dylan reassured himself. “He got me a job as an Associate VP and later when I was 25 years old VP of Social media. I wasn’t the highest-earning VP in the firm, so I don’t think I had an advantage. After 6 years, we had decided that we will live off of our savings for the rest of the life and properties my wife has. They also have a really good relationship, so if we need money, we just need to ask, you know. We’ve never been happier. We can focus on our son, spend time together and just laugh, love and live.”

And this is just scratching the surface. There are more and more success stories and there is nothing more inspiring than to hear them.

*The photo in the header is from an interview with Olivia talking to her grandmother to put her pension in her name, so they both can share the fruits of years and years of hard work.