Author: Chris

Chris began his financial independence pursuit in 2007 as he learned basic personal finance from Get Rich Slowly as an aspiring web designer and novice investor. After several missteps, he learned the secrets of financial independence and began his pursuit of freedom.

He reached financial independence in 2018 with $1.2M and two businesses. He began the process of transitioning to early retirement in 2020.

Learn more: Meet Chris.

Psychology

FIRE Isn’t Prescriptive (It’s a Spectrum of Personal Choices)

Post author By Chris
Post date February 28, 2021
No Comments on FIRE Isn’t Prescriptive (It’s a Spectrum of Personal Choices)

Gaining financial independence has no rule set. No one defines retirement but you. These are 7 ways the FIRE movement misses the personal part.

Tags Financial Independence, motivation, Retire Early, Story

Finance

Black Wall Street and the Business of Creating a Community

Post author By Chris
Post date February 21, 2021
8 Comments on Black Wall Street and the Business of Creating a Community

The businesses of Black Wall Street in its heyday [Image source: America in Color: The 1920s, Smithsonian].

Imagine a thriving community of Black-owned businesses and residences in the era of Jim Crow. It happened in Oklahoma where Black Wall Street was born.

Tags giving back, work

Psychology

Specialist vs Generalist: Pros and Cons for a Career (and Life)

Post author By Chris
Post date February 14, 2021
4 Comments on Specialist vs Generalist: Pros and Cons for a Career (and Life)

In life and in your career you'll define yourself sometimes as a specialist vs generalist. What are the differences, pros & cons, of each of these skill types? And how do they apply to life after work in retirement?

Do you consider yourself a jack of all trades or an expert in your field? The differences between a Specialist vs Generalist reveal a spectrum and timeline in life.

Tags Financial Independence, Retire Early, Story, Tactics

Finance

4 Charities for Racial Equality (and Our January 2021 Budget Review!)

Post author By Chris
Post date February 7, 2021
3 Comments on 4 Charities for Racial Equality (and Our January 2021 Budget Review!)

Winter has arrived!

We review four charities for racial equality for our donation, Chris gives an update on his Yearly Theme, and we review our January 2021 monthly budget!

Tags Budget Updates, giving back

Finance

GameStop Stock: Why I Worry About the Mania (And VTSAX)

Post author By Chris
Post date January 31, 2021
13 Comments on GameStop Stock: Why I Worry About the Mania (And VTSAX)

I grew up with GameStop as the place to go to find a deal on used video games. Now the stock is on a tear as amateur investors wage war against hedge funds. What's going to happen?

What does GameStop stock mania mean for the future of individual investors vs Wall Street? And do you own GME via VTSAX, VTI, and Vanguard?

Tags Financial Independence, Story, Tactics

Finance

FIRE Budget In-Depth: Unusual Ways We Spent $40,862 in 2020

Post author By Chris
Post date January 24, 2021
15 Comments on FIRE Budget In-Depth: Unusual Ways We Spent $40,862 in 2020

2020 may not have been the year we expected within our FIRE budget, but that doesn't mean we didn't make the best of it! [Photo: Pacific Park early in 2020 before the world shutdown.]

Our FIRE budget reveals how we live a luxurious lifestyle on about $41K/year as two 36-year-olds in an MCOL city on a coast! Steal our tricks to reach FIRE!

Tags annual review, Budget Updates, expenses, Financial Independence

Psychology

Enjoying Retirement: Are You Still a Useful Member of Society?

Post author By Chris
Post date January 17, 2021
8 Comments on Enjoying Retirement: Are You Still a Useful Member of Society?

Keys to enjoying retirement: finding balance in your life in how you spend your time, accepting how society values what you do, and directing your own decisions. (Photo from a visit to Huntington Gardens in California.)

Overcoming the need to feel useful when you’ve left your career is key to enjoying retirement. Diversify your life to prevent work from being your identity.