London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 19, 2025

I used to think early retirement was the only way to live my ideal life, but I've found a better approach

I used to think early retirement was the only way to live my ideal life, but I've found a better approach

The FIRE movement seemed so appealing at first, until she realized she'd have to sacrifice to the point of deprivation to reach the end goal.

There was something so enticing to me about the financial independence/retire early movement (FIRE) when I learned about it a few years back. The idea that if you understood your numbers, you could aggressively invest, save, and reach retirement over a short period of time and begin living your best life when you hit your ideal retirement number.

FIRE folks are those people we read about retiring at the age of 32 with over $1 million saved. Or, the 27-year-old who never had debt and worked a high-paying job and optimized every financial decision in order to hit their FIRE number before 30. In retrospect, I'm surprised I felt so strongly about the FIRE movement, because nothing about my financial life would indicate that FIRE would ever be right for me.

As time went on, I started asking myself some questions about FIRE, and I realized that FIRE connects deeply with the imagined life that most people want to live and plays on that hopeful future. But it just wasn't for me.

What changed for me


I really disliked the idea that I would have to sacrifice to the point of financial deprivation for the next 10 to 12 years in order to hit my FIRE number. Part of why I disliked this is that I'd already sacrificed for years to pay off more than $60,000 in unsecured debt. I'd side-hustled, lived in a small home, and said "no" more often than not to purchases that I felt would negatively impact my debt-repayment goals.

These were great financial moves at the time, but I kept thinking about my life in the future. I started to dream about what my ideal FIRE life would look like.

* Waking up naturally without using an alarm clock

* Traveling around on road trips in my state of Colorado, visiting my relatives, or going abroad whenever I felt like it

* Pursuing intellectual interests to my heart's content

* Helping others financially or through volunteering when possible

* Going to brunch and having that bottomless mimosa

What I found problematic about FIRE was that I didn't want to wait years to live my best life. Especially because I was older than 32 when I stumbled upon this financial pursuit. In fact, I was in debt, professionally burnt out, and tired — not exactly prime for FIRE.

Also, the more I thought about the financial independence/retire early movement, the more I found myself questioning why certain very important conversations about access and finances weren't being had in the FIRE community.

The truth about FIRE


Here's the thing: The money — the FIRE math — it works. If you invest at a much higher rate than most people, have no debt, and earn a great salary, you can easily hit your FIRE goals.

But what if you're a person like me facing a ton of financial headwinds? My access to FIRE wasn't the same as the 27-year-old with no debt and a high-paying job.

FIRE relies on being debt-free. There's no way that you can invest at over 50% if you're also actively paying down debt like I was.

Plus, the more complicated your finances are, the more challenging it is to work towards FIRE. In my case, I had a very complicated debt situation. It hasn't been until recently that my finances have simplified enough that I can focus on traditional FIRE. If you're dealing with a large number of creditors, etc., this impacts your ability to focus on FIRE.

On top of that, working towards FIRE requires a financial skillset similar to paying off a large amount of debt, learning how to negotiate your wage, etc. It takes a while to get into a rhythm that is comfortable and moves you toward your goals.

There also seems to be a lot of conflict within the FIRE community about working after you hit your FIRE number, which honestly makes no sense to me. Why not work if you're enjoying it?

Things changed for me when I learned about Slow FIRE


Fortunately, there are a number of ways to approach FIRE depending on your financial philosophy and the reality of your finances. Eventually, I learned about Slow FIRE, which was incredibly attractive as a financial philosophy.

With Slow FIRE, you are investing, saving, and working towards your ultimate FIRE number, but you are likely doing this at a slower rate than regular FIRE folks who tend to approach the financial steps to obtain FIRE more aggressively. Basically, Slow FIRE practitioners are aware that it will take awhile to reach their final FIRE number. Slow FIRE adherents may still be cleaning up their financial foundation. This may look like finishing up debt repayment, lowering overall expenses, and looking to grow income. These are key steps in the FIRE journey.

Basically, Slow FIRE is similar to the regular FIRE movement with a couple of major exceptions.

* Slow FIRE practitioners focus on designing and achieving their FIRE lifestyle now. This may include working remotely in order to create more flexibility in their lives. It's also a nod to the fact they will work longer in order to hit their FIRE number. There's no work-shaming because work factors heavily into Slow FIRE.

* Work is a large part of Slow FIRE, but the emphasis is on working in a way that works best for you right now. In fact, COVID has created a huge opportunity for professionals to design their best lives now while earning an income and focusing on their future.

I appreciate that Slow FIRE is a more approachable way to begin the financial independence process.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
×