Let me start by saying this, the F.I.R.E movement in theory sounds great, however it’s morphed into struggle porn and I am not cool with that. 

F.I.R.E also known as the Financial Independence Retire Early movement, resonates with a lot of people. In fact it does a great job of teaching sound financial principles such as spend less than you make, save and invest, and live below your means, etc. However at some point it became about the struggle and not about what truly matters, FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE.

Financial independence (F.I.) is the only thing that matters. Whether you retire at 30 or you never retire, the only thing that matters is Financial Independence. (here is a refresher on FI and why it matters).

The F.I.R.E movement perverts financial independence into a competition. It treats a marathon like a damn 100 meter dash. And I’m not cool with that. 

Financial independence is a journey. It’s something that takes time. As we grow older we evolve, we mature, and begin to understand what truly matters to us and what our purpose in life is. Part of that process is actually LIVING life. A life that has good financial decisions and bad ones. In fact you learn more from the bad financial decisions than anything else.The F.I.R.E movement glorifies the struggle it takes to gain financial independence by robbing you of life experiences.

Some of my fondest memories come from hanging out with my friends and unfortunately making bad financial decisions in hindsight. Those experiences are priceless. And those memories will stay with me for a lifetime and life is too short not to have them.

Now don’t take this blog post to mean that I am advocating for bad financial decisions. In no way am I doing that. What I am advocating for is for you to not compete in the F.I.R.E race and just work diligently on becoming a financially independent.

If you love your career and it makes you happy, there is no reason to give that up to retire early. If the pandemic has taught me anything it’s that life is too short to be unhappy. 

You will reach financial independence if you want to. There is no need to struggle to do so. There are ways to craft a financial plan that keeps you happy and off the struggle bus. You don’t need F.I.R.E to achieve FI.

As always if you have questions or concerns regarding creating an emergency fund, investing, real estate, insurance, or planning for the future, don’t be afraid to speak with qualified financial advisor. Smart Asset has a great tool to find an advisor in your area or feel free to email me (contact@surgifi.com) to help you on your path to financial independence.

Follow us on Social Media

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Pinterest