Who am I?
I am an engineer, in my late 30s. I have 15+ years of professional experience in consulting, retail and technology, where I’ve worked in big companies, including Microsoft, Amazon and Google. I’ve worked in multiple roles, such as Software Engineer, Product Manager and Technical Program Manager. I also have an MBA from Kellogg School of Management with Majors in Finance and Marketing.
In my personal life, I am married with 2 children. My wife is working in one of the big high-tech companies. Most of my friends are also working at FAANGM (Facebook Amazon Apple Netflix Google Microsoft).
How is this blog different than the other FIRE blogs?
I started thinking about this blog, when I was talking to my wife and explaining the concept of FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early). Since we’re both engineers working in high-tech, we had been focusing on improving our job performance, in order to increase our income. However, in 2016 I learned about the FIRE movement and the focus on maximizing net worth. The goal was to have the option to retire early (which blew my mind, because everybody I knew was retiring around 60 years old). I was sold! However, now I had to convince my wife ๐
She kept asking me questions that I also had during my early searches. Some of these questions were “generic” FIRE questions, like “how can we improve our income?”. And fortunately there are lots of great blogs covering these types of questions. What I could not find, though, is a blog that focuses on answers that are optimized for engineers.
What I’m referring to is a blog similar to “White Coat Investor” or “Physician on FIRE” (who are both physicians), but for engineers. Engineers are a subset of the bigger FIRE community. And some of the greatest FIRE bloggers are also engineers. However, I believe that some of the answers to these “generic” FIRE questions have not been optimized for engineers.
Who will find this blog useful?
The goal of my blog is to talk about FIRE specifically from the viewpoint of an engineer. Similar to physicians, engineers are (or have the potential to become) high net worth individuals, but they are much more productive at their work than at organizing their financial life.
My main target audience is engineers ( aspiring engineers, current engineers, ex-engineers). Being a Software Engineer myself, I can provide more in-depth information in that area. However, I believe that all high net worth individuals will find noteworthy information that will be useful in their path to FIRE.
What topics will I cover?
I am planning on covering a wide area of topics including:
- My current financial situation, my goals and my path to reach FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early)
- Mechanisms that are available for engineers to increase income, reduce costs and improve investment options
- Different types of comparisons between the large high-tech companies, e.g. FAANG (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google)
- Interview preparation guidance for Software Engineers, Product Managers and Technical Program Managers
- Information about the reasons to pursue or not to pursue an MBA, as well as MBA application preparation guidance
- … and many more
