Oh, really interesting article here.
20181008/https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2018/10/05/the-fire-movement/
20181008/https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/about/
Okay, okay, let’s back up. What is “FIRE” thing that is being talked about? It is an acronym: Financial Independence, Retire Early. “Financial Independence” implies this: you have enough assets and investments to fund your living expenses, therefore you do not need to be employed and working for someone else to keep paying for your living expenses. The “retire early” part? Well, that is a choice made by one of the proponents of the movement, i.e. the author of the aforementioned website, but it is not required, also as explained on the website.
So, how did the author of the site get this rich? Well, the equation was surprisingly simple, in their words. They were just employed in typical American middle class tech jobs, in from engineering and computer science degrees. However, they only spent what they needed to meet their living expenses, and was overall quite frugal in their spending compared to their peers. Also, they had some investments (in stock market index funds) and two rental homes. Then one day, to their surprise, they looked at their available earnings, and realized they didn’t need to keep working as they were to pay for their future life expenses. So that’s how they got started, simply put.
20181008/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIRE_movement
20181008/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_independence
20181008/https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/02/22/getting-rich-from-zero-to-hero-in-one-blog-post/
20181008/https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/05/18/how-to-make-money-in-the-stock-market/
Now, as for the rest of the site. On one side, the site describes some of the wins of financial independence in greater detail. On the other side, let’s just say that a whole lot of it is observing the “clown circus” that some unfortunate folks have gotten themselves into.
20181008/https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/category/mmm-classics/
20181008/https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/11/11/get-rich-with-the-position-of-strength/
20181008/https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2015/04/15/great-news-early-retirement-doesnt-mean-youll-stop-working/
Now this article about money wasted on vehicles, trucks in particular. It’s really interesting. Dang, so that’s how expensive those chrome-plated pickup trucks are. And, most of that money that the buyer of such new chrome-plated trucks put down? It disappears in depreciation after the first year of ownership. Okay, well I’m not quite sure if it’s most… but yeah, it’s a lot.
20181008/https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2015/04/28/what-does-your-work-truck-say-about-you/
Electric cars? Now, for sure, this site author is going to have something to say that’s lost on the economics of them… no? Yeah, actually not for the most part. Just the problem with customer relations that some of the car companies have, for being too old-fashioned compared to the high-tech equipment they are selling. Overall, electric vehicles are quite economic. Even in winter… well they could go a lot further if they were better engineered for winter.
20181008/https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2017/10/06/electric-car-vs-winter/
Interesting idea here in the guest article. Conspicuous consumption? Well, it can be used in a good way too. The costs of a train bill? You are seeing the full true costs, with no costs being hidden in depreciation. Another interesting idea. Putting toys in glass display cases. Next time the author’s children wanted to buy new toys? Look at what’s already in the display cases. Is it all that different from what they already have? Does the cost justify the expense?
20181008/https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2017/10/24/get-rich-with-conspicuous-consumption/
Very interesting points here! What a big difference one can make on their food bills by conscientious spending. As of 2013, averaging meals (667 Calories for 2000 Calorie diet) around $1.00 is a great target to aim for. Not to mention, lots of staple foods already are below the target price for a meal.
20181008/https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/03/29/killing-your-1000-grocery-bill/
Wow, the money that some people can waste on excessive cleaning. Not to mention the corresponding health risk with some modern cleaning chemicals being overused.
20181008/https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/12/30/are-you-cleaning-out-your-own-wallet/
What the author is teaching his son about money. Investing, saving, yes, things like that are emphasized, in addition to the basics.
20181008/https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2015/05/20/what-im-teaching-my-son-about-money/
Some more articles linked from the front page.
20181009/https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/12/05/muscle-over-motor/
20181009/https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/09/13/domestic-outsourcing-practical-or-wussypants/
20181009/https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/10/06/the-true-cost-of-commuting/
WARNING: Contains inappropriate language.
20181009/https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/10/02/what-is-stoicism-and-how-can-it-turn-your-life-to-solid-gold/
WARNING: Contains inappropriate language.
20181009/https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/02/01/mr-money-mustaches-big-mistake/