Anyone close to FIREing in the next 18-24 months?
Or pivoting towards LEAN FIRE or BARISTA FIRE to speed things up?

Has your investment strategy changed much as you get closer to your goal?
Is the recessionary environment affecting your timeline?

I agree that the current market environment is actually perfect for anyone FIREing in the next 24 months.
Discounted buys now is almost perfect timing if you plan to exit the rat race soon.

I'm naturally drawn to LEAN FIRE as a minimalist and thankfully, my gf shares the same vision and lifestyle.
But I'm realistically aiming for BARISTA FIRE to maintain a healthy cash flow and my sanity.

Part of my drive to FIRE is premised on living my best life while I'm still healthy, mobile, and lucid.
Life is short and tomorrow definitely isn't guaranteed.
So plan for the future but live the ever loving crap out of today!

Often most people can end up in between 2 or more FIREs.

Looks like you're basically a hybrid of FIRE and SLOW FIRE, where you're not in a hurry to retire and still doing just a few things.
Assuming your talks/seminars/webinars are income generators, you're also BARISTA FIREing.
Hope you're enjoying FIRE life either way!

FIRE doesn't necessarily have to be exciting but still offers you the flexibility to pivot.
Or sit back and just enjoy achieving FIRE either way.

I plan to keep doing some paid and pro-bono consulting and volunteering after FIREing for my "excitement".

Hindsight is 20/20 they say, and for a good reason.
There will always be another Nvidia, Tesla, Google, Amazon, etc.
As long as you're happy and FIREd - you're already ahead of the pack.

I'm still on my journey towards FIREing.

My strategy is building more active residual income sources that require minimal time/work.
So I will Barista Fire to supplement my passive income.

My FIRE goals required my gf and I to be open about our finances and make sure we're on the same page.
Aside from travelling, thankfully, neither of us have any major expenses.
We already live a relatively minimalistic lifestyle and value experiences over material goods.

We found daily routines that make us happy even when it comes down to our meals.
Low cost healthy meals we enjoy eating often, how often we eat (intermittent fasting) etc.

Our main personal goal is to stay as healthy as possible to reduce the chances of any major healthcare bills.
And our main financial goal is to continue avoiding lifestyle creep.

We aren't planning on having any kids.
It was one of the first things we talked about when we met as I'm quite a bit older.

Neither of us want any and ideally, wouldn't want to change our current lifestyle.
But we're both open to kids if the other changes their mind.

So I've factored the costs of having an extra 2 mouths to feed, clothe, and educate just in case.
It would require some minor sacrifices but a Lean + Barista FIRE is still doable.

This post has been edited by blingless: Jun 22 2023, 02:44 AM

Once you're covering all your expenses, you're pretty much there.
And although having a passive income source is the ultimate goal, I wouldn't rule out the option of Barista FIRE.

I'm choosing that route so I have more years to enjoy things and spend time with loved ones while I'm healthy and mobile.

Working an extra 5 years to FIRE 100% passively didn't appeal to me as life is short and there are no guarantees.
I don't have to be constraint by my passive source either when a little bit of work could open up a lot more experiences.

RM5M would be an ideal goal for fully passive.

It all comes down to:
- how achievable that goal is
- what you're willing to sacrifice along the way
- what age you get to that goal

But, if given the choice, would you choose:

1. FIRE at 50-55 with passive income from RM5M
OR
2. Barista FIRE at 40-45 with passive income from RM2.5M plus active income from 2 hrs a day max.

What if it took an extra 10 years? Or longer?
Would you ever regret the time lost pursuing more passive income over enjoying more of life or time with loved ones etc.?

Great points!

I almost lost my life years ago and I've lost everything financially - twice - at 32 and 40.
Those experiences have reshaped my perspective on work/life balance and FIRE greatly.

I've completely reconfigured the concept of retirement in my mind.
The default notion of birth, school, work, retire, die - just doesn't make any sense to me.

We can all probably agree that having more money makes life easier.
But life is relatively short and our time alive is never guaranteed.

Plus, my needs/wants will diminish greatly as I get older so my lower expenses and rising inflation should form an equilibrium.
I also won't have either the will or the strength to pursue what I enjoy today as I age.

I would be completely ok with going broke when I'm older, with less mobility or mental acuity.
But I wouldn't be ok with missing the opportunity of living more of life with less money earlier if given the chance.

FIREing is a great goal but I believe it shouldn't be absolute.

Slowly cutting down on work over time towards FIREing is one option.
And/or staying active while you LEAN/BARISTA FIRE also present more achievable and sustainable alternatives.

This post has been edited by blingless: Jun 23 2023, 10:36 AM

I think it's safe to say that all the figures thrown out are arbitrary.
Even 250K could be enough if you can live off 1K/mo and expect to pass on in 20 years.

But everyone has different:
- lifestyles
- monthly living expenses
- no. of dependents, aging parents
- health conditions or expenses
- timeframe (age vs expected death)

Part of the FIRE movement is simply pushing the concept of setting financial and life goals.
With FIRE goals, one learns good financial habits like saving first (spend second), investing for the future, and living below one's means.

Retiring also doesn't necessarily mean not working or producing income.
Unfortunately, a majority of the population are faced with the prospect and harsh reality of involuntarily working past retirement age.

FIRE introduces the idea that if you plan well and as early as possible, you might avoid having to work too much later on or even not at all.