Maybe you're talking with different FIRE people than I am, but I feel like most people are clear that the goal is freedom rather than money. Control over our time, the ability to travel, to do work we love that doesn't pay or might not pay for years, to raise our children.
I'm with Leah on this one. Since hitting FIRE in 2017 and changing my entire life the primary goal has been freedom and the quality of life that comes with it. Freedom to do things in life I never thought I would do, Freedom to spend time with family I never thought possible and Freedom to do fun work that never once came into mind during my working career.
I agree that money in itself as the goal of FIRE loses site of the why. The why in many cases is to have space and time to start something new like you have in building a community. I think Fritz puts it best when he says retirement is the Starting Line.
The people who chase FIRE to be done work will fail. The people who chase FIRE to start something new, even if they do not know what "it" is will succeed
"But here’s the difference: I would do them even if I didn’t get paid." Given this statement, what do you do with the earnings from these jobs? Are you donating 100% of the net amounts to charities? Otherwise, I am not sure that this statement is accurate.
I am genuinely curious and am not trying to be combative. I hear people use this phrase a lot and I always wonder how much truth it holds. Thank you for your time!
I often still use 'retire' when talking about my own early financial independence. It gets people's attention. Provokes a reaction. Makes them think about their own personal finance decisions. But what I actually mean when I say 'retire' is 'stop earning'.
Maybe you're talking with different FIRE people than I am, but I feel like most people are clear that the goal is freedom rather than money. Control over our time, the ability to travel, to do work we love that doesn't pay or might not pay for years, to raise our children.
I'm with Leah on this one. Since hitting FIRE in 2017 and changing my entire life the primary goal has been freedom and the quality of life that comes with it. Freedom to do things in life I never thought I would do, Freedom to spend time with family I never thought possible and Freedom to do fun work that never once came into mind during my working career.
I agree that money in itself as the goal of FIRE loses site of the why. The why in many cases is to have space and time to start something new like you have in building a community. I think Fritz puts it best when he says retirement is the Starting Line.
The people who chase FIRE to be done work will fail. The people who chase FIRE to start something new, even if they do not know what "it" is will succeed
"But here’s the difference: I would do them even if I didn’t get paid." Given this statement, what do you do with the earnings from these jobs? Are you donating 100% of the net amounts to charities? Otherwise, I am not sure that this statement is accurate.
I am genuinely curious and am not trying to be combative. I hear people use this phrase a lot and I always wonder how much truth it holds. Thank you for your time!
I often still use 'retire' when talking about my own early financial independence. It gets people's attention. Provokes a reaction. Makes them think about their own personal finance decisions. But what I actually mean when I say 'retire' is 'stop earning'.