Best FIRE Resources
This post includes the best FIRE resources. If you are interested in Financial Independence Retire Early, you should check them out!
If you know about a great resource (either yours or somebody else’s) that belongs to this list, feel free to email me and let me know!
Blogs
Mr. Money Mustache
This is the FIRE blog that got me hooked into the FIRE movement. Mr. Money Mustache is one of the first FIRE gurus that started blogging. Not only is he a great writer, but he is also very passionate about this movement. He really lives and breathes FIRE. He is the leader of the Mustachian “cult”, as he has converted many people into his way of life. Definitely a must-read blog.
Mad Fientist
What I love about the Mad Fientist is that he’s a retired Software Engineer. He used to work in a large high-tech company and got fed up with the rat race, so he decided to pursue FIRE. Now he’s living the FIRE dream and blogging about his post-retirement experiences. He has amazing resources about (legal) tax avoidance, as he has really drilled deep into boring pages and pages of IRS documentation. I also recommend his podcast (mentioned below), where he either interviews other FIRE members or talks about his own FIRE experiences.
Jim Collins
Jim Collins worked for several years in the finance industry. At some point he concluded that it’s much better to focus on index funds than to pick stocks. He wrote his now-famous “Stock Series” of blog posts to teach his daughter how to invest. I had read so many investing books before. I also had an MBA. However, these blog posts opened my eyes regarding the investing mindset. If you are new to investing or if you know a lot about investing or if you are always interested in learning more about investing (hopefully this captures everybody) you should definitely read these posts.
The White Coat Investor
Dr. Jim Dahle is an emergency physician, who has become an expert in personal finance. After reading multiple books, blogs and participating in internet forums, he realized that he loves teaching this subject to others. He realized that people with high income don’t necessarily know how to manage their money. His blog focuses mostly on doctors, but it also applies to other high income individuals. It is also an inspiration for me, as it gave me the idea to start this blog and focus on engineers.
Go Curry Cracker
Jeremy Jacobson and his wife, Winne Cheng, is a great example of a couple, who lived a frugal lifestyle and retired in their 30s. Jeremy has written a lot of great articles, but the ones that stand out in my mind are the ones related to taxes and to travel hacking. One of the posts that was eye-opening for me, is titled “Never Pay Taxes Again” and shows how a family can have an income of $100k and pay $0 in taxes (legally).
Get Rich Slowly
The title of this blog is in direct contrast to all the “Get Rich Quickly” schemes that never materialize. Instead, J.D. Roth explains that in order to become rich, you need to be patient. This blog has existed for many years and has lots of great content.
Physician On FIRE
Leif is a formed anesthesiologist, who reached Financial Independence at the age of 39. He retired early from his medical career at the age of 43. His blog is full of great information on how to achieve FIRE, as well as what to do post-FIRE. It is mostly focused on doctors, but also applies to other high income individuals.
Afford Anything
Paula Pant likes to say that “You can afford anything, but not everything”. This is a very interesting concept, as it shows the importance of focusing your efforts into one specific goal, instead of trying to achieve multiple things at the same time. Her blog started in 2011 and has tons of information that is useful for FIRE.
Frugalwoods
Liz blogs about how to achieve FIRE by living a simple frugal life. She is married with 2 children and a dog. The family lives in rural central Vermont. She blogs a lot about creative ways to optimize experiences and memories while minimizing expenses. If you are interested in learning how a family of 4 can achieve FIRE before reaching 40, this is a great blog.
Millenial Revolution
Kristy grew up in a very poor family in China. Her family’s daily expenses were just 44 cents. She managed to come to the US, get educated, focus on FIRE and eventually she retired early in the age of 31. Currently, she is traveling around the world. Truly inspiring story!
Eat Sleep Breathe FI
Chrissy lives with her husband, 2 children, and a dog in an HCOL (High Cost Of Living) area in Vancouver. Her family only has 1 income, but they are laser-focused on FIRE. They are currently on track to retire in their 40s. She has a great writing style and great design skills in her blog. If you live in Canada, definitely check out her blog.
Mastermind University
MMU provides a plan to help everybody get started with FIRE. For example, there’s a page with wealth building ideas that will save you weeks of reading. In addition, there are other lists with guides that are useful for FIRE. These pages combine information from several sources.
Blog aggregators
- Feedspot’s Top 30 Early Retirement Blogs, Websites & Influencers
- Camp FIRE Financeโsย Global FIRE Blog Directory
- Apex Money
- Personal Finance Blogs Directory
- Collecting Wisdom
Podcasts
- ChooseFI
- Mad Fientist
- Afford Anything
- Explore FI Canada
- Radical Personal Finance
- Financial Mentor
- White Coat Investor
- Bogleheads on Investing
Retirement Calculators
- cFIREsim
- FIREcalc
- Investment Calculator from calculator.net
- How to Create your Own Retirement Calculator
Books
The books related to FIRE can be split into 3 main categories:
- Guides on how to achieve FIRE: There types of books focus on one or multiple aspects of our everyday lives and explain how to optimize them for FIRE. Some examples of these areas include investing, budget creation, expense reduction, etc.
- Investing books: These books focus specifically on how to optimize your investments.
- Biographies: These types of books talk about the author’s lives and how they are personally working towards FIRE
Guides to FIRE
- Choose FI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence by Chris Mamula, Brad Barrett, and Jonathan Mendonsa
- Financial Freedom: A Proven Path to All the Money You Will Ever Need by Grant Sabatier
- The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy by Thomas J. Stanley, William D. Danko
- Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence by Vicki Robin, Joe Dominguez, Mr. Money Mustache
Investing books
- The Simple Path to Wealth: Your road map to financial independence and a rich, free life by J L Collins
- The Bogleheads’ Guide to Investing by Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer, Michael LeBoeuf
- The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need by Andrew Tobias
FIRE biographies
- Quit Like a Millionaire: No Gimmicks, Luck, or Trust Fund Required by Kristy Shen, Bryce Leung
- Meet the Frugalwoods: Achieving Financial Independence Through Simple Living by Elizabeth Willard Thames
- Playing with FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early): How Far Would You Go for Financial Freedom? by Scott Rieckens
Documentaries
- Playing with FIRE: A Documentary that captures the truths and dispels the myths of the growing culture known as FIRE: Financial Independence Retire Early.